\rē\  \mərj\   or re-merge 

Remerge is another way of expressing reconciliation. We seek to facilitate the “re-merging” of disparate people into flourishing community.  

While the historical significance of Sweet Auburn in the civil rights movement was an attractive element, relationships were really what led Remerge to locate in Sweet Auburn. We had been working out of temporary places for a few years, but the friendships, partnerships, and community developed in those transitory seasons led us to consider this neighborhood. The concentration of homelessness, the bifurcation of the neighborhood, the presence of other faith-based and civic minded institutions made this location logical given the community-building model of Remerge. The right opportunity opened up to partner with a socially minded developer and to launch the Community Building Studio.  

Yes! The Sweet Auburn neighborhood is a key focal point for Remerge, but some of our programming extends beyond Sweet Auburn to the broader Atlanta community (such as the work of Giving Grace and ColorATL). In addition, our educational and training programs are open to participants from other cities and regions who are interested in learning our approach to reconciliation-based community development.

We currently serve the metro Atlanta region with a specific focus on the Sweet Auburn neighborhood. Right now, we are focused on deepening our work within this geographic parameter. If you’re interested in bringing a particular program of Remerge to your area, please send us a message at admin@remerge.org. Please include the program(s) you believe are most relevant and what resources are available to engage in this effort. 

Yes and no. We continue to seek to build relationships with our neighbors, particularly the most vulnerable, but our approach and framework is one of shared lives, which means that everyone has something to contribute, even those of little means or different capacities. We welcome those who want to enter into authentic community.  

To foster relationships and encourage the sharing of lives, we host community coffee hours and a women’s Bible study. Due to the generosity of our supporters, we also regularly have snacks, toiletries, and water for our neighbors, and through our partnerships and organizational relationships, we are able to connect neighbors with other resources as desired. However, our focus is not on eradicating homelessness in our community, but to identify and disrupt the cultural and systemic barriers that have led to the prevalence of homelessness and the division of economic means.  

In our mission we state: We build communities of peace and activate others for the life transforming work of reconciliation. That’s right, we believe reconciliation is life transforming! 

Communities and cultures are formed by the way we see and act toward our neighbors over time. When we view others with suspicion our values and practices will reflect that fear and necessarily result in enmeshed social divisions, dysfunctional communities and vulnerable people.  We see this embodied in racism, poverty, social isolation, environmental abuse and corruption to name a few. The good news is that God is in the world through Christ reconciling it to Himself, joining our lives together in such a way that we become something new – a new humanity. Our reconciliation to God, and subsequently to one another is transformative both individually and communally.  

Since 1999, we have primarily served in under-resourced places where lives are clearly divided or isolated. We are particularly attentive to relational connections, placemaking and culture. These communities of peace, also called flourishing or beloved communities, are distinctively marked by the inclusion and sharing of life with the most vulnerable and where practices and mindsets are developed and nourished that (1) witness to solidarity with all of God’s creation, (2) are capable of sacrifice for the love of neighbor, and (3) offer resistance to the powers of idolatry, poverty, division and violence. 

Art is an incredible way to connect with oneself and with others. It can be a form of story-telling and expression. We believe all should have access to the stress-relieving, therapeutic benefits of creativity. AND we want to celebrate our local artists. Not only do we connect the greater Atlanta community with local and therapeutic arts, we also act as a resource and conduit to connective opportunities for our network of Atlanta-based artists. In so doing, we are able to help connect local artists with projects that benefit the neighborhood through creative placemaking and wayfinding.

Yes! Send us a request for the space here:

https://www.peerspace.com/pages/listings/5cae2d87b807630027cc904d?sort_order=38

Thanks for asking! We do accept in-kind donations, but please fill out the form above with a description of what you would like to donate, number of items, and we’ll let you know if we have the capacity to accept these. If we are not able to accept items, we may have suggestions of other organizations that can accept the items.

If you’d like to contribute prepared food, please reach out to us prior to preparing the food.