About Us - Ace in the City : Ace in the City

Our History

Before and after school programming. Mentoring. Food security projects and literacy initiatives. Being direct service programmers and practitioners at heart, we’ve learned a lot over the years since our founding in 2008. Among the biggest learnings is the belief that our neighborhoods, by and large, do not need more resources, but a stronger fabric and way in which we work together. We need a renewed spirit of creativity and collaboration, reimagining the physical space assets of our communities, which are in abundance, and reactivating them for neighborhood flourishing.

Our Values

We partner alongside churches of all shapes and sizes. We partner alongside for-profits and nonprofits, community practitioners, civil leaders and creatives of all kinds. Regardless of who we partner alongside, however, our work will be guided and sustained by the following values:

Stories

Storytellers are the architects of our future. Our world needs more good stories, and we are committed to sharing them.

Creativity

Never settling for small questions or the status quo, we give permission for our imaginations to run wild and free.

Justice

We desire wholeness in our communities and commit ourselves to the work for the flourishing of our neighbors.

Collaboration

We offer our best only as we receive the best from others. Together, the whole is greater than all our parts.

Presence

We celebrate the uniqueness of each space, connecting the people and places of our neighborhood that hold us together.

Where We Work

Ace in the City works at the intersection of church and community, believing what happens in the middle is what matters most.

The American church alone possesses over $1 trillion in physical land and buildings. Sadly, the majority of these assets sit underutilized most days but Sundays. We believe one of the best ways to love our neighbor well is to put these places back to work—reactivating unused space and how we inhabit them for the flourishing of us all. Great for churches, even better for our neighbors.

Our Vision

There was a day, now long gone, where our churches were hubs in our neighborhoods. Not just on Sunday mornings, but all mornings. And all days. Every day. Our church spaces were centers for healing and grieving—sacred spaces where neighbors gathered and ate together, laughed together. Behind the aromas of regular potlucks and underneath the shuffleboard tiles was a spirit of belonging, certainly not perfect in its exhale, that moved to ensure neighbors were known, valued and seen. We are committed to collaborating alongside churches and the neighborhoods they call home to cultivate spaces of belonging for the flourishing of all.