About

Mission and Purpose: Circle Venture is an arm of the Circle of Hope Church created to generate and support opportunities for compassionate service within Circle of Hope, Philadelphia and the world. Circle Venture leads the church to share God’s love in practical ways by:
· Supporting mission teams in creating alternatives for the poor and oppressed,

· Building partnerships with like-minded groups,
· Organizing projects that give people opportunities to make a difference, and
· Advocating for God’s peace and justice.

We currently have 15 mission teams to share God’s love in practical ways. We also have regular 1-shot opportunities for service in Philadelphia. Feel free to contact our leadership team with any questions. Check out the missions teams and learn more!

Leadership Team

Jeremiah Alexander (Director)
Jeremiah Alexander currently serves as the Director of Circle Venture. In 2008, he received his Master’s in International Development from Eastern University. Prior to accepting his position with Circle Venture, Jeremiah was an intern for the American Friends Service Committee’s Domestic Economic Justice Program in Philadelphia. At AFSC he worked to lobby for more federal funding around human needs. He lives in the Kensington section of Philadelphia and has a strong affinity for working on behalf of the urban poor. He was inspired to pursue a path of service after travelling to a slum in Mexico City in 2002. He has a B.A. in Political Science and an A.A. in Photography. Jeremiah is continually amazed at how God works in the most unexpected ways!

Bryce Hewlett (Chair)
Bryce Hewlett works for the Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania as a Community Organizer and Administrative Assistant. He transplanted to the Philadelphia area 2 years ago upon completion of his B.S. in Bible at Baptist Bible College of Clarks Summit, PA. Bryce and his wife Kim are expecting their first child by May 5, 2009. When not eating chocolate Tastykakes, he enjoys baseball, Frisbee, good books, and ping-pong. He has a great deal of interest in church work, particularly in areas of compassion, service, and church planting. Bryce currently serves as Circle Venture Secretary and liaison to the UndaWata and Free CFL teams.

Emily Kephart
Emily is a native Pennsylvanian, having lived in and enjoyed almost every corner of the state; she came to Philadelphia in June 2006. Emily has worked as a child welfare caseworker, done faith-based community development in Peru, and community organizing in north Philadelphia. Emily recently joined the Shalom House community in west Philadelphia, where she hopes to use her training and experience in social work and community development to lead the Circle of Hope community in learning and growing as peace makers. She joined the Circle Venture core team because she believes in the call to actively love, and show compassion to, our world through our work, play, and relating. She holds a BSW from Shippensburg University, and a MSW from Temple University, focusing on Community & Policy Social Work. Emily loves coffee, folk music, backpacking, & textiles.

Joel McIntosh
Joel McIntosh  lives and works in the Kensington area of North Philly. He is a social worker and HIV tester/counselor at Esperanza Health Center, a faith based public health clinic on K&A. He lives in a communal living setting with 10 other people engaged in a diversity of projects, affectionately dubbed The Cambria House. Joel transplanted to Pennsylvania 7 years ago and to Philly almost 3 years ago, after having been raised in Lima, Peru. He has an interest in community projects and gardening, Latin America, immigration and globalization, finding news ways of living in ways that are friendly to Gods creation in an urban context, music, pizza and connecting the Church to compassion, service and justice action. He wants to spend more time outside and less time in front of a computer.

Kathy White

Kate Marshall (Treasurer)