Residents of Atlanta's West End Historic District might not know his name, but there's a good chance they know Mike Mumper's six-month-old newspaper, Our West End Newsletter.

The free publication focuses on the good things, including rejuvenation, happening in this historic district and features stories about people in the community written by people in the community. Each of the six issues has been larger than the one before.

"Free, hand-delivered copies, low ad prices every business can afford and a large font for easy reading" have made the paper popular among residents, Mumper says. "Plus we have a youth page, a college page, articles for seniors and stories highlighting local businesses."

Mike Mumper delivering the
newspaper Our West End Newsletter

Mumper, a Bahá'í of four years, says he recognized the neighborhood's spirit even before he moved in.

"I started coming here as community service director of my Rotary club," he says. "And I noticed that people really care. They want to work together. They want to join together."

The West End is 97-percent African-American, an almost total turnaround from the days when it was "one of the bastions of white neighborhoods," says Mumper, who is Caucasian.

He says the neighborhood identifies strongly with its religious congregations, which include the Shrine of the Black Madonna, the Hebrew Israelites, the Nation of Islam and West Hunter Street Baptist Church, where the late civil rights leader Ralph David Abernathy preached. So it's natural that Mumper has enlisted the neighborhood's spiritual resources in his fledgling enterprise. A newspaper rack dominates the sidewalk outside the Hebrew Israelite complex.

As part of his mission to improve the community, Mumper also established Creating Vibrant Communities, a nonprofit organization that oversees Our West End Newsletter and initiates community development projects.

"We're going to knock on every door in the community with a survey to ask what gifts residents would like to develop or share," he says. These gifts could include hair-cutting services, construction, food, transportation and teaching. Then the organization plans to build a database, and possibly offer a community directory, bartering fairs and continuing education.

"Doesn't it remind you of Bahá'í principles?" he asks. "That's what grabs my heart and keeps me going."