Hope in the Cities

Hope in the Cities Building trust across divides of race, class, and culture in Richmond, VA

Today in the United States we face a growing gap between those with wealth and those struggling to make ends meet. There...
03/31/2026

Today in the United States we face a growing gap between those with wealth and those struggling to make ends meet. There is an unprecedented assault on truth, the foundations of our democracy and the rule of law by those in power in Washington. At times such as this we may feel a compelling need to demonstrate against threats to civil rights, cruelty to immigrants essential to our economy, growing authoritarianism at home, and imperialism abroad. At times such as this it’s even more important to hold fast to purpose and core values.

March 31, 2026March 31, 2026At times such as this Today in the United States we face a growing gap between those with wealth and those struggling to make ends meet. There is an unprecedented assault on truth, the foundations of our democracy and the rule of law by those in power in Washington. At ti...

This great tribute to Tee Turner came from from Chalton Askew, the ED of Trustbuilding in LaGrange, Troup County, GA. Te...
01/21/2026

This great tribute to Tee Turner came from from Chalton Askew, the ED of Trustbuilding in LaGrange, Troup County, GA. Tee made multiple visits to LaGrange, and leaders from LaGrange came to attend the Trustbuilding Fellowship in Richmond. They developed their own self-sustaining program.

It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of the unexpected passing of our beloved friend and mentor, Rev. Dr. Sylvester "Tee" Turner, of Richmond, Virginia, on Sunday, January 11th. For those of you who have attended our Racial Trustbuilding Workshops, Rev. Turner was more than likel

It’s with a mixture of grief and gratitude that we mark the passing of Rev. Sylvester “Tee” Turner. A man of vision and ...
01/16/2026

It’s with a mixture of grief and gratitude that we mark the passing of Rev. Sylvester “Tee” Turner. A man of vision and steadfast faith, he was a founding pillar of the Hope in the Cities movement and played a leading role in helping Richmond, Virginia come to terms with its racial history. For more than 30 years he was my colleague and trusted friend. Read more in this blog

It’s with a mixture of grief and gratitude that we mark the passing of Rev. Sylvester “Tee” Turner. A man of vision and steadfast faith, he was a founding pillar of the Hope in the Cities movement and played a leading role in helping Richmond, Virginia come to terms with its racial history. Fo...

Please consider supporting this vital global effort that was inspired by the work of Hope in the Cities in Richmond.
12/31/2025

Please consider supporting this vital global effort that was inspired by the work of Hope in the Cities in Richmond.

Cycles of inherited mistrust can be broken, relationships repaired, and new stories written based on empathy, dignity and shared humanity. As 2025 draws to a close, may your GENEROSITY help us TODAY build HOPE for a better TOMORROW! 👉 https://gofund.me/49ad4f876

For the Trustbuilding Program (TBP), this has been a demanding year, yet one marked by deep and tangible impact. In a world where trust is eroding across communities, institutions, and societies, our teams have continued to step into some of the most divided spaces with courage, skill, and care — helping people rediscover the humanity in the “other”.

Today, many communities now rely on our local teams for continued hope, accompaniment and practical tools to bridge the divides they face.

Built on decades of racial reconciliation work by IofC USA and a century of trustbuilding practice through Moral Re-Armament, the Trustbuilding Program has, in just seven years, grown to operate in 14 countries. We have directly reached nearly 22,000 individuals and trained close to 4,000 community members as trustbuilders.

On the ground, this work has led to real change: police apologising to communities in Nigeria, Christians and Muslims coming together to clean a mosque in divided Garissa, Kenya, and young people in Cameroon leading their own trustbuilding initiatives.

Sustaining this work has become increasingly challenging as government and foundation funding cuts affect our teams worldwide.

💫 As our end-of-year fundraising campaign comes to a close, we are reaching out to you — our internal and global community — to ask whether you might be able to help us reach our goal.

✨ There truly is no small donation. Every contribution helps ensure that this work can continue and that communities who have placed their trust in our teams are not left without support.
👉 https://gofund.me/49ad4f876

🌍 Bridging Divides. Building Trust.

It’s no accident that my website heading is Trustbuilding: creating a space for change. Our goal is to create welcoming ...
12/20/2025

It’s no accident that my website heading is Trustbuilding: creating a space for change. Our goal is to create welcoming spaces where people can see themselves, others, and the challenges they face, in a new light. The act of welcome can allay fears and anxiety and open hearts and minds. A recent reflection reading quotes Henri Nouwen: “Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them a space where change can take place.” Read more in my blog

It’s no accident that my website heading is Trustbuilding: creating a space for change. Our goal is to create welcoming spaces where people can see themselves, others, and the challenges they face, in a new light. The act of welcome can allay fears and anxiety and open hearts and minds. A recent r...

I am excited to share news of the publication of this book for which I contributed a chapter. It is available open sourc...
11/27/2025

I am excited to share news of the publication of this book for which I contributed a chapter. It is available open source so can be read online or downloaded free of charge.

I am excited to announce the publication of New Perspectives on Healing Collective Trauma: Towards Social Justice and Communal Well-Being. Taylor & Francis, the parent company of Routledge, have made this book available as an open source version. Edited by Scherto Gill, Director of the Global Humani...

If you are anything like me you may have spending much time reading the daily news. The endless headlines about our pre...
11/27/2025

If you are anything like me you may have spending much time reading the daily news. The endless headlines about our president’s tweets, lies, corruption, and assaults on the foundations of our democracy threaten to drown out everything else. Yet, countless positive actions are taking place across this country that get little publicity. As Americans, we need to find ways to clear the traffic of social media from our minds, reach for the clear air, and as the Civil Rights activists used to sing, “Keep our eyes on the prize.” Read more of this in my blog …

If you are anything like me, you may have stopped spending much time reading the daily news. The endless headlines about our president’s tweets, lies, corruption, and assaults on the foundations of our democracy threaten to drown out everything else. Yet, countless positive actions are taking plac...

I am delighted to share some powerful and courageous words from Tanya Gonzalez as a guest column on my blog. They are ve...
10/02/2025

I am delighted to share some powerful and courageous words from Tanya Gonzalez as a guest column on my blog. They are very timely as Latino families face devastating challenges and our country is bombarded with rhetoric that seeks to divide. We need people like Tanya who work to build bridges and encourage the best in everyone.

Tanya Gonzalez is the executive director of the Sacred Heart Center in Richmond, VA, which serves the growing Latino community through collaborative partnerships offering medical, consular, and tax preparation services as well as food assistance and referrals for a variety of basic needs. This month...

Millions are turning to chatbots for spiritual advice. People are desperate to find someone to confide in about their de...
09/27/2025

Millions are turning to chatbots for spiritual advice. People are desperate to find someone to confide in about their deepest concerns or secrets and to seek guidance from. A timely new book by my friend Rev. Bill Wigmore (Father Bill) offers a better alternative: a tried and tested way to connect regularly with the “still, small voice” that resides within us all. The Power of Two Way Prayer: Finding New Meaning in Addiction Recovery and Spiritual Growth (Morehouse Publishing 2025) is a practical and accessible guide for daily life, not just for addicts but for anyone facing life’s challenges or seeking ways to chart a new course. Read more in my blog.,,,,

A recent article in the New York Times is headlined “Finding God in the App Store.” Apparently, millions are turning to chatbots to seek spiritual advice. “Trained on religious texts, the bots are like on-call priests, imams or rabbis, offering comfort and direction at any time. On some platfo...

Two pioneers of Hope in the Cities (Initiatives of Change USA) left us in recent weeks. Jeff Williams and Paige Chargois...
08/05/2025

Two pioneers of Hope in the Cities (Initiatives of Change USA) left us in recent weeks. Jeff Williams and Paige Chargois will long be remembered as individuals who helped Richmond face its painful past. They personified the new spirit that Hope in the Cities brought to the city and paved the way for a process of healing and trustbuilding in communities across America and the world.

Two pioneers of Hope in the Cities (Initiatives of Change USA) left us in recent weeks. Jesse Frank Williams, III, (Jeff) was one of the first people I got to know when my wife and I moved to Richmond, Va, in 1980. He became a trusted friend and an ally in the work of honest conversation on matters....

Americans – particularly those on the left – have much to learn from the mistakes that enabled Trump to gain power. Afte...
06/19/2025

Americans – particularly those on the left – have much to learn from the mistakes that enabled Trump to gain power. After this destructive chapter we need to come back to the world as a different country. What would that look like? Who do we need to listen to? What do we need to do differently? What should be our vision? My blog explores these questions:

In a recent column in the New York Times, Ben Rhodes writes that it’s a mistake for those on the left to promise that “America will be back” after Trump leaves. “That ignores the enormous mistakes elites made over the last three decades and the political context that allowed Mr. Trump to re....

Address

305 West Broad Street, Ste 325
Richmond, VA
23219

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 12pm - 4pm
Sunday 9am - 7pm

Telephone

+18043581764

Website

http://us.iofc.org/

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