How small movements can produce larger change

June 7, 2018

News Release

How small movements can produce larger change

HARRISONBURG, Va.— In Soul Force: Seven Pivots toward Courage, Community, and Change (Herald Press, June 2018) two nationally recognized nonprofit leaders, Reesheda Graham-Washington and Shawn Casselberry, offer seven “pivots”—shifts in thinking and practice—that bring transformation in individuals, communities, and systems.

Building on Mahatma Gandhi’s and Martin Luther King’s concept of a power mightier than ourselves, Soul Force helps readers understand and make shifts including progression from barriers to bridge-building, self-centeredness to solidarity, consuming to creating, and maintenance to movement. The authors include true stories from their community, professional, and church work. “Soul force is an awakening to the realization that we have a creative force within us, because we all bear the divine imprint of the Creator,” the authors write. “Soul force is a courageous, compassionate love that leads to personal and social transformation.”

Leroy Barber, executive director of The Voices Project, says of the book, “Reesheda Graham-Washington and Shawn Casselberry are grassroots leaders who were living out Soul Force long before they wrote about it. If you want to unleash the power of change in your life and community, this book is a roadmap.” The book is geared for church and wider audiences alike.

Michelle Warren, author of The Power of Proximity praises Soul Force as “a clear call to action for individuals and communities. The authors remind us that small, intentional pivots can make a significant impact for change.”

Reesheda Graham-Washington is executive director of Communities First Association, a faith-based nonprofit committed to asset-based community development, and the founder CEO of L!VE Café, a boutique coffeehouse that focuses on transformation. She is licensed in the Evangelical Covenant Church and is a former teacher and administrator for Chicago Public Schools. She and her husband have three daughters and live in Chicago.

Shawn Casselberry is executive director of Mission Year, a yearlong urban ministry program focused on Christian service and discipleship. He is author of God is in the City: Encounters of Grace and Transformation. He has a master’s degree in world missions and evangelism from Asbury Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Jen, live on Chicago’s West Side.

Soul Force is available from Herald Press for $16.99 (paperback) and $13.99 (ebook) via 800‑245‑7894 and at the Herald Press webstore, www.HeraldPress.com, Amazon, and other online sources. Canadian customers can order from CommonWord (877‑846‑1593), Parasource (800‑263‑2664), and elsewhere.

To schedule an interview with either author, contact LeAnn Hamby at 540‑908‑3941 or [email protected].