On Tuesday we introduced Susan Holman as our featured contributor of the week as part of the “This Week in Lived Theology” segment that will launch this fall. To engage in the exploration of Susan’s work and issues engaged by her scholarship, such as the intersections of poverty, global health and the writings of the early church fathers, find the Project on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @LivedTheology.

When we asked Susan to recommend an organization working in her areas of expertise and interest, she introduced us to the New City Initiative in Portland Oregon. Susan told us,

New City Initiative was founded by Paul Schroeder, formerly a Greek Orthodox priest who is now a social activist in the community working with alternatives to homelessness. Schroeder has an M.Div. from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Seminary in Boston, and after he left the priesthood, he knew he was more interested in working in social justice than doing further graduate work. He is translator of some of Basil of Caesarea’s sermons on social justice for a popular patristics series, and it was Basil’s example of a “poor house” that inspired him to name the mission “The New City Initiative.”

To find out more about the New City Initiative, visit their website, find them on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter @NewCityInit.