10:30am | The Greater Long Beach Leadership Prayer Breakfast, set for October 6 at the Long Beach Hyatt Regency Hotel, will be followed by a complimentary Community Development Forum. The forum, featuring a panel of five, including Long Beach City Manager Pat West, will start at 10:00 am and conclude by noon.
Eric Marsh, director of Hope for Long Beach and a panel moderator, described the purpose of the forum, “We want to have an inclusive discussion on the best practices to build a healthy city for all citizens, including ways the faith community can contribute over the long haul.”
Other members of the panel are Robert Lupton, president of Atlanta-based Focused Community Strategies; Jennifer Chheang, Long Beach Program Manager for The California Endowment; Ken Korver, Senior Pastor of Emmanuel Reformed Church in Paramount; and Cliff Ratkovich, a Long Beach real estate developer with projects here and overseas. Assisting Marsh in moderating the panel discussion will be Jim Lewis, President/CEO, Long Beach Rescue Mission.
Lewis expressed the hope that local pastors, leaders of non-profit organizations, business leaders, developers, philanthropists, and elected officials would attend. “There are many people of faith who are quietly working for the common good in Long Beach. We want to dispel the notion that Christians are only interested in the life to come; we live in Long Beach, and want vibrant communities,” he said. “We seek to develop an environment of life and work in a healthy community that is flourishing,” he concluded.
Those planning to attend the complimentary forum are asked to register online here