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Profiles /
John HeissAffiliationOpen Door Director - Fort Street Presbyterian Church BiographyAt the assembly to dedicate and consecrate the battlefield of Gettysburg there was a keynote speech of over 2 hours in length. Abraham Lincoln spoke for 16 minutes and said more than anyone ever imagined. One can only hope to achieve the brevity, if not the quality of the Great Emancipator’s remarks. I have worked in the field of human care and human services for the past 25 years in Chicago and Detroit. I have been the Executive Director of three settlement houses, I have worked as the General Manager of a Community Development Corporation in Harvey, IL and I have worked as a faith-based organizer for two national organizing institutes. I have been married for the past twenty-two years to Margaret Cole and we have been blessed with three children. Our home is in Chelsea, MI. After three years at the Open Door, I have been lucky to be a part of an expansion of services and sites. Across all the diversity and differences that separate us, we are working towards a common purpose in Detroit. I have become involved in several regional initiatives around food security, but now find myself organizing the Social Ventures Network of Southeast Michigan. This Network will operate as a Peer Learning Network, Business Incubator, Venture Capital Marketplace, Policy Group and Resource Network. The banks, companies, non-profits and churches involved are committed to long-term, sustainable development. We are seeking to merge for-benefit and for-profit models to “Make Detroit Better”. I want to recognize the incredible efforts of the founders of our faith, of Fort Street Presbyterian Church and of the outreach ministries. To paraphrase Newton, “If I can see far into the distance, it is because I stand on the shoulders of giants”. The million-plus meals, countless articles of clothing and most importantly the love that emanates from this institution are the works of our giants. “Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever” – Psalm 37:27 Categories: Advisory Board |