Shared Ground is an Interfaith Climate Resilience Hub in Denver's Northside
We are a cooperative congregation of people, just like you. We work to develop leadership capacity in our members and run Shared Ground collectively. In doing so, we practice and model what is needed for resilient communities.
Who We Are
We are a member driven community of practice around holistic and regenerative systems thinking. We are seekers, learners, gardeners, helpers, dancers, lovers, friends, and people.
This is an interfaith congregation. There is no dogma you need to follow or spiritual practice you need to adhere to. As long as your beliefs do not put you above anyone else, such as men over women or believer over non-believer you are welcome to come and weave yourself into our tapestry.
Where we are
Shared Ground is currently leasing a historic church in Denver's Northside neighborhood dating back to 1890. We honor the long history of ceremonies on this land, starting with the Arapahoe, Cheyenne, and Ute nations, and continuing through the Presbyterian congregation of the 20th century. Our building offers six separate spaces for gatherings, each one suited to a different use. Throughout 2023, our members will be working together to identify a long-term space for our climate resilience community.
learn more about renting spaceAccessability
Accessibility is an act of love, our accessability transparency is coming soon!
Why?
Our theory of change
We believe that all humans deserve a dignified life. One where we are healthy, have community, are safe, and have our needs satisfied.
We also believe that we should live, collectively, as a part of nature and within the limits of the abundant gifts given freely by nature.
As it stands we are not meeting even the most basic needs of all people and we are wildly over consuming the natural resources of the world, much faster than they can regenerate.
"Poverty exists not because we cannot feed the poor, but because we cannot satisfy the rich."
We live within an economic system that values one thing: making money. It is an anti-market economic paradigm that is failing and threatening to make society as we know it impossible.
This system has been built over hundreds of years on a foundation of racism, colonialism, and oppression.
At the core of this terrible trouble is domination. Power of the few over the many. The domination, plunder, and rape of nature by the few.
We envision a world where all people leave the power-over paradigm and enter a power-with paradigm. Power-with each other and power-with nature.
To do this we must weave relationships based on shared power. We must practice sharing. We must return to ways of being where we are not dominators or dominated. We must examine the anti-patterns of domination that exist within ourselves and our systems to root them out. We will need help and will need to call-in many people from diverse backgrounds for support.
Together we can remember a world into being that is based on mutual respect and care. A world where we are enmeshed within nature, part of the world. A world where all people share all the power and we wield it to create a thriving world.
Together we can survive the mistakes of settler colonialism, racism, and white supremacy. To thrive in the better world we all know is possible.
How We work
We are a cooperative congregation
We aim to create a congregation that has the skills and willingness to self-govern. We come together and run this organization in the democratic way we want the whole world to run. Where we share power and responsibility to build our community center.
You can learn more about the nuts and bolts of how we do things in our handbook.
Read our Handbook