In neighborhoods across Shreveport, Louisiana, a powerful movement is taking place that is rooted in neighborly love and faith. Based on the conviction that people crave connection and that vibrant communities are built on meaningful relationships, neighborhoods are being dramatically transformed, block by block through the influence of Community Renewal International
Mack McCarter, who is leading the way, has seen the physical, emotional and spiritual evolution of several communities in the 25 years since he started his ministry.
Mack spent his adult life in ministry, having gone to seminary and been a pastor of an evangelical church in west Texas for many years. He returned to his hometown of Shreveport in 1991 and discovered many neighborhoods—that were once vital and thriving—were in great decline. They were facing gangs, drugs, violence, crumbling homes and people living in isolation.
During his time in Texas, he had pored over scripture, counseled members of his flock, and sought to lead them as faithful followers of Jesus. But even within this vocation, Mack has discerned a deeper voice, urging him to pay close attention to the poor.
Christian life, he understands, is more than seeking personal holiness. It is about loving your neighbor, no matter what it takes.
And that’s how he found himself, on a Saturday morning in 1991, walking through the Allendale neighborhood of Shreveport, just trying to be neighborly. He knew no one, and no one knew him. But he was aware that the murder rate in this area was at a rate averaging nearly two people every week.
God told him to head toward “the Bottoms,” the toughest area of the city, and go door to door. He thought about taking the easy route first—“drive-by blessings,” he calls them, recalling how he tried to hedge on his promise to God. But God told him to go door-to-door on Saturday mornings, when “the bad guys are hungover,” and try to make friends.
The first people to greet him were kids, who unselfconsciously wanted to play with him. Emboldened by this spontaneous ice-breaker, he began to knock on doors, introducing himself and saying he wanted to be friends.
Many, he said, were more than a little dubious. But the key is that he came by every Saturday. And within three months, people were waiting on their row house porches, waiting for their turn to meet their gregarious neighbor.
Knowing that wherever he “encountered the poor, he encountered the Catholic Church,” Mack decided he’d reach out to the Bishop of Shreveport, William Friend.
He knew that Catholics reached out to the margins to help people. He explained to Bishop Friend his dream to renew their city by helping to establish new relationships among its residents. The bishop was convinced. He invited Mack to speak in any of the Catholic parishes in the city and gave him a check for $10,000 to get to work.
Mack and the bishop struck up a life-changing friendship. Not only did the bishop help Mack execute his dream, but he brought Mack to meet Pope John Paul II in Rome in 1998, and inspired Mack to convert to Catholicism.
Community Renewal International
In 1994, Mack founded Community Renewal International (CRI) to resurrect the foundation of relationships in neighborhoods. He understands that friendship between neighbors does more than just provide good block parties; they connect people to their faith and to the intrinsic dignity of each person.
Relationships make people feel safe, confident and optimistic. They motivate them to go to church, school and jobs and to be good and productive citizens. Mack believes that strong relationships define all healthy societies.
The areas that Community Renewal International serves have seen a 52 percent reduction in major crime—but nothing is more transformational than how these neighborhoods “feel” now: children are playing outside, people are smiling, houses look tidy and colorful community gardens have replaced former drug zones.
Outreach to neighbors, like what Mack did in Allendale years ago, is still fundamental to the Community Renewal model. Mack and his team have scaled up that basic insight with three related initiatives: Haven Houses; the renewal team; and Friendship Houses.
Friendship Houses
There are 10 “Friendship Houses” spread throughout Shreveport in low-income, high-crime areas. With live-in leaders, typically a married couple, these houses are popular gathering places and a crucial presence in the neighborhoods. Children come for after-school programs, teens gather to socialize and anyone in need of comfort or a little socializing, stops by.
The Renewal Team
The Renewal Team consists of more than 50,000 people — who Mack calls the largest gang in town — who have signed “We Care” pledge cards, committing to service towards their neighbors. In 2018, over 2,000 volunteers gave nearly 40,000 hours of service. Members of the Renewal Team have bumper stickers and yard signs to make their commitment visible. Driving through these neighborhoods, one now sees house after house bearing “We Care” signs.
Haven houses
More than 1,700 diverse leaders live in Haven Houses throughout the neighborhoods provide a broader platform for socializing among neighbors and to helping each other. The leaders undergo training to become good listeners and build skills to develop relationships of trust.
The success of Community Renewal International is now being replicated in nine other places: Abilene, Texas; Palestine, Texas: Houston, Texas; Shawnee, Oklahoma; Lawton, Oklahoma; Ringgold, Louisiana; Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota; Washington, D.C.; and the country of Cameroon in Africa.
People and partnerships are at the heart of CRI. With an enormous reach, CRI impacts a diversity of people. Here is a sampling of their stories.
Pam Morgan
I see myself in these children, and I know I can give them hope.”
Pam Morgan
Pam Morgan grew up in the impoverished Allendale neighborhood. “I didn’t know where my next meal was coming from. I was lost, lonely and hopeless,” she said. As an adult she partied excessively, had four children and suffered abusive relationships. When her mother died, who had been “her backbone,” she hit the bottom. To help save her children, she brought them to the Friendship House, which was the one bright spot in her life. Mack saw that she was a great caregiver, and in 2001, asked if she’d like to work at CRI. Unemployed and already seeing the power of this movement, she ecstatically accepted. She recently moved into the Friendship House, as its leader, and lovingly runs the after-school program for children K-5th grade with her daughters.
Michael Jackson
Mack and his mentors set the tone for my life and showed me a new path. They gave me the chance to make good choices.”
Michael Jackson
Michael grew up in the “Bottoms,” the poorest neighborhood in Shreveport—one that was full of “gangs, drugs, prostitutes and a lot of things that kids should never see,” he said. But he had big dreams and wanted to work in law or politics. Deep down, he had a desperate yearning for positivity, and he found it in Mack. When Jackson was 12, Mack showed up on his street to “make some friends.” Mack told Jackson and his pals about the local Haven and Friendship Houses. Jackson eagerly accepted the invitation. “You went into these Houses and you felt safe. They hug you, ask you about your day, share scriptures, talk about the future and take you places to show you life beyond your own neighborhood,” he said. Jackson is now a lawyer, married with three children and a mentor to children. He has been a Haven House leader and is a big advocate for expanding CRI. “We can take this model, share it and keep it going like a domino effect to make this world a better place.”
Paige Hoffpauir
I realized that I was the charity. I was the one who needed to learn how to love my neighbor.”
Paige Hoffpauir
Paige Hoffpauir, a realtor in the gated community of Southern Trace in Shreveport, was looking for a charity to support and came across Mack. Even in her well-to-do neighborhood, she saw the same loneliness and isolation that was corroding other parts of the city, and so she decided to do something about it. For her, being a Haven House leader means “let’s get out of our homes, let’s get out of our personal ambitions… and let’s just have some food together.” It’s about finding ways to connect to neighbors and recreate the city. After 18 years of working with CRI, she finds that it has led to “a great unlocking of people, a great unlocking of talent.”
The greatest joy is to watch people come alive when they are reconnected in purposeful friendship.”
Mack McCarter
Catholic Extension Society donors have provided $7.3 million to the Diocese of Shreveport for church building, developing leaders and engaging youth. This includes two grants to Our Lady of Blessed Sacrament in Allendale to renovate its parish hall and help repair the parish hall’s roof.
We are proud to support inspiring individuals and groups like Mack, who are helping to transform American society through the power of faith and community.
