Shane Claiborne and five other Eastern University graduates founded an intentional community[1] when they moved into a terraced house in the neighborhood of Kensington in January 1998.
[2][3] They purposely started the community in the poorest area of the city, which was a place where there were no existing local churches.
Current activities of The Simple Way include planting gardens, running a store, and working for food security in the neighborhood.
Singer-songwriter Dar Williams has been affiliated with the community since 1999, and has held a benefit concert to raise money for it.
[9] John Avant writes about The Simple Way in his book If God Were Real: A Journey into a Faith That Matters, calling the community "a pretty incredible group".