Welcome to Community Builders

A place for thoughtful content to encourage our growth in loving God and our neighbors.

We are thankful to have you joining us and we hope this blog can stir up some new ideas in you and help contribute to the flourishing of communities all around.

Read below to find out more about our regular contributors, see past posts, and subscribe to our blog.
 
New posts will be sent out to all subscribers on Mondays at 8am and will be available for viewing here on Tuesdays at 8am.

The Importance of Education within the Bible

~By Josh Shelton~
Research shows that education helps bring people out of poverty, or at least it should. Missionaries from around the world tell us that education to communities ravaged by poverty and occult-like behavior are transformed as education is introduced into their culture. Education might not be welcomed at first…

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May 13, 2025 No Comments

The Impact of Education on Economic Stability

~By Robin Fleming~
This month, we are asking how education, both formal and informal, and economic stability are related and what economic problems exist in our communities due to a lack of education.
At its most basic…

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May 6, 2025 No Comments

Three Ways Toward A Healthier Community

~By Stuart Smith~
So how can we affect change or promote good health practices in our community and among individuals? I want to focus on three practical steps we can take to lead change for a healthier community…

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April 29, 2025 No Comments

Addressing Healthcare Concerns Through LoveINC

~By Robin Fleming~
The next question, since we here at Love INC are the ones preaching the sermon, is how we are “putting our money where our mouth is” by addressing the systemic and individual barriers to adequate healthcare?

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April 22, 2025 No Comments

Does Our Physical Health Really Even Matter To God?

~By Travis Jones~
Our bodies are so needy sometimes. They need constant attention like food, water, bathing, etc. Much of the maintenance we do for our bodies is such a chore; finding time to exercise, rest, eat healthy, go to the doctor, dentist, and all the other specialists, it all adds up. Trying to be healthy is like a full time job…

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April 15, 2025 No Comments

About the Community Builders Blog:

In this blog, we are going to explore topics around the issues of poverty and how we experience these aspects of poverty as well as how we can, as a part of the global Church, bring about change to help our neighborhoods become whole.

Each month we will cover a different aspect of poverty and discuss what the problem is, how we see and experience it, and how we can address these different aspects of poverty as the church in a given community.

We will have guest writers as well who will contribute their thoughts, experiences, and insights on the various topics.

Ultimately, we who write and maintain this blog are not coming in as experts who know everything. No person is the same, no community is the same, and no experience of poverty and its many symptoms are the same. We are simply gathering our collective knowledge based on our experiences and studies, and trying to humbly provide thoughts and insights that will get us all thinking about how we can join together as the church and be who God called us to be as His beloved.

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Stuart has spent over a decade in vocational ministry both in the PNW and overseas where he spent several years studying Scripture and experiencing the global church across different cultures. A native Oregonian, Stuart has been married 28 years to his high school sweetheart. With two children and two dogs they enjoy time in nature and visiting food trucks around the Portland Metro area. Stuart has lived and traveled around the world his favorite memory is tour riding a motorcycle through Italy, Slovenia, and Hungary.
Stuart Smith
Stuart SmithContributor
Robin has lived in California, La Mision, Baja California and moved to Oregon in 2013. Married 3 years, she and her husband enjoy finding ways to engage with neighbors that are fun and build relationships.
Robin Keating
Robin KeatingContributor
Robin grew up in Vancouver, WA. Her experiences include teaching, mentoring, and counseling and she loves connecting and doing life with people. She and her husband have been married 35 years. After raising their four children in the Hillsboro area, they recently moved to a bit of country in Clackamas County. They enjoy reading, hiking, camping, listening to owls, and savoring good coffee roasted by her husband.
Robin Fleming
Robin FlemingContributor
Travis has been in vocational ministry contexts since 2021 and spent 5 years studying Scripture, theology, leadership, and community development at the former Multnomah University. After growing up in California, Travis experienced life on the East Coast, but returned to the West with his wife of 7 years. They have come to enjoy the rainy days of the Portland area and the beauty within and beyond the city. He enjoys challenging and thoughtful conversations, rich and flavorful coffee or tea, good food, learning from different cultures, and the crisp air of the PNW.
Travis Jones
Travis JonesGeneral Editor