From Incubation to Implementation: Empower Hope Center Continues To Take Root

When NBA Incubate Partner Rev. Dr. Syvoskia Bray Pope first connected with the National Benevolent Association in 2016, she was serving as a pastor of a new congregation in Kentucky, New Century Fellowship Christian Church. Through NBA workshops and conversations about the relationship between churches and nonprofits, Rev. Dr. Pope found space to imagine how social services could become part of her church’s ministry and community impact, leading to a vision for what would become Empower Hope Center. “It was an opportunity for us to develop and create this self-sufficiency of social services that we wanted to deliver to the community,” she said.

Empower Hope Center began as an initiative connected to New Century Fellowship, and early NBA support, including a Mission & Ministry Grant, helped give structure to that vision. “NBA gave me that opportunity to dream,” Rev. Dr. Pope said. “It really began to shape that vision for the Empower Hope Center.”

By 2022, Empower Hope Center was ready for the next stage of growth by becoming an NBA Incubate Partner. “NBA was the partnership that I knew we needed to be successful,” she said.

Working with NBA’s Social Entrepreneurship team, the partnership has helped strengthen the organization’s governance, leadership, partnerships with local agencies, funding strategy, and sustainability planning. Additionally, utilizing Rev. Dr. Pope’s own experience in small business development, community and economic development, workforce development, and ministry leadership, the organization’s direction has been more clearly shaped and it has deepened its commitment to practical, community-rooted service.

“I remember traveling to Louisville for our site visit with Empowering Hope and being deeply inspired by their work and by a board committed to serving others and unlocking the power already within the people and communities they serve,” says Rev. Darnell Fennell, NBA’s Director of Social Entrepreneurship. “I am grateful that Rev. Pope has allowed us, through the Incubate Partnership, to journey alongside her as she continues to unlock and expand her own leadership and entrepreneurial power. It is a privilege to witness what becomes possible when we invest not only in organizations, but in the people called to lead them.”

For Rev. Dr. Pope, one of the most meaningful parts of the Incubate Partner experience was the relationships she developed. “It was those relationships- not only with NBA staff, but with other Incubate Partners- somebody willing to walk alongside and help us while we were visioning and developing.” In local nonprofit spaces, she had found many resources geared toward organizations already operating with larger budgets and staffs. NBA, she said, offered something different: support for organizations still becoming.

“Do not try to do this alone,” Rev. Dr. Pope shared. “The Incubate Partnership is a great resource that helps you build your infrastructure.”

Today, Rev. Dr. Pope describes Empower Hope Center as moving “from incubation to implementation.” One of the organization’s major goals is to secure a permanent physical location where New Century Fellowship and Empower Hope Center can be housed together while remaining separate entities. The shared space would allow families to access programs, services, and community resources in one place, while also creating new opportunities for sustainability through multiple streams of income.  They also continue to explore new initiatives, including a microbusiness program, deeper racial equity and opportunity work, and a possible social justice pillar launching sometime next year.

As she looks back on the journey of being an Incubate Partner, Rev. Dr. Pope sees growth not as a single destination, but as an ongoing process of becoming. “Building an organization is not simply about driving at the destination,” she said, “but it’s about allowing the vision and the organization and me as a leader and the board and all of us to develop together.”

That spirit of becoming is at the heart of Empower Hope Center’s story. What began as a small seed of an idea has grown through faithful leadership, community partnerships, and NBA’s accompaniment into an organization prepared for its next season. For future Incubate Partners, Dr. Pope’s story offers a powerful reminder: “You feel like you just have a little bit in your hand, but you can take that little bit. It’s like a seed… you just take that little mustard seed and see where that seed will take you.”

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NBA’s Social Entrepreneurship program is now accepting applications for Incubate Partners! This program offers leaders of Disciples health and social service organizations like Rev. Dr. Syvoskia Bray Pope a multi-year relationship with NBA that includes coaching, learning opportunities, and support for the leader’s ministry or organization. Interested applicants are required to connect with NBA’s Social Entrepreneurship team before beginning the application process; additional details can be found at https://buff.ly/GlRoVaq. Applications will be accepted through November 1st.