February 25, 2019
Sonia Montalvo Awarded We Raise Foundation Emerging Leader Grant!
We are thrilled to share that We Raise Foundation has awarded our Young Ladies Program Coordinator Sonia Montalvo one of two Emerging Leader Grants! The $15,000 grant award provides $10,000 for program support and $5,000 for Sonia's leadership development over the next two years. Emerging Leader Grants are for young adults at Christian organizations who are "leading new programs at the...
February 4, 2019
Celebrate Black History Month with us
For the first time this year, we are celebrating Black History Month with quotes, profiles, and stories of notable people and events that have contributed to our community, nation, and world. Follow us on our social media channels - Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube - to learn about and be inspired by lesser known but no less important local heroes and significant events in the pursuit...
January 27, 2019
Frigid temps don’t derail 17th Annual Fifeville MLK Day Celebration
Despite temperatures in the 20s, dozens of Prospect neighbors and friends gathered at Buford Middle School on January 21, 2019 for the 17th Annual Fifeville Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration. In an enduring tradition dating back to 2003, participants young and old peacefully marched with candles through the Prospect neighborhood in a display of unity. Once back in the warm environs of the...
January 13, 2019
Royal Girls spread “Prospectivity” through film
For two months, in partnership with Light House Studio, eleven young ladies from Abundant Life's female empowerment group Royal Girls worked on creating a film that highlighted the positive aspects of living in Greenstone on 5th apartments. Upset that there were so many negative connotations about their place of residence within the Charlottesville area, they sought to bring attention to the...
December 17, 2018
Christ stands at the door: an Advent reflection
In the midst of this Advent season, I am reminded of the words of German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Advent sermon 90 years ago: “One day, at the last judgment, he will separate the sheep and the goats and will say to those on his right: “Come, you blessed,…I was hungry and you fed me… (Matt. 25:34). To the astonished question of when and where, he answered: “What you did to the least of...
December 10, 2018
2018: Notable Accomplishments, Notable Needs
This year has been a season of transition for Abundant Life Ministries. During this spring I was hired as Executive Director, and we took further steps to clarify the direction of our ministry and invest more deeply in the lives of those in our neighborhood. Since the spring, we have developed a strategic plan that outlines our strategic goals for the next three years. These goals include...