A Night to Listen: Community Listening Forum Coming September 8

Every city has people who see it most clearly. They're the ones who get the calls at 2 a.m., who walk the neighborhoods, who know which family just lost their footing and which street needs a stop sign before somebody gets hurt. They carry the needs of Broken Arrow in a way most of us never have to.

On Tuesday, September 8 at 6:30 PM, First Christian Church Broken Arrow is opening our doors and inviting those very people to come and talk to us. We're calling it the Community Listening Forum, and the name says exactly what it is. This isn't a night for the church to have answers. It's a night for us to listen.

Who's Coming

We've invited a panel of civic leaders who each carry a piece of the picture:

Debra Wimpee — Mayor of Broken Arrow

Lance Arnold — Broken Arrow Police Chief

Jeremy Moore — Broken Arrow Fire Chief

David Sutton — Director, B&A Connections

Abi Sutherland — Executive Director, BA Neighbors

Valeri Radford — McKinney-Vento Student Support Specialist

James Bell — President & CEO, Broken Arrow Chamber of Commerce

That's law enforcement and fire service. City leadership and the chamber. The people who work with our unhoused students and the people who work with our neighbors in need. Together, they see Broken Arrow from angles most of us will never stand in.

Why We're Doing This

We believe FCCBA exists to walk with Broken Arrow, so that together we grow in the love of God. You can't walk with a city you don't understand, and you can't understand a city without listening to it first.

So before we plan another program, before we decide what we think our community needs, we want to sit down and ask the people doing the work. What keeps you up at night? Where is the gap between what people need and what's actually there? What could a church, of all things, actually do to help?

We don't know all the answers yet. That's the point of the evening.

What to Expect

This is a conversation, not a lecture. Come ready to hear directly from the people shaping our city's response to crime, fire safety, housing, student homelessness, neighborhood connection, and local business. It's a chance to understand Broken Arrow with more depth than a headline ever gives you.

All are welcome. Bring a neighbor. Bring a question. Bring whatever concern you carry for this city, and come listen alongside us.

Community Listening Forum Tuesday, September 8 · 6:30 PM First Christian Church Broken Arrow 2602 S Elm Pl · fcc-ba.com