Mercy — the compassion shown by one person to another. We provide opportunities for individuals and groups to extend mercy to their neighbors through our Day of Service and annual Speaker Series.
While mercy might temporarily extract someone in need from a broken system, justice works to repair the inequitable structures of the system. For communities to become truly sustainable, justice requires a long-term involvement in our communities.
A world in which God, humans, and all creation are connected in equity, fulfillment, and delight. The Hebrew prophets call this shalom.
“We call it peace, but it means far more than mere peace of mind or a cease-fire between enemies. In the Bible, shalom means universal flourishing, wholeness and delight — a rich state of affairs in which natural needs are satisfied and natural gifts fruitfully employed, a state of affairs that inspires joyful wonder as its Creator and Savior opens doors and welcomes the creatures in whom he delights. Shalom, in other words, is the way things ought to be.” – Cornelius Plantinga
The staff & board of Project Peace adhere to the historic Christian faith as defined by the Apostle’s Creed.
Project Peace East Bay has been active in Berkeley and Oakland since 2006, and was officially incorporated as a 501(c)3 California nonprofit in December 2007.
Jen is the Executive Director of Project Peace East Bay. She has over 20 years of experience as a community organizer and non-profit leader playing key roles in growing and managing organizations. Jen is an expert in mobilizing the faith community to serve and deeply engage in their communities, and is a thought leader on pressing issues facing the East Bay including education systems and eliminating structural inequity. Jen and her husband, Brian, have 3 children and have lived in Oakland since 2006.
Sarah has three years of former non-profit service in Los Angeles with CoachArt, connecting chronically ill children to community resources and volunteer mentors in the arts & athletics. She looks forward to continuing the bridge-building work of Project Peace as she executes the Day of Service. Sarah is also a freelance writer & editor, focusing on cultivating cross-racial conversation about theology and identity politics playing out in the church and society at large. She currently lives in the East Bay and is a member of The Way Christian Center.
Ben is a native of San Francisco and a longtime activist for peace and justice in the Bay Area. As an advocate for youth, he served as a member of the crisis counseling team for West Contra Costa Unified School District and as Program Director for Global Education Partnership, empowering at-risk youth through entrepreneurship. Ben has a history of spiritual leadership beginning as a youth pastor and continuing through his years as collegiate pastor for Greater St. Paul Baptist Church and Shiloh Church. He served as Executive Director of Cityteam, a Christian non-profit providing rescue, recovery, medical, financial and educational opportunities to hurting and homeless people in Oakland for 7 years. Ben founded Empower Initiative in 2014 to provide faith-based, technical assistance around public safety issues affecting the urban core. He is beginning a new journey as Director or Clergy Development with PICO California in June, 2015. Ben has received many honors including the FRED Scholars Award, ONGB Non-Profit Leader of the Year, and the Oakland Police Foundation's Neighborhood Champion Award. Ben & his wife Gynelle have been married for 15 years and have 3 beautiful daughters. They reside in Oakland.
Nate and his family moved to Oakland in the summer of 2008 to launch Shalom of Oakland (now Oakland Leadership Center). He was inspired by the creative work he had been doing with ReIMAGINE in San Francisco and felt compelled to continue to develop leaders and create systems for life transformation, this time in East Oakland. He currently serves on the Steering Committee for the Melrose High Hopes NCPC (Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council). Nate lives in East Oakland with his wife Andrea and three young children: Kayla, Chase and Ava.
After completing his Master of Divinity, Bart pastored 20-somethings at Perimeter Church in Atlanta, GA. After four years at Perimeter, Bart moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2005 to start Christ Church. Bart most enjoys helping anti-churched, un-churched, de-churched, and re-churched neighbors and friends explore the historic Christian faith. He also loves to read and run--occasionally in tandem. Bart also serves as a church planting coach for Redeemer City-to-City-Asia. He is husband to Katie and father to Caroline, Clair, and Cammie.
Amy moved to the Bay Area from Washington, DC in 2005 with her husband, Alex, who attended UC Berkeley's MBA program. Having lived east of the Mississippi River all of her life except a stint in London, Amy is grateful to now call the Bay Area home with her husband and two children, Celia and William. A fundraiser for over a decade, she now enjoys building infrastructure for non-profit organizations and doing what she can to engage with the community in Oakland, especially through Project Peace as its board president.
Jen is the Executive Director of Project Peace East Bay. She has over 20 years of experience as a community organizer and non-profit leader playing key roles in growing and managing organizations. Jen is an expert in mobilizing the faith community to serve and deeply engage in their communities, and is a thought leader on pressing issues facing the East Bay including education systems and eliminating structural inequity. Jen and her husband, Brian, have 3 children and have lived in Oakland since 2006.
