Archive
NBCLA’s Virtual Town Hall: Najuma Smith-Pollard on Fighting for Real Reform and Solutions Against Racism
Rev. Najuma Smith-Pollard, program manager for the USC Cecil Murray Center for Community Engagement, participated as a panelist for NBCLA’s Virtual Town Hall, “The Time is Now: Rooting Out Racism.” The conversation …
Faith & Politics: Leadership in the Time of COVID-19
The USC Cecil Murray Center for Community Engagement’s hosts a conversation with two of its alumni about how they are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Featuring: Dr. Michael Fisher, Greater Zion Church …
Reimagining Impact: An Evaluation of the Avanath/CORCDC Partnership
This study examines the social impact of community service organizations that are affiliated with church groups in Southern California. In our work with many such faith-based groups, we have found that, while …
Community Transformation: Outlining a Process for Change
Introduction: Innovation Labs for Congregational Vitality and Community Change Imagine if a church held a gala to raise money for programs to help improve the lives of its neighbors, and everyone in …
How to Start a Wealth-Building Ministry at Your Church
In disadvantaged communities, economic instability makes it difficult for many to access important financial knowledge. Without this information, people cannot lift themselves up and grow their wealth. And if the people are …
A nascent #ChurchToo movement could improve gender equality in the black church
This article was originally published by the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences. By Susan Bell The first advice the Reverend Najuma Smith-Pollard gives male pastors is not to use …
Rev. Cecil L. Murray: A Call to Ministry
Rev. Cecil L. Murray led First African Methodist Episcopal (FAME) Church in Los Angeles for 27 years. In this video, Pastor Murray reflects on his calling to the ministry, from his childhood …
The Murray Method of Church Leadership
In his 27-year tenure at the First African Methodist Episcopal Church in Los Angeles, Rev. Cecil L. Murray transformed a small congregation into a megachurch that brought jobs, housing and corporate investment …
National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB) Religious Literacy Primer 2019
The USC Cecil Murray Center for Community Engagement created this religious literacy primer for the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB), in an effort to help members of the organization engage …
Community Connection: Najuma Smith-Pollard on #MeToo in the Black Church
The USC Cecil Murray Center for Community Engagement organized a meeting of women leaders in the Black Church about #MeToo this fall, prompting an article in the L.A. Times. Following the article, …
KPCC: Najuma Smith-Pollard on Same-Sex Marriage and the Black Church
In 2008, a majority of Black voters helped ban same-sex marriage in California. KPCC talked to Najuma Smith-Pollard, program manager for the USC Cecil Murray Center for Community Engagement, about whether attitudes …
LA Times: Murray Center Gathers Women for Discussion of #MeToo in Black Church
The USC Cecil Murray Center for Community Engagement convened a group of prominent women to discuss sexual harassment in the Black Church. The Los Angeles Times covered the #MeToo-inspired gathering, organized by …
The Cosby Case at Church: Why Pastors Should Address Sexual Assault
Bill Cosby is back in court this week. This time, in Pittsburgh, his sexual assault case is framed against the backdrop of #MeToo, the movement raising awareness of sexual harassment, and #ChurchToo. …
The OC Register: Reverend Cecil Murray on the 50th Anniversary of the Death of Martin Luther King Jr.
April 4, 2018 marks the 50 year anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King in 1968. Cecil L. Murray, a faith-based leader and chair of the USC Cecil Murray Center for …
March 27, 1994: “Turnips That Don’t Turn Up” – Rev. Cecil Murray
In this Palm Sunday sermon, Rev. Murray reminds his congregation that humility helps you remember to praise the Lord. Without humility, it is easy to forget to be grateful, but being humble …
When a Pastor Shows Up at a Black Lives Matter Protest
I posted a question on Facebook at the beginning of 2018: “What ever happened to Black Lives Matter?” The question wasn’t prompted by animosity, despite the disagreements between clergy and BLM. To …
The Black Church and Black Lives Matter – Faith Leaders Institute
Roslyn Satchel is an AME minister and part of Black Lives Matter Los Angeles. She spoke at the Cecil Murray Center for Community Engagement’s 2018 Faith Leaders Institute retreat about why she …
83.9 KPCC: Mark Whitlock on LA’s Korean Christian Community Seeking Social Impact
Korean Americans make up a large portion of Los Angeles’ population, and many of them identify as Christian. However, Korean churches do not have the same reputation for impacting the community in …
As King Encouraged, America Must Face Her Flaws
This post originally appeared in the Los Angeles Sentinel. In Dr. Martin Luther King’s posthumously published essay, “A Testament of Hope,” he wrote, “It is forcing America to face all its interrelated …
Pico Union Project: An Interfaith Space in Los Angeles
The Pico-Union Project reveals several layers of Los Angeles’ immigrant religious history, even as it embodies the communities and practices that are shaping the city’s future. Built in 1909 for a Jewish …