Inland Valley Hope Partners
First Christian Church of Pomona is one of the charter members of Inland Valley Council of Churches, now know as the Inland Valley Hope Partners. The mission of the Inland Valley Hope Partners, a collaboration that brings together churches, individuals, businesses and community groups, is to ensure the empowerment of people in need, by providing food, shelter, and supportive services. The offices of IVHP are in our facility and the Our House Shelter, an emergency shelter for families, is also part of our facility. The congregation supports the shelter by paying for all the utilities. Ecumenical work, working with other churches and faith communities, is a core value for Disciples of Christ congregations. Assisting the underserved and poor in our community is also a high priority. IVHP gives us the opportunity to be in mission in our own community.
ICON: Inland Community Organizing Network
Our congregation is a member institution of the Inland Community Organizing Network (ICON), a broad based organizing group of faith communities, schools, non-profit groups and unions, which work together to build power in order to improve life in our communities. In Pomona, we have been able to get city officials to allocate more Community Development Block Grant funds for streetlights and sidewalks and save neighborhoods from re-development re-zoning. We have been working with teachers and parents so parents have greater access to the schools in order to volunteer. We also work with other member institutions across LA County and the State of California. This work get us into the community to better know and understand our neighbors. We are in relationship with other congregations and groups whom we would otherwise never have any contact. We are committed to moving out of the culture of isolation in order to create safer, healthier communities for everyone.