CHICAGO, IL (October 31, 2017) – The workshop “Business in the Neighborhood: Marketplace Possibilities for Community Transformation” will now be offered at the front end of the Midwinter Conference in Chicago.
The workshop will cover developing social enterprises, which are business ventures that seek to generate self-sustaining revenue while also addressing a community concern in compelling and redemptive ways. It will be facilitated by people already leading social enterprises.
The event will be held Monday and Tuesday, January 22-23. The conference will be held January 22-26.
It is the second year for the workshop, which was filled to capacity when it was offered as a post-conference event following the 2017 Midwinter.
“We’ve seen so much positive fruit in and through last year’s gathering that we have expanded on this event to make sure it creates even more value for leaders, churches, organizations, and ultimately the community,” says Adam Gustine, director of ministry initiatives for Love Mercy Do Justice.
For more on the topic read “Why Social Enterprise,” by Gustine from the May 2017 issue of the Covenant Companion. COV Enterprises, a new social enterprise strategy through the ECC, will be introduced at the workshop.
The event will be $25 per participant for the entire program, which includes breakfast and lunch on Monday.
On Monday, participants will meet from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Covenant Offices, just a short drive from the Hyatt Regency O’Hare hotel, the site for the Midwinter. Transportation options will be available for people without cars. On Tuesday, the session will be held at the Hyatt during the 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. workshop time slot.
Gustine adds, “We are creating ‘next step’ pathways for participants. Our hope is that everyone who attends for the first time or previously attended will leave with a sense of ‘next steps’ in their community.”
People planning to attend can
- Add the registration to an existing Midwinter registration;
- Register for both Business in the Neighborhood and Midwinter at the same time; or
- Register only for Business in the Neighborhood.
All options are possible on the Midwinter registration page.
