CWV was founded as Gospel Supper Club A Healing Place, Inc. by three African American women with extensive experience in advocacy, and community-based organizing, economic justice, and economic development. CWV works to increase and enhance the overall health, well-being, and effectiveness of existing leaders, their organizations, and the constituents they serve by providing healing, spiritual development, and leadership development.
The name was changed in 2001 to promote wider appeal to broader segments of the population. We seek to motivate more people and organizations to engage in a process of spiritual transformation inside and outside traditional places and systems of worship and healing...everywhere people are in relationship and community. CWV trains and organizes leaders to order economic justice and social change activities according to biblical principles.
CWV’s challenge is that for systemic change to occur, people must learn to negotiate differences in cultures, religions, abilities, understandings, and self-interests. CWV is founded upon the premise that self-development is the axis/hub of change in the external environments.
“I received very crucial technical assistance on how to build a stronger board of directors that was scattered across twelve states. I participated in regular CWV group sessions and received intensified one-on-one counseling and guidance for about two months. Once I realized that operating out of fear was the worst thing for my organization, my energy picked up and I became much more creative and excited.
Between 2001 and 2002, I helped organize two annual skills-building retreats and I also helped facilitate and coordinate four anti-oppression trainings in three states. I was thinking more clearly which meant I could put together thoughtful exercise and popular education tools into well-organized agendas. Over 250 people attended these retreats and trainings and the feedback we received on our evaluations were overwhelmingly positive and sometimes, life changing.”
Kim Diehl (2001) Southerners On New Ground
A major accomplishment has been to locate and develop processes, tools, activities, exercises, and training that navigate the pain of change for very busy people. Success is most poignantly described in participants’ own words.
“It has been good to see people with different needs get their needs met. The sessions afforded an arena for me to practice without ridicule. It made me revamp my thinking about my self-worth. It has made me more confident in all the other settings I’m involved in. It’s been really good for me. It has helped me to be more independent and confident because I get a chance to use what’s inside of me that I didn’t even really know I had. My involvement with CWV has made me want to be more involved in other issues like church and community involvement.”
Phyllis Peacock (2003) Women In Action
“The process helped us reflect upon and analyze our work over a year and a half period and yielded a tool we could use to articulate all that work and incredibly complex issues to the Boards, staff, and constituents of 8 organizations in twenty minutes. It helped focus, clarify, and direct . . . and it was fun.”
David Baker (1999) NC Multi-Issue Alliance
“This was a first time experience for all of us. This was the first time I witnessed tears of joy. For so long, I have seen my sisters crying from pain, but this time it was totally different. I saw the fake mask fall apart because the women felt safe enough to get honest with the group about what really was going on in their lives. After that . . . they started working together again . . . more like it was in the beginning. They started talking again . . . I mean real talk. I was right there when it happened and I’m still amazed at the peace and joy that I continue to hold on to as a result of the spiritual experience.”
Felicia Davidson (1997) Arkansas Women’s Project