POWER – Philadelphians Organized to Witness, Empower & Rebuild

We are Philadelphians Organized to Witness, Empower & Rebuild (POWER). We are congregations from all across the city, intentionally bringing people together across the lines of race, faith, income level and neighborhood — lines which have historically kept Philadelphians divided. We are people of faith committed to the work of bringing about justice here and now, in our city and our region. By strengthening and mobilizing our networks of relationships, we seek to exercise power in the public arena so that the needs and priorities of all Philadelphians are reflected in the systems and policies that shape our city.

POWER employs a model of organizing often referred to as “Faith-Based Community Organizing” (FBCO) and which is sometimes called “congregation-based” or “broad-based” community organizing. Faith-Based Community Organizing is grounded in key principles and stories from our major faith traditions and also draws from the spirit and lessons learned from some of the main historical movements for justice and progress in our nation’s history including the American Revolution, the Civil Rights Movement and other popular movements for justice.

POWER congregations are promoting a 5-part, multi-year organizing platform for policy change in the areas of Jobs, Education, Housing, Public Safety and Healthcare, with a first focus on a jobs plan for Philadelphia.

Volunteer with POWER

In addition to being a POWER leader in your congregation, you can offer your time and talents to POWER in the following ways: