2021 Grantees

Shekinah - Abington
Rev. Paolo Lima | Presbytery of Boston
$7,000

Shekinah - Abington is an emerging gospel community connected to several other ‘Shekinah’ worshipping communities in the region. The community is built on Church cells that focus on communion, building, evangelism, service, and nurture. The whole congregation is supportive and helpful of new immigrants. Every Monday the Pastor sets aside the whole day to help those with questions about immigration, health care, and the legal system. And every House Cell meeting ends with time to discuss issues that folks are facing in the community. This Congregation in Abington was originally in Brockton. We started in 2013 and we used to have a very good congregation. After the PCUSA allowed gay marriage, we lost 75% of our membership in addition to the fact that 80% of them are undocumented people. Some of them had to move to other states because of the Immigration issues and some of them went back to Brazil.

Mission Emmanuel
Gustavo Sanchez, CRE | Presbytery of Long Island
$7,000

Mission Emmanuel is a Spanish-Language New Church Development, serving Spanish-Speaking residents of the East/Central portion of Long Island. It was begun three years ago and now boasts 35 participants. Recently Mission Emmanuel moved into its own sanctuary after years of nesting with another congregation. This program provides a Reformed approach in an area that is more Pentecostal in outlook.

Cross Street Community of NYC
Elder Dan DeBrucker | Presbytery of New York City
$14,200

Cross Street Community of NYC is a new gospel community serving those who are houseless in New York City. With a focus toward runaway and houseless youth, LGBTQIA+ youth and their allies and those who are survivors of human trafficking. Our vision is to provide God’s love through hospitality, worship, advocacy, and mission by breaking through barriers and breathing new life into ministry.

Shekinah - Marlborough
Rev. Paolo Lima | Presbytery of Boston
$7,000

Shekinah - Marlborough is an emerging gospel community connected to several other ‘Shekinah’ worshipping communities in the region. The community is built on Church cells that focus on communion, building, evangelism, service, and nurture. The whole congregation is supportive and helpful of new immigrants. Every Wednesday the Pastor sets aside the whole day to help those with questions about immigration, health care, and the legal system. And every House Cell meeting ends with time to discuss issues that folks are facing in the community. The Congregation in Marlborough started in September 2018. We are in process to become a Fellowship of the Presbytery of Boston.

Freedom Church of the Poor
Kairos: The Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice | Presbytery of New York City
$20,000

At the beginning of the COVID19 pandemic, leaders from the Kairos Center’s Reading the Bible with the Poor Cohort started an online church called Freedom Church of the Poor, which is meant to be a spiritual home for movement leaders. Since then, the pandemic has only further exposed and exacerbated the deep systemic injustices in our society. The Freedom Church comes together in these times out of necessity to help transform a system that is killing us. Every Sunday night, people from different parts of the country gather online to read scripture, reflect from the context of various points of social and economic struggle, pray together, and livestream on FB with ASL and Spanish interpreters. We have a vision to expand our work as a church, by engaging and partnering with new communities, including communities of faith.

City on a Hill Church (formerly Christ Community Church)
Rev. Joseph Chu | Eastern Korean American Presbytery
$20,000

We are an Emerging Gospel Community that gathers in Paramus, NJ. Initially an English-language Korean community, we have begun to attract members of other heritages. Some of our members are Japanese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Chinese, Central American and Anglo American. We will continue to push the majority of our members to step outside of the “Korean-Christian Bubble”, in order to engage the larger church and larger world

The Community Garden - Little Falls
Rev. Tamara Razzano | Presbytery of Utica
$5,000

Our community garden is comprised of a diverse group of people representing a multitude of family structures and socioeconomic levels and is committed to being the embodiment of God’s love in action. Our mission is to grow food for the Little Falls Community Outreach’s Food Backpack Program which serves 76 students. These are families who have been marginalized in our community and whose children do not have food on the weekends or school breaks without the program. In a town that is 98% white, the economic oppressed are those most vulnerable. This undertaking requires commitment to patience, care, and empathic listening for those who have been hurt and/or fear being harmed. Relationships are the foundation of our community and faith, and we are committed to the deep work of listening and engaging.

The Moving Church within College Campus
Rev. Esther (JongSoon) Jung |Eastern Korean American Presbytery
$20,000

The Moving Church within College Campus is an emerging gospel community of primarily Korean college students that moves together with Jesus at Rutgers University. For the internet generation which is straying away from faith, the Moving Church stays on campus, to create fellowship, worship together, and shares their struggles, when they want, where they want. We dream they also will move with Jesus and to help others in their future as Jesus' disciples.

Adopt-A-Prison
Presbytery of Hudson River Presbytery
$9,000

Adopt-A-Prison, a long-term program, will encourage and expand community connection and spiritual development with imprisoned women – and their families – in the areas of rehabilitation, reconciliation, and reentry back into society within the two New York State prisons located in Bedford Hills, NY. With proper support, this pilot program can and will be modeled nationally and internationally to engage communities to adopt their local prisons, truly living out Christ’s teaching to love thy neighbor as thyself. This specific project will provide “Bright Hope” discharge bags to women upon their release from prison.

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Enlightened Pathways
Iglesia Presbyteriana Nuevas Fronteras | Presbytery of Northeast New Jersey
$16,800

With the lack of resources in Spanish and the inability of families and children to obtain such services due to lack of insurance or financial means, Enlightened Pathways seeks to develop a psycho-social-spiritual approach that will assist community residents to build their coping mechanisms holistically. Still in this COVID era, we will invite families virtually to participate in one-on-one strength-building sessions and community-wide virtual seminars inviting local spiritual directors, counselors, and therapists. Secondly, an integral part of the Enlightened Pathways Initiative is to cultivate our “Nuestra Voz” weekly webinars providing essential information from community professionals, religious leaders, and trained grief and family counselors.

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The First 1000 Days
The Presbyterian Church of Geneva | Presbytery of Geneva
$9,200

The vision for the First 1,000 Days Project is to provide a network of support for every family in Geneva with an infant or toddler. We understand that the early years are a critical time for brain development and social-emotional growth. Many families in Geneva are living in stressful situations caused by systemic injustice, poverty, language barriers, mental health issues, and other challenges. The vision is to engage the entire community in an effort to ensure that every family in Geneva with an infant and/or toddler/s has the supports that they need to thrive. This specific grant will purchase “Smitten Baby Boxes” from a company called Pip & Grow for families that need a safe place for the baby to sleep.

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Hope’s Table
Wharton United Community Church | Presbytery of the Highland of New Jersey
$12,000

In January of 2018, we developed a new vision statement within a revitalized mission emphasis. Our new goal was to develop a core of community volunteers in order to develop a community center run by and for the people in Wharton by 2028. We are envisioning the church building as a place to nurture the rich diversity that lives in and nearby Wharton; a tool to bridge gaps between those of different languages, cultures, and races and bridge the gap between those inside and outside the Church membership. The mission is called “Hope’s Table”. In 2019, we began to organize a primarily Spanish-speaking community group called Amigos de Wharton.

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Institute 2.0
The Institute of Music for Children | Presbytery of Northeast New Jersey
$10,000

Institute 2.0 is a youth-driven public art project that will become the foundation of our Master Facilities Plan and create a dramatic entrance to our highly visible campus, building stakeholder confidence and investment. The former Elizabeth Presbytery gifted the Institute with the building they had been sharing for 25 years. The project will bring together youth from around the region from multiple faith and secular communities to work for a three-month residency project with Mexican artist Cesar Viveros who created a mural with Philadelphia youth to welcome the Pope.

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McCleary House Transitional Housing
Mission at the Eastward/Fairbanks Union Church | Presbytery of Northern New England
$15,000

The vision of MATE and Fairbanks Union Church is to provide transitional housing for individuals or families who are experiencing homelessness due to traumatic events, economic difficulties, or social problems. We provide a safe home for them to get back on their feet while putting additional support systems in place and assisting our client guests in finding permanent housing. Although McCleary House is the first solution to addressing the housing crisis in Franklin County, MATE also hopes to expand by researching and building a tiny house community to make a greater impact on area homelessness. MATE has a long and excellent track record of work in central Maine. This project will begin the renovation of McCleary House.

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Neighborhood Day Center and Outreach Ministry
Eliot Presbyterian Church | Presbytery Northern New England
$18,000

We envision a Christ-centered ministry serving the physical and spiritual needs of our neighbors - many of whom are unhoused and live with addiction and/or mental illness - and welcoming them fully into the life and ministry of the Eliot congregation. When the pandemic began, our neighbors who are homeless had nowhere to spend the day. Eliot responded by opening a temporary day shelter while our sanctuary was closed. Today, our neighbors see Eliot Church as a place of safety, welcome, and dignity. As the congregation prepares to return to our sanctuary, we hear God calling Eliot to expand our vision of our community by fully embracing our unhoused and low-income neighbors and welcoming their presence among us both during the week and on Sundays.

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School to Life Readiness Program
Good Success Academies | Presbytery of Northeast New Jersey
$5,000

This application seeks to expand the number of interns in their School to Life Summer program for urban at-risk youth of color.

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Godly Play
Woodbury Union Church | Presbytery of Southern New England
$2,300

With the first round of grant funds, we implemented the “Godly Play” curriculum for our Sunday School. This is a unique program in our region that serves mainline and progressive families. Godly Play is a story-based Christian Education program with hands-on learning opportunities for every week of the program year. We believe that this is the best way to help children internalize biblical stories and sets a foundation for a lifetime of spiritual growth

Presbytery of Albany
Russell Sage College (and RPI) | Troy Area United Ministries

Since COVID, Chaplain Darren Gundrum has worked both outside and virtually to reach students, both new and returning. Working with student life, he has promoted opportunities and published words of inspiration and encouragement through the weekly newsletter. Opportunities for pastoral care include meditation and mindfulness, student care packages and small group and individual conversations.

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SUNY Albany
Protestant Campus Ministry in Albany, Inc.

The last year has been a challenging time for Campus Ministry. One year ago, our campus shut down and moved to remote learning due the Pandemic. We were forced to quickly adapt to online worship and ministry. With technology we were able to quickly pivot to Zoom worship, pre-recorded music, online gatherings and even "graduation in a box" to honor our seniors. While it has been challenging, it has also been a blessing to see our board and our student leaders rise to the occasion and get creative about re-thinking how we do ministry.

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Presbytery of the Coastlands
Princeton University | Princeton Presbyterians of the Westminster Foundation

Chaplains/Executive Co-Directors Revs. Andrew and Len Scales grafted the weekly small groups that used to be on weeknights into after worship via Zoom on Sunday. They sent two rounds of care packages to about two dozen students. With the seven students on the Undergraduate Leadership Team, they completed a seminar with Crossroads Antiracism Training and developed an anti-racism reading list. Both reverends have plans to stay in touch with students who graduated in 2020.

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Rutgers University
Rutgers Protestant Campus Ministries: RUSpiritual

As a ministry on the Rutgers- New Brunswick campus, we have reached a record number of students during this past year. As one might imagine, the pandemic had a significant impact on the emotional and mental well-being of students whose plans were upended by having to switch to a completely online experience. In preparation for the wave of students, staff and faculty navigating challenging emotions and situations, our ministry sought to partner with the campus counseling center in order to provide spiritual and emotional support when applicable. We are still receiving a consistent flow of referrals for students who find themselves wrestling with faith as a result of all that we have encountered as a society within recent months.

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Genesee Valley
University of Rochester | Genesee Area Campus Ministries

Our ministry during the first part of spring semester 2020 included sponsoring a lecture by one of the university professors on the relationship between science and faith. That event was enthusiastically attended, and we were very glad of the opportunity to send the message to the campus that PCC is a Christian group that embraces science. Other highlights this semester were Zoom-enabled additions to our regular ministry. For example, in our weekly online “Dinner Dialogues” this semester, we were able to invite some PCC alumni/ae to join us to talk about their life journeys after leaving the U of R, and the role their faith has played in those journeys. Our All Saints Day Zoom worship was enhanced by slides with photos and brief descriptions of students’ family and friends whom they wanted to remember. Compline services, new this semester, were held at 9:00 p.m. every Monday night for just 15 minutes, enabling students to take just a brief break from their studies to pray together and listen to a piece of music, all from the safety and comfort of their rooms.

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Long Island Presbytery
Protestant Campus Ministry at Stony Brook | Stony Brook University (SUNY)

Despite the hurdles of 2020, our campus chaplaincy remained steadfast and determined to be a supportive virtual presence to undergraduate students, staff, and faculty. Last year we were able to accomplish this goal primarily focusing on the spiritual and emotional needs, anxieties and stress, grief, crisis needs of our students, faculty, and staff. More requests were received for pastoral care from both current students and our alumni worried about what is ahead for them.

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New York City Presbytery
Columbia University & Others | LAMP

Over the past months, LaMP has sent Spiritual Sustenance Care Packages to students studying across the country and globe. In addition to tasty goodies, each package contains a tactile spiritual practice that students can use to grow in faith “off-line.” This is needed, as student screen fatigue is incredibly high. We sent students prayer beads with guided prayers in early fall. In late fall, the packages contained an Advent Wreath and devotional calendar. Students have reported the difference these simple, incarnate practices have made for their spiritual and mental health. Over the course of this school year, LaMP students have begun to dig deep into the work of anti-racism.

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New York University & Others
PriSM (Student Ministry)

In January 2020, PRiSM students participated in a six-day Faith and Freedom Civil Rights Pilgrimage to the American South. 15 students from PRiSM and LaMP, PRiSMʼs sibling ministry uptown, journeyed from Atlanta to Memphis, visiting sacred sites from the Civil Rights Movement and meeting contemporary racial justice advocates. The trip gave the students a chance to reflect on how faith informs justice work and how God is calling them to be part of making positive change in our world. Perhaps the most exciting highlight of 2020 has been the pilot of the College Student Pantry. PRiSM has partnered with a local congregation’s feeding ministry to launch a food pantry program for food insecure college students. The college pantry is organized by a student coordinator and run by student volunteers. Open just twice a month since September 2020, the pantry has provided over 200 bags of groceries to students from 12 universities in New York City.

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Northern New England
Plymouth State University | United Campus Ministry at PSU

In addition to providing one-on-one support and a familiar spiritual presence, the Caring Campus Coalition of United Campus Ministry has recently focused on two very important goals: to provide welcome and support to students of color on the campus, and to make recovery support services available to students with alcohol and substance misuse disorder as well as mental health challenges. We have made every attempt to be a reassuring presence on campus, tabling outside in the warm weather with information about local religious resources, services in the community and our own phone and email contact information. We even resorted to biweekly

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Susquehanna Valley Cornell University | Protestant Cooperative Ministry at CU

Some possibilities this coming semester include more interfaith work – a series about spiritual insights for social change feels promising. We are hiring a very part time person to lead an online support group for LGBTQ Christian students we're calling "Queering the Faith."

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SUNY Cortland
Campus Ministry at SUNY Cortland

Until the pandemic hit, we provided worship opportunities for many traditions, interfaith experiences and had a weekly dinner and game night. The college campus has been open, with students on campus; then closed, then all virtual, and is now open once again with a hybrid program. This has presented challenges in continuing the momentum of these ministries in the past year. Our students have been involved with CROP Walk each year, and the campus minister has been active in counseling with various students over time. 56% of the students report some degree of food insecurity, and we house the campus food pantry.

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Western New York
SUNY Buffalo | Campus Church ConneXion

While staff was allowed on campus under certain conditions due to covid19, many students remained home learning virtually. Volunteers were not allowed on campus, making it difficult for us to connect congregations to students. For the students who remained on campus, food insecurity was a real threat, especially for international students and students who were forced to quarantine. As we cannot use congregation members for the foreseeable future, we will use Synod money this year for a feeding/pastoral visitation program for those students in need.

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PRESBYTERIAN INSTITUTIONS

Presbytery of Northeast New Jersey
Bloomfield College
$40,000

Bloomfield College is the only PCUSA college within the bounds of the Synod. As such the Synod provides the funds for Bloomfield College to have a part time Chaplain. Although in person gatherings were not possible due to Covid, we managed to continue our Bible Study and the Gospel Choir virtually. We provided virtual space to have conversations in which students tried to make sense theologically of Covid and what was happening in their lives. Due to the number of deaths students were hearing about or experiencing we held a virtual service of remembrance. At the end of the year we were able to participate in six graduation ceremonies.

Emerging Leader Internship
Johnsonburg Camp and Retreat Center | Presbytery of the Highlands
$7,500

The Emerging Leader Intern will serve in a non-profit ministry that allows hands-on experience in a variety of areas: business, program, hospitality, facilities, and dining services. Now more than ever, it is apparent that there is an urgent need for faith-based experiential options as an addition to traditional classroom instruction for young adults. Gaining life skills, along with faith development and life discernment are the most valuable aspects of this program.

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Emerging Leaders Service - Mission Development Expedition
Covenant Architects Network | Presbytery of New York City
$7,500

The Covenant Architects Network is a progressive ministry believing that God is at work and creating sustainable designs for ministry formation and leadership development with emerging generations. Collaboration, experiential, and cohort models of learning will be the primary pillars of our ministry designs. We believe that God has provided each individual with talents and gifts to explore and refine as we give God glory by serving our neighbors as good stewards of God's grace. This application is for a trip scheduled for November 14-20, 2021 to connect with young adult fellowships from the western coast of Puerto Rico while participating in service-oriented projects at the El Guacio Presbyterian Camp and Conference Center in San Sebastian, Puerto Rico.

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CommUNITY Service
Central Presbyterian Church Presbytery of Northeast New Jersey
$7,500

CommUNITY Service at Central Church is a program that brings together middle schoolers with high school and adult leaders and local agencies to engage in meaningful service. Through this long-standing service program, we have nurtured generous and effective leaders who are ready to take on leadership in our community. These innovators have extensive resources in the church and community, but they need both mentorship and financial support to bring their passions into the world.

The Synod provided funds as well in the areas of Connectional Ministries and Ecumenical Relationships.

CONNECTIONAL MINISTRIES

Mediation Network – $1,978

Day long refresher training for people who had attended the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center Mediation Skills Training Institute.

Shinnecock Nation Visit -- $504

Transportation and food during a two-day synod delegation visit to the Shinnecock Nation

Coaching Network -- $6,600

Scholarships for coaching services for leaders within the synod community

Hispanic Caucus -- $2,000

New England GLOW Network –- $10,000

A New Network sponsored by the Presbyteries of Boston and Northern New England bringing together youth and providing youth training.

ECUMENICAL RELATIONSHIPS

The Labor Relations Coalition of New York -- $5,000

This is the lead organization for New York State’s Poor People’s Movement

Maine Council of Churches -- $1,500

Faith-based Advocacy Days

Massachusetts Council of Churches -- $2,500

Food insecurities and inequity

New Hampshire Council of Churches -- $2,500

Ecumenical ministries

New Jersey Coalition of Religious Leaders -- $2,000

Relationships and collaboration around sacred values