Archive
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 …
State of Financial Capability: A Report on Financial Fitness Program
The following was part of USC Cecil Murray Center for Community Engagement’s report on its Financial Fitness Program, sponsored by CIT/OneWest Bank. Many people in America face financial challenges. According to the …
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 …
Murray Center Impact Summit 2019: Learn. Connect. Grow.
The USC Cecil Murray Center for Community Engagement is looking forward to a spectacular summit with you and a few special guests. The goal of our Impact Summit is three-fold: Learn. Connect. …
Celebrating Rev. Cecil Murray, His 90 Years of Life and the Love That He Has Shown Us All
Below are the remarks CRCC Executive Director Brie Loskota gave at Rev. Cecil L. Murray‘s 90th birthday celebration. The first time I met Rev. Murray was just after it was announced that …
Murray Center Wishes Mark Whitlock Great Success on New Pastoral Assignment
The USC Cecil Murray Center for Community Engagement and the Center for Religion and Civic Culture will miss the immense contributions that Mark Whitlock has made to our collective endeavors. Mark first …
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 …
Census 2020: Facts, Fictions and Faith
What is the census? The census is a counting of all residents in the United States. Our constitution mandates that we do a census every 10 years, and that it be used …
Joy Comes in the Morning: The Prophetic Social Witness of Rev. Cecil L. Murray
“Joy Comes in the Morning” is a PDF collection of 14 sermons delivered by the Rev. Dr. Cecil “Chip” Murray at First African Methodist Episcopal Church (FAME) in Los Angeles. It is part of …
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, …
OC Register/LA Sentinel: Whitlock Fasting to End Gun Violence
Mark Whitlock, executive director of the USC Cecil Murray Center for Community Engagement, has committed to a 73-day fast to end gun violence. The Orange County Register and the L.A. Sentinel detailed …
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 …