BUILD Lex Nehemiah Action Report

Charles Conkin | May 25, 2026

This April, Central Baptist participated in BUILD Lexington’s Nehemiah Action Assembly. BUILD is a community organization comprised of 26 congregations in Lexington working together for direct action through research-based training. Each year BUILD invites civic leaders to their Nehemiah Action Assembly to hear proposals and commit to making sustainable actions for justice in the city.

This year at the Nehemiah Action, over 1200 people gathered to hear updates on microtransit and villages, as well as address the need of renters in Lexington. CBC added 14 people to that crowd: (pictured left to right) Christi Gabbard, Dara Felts, Lucy, Thomas, Mark Thomas, Liz McCubbin, Hannah James, Evelyn Stokes-Conkin, Charles Conkin, CJ James, Chad Carter, John Miller, Barbara Carter, Rankin Carter, and Aaron Austin.

Microtransit: After 3 years of persistence and ongoing conversations with LexTran Director Fred Combs, a fall launch is planned. He listed recent accomplishments since funds were secured; process in place to select a contractor, Mobility Manager position in place, a Fall launch is planned. Mr. Combs thanked the Urban County Council for their support and partnership, making the pilot possible. The following members of Council were present: Jennifer Reynolds, Emma Curtis, Chuck Ellinger, Dave Sevigny, Tyler Morton, Joseph Hale, James Brown and Vice Mayor Wu.

Villages: “A Caring Place” is working on a targeted model of a village to connect people by sharing skills and resources. Villages are not places to live, rather helping people remain in their homes by creating a system for assistance and transportation. Once again, we took something that had been talked about for years and moved it into action. We built relationships, created urgency, and helped bring the right partners to the table. BUILD’s Eldercare Committee will continue showing up at meetings, supporting partners, and bringing people power when it’s needed.

Renters’ Concerns: We heard two compelling, disturbing testimonies that clearly delineated the plethora of injustices renters confront in our city. Because of these testimonies and many others like it, BUILD asked our city leaders to:

• • Create a proposal to organize this code enforcement data by property address and violation type in a publicly accessible, searchable online format.
• • Commit to producing an annual report so that we can clearly identify the landlords • and properties with the most violations.
• • Commit to co-hosting a meeting with BUILD in January 2027, along with to bring stakeholders together to discuss rental housing conditions and explore best practice policy solutions.

A rousing chorus of cheers erupted when each ‘ask’ received a resounding “YES” from Charlie Lanter, Commissioner of Housing Advocacy and Community Development, Vice Mayor Dan Wu and Councilmember James Brown.

Celebration and Investment Drive Kickoff, Monday, June 8, at Mary Queen of the Holy Rosary at 7pm. At this event, we will fellowship with our BUILD community to celebrate our victories and recognize ALL Justice Ministry Network Members.