People and Programs

• Advisory Board
• Staff
• What we do

Advisory Board:

Chair: Steve Brady -- Steve has served on the Committee on Interchurch Relations for the Church of the Brethren and hails from Lebanon, OH.

Vice Chair: Kim McDowell -- Kim is pastor of the University Park Church of the Brethren in Hyattsville, MD.

Secretary: Larry Lesh -- Larry is a retired teacher and member of the Beacon Heights Church of the Brethren in Fort Wayne, IN.

Al Hansell -- Al Hansell is a former district executive and national staffperson for the Church of the Brethren, and currently serves as director of church relations for Elizabethtown College. He hails from Mountville, PA.  

Madalyn Metzger -- Madalyn is a writer/editor for MMA (Mennonite Mutual Aid), and a member of Elkhart Valley Church of the Brethren. She lives in Bristol, IN.

Chrissy Sollenberger --  Chrissy is the young adult rep on the board, and attends Earlham (IN) College.

David Rogers - From North Manchester, IN, David is a retired pastor and avid advocate for justice and peace, with extensive experience in Central America.

Dena Lee -- Dena is a physician and comes to NCP from Kent, OH.

Sophie Wilhelm -- Our youth representative is from Richmond, IN and has taken a special interest in promoting NCP's Give a Girl a Chance fund.

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Staff:

Director: David Radcliff -- Based in Elgin, IL, David travels widely around the U.S. doing presentations in schools, congregations, youth events, community settings, and regional and national gatherings. His areas of emphasis are living responsibly with the earth, living respectfully and justly with our neighbors, and generally confronting the culture of consumption for our own spiritual health and for the good of the planet, its people and coming generations. David is a graduate of Bridgewater College and Bethany Seminary (MDiv, DMin [peace studies]); teaches courses at Elizabethtown College in the areas of globalization, environmental care, and poverty and hunger; has led Learning Tours to the Arctic, Amazon, Iraq, Sudan, and Central America; and has traded in his car for a bicycle. Contact him at dradcliff@newcommunityproject.org.

Undoing Global Warming program coordinator: Tom Benevento -- Tom has a degree in Sustainable Systems and has extensive experience in development work and community organizing. His work with NCP involves leading Undoing Global Warming workshops for congregations and other groups, and developing a model sustainable living center at his home in Harrisonburg, VA. Learn more about his work at our Undoing Global Warming page. Contact Tom at: tbenevento@newcommunityproject .org

NCP-Cleveland staff Debra Illes dilles@newcommunityproject.org and Barb Holtz bholtz@newcommunityproject.org represent the New Community Project in the Cleveland metro area--but are available to go anywhere for presentations on sustainability and practical ways of living responsibly with God's earth.

Creation Stewardship Coordinator: Kim Chaffin -- Kim is an avid environmentalist and peacemaker, and lives in Jonesboro, TN.

Website Manager: Lutricia Zerfing -- Lutricia has her own web design business, and lives near East Berlin, PA. Email web comments here.

Program Associate: Heidi Gross -- Heidi drives her Prius around Aurora, IL where she works at Illinois Math and Science Academy. For NCP, she takes care of administrative details, manages mailing lists, proofs materials, and keeps David in line. Contact Heidi at hgross@newcommunityproject.org

Bookkeeper / Office Assistant: Daniel Radcliff -- Living in Elgin, IL, Daniel does financial record-keeping and pitches in with mailings, other office chores and occasional media/drama gigs.

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What We Do

Youth retreats, Sunday morning worship, district junior high events, adult forums, renewal services, group camping adventures—whatever the setting, the New Community Project is available to provide stimulating and biblically-based leadership.

In today's fast-paced and often troubling world, here are some areas NCP staff can help your group or congregation address:

• living simply
• responding to world hunger
• being a Christian in the new American empire
• making good choices in relation to everyday consumer decisions
• learning about threats facing God's earth and about ways to live more responsibly
• assessing a congregation's energy stewardship for practical and ecological reasons
• seeking justice in a world with a vast and growing gap between rich and poor
• practicing non-conformity in a world bent on bending us to its mold
• finding a spiritual grounding for one's outward deeds of service and peace
  Along with creative up-front leadership that seeks to spark discussion, NCP staff bring ideas for putting one's faith into action. Flyers, study materials, action projects—a variety of options are offered to take the next step in one's faith journey.

YOUTH Focus!

A special interest of NCP is to be engaged with young adults, youth and junior highs. We feel these age groups have much to offer the church in the way of committed living, and show courage in being willing to face the problems of our world head-on.

Take us to school!

NCP staff are available for presentations on the environment, world hunger, globalization, or specific regions such as Central America or North and South Korea.

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