Something New!

Saranya Sathananthan and Caleb McCoy introduce local ministry leaders at the Something New! event in Dorchester on Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. Emmanuel Gospel Center

On Dec. 4, the Emmanuel Gospel Center hosted the “Something New!” event at Codman Square in Dorchester.

There was music. There was food. There were friends sharing their hearts.

The gathering celebrated Caleb McCoy’s new “Render Unto Caesar” album with a concert led by McCoy and his band, The Oak, along with surprise guest appearances. Inspired by Jesus’ words in the Gospels, McCoy explores how we can contribute to a society with social, economic, and political ills.

Community leaders encouraged the crowd with practical ways to do just that with opportunities to come alongside ministries that engage the city.

We continue to champion these voices and further their advocacy efforts. Here is more information on the speakers and how you can get involved.

Nakia Reyes

Nakia Reyes has been teaching pre-primary school for more than 15 years. Montessori education caught her interest in 2014 and she is now the Founder and Lead Teacher at Neighborhood Montessori in Dorchester.

Mary Grant

Mary Grant works on the missions staff at Young Life Dorchester and hopes to continue leading youth into success and loving them into the Kingdom of Christ.

Carla Booker

Carla Booker and the Traction House community are partnering with Black and brown families in their efforts to enter the homeownership journey.

Pastor Valerie Copeland

Valerie Copeland is a lifelong Bostonian, lead Pastor of the Neighborhood Church in Dorchester, and lover of all things Jesus.

Dr. Emmett G. Price III

Dr. Emmett G. Price III is CEO of the Black Christian Experience Resource Center and Dean of Africana Studies at Berklee College of Music.

Sheila Wise Rowe

Sheila Wise Rowe is a counselor and author. Her latest book, “Young, Gifted, and Black,” will be published by InterVarsity Press in February 2022.

Maka Osman

Maka Osman is clinical director at Refugee and Immigrant Assistance Center (RIAC).

Saranya Sathananthan

Saranya Sathananthan is community and culture advocate at the Emmanuel Gospel Center.

Capturing the stories of Black senior saints in Boston

Capturing the stories of Black senior saints in Greater Boston

Boston Black Church Vitality Project’s oral history project

by Hanno van der Bijl, Managing Editor

The Black Church has a rich and living history in Greater Boston — a legacy that an oral history project is capturing one interview at a time.

It’s an initiative by the Boston Black Church Vitality Project in partnership with stakeholder churches that is exploring the intersection of being Black and Christian and the Church’s role in nurturing those identities.

Dubbed “Solos from the Choir,” participants record interviews with senior congregants, clergy, and community members. The project has already clocked in several interviews that have been posted online.

“These stories are centered around the Black church experience and to be honest with you, I would like to see more young people in church, so I’m hoping that these stories will encourage people to go to church because it’s such a place of community,” said Ritajayne Rivera, a member of Greater Framingham Community Church.

“I’m hoping that these stories will encourage people to go to church because it’s such a place of community.”

— Ritajayne Rivera

In addition to documenting the history of the Black Church and the Black Christian experience in Greater Boston, the endeavor seeks to inspire reflection, preserve tradition and give insight into assets and resources within churches.

The Black Church has historically been a place for Black people not only to worship but also to mobilize and organize for social change. It has served as a hub for social services, education, employment, voter registration, child care, and more.

By interviewing senior church members and recording their stories, the project is not only learning Black history but also preserving it.

TAKE ACTION

Is there an elder in your church or family who has a story to tell about the Black Church and the Black Christian experience in Greater Boston? This toolkit is available to guide you in the process of interviewing them about their experiences.

Showing hospitality to Afghan arrivals

Showing hospitality to Afghan arrivals

Intercultural Ministries launches resettlement cohort

by Hanno van der Bijl, Managing Editor

As Boston welcomes scores of Afghan evacuees, Intercultural Ministries (IM) at the Emmanuel Gospel Center is gathering a group of people from local churches to pray, reflect, learn and support the new arrivals.

These 20 host families are opening their homes because they realize they have something to offer in a very dark moment. Some of them have had rewarding experiences in cross-cultural relationships in the past. All are eager to help settle displaced Afghan arrivals in a new home.

Host homes provide a place of rest for families and individuals still reeling from the chaotic evacuation ordeal in Afghanistan.

A couple of the families that have been placed in host homes are already moving into their own apartments, shortening the anticipated housing transition from several months to a matter of weeks.

“We are seeing that — as of the moment — people are able to move into a more permanent situation more quickly,” said Sarah Blumenshine, director of IM. “Initially, we had said two to three months. That’s not been the case at all.”

“We are offering hospitality to people who have already offered it to us.”

— Sarah Blumenshine, director of Intercultural Ministries

But Blumenshine said that may change if the housing leads dry up. In addition to temporary host homes, landlords who are willing to affordably rent to families longer-term are greatly needed.

Providing housing rental coverage for Afghan families moving into their own apartments is critical to give them a little breathing room as they acclimate as much as possible to their new surroundings. It also provides the time necessary for their paperwork to be processed.

“People who particularly have more trouble are those who don’t even have any paperwork started,” Blumenshine said. “It’s going to be a while until they are eligible to work.”

Despite having their world turned upside down, families have found some joy in a few familiar comforts like kicking around a soccer ball in a park.

The group of host families IM is working with is committed to showing hospitality to the new Afghan guests because God calls us to love our neighbors. It is equally committed to addressing mental models that are at best misguided and at worst harmful.

Refugees are often defined by their apparent need for rescue. When characterized with this broad brush, their new hosts are in danger of missing the resourcefulness, individuality, and tenacity that brought them to this moment.

“We also miss the leadership and support this group of Afghans offered to Americans in their home country,” Blumenshine said. “We are offering hospitality to people who have already offered it to us.”

Wikimedia Commons

TAKE ACTION

In addition to housing, IM is coordinating efforts to donate items, volunteer, and give financial support. Here’s how you and your church can help.

Host a family

If you have a home near bus or subway transportation to Boston, you can provide a soft landing for a family for two to three months.

Intercultural Ministries staff will provide orientation, weekly check-ins, and monthly gatherings for prayer, reflection, learning, and support to a group of about 20 host households from local churches. For more information about the hosting cohort, contact Sarah Blumenshine at sblumenshine@egc.org.

Donate essential items

Drop off goods such as school supplies, backpacks, and clothing at a location in Lynn, Lexington, or Hingham. Sign up for current needs and view drop-off details here.

Volunteer

Help new arrivals by giving rides, showing them how to use Boston public transit, or getting their new apartment move-in ready. Learn more and register your interest here.

Give financially

EGC and The Refugee and Immigrant Assistance Center have created several funds to help resettle incoming Afghan arrivals. Donate at riacboston.org by selecting “Afghan Refugees” in the drop-down menu on the donate page.

Give through EGC by clicking on the give button below and entering “Afghan relief” in the text box. 100% of donations will support Afghans arriving in Boston.

You can also support EGC’s efforts to ramp up this initiative with training and support structures by donating below to IM.

Ministering to the Whole Family

Ministering to the whole family

How Christian out-of-school time programs play a critical role in the lives of kids and their parents during the pandemic

by Hanno van der Bijl, Managing Editor, and Pastor Ayn DuVoisin, BEC Associate

From obstacles with virtual learning to parents losing jobs, the coronavirus pandemic has made life difficult for many children in Boston.

Urban students were struggling even before COVID-19. According to “Boston Public Schools at a Glance 2019-2020,” 39% of third-graders scored Exceeding or Meeting Expectations in English Language Arts on the 2019 Next Generation Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System exams. About 75% of Boston Public School (BPS) students who began high school in September 2014 graduated in four years, according to the BPS 2018 Graduation Rate Report. 

Despite the challenges, Christian leaders at ministries offering after-school and summer programs say they are witnessing God’s goodness and grace toward the children and their families. But the pandemic also forced these organizations to scramble to meet the demands of the new situation with all its uncertainties.  

“We are still in the middle of a pandemic, and its negative impact on urban students and families persists into this new school year,” said Ruth Wong, director of the Boston Education Collaborative (BEC) at the Emmanuel Gospel Center (EGC). “While learning remotely was hard for most students, the adjustment to in-person learning has been hard for students socially and emotionally. We have heard so much about the complicated and stressful situation with delayed school reopening plans that created much anxiety for school leaders, teachers, and parents. Parents have had to juggle jobs and transportation issues. Some parents are still unable to work.” 

“We are still in the middle of a pandemic, and its negative impact on urban students and families persists into this new school year.”

— Ruth Wong, Director, Boston Education Collaborative

Last year, Brockton Christian Mentoring Initiatives (BCMI) converted their facilities and resources to set up learning labs and shifted from mentoring programs to supervising remote classes. Greenwood Shalom Tutoring Zone and Summer Enrichment remained committed to a holistic approach to serving and working with families in Dorchester. American Chinese Christian Education and Social Services (ACCESS) adapted its approach to partnering with other organizations to better serve low-income Chinese families in Chinatown.

They all leaned into God in prayer more than ever for direction and provision.

“Answers to prayer continued to reveal God’s faithfulness, especially in matters of protection over the health of the teaching staff and students at ACCESS,” said Pasang Drolma, executive director at ACCESS.

The BEC works closely with these ministries as part of its mission to support underserved urban students. Along with several other programs, it brought them together last year as a learning community to share updates and how they were adjusting to the demands of the pandemic. The BEC also helped ACCESS and Greenwood Shalom raise a combined total of more than $15,000 by assisting them in submitting proposals for coronavirus relief funds. 

When BCMI shifted to supervising remote classes during the pandemic, they saw how challenged students were in a school environment as opposed to mentoring relationships. As discipline was one of the most challenging aspects, they sat one-on-one with about two dozen students in grades one through eight to help them with their schoolwork. 

Lynda Snelling, director at BCMI, said it was really important for the students to see each other, so the organization used some available funds to build on these relationships with fun activities over weekends.

Parents appreciated the academic help and supervision. With improved connections with a nearby school through parent resource personnel, BCMI was able to secure lunches for the program.

“Along the way,” Snelling said, “God made the way.” 

“Along the way, God made the way.”

— Lynda Snelling, Director, Brockton Christian Mentoring Initiatives

Seeing God’s hand at work was also evident for Jeanette Merren, program director at Greenwood Shalom in Dorchester, which is part of Victory Generation, a program of BMA TenPoint, an alliance of churches as well as faith and community-based organizations in Boston.   

Greenwood Shalom provides a safe and nurturing environment where they attend to children’s educational, physical, social, emotional, and spiritual needs. Teachers encourage children by helping them with their homework as well as taking tests and discovering new skills.

Through perseverance and encouragement, the 18 students, ages 5 to 13, who attended the program daily, learned efficiency as well as improved organization and time management skills.

At summer camp, Rochelle Jones, director of education at Victory Generation, supervised a new devotional time that children led by reading a devotional and commenting on what it meant for them. Apart from simply encouraging children to attend church, Jones said the team is engaging in spiritual conversations through positive, Christ-centered relationships. And the children are responding with great questions and open hearts, Jones said.   

Greenwood Shalom also partners with parents to better equip them and support them in their own educational and personal goals.

One of the major obstacles to working with parents during the early days of the pandemic was the lack of in-person meetings with families, cutting off the information usually gleaned from conversations before and after pick up.

But developing close relationships with families has given Greenwood Shalom a front-row seat to the transformation unfolding in their lives. Merren said she takes special joy in seeing God at work when a parent secures a new job.

In addition to academic enrichment, the program helps families find resources for food, finances, language learning, housing forms, and food stamps. The team also assists families, who may not be culturally familiar with the school system, in navigating communication issues such as understanding report cards, responding to emails, and advocating for special needs.

That kind of transformation was also on display for the team at ACCESS in Chinatown, which saw systemic change and more supportive relationships with families.

Like others, the organization grappled with lots of policy and schedule changes, but good communication with BPS and parents enabled ACCESS to help children and their families.

For some families, the assistance is critical. When asked what the ACCESS program meant to them, one parent shared, “It makes the difference of me being able to work or not!”

For those parents who lost jobs, ACCESS was able to make accommodations in their fee structure.

That was due in part to the love and generosity of several organizations that enabled ACCESS to maintain its outreach in the community. 

Some of those groups include the SuccessLink Youth and Young Adults Jobs program in the City of Boston Youth Engagement and Employment department, Chinatown Community Land Trust, Northeastern University’s Service-Learning program in its Office of City and Community Engagement, Boston Public Health Commission, and Tai Tung Village. 

Long-term partnerships with churches include the Christian Bible Church of Greater Boston and the Boston Chinese Evangelical Church.

These partnerships were a source of joy when challenges loomed large, enabling ACCESS to cover unanticipated expenses and avoid staff layoffs while providing creative programming in science, technology, engineering, and math in a healthy and safe learning environment.

It was the first year on the job for Annie Tran, who came on board ACCESS as program director after working in biotech. In that field, she was able to control variables in science experiments. But not at ACCESS. This new job was a radical change at a challenging time with many variables.

Tran said she learned “to be more vulnerable with my weaknesses and begin lifting them up to God.”

Despite wondering what God had planned, Tran said, “Not only is God great and powerful, but he is also strategic!”

“Not only is God great and powerful, but he is also strategic!”

— Annie Tran, Program Director, ACCESS

TAKE ACTION

This fall, schools and programs are experiencing first-hand the social-emotional impact of the pandemic on children and young people. 

School staff members have shared about challenges with helping students to relearn the norms of being a student, of how to work out conflict with other students, or how to express themselves when emotional. Staff at one school shared about the challenges they are facing with their ninth-graders who were last in school as seventh graders. 

Academic mentors and support for teachers are high needs. At the same time, families are still faced with resource needs such as food, diapers, clothing, and financial assistance.

Here’s how you can help the BEC’s partner organizations:

Volunteer

Volunteer in person. Contact Ruth Wong at rwong@egc.org for more information.  

Donate

Consider donating items for learning and activities. Follow these links for more information:

• ACCESS

  • Wishlist: activity sets, arts and crafts supplies, board games for children, chapter books as well as children’s books, puzzles

• BCMI

  • Wishlist: arts and craft supplies, games, gift cards to Target and Walmart for Christmas gifts

• Greenwood Shalom

  • Wishlist: Treetop mystery books series for grades K-7, 15 to 20 headphones, 20 Bluetooth speakers, one TV screen, 20 exercise mats in bags, 20 STEAM Activity sets

Here’s how you can help the BEC:

Partner 

The BEC is looking for church partners and Christians across the Greater Boston area to partner with and love on these Christian out-of-school time programs as well as school communities in the new school year. Contact Ruth Wong at rwong@egc.org if you are interested in learning more about how your church can partner with a local school.

Mentor

The BEC is seeking to recruit 250 volunteers to serve as academic mentors. Both schools and out-of-school time programs need in-person volunteers to assist teachers and staff to work with students in Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, and Brockton. There are some remote volunteer opportunities, too. To find out more, contact Ruth Wong at rwong@egc.org.

Donate cloth masks and clothing

BPS staff have requested the faith community to donate cloth masks, and Catie’s Closet is holding clothing drives. Contact Ayn Duvoisin at becassociate2@egc.org for more information on both initiatives. 

Refer job candidates for BPS schools

Know of someone who would be a good fit for BPS? There are about 400 open positions in the schools. Please see the district’s list of job openings to refer candidates to the school.

Support families

Immigrant parents and families experiencing homelessness need help to navigate Zoom, online learning platforms, and resources. There is a special need for volunteers who speak Spanish. Volunteers can help provide support through phone or Zoom calls. We can train you to learn how to access various online platforms like Google Classroom. Contact Ruth Wong at rwong@egc.org to learn more.

Families are also in need of basic items such as food, clothing, diapers, cleaning supplies, personal hygiene products, etc. Go to www.egc.org/covidresponse to donate to our COVID-response fund to help families.

Other opportunities to support parents during these challenging times could also be explored. Contact Ruth at rwong@egc.org if you’re interested in working with families.

Hanno van der Bijl

Ayn DuVoisin

About the Authors

Hanno van der Bijl returned to EGC as managing editor after working as a teacher and reporter in Alabama for almost a decade. Before that, he worked with EGC’s research team and graduated with an M.Div. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in 2010. A native of South Africa, he is thrilled to be back in Boston where he became a U.S. citizen in 2007 at the Hynes Convention Center. Hanno and his wife, Lauren, have three young, beautiful children who are already smarter than their parents.

Pastor Ayn DuVoisin has been a volunteer associate with EGC’s Boston Education Collaborative initiative since 2019. She previously served as Pastor of Children’s Ministries at North River Church in Pembroke, Massachusetts, from 2000 to 2019. Over the past decade, she has been active in building the Church & School Partnership for Boston Public Schools. She is also a former board member of Greater Things for Greater Boston. She and her husband, Jean DuVoisin, have lived in Scituate, Massachusetts, for over 40 years. She is blessed by her three adult children and well-loved Golden Retriever, Sunny.

What does Boston's population growth mean for ministry in the city?

What does Boston's population growth mean for ministry in the city?

by Hanno van der Bijl, Managing Editor

More and more newcomers are flocking to Boston even as the number of churches appears to be leveling off.

The city's population is now growing at a much faster clip than in past years. From 1980 to 1990, the city added about 11,000 people. The increase grew to about 15,000 from 1990 to 2000. It doubled over the next decade to about 30,000 and then tripled from about 80,000 to 90,000 from 2010 to 2020.

The coronavirus pandemic threw a wrench in collecting data for the latest census. But taking into account recent growth trends, the Emmanuel Gospel Center estimates there are now about 700,000 Bostonians.

For much of Boston's past, the number of churches ran parallel to the city's population growth. That shifted in the 20th century during two periods of immigration from the 1870s to the 1920s and then again after 1980. During that time, the number of churches doubled from about 250 in the early part of the century to about 500 in 2000.

In recent years, that rate has slowed, creating new opportunities for Christian ministry.

“There are areas of the city that are seeing significant new developments and population growth, so, there’s opportunity for churches to do more outreach and for new churches to be planted.”

— Rudy Mitchell, senior researcher at EGC

TAKE ACTION

What do you think are some implications of population growth for Christian ministry in Boston?

Share your thoughts with us.

What do you think are some implications of population growth for Christian ministry in Boston?

Understanding Boston: Background and History Reading List

Understanding Boston: Background and History Reading List

by Rudy Mitchell, Senior Researcher

There are many different aspects of Boston and, therefore, different perspectives and resources are needed to understand the city. Boston has a long and rich history; a fascinating geographical and topographical development; strong educational, technical, and medical components; a history of activism, politics, protest, and organizing; a current and past mix of vibrant social and cultural groups; and a collection of distinctive neighborhoods.

One of the best ways to understand Boston is to walk around the city and its neighborhoods and engage in conversations with residents who have lived here for some time.

Felton, Robert Todd. Walking Boston: 34 Tours Through Beantown's Cobblestone Streets, Historic Districts, Ivory Towers and Bustling Waterfront, 2nd edition. Birmingham, Ala.: Wilderness Press, 2013.

Although this guide does not cover all neighborhoods, it has walks in quite a number of Boston’s neighborhoods.

Sloane, Robert, editor. WalkBoston: Walking Tours of Boston's Unique Neighborhoods. Boston: Appalachian Mountain Club, 2003.

Although this book is now aging, the active organization has a website – www.walkboston.org – with maps of the walks and other resources.

Books and other sources can also be helpful in broadening one’s perspective.

Top Five Books

Lukas, J. Anthony. Common Ground: A Turbulent Decade in the Lives of Three American Families. New York: Vintage Books, 1985.

O’Connell, Shaun, editor. Boston Voices and Visions. Boston: University of Massachusetts Press, 2010.

O'Connor, Thomas. The Hub: Boston Past and Present. Boston: Northeastern Univ. Press, 2001. Vrabel, Jim. A People’s History of the New Boston. Boston: University of Massachusetts Press, 2014.

Whitehill, Walter Muir, and Lawrence Kennedy. Boston: A Topographical History. 3rd edition. Cambridge: Harvard; Belknap Press, 2000.

RELATED: Top 5 Books for Understanding Boston

General and History

Allison, Robert J. A Short History of Boston. Beverly, Mass.: Commonwealth Editions, 2004.

Berenson, Barbara. Boston and the Civil War: Hub of the Second Revolution. Charleston, S.C.: The History Press, 2014.

Bostonian Society and Old South Association (now merged to become Revolutionary Spaces) The website - https://www.revolutionaryspaces.org/ - has videos related to Boston history and information on the Old State House and Old South Church. The organization holds important archival collections on Boston history.

Carr, Jacqueline Barbara. After the Siege: A Social History of Boston, 1775-1800. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 2005.

Howland, Llewellyn, III. A Book for Boston. Boston: David R. Godine, Publisher, 1980. Essays, stories and poems by various authors in honor of the city’s 350th anniversary.

Kay, Jane Holtz. Lost Boston. Expanded edition. Amherst, Mass.: University of Massachusetts Press, 2006.

In addition to 350 rare photos, this book contributes to understanding the history, development, and built environment of Boston through its narrative text.

Kirker, Harold, and James Kirker. Bulfinch’s Boston, 1787-1817. New York: Oxford University Press, 1964.

Klein, Christopher. Discovering the Boston Harbor Islands: A Guide to the City’s Hidden Shores. Boston: Union Park Press, 2011.

See also Snow, Edward Rowe. The Islands of Boston Harbor. Centennial edition. Updated by Jeremy D'Entremont. Boston: Commonwealth Editions, 2008.

Labaree, Benjamin Woods. The Boston Tea Party. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1979 (Originally Oxford Univ. Press, 1964). For a shorter account, see Robert J. Allison’s The Boston Tea Party. Beverly, Mass.: Commonwealth Editions, 2007.

O’Connell, Shaun, editor. Boston Voices and Visions. Boston: University of Massachusetts Press, 2010.

O’Connor, Thomas. The Athens of America: Boston 1825-1845. Boston: University of Massachusetts Press, 2006.

Archer, Richard. As If An Enemy’s Country: The British Occupation of Boston and the Origins of Revolution. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.

O’Connor, Thomas H. Civil War Boston: Home Front and Battlefield. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1997.

O'Connor, Thomas. The Hub: Boston Past and Present. Boston: Northeastern Univ. Press, 2001. Philbrick, Nathaniel. Bunker Hill: A City, A Siege, A Revolution. New York: The Penguin Group, 2013.

Rogers, Alan, and Lisa Rogers. Boston: City on a Hill: An Illustrated History. Sun Valley, Calif.: American Historical Press, 2007.

Rutman, Darrett B. Winthrop’s Boston: A Portrait of a Puritan Town, 1630-1649. Chapel Hill, N.C.: University of North Carolina Press, 1965. Published for the Institute of Early American History and Culture.

Vrabel, Jim. A People’s History of the New Boston. Boston: University of Massachusetts Press, 2014.

A history of activism in Boston during the 1960s and 1970s. Vrabel reveals how grassroots leaders and the common people were involved in protests and community organizing which contributed significantly to the renewal of Boston.

Vrabel, Jim. When in Boston: A Time Line and Almanac. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 2004.

Very short descriptions of events year by year throughout Boston’s history.

Winsor, Justin, editor. The Memorial History of Boston. 4 volumes. Boston: Ticknor and Company, 1881.

This is the standard multi-volume history covering the years up to 1881.

Wright, Conrad Edick, and Katherine P. Viens, editors. Entrepreneurs: The Boston Business Community, 1700-1850. Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society, Northeastern University Press, 1997.

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Top 5 Books for Understanding Boston

Top 5 Books for Understanding Boston

BY RUDY MITCHELL, Senior Researcher, Applied Research and Consulting

No one book or even a handful of books can fully cover the many facets of the city of Boston over its nearly 400 year history. Many books cover highly specific topics, present photographic highlights, or serve an academic readership. However, the following five books give distinctive insights, diverse perspectives, and general overviews. I recommend these five because they provide a variety of viewpoints, are general in nature, and can best serve most readers in understanding Boston.

A PEOPLE’S HISTORY OF THE NEW BOSTON

BY JIM VRABEL

Although many books about Boston focus on the city’s mayors, urban planners, and prominent leaders, Vrabel focuses on community activists, the poor, and working class men and women whose protests and community organizing played an unsung role in shaping the “New Boston” over the last fifty years. This important book, based on many interviews and extensive research, covers a range of issues from housing and urban renewal to education and jobs, as well as protests against a proposed Southwest Expressway and airport expansion.

COMMON GROUND: A TURBULENT DECADE IN THE LIVES OF THREE AMERICAN FAMILIES

BY J. ANTHONY LUKAS

The Pulitzer Prize winning Common Ground probes the roots of issues related to race, class, educational disparity, and income inequality which are still critical to understand and address. This brilliant work of historical nonfiction reads like an epic novel. In the foreground are three families: the black Twymons, the Irish McGoffs, and the Yankee Divers. The larger picture is not limited to Boston during the decade of court-ordered school integration through busing of students, although the book brings that era to life in intimate detail. Lukas paints a complex picture rich with details and explorations into the historical roots of the issues. Great works like this often draw on the details of one specific place and time to understand the larger, enduring concerns of American society and its cities.

THE HUB: BOSTON PAST AND PRESENT

BY THOMAS O’CONNOR

The Hub is the best general, one volume history of Boston. O’Connor draws on a long career of research and writing about Boston to distill his insights on Boston’s resistance and adaptations to political, social, religious, and economic changes over the centuries. While creatively adapting to major changes, the city and its neighborhoods have maintained their distinctive and historical qualities without becoming frozen in time. However, O’Connor defines the current challenge facing the city as retaining “its own distinctive identity as a city whose moral standards, civic virtues, and intellectual accomplishments once inspired a nation (xiii).”

BOSTON VOICES AND VISIONS

BY SHAUN O’CONNELL, ED.

The editor of this anthology of historical and literary excerpts about Boston has selected richly descriptive pieces as well as selections that consider the high purpose and vision set forth for the city.  These selections convey the flavor and everyday life of the city over the centuries, but also interpret, critique and praise the ideas, attitudes, and ideals of Boston. The book includes a wide range of authors from John Winthrop (1630), to Oliver Wendell Holmes (1831), to W.E.B. DuBois (1960), and Patricia Powell (2004).

BOSTON: A TOPOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 3RD EDITION.

BY WALTER MUIR WHITEHILL AND LAWRENCE KENNEDY

While the title of this classic work may suggest a narrow focus, Whitehill’s book is actually an excellent introduction to the general development of Boston. The changing face of the Boston landscape and its built environment are concisely covered and generously illustrated with many pictures and maps. Some newer books go into more depth on the filling of the Back Bay and the process of urban renewal, but this work is especially helpful in understanding the first three centuries of central Boston history. Although the book does not cover the social and religious aspects of Boston in any depth, it provides a remarkable amount of detail about the city’s buildings and physical development, all in a very readable style.

For more recommended reading on Boston and its history as well as resources for walking the city, here is a fuller list of resources.

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Next Step Resources on Race for White Evangelicals

Below is a compilation of resources to help White Evangelicals live a more racially just life through laying a theological foundation, understanding the problem, and doing something about it.

Note that this builds upon RCCI’s list of Starter Resources on Race for White evangelicals. If you have not yet read the resources or types of resources on this list, start here.

I — Laying a Theological Foundation

The Bible & Theology in Color: An Online Course — Follow Dr. Esau McCulley, author of Reading While Black, through an online course that explores the valuable contributions that African Americans, Asian Americans, and Latino/a Americans have made in the body of Christ.

Becoming a Just Church: Cultivating Communities of God’s Shalom — This book provides both a theological framework and practical examples for how to become a just church. It helps readers shift from seeing justice as an "optional" activity to a way of being that permeates the congregation and extends and embodies shalom.

II — Understanding the Problem

Race in America — Watch this 18-minute video offering a historical overview of race in America from Phil Vischer, the voice of Larry the Cucumber. This focuses on Black-White race relations from after the Civil War to today.

The Color of Compromise: The Truth About the American Church’s Complicity in Racism — Though the White Church is beginning to step up and address issues related to racism, unfortunately, historically, this has been the exception and not the norm. It’s important that we know how the Church has been complicit in racism so we can learn from our history and understand how it has shaped our present. 

The Myth of Equality: Uncovering the Roots of Injustice and Privilege — People’s experiences and outcomes are different based on the color of their skin, but where does racial inequality come from? And why does it continue today? Join Ken Wystma, founder of The Justice Conference, to better understand the U.S. history and social dynamics that have contributed to and uphold racial inequality today.

Insider Outsider: My Journey As a Stranger in White Evangelicalism and My Hope for Us All — Hear from Black pastor, Bryan Loritts, about his experience in White evangelicalism in ways that can help you see how White culture and racism may shapes your congregation and people’s experience in your congregation in ways you may not be aware.

White Lies: 9 Ways to Expose and Resist the Racial Systems that Divide Us — Journey with Daniel Hill, author of White Awake, to name, understand, and overcome the lies that pose obstacles to White people effectively continuing God’s redemptive work in the area of race relations. 

III — Doing Something About It

Allyship: A Guide Toward Solidarity — “Rather than think of an ‘ally’ as a person, it is more accurate to think of doing ‘allyship’ as a verb” (pg. 3). Check out this six-part devotional that explores biblical wisdom for allyship. It leads readers through the self-work and reflection that can nurture solidarity and offers practical exercises to support a lifestyle of allyship.

How to Fight Racism: Courageous Christianity and Our Journey Toward Racial Justice — This book provides practical suggestions and guidance for how to address racism as it shows up in ourselves, our relationships, and our social systems. Check it out for a wide-variety of entry points and on ramps for how to respond to racism as an outworking of our faith.

Rediscipling the White Church: From Cheap Diversity to True Solidarity — Addressing issues related to race is a matter of Christian discipleship. That said, many of the discipleship tools and Christian practices White congregations have been using have not produced a faith passionate about and equipped to continue God’s redemptive work in the area of race relations. Explore David Swanson’s book that recommends holistic, communal discipleship practices that can help birth true solidarity and transformation within White congregations.

Redeeming Our Ethnic Journey — Journey with Sarah Shin, author of Beyond Colorblind, in her video presentation that explores the biblical concept of ethnicity and how developing our ethnic identities and addressing our ethnic brokenness can serve as a witness to the healing power of Jesus Christ.

How Can Privileged Christians Work Strategically for Equity? — Check out this online lecture from Dr. Christena Cleveland that highlights the humble posture White people should have in the work of  race relations and offers concrete examples of what this can (and cannot) look like in our lives.

For another faith-based look at addressing issues related to race, check out High Rock Arlington’s resources for racial justice.

Intro to Civic Engagement in Massachusetts for White Folks

Created By: Brooke Cohen

Realities of racial injustice and inequity have dominated recent headlines, leaving many White people asking “What can I do?” However, White evangelicals who are moved by their biblical convictions to pursue justice and resist oppression often lack clear direction on how to seek these aims in concrete and tangible ways. 

This resource is designed to be a launching pad for White evangelicals to learn how to use their time, talents, and treasures for civic engagement, in service of justice and reconciliation. 

We invite you to live out your faith by engaging civically to confront and fight racism in all its forms through these five pathways: local government, legislative advocacy, voting, service, and donations.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Participation in democracy is an important way for Christians to love their neighbors and seek justice through policies and leadership. Just as Paul utilized his status as a Roman citizen to promote the Kingdom of God, so too can Christians use their citizenship to influence our governments (Acts 22:26-29; see also Paul’s appeal to the Emperor in Acts 25). While voting is the most commonly discussed way of participating in the democratic process, there are a number of additional ways to make your voice heard locally.

Let us keep in mind the principle of subsidiarity, which grants freedom to develop the capabilities present at every level of society, while also demanding a greater sense of responsibility for the common good from those who wield greater power.

Laudato Si’ (“Praise Be”), Pope Francis, 2015, Chapter 5, #196.

Practical Examples

·       Attend a community meeting in your neighborhood.

o   Community meetings are held in various neighborhoods around the city to provide a forum for residents to discuss developments and plans for improvement in that area. This is perhaps the most direct way to have a voice in the affairs of your community. 

·       Observe a city council meeting.

o   City council meetings are regularly scheduled gatherings of elected representatives of various geographic districts. Officials discuss and vote on matters of public interest. Generally, meetings are required by law to be open to the community, and a public comment period is included to allow residents to ask questions or opine on relevant topics.

o   The Boston City Council hosts meetings to provide a space for residents, community leaders, and other stakeholders to provide feedback and hold their elective officials accountable. This is a great way to encourage local officers to consider racial justice in their policies, and to make sure that they are focusing on the priorities they have committed to.

·       Attend a local training on community development and community organizing, such as those offered by the Mel King Institute.

o   In the words of the Christian Community Development Association, organizing “is the act of mobilizing voices around an issue that directly affects that group’s community… Organizing seeks to build influence and power, and then mobilize this power to mount campaigns to bring substantive systemic change on issues defined by the people.” Community organizing provides a framework by which activists can leverage the voices of community members to drive the advocacy goals and priorities presented to elected officials.

·       Learn about educational inequity in the US, and attend a School Board/Committee meeting to advocate for reform. 

o   Learn more about the responsibilities of the Boston School Committee and how you can get involved. Consider attending a meeting and participating in the public comment period to advocate for equity through budgetary, hiring, or policy priorities. 

LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY

Christians are commanded to amend our ways in order to practice justice, oppose oppression, and avoid the shedding of innocent blood (Jer. 7:5-7). Our pursuit of Christ’s Kingdom on earth is no passive endeavor. As the woman in Luke 18:1-8 demonstrates, seeking justice requires sustained and committed advocacy that persists in the face of opposition or apathy. The Bible is clear that laws and other political decisions play an important role in facilitating cultures of justice or oppression (Is. 10:1). State and national legislatures are tasked with forming and approving policies that affect racial justice in a number of ways. Examples include allocating funds for police reform, creating remedies for civil rights violations, committing to resettling refugees and asylum seekers, and creating affordable housing and healthcare opportunities. 

Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people… 

Isa. 10:1-2

Practical Examples

·       Research reforms advocated by leaders/politicians of color. Because these individuals represent the individuals and interests of communities of color, they are best equipped to understand the policy and reform priorities of their constituencies. One way you can do this is through the work of the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus. 

·       Follow local community organizers that are committed to hearing the voices of the community and amplifying them to work towards change. For example, click here to research legislative organizing updates from the Massachusetts Community Action Network. MCAN is an interfaith grassroots network that advocates in Massachusetts for racially just policies rooted in communal power and accountability.

·       Call or write your state legislators to encourage them to make racial justice a priority.

·       Advocate for criminal justice reform that seeks to reduce racial inequities in incarceration.

o   There are a number of organizations advocating for reform from a faith-based lens, including The Center for Church and Prison, Healing Communities, and Prison Fellowship.

·       Encourage your state to require racial impact statements for all criminal justice legislation. These statements would force legislators to consider the impact of a given piece of legislation on people and communities of color before signing it into law. 

·       Read, sign, and share this statement by the Prayer & Action Justice Initiative. Explore the Partner Organizations committed to advocating for racial justice with biblical conviction.

 VOTING

We know we have the right to vote, but what difference does it really make? Christians have an incredible opportunity to steward their political participation to choose candidates and policies that will promote racial justice. While national politics dominate the news cycle, most policies arise at the local and state level. State legislatures and city councils craft laws and regulations with widespread impact, particularly in housing, education, and criminal justice. Furthermore, given their smaller constituencies, they are usually more accessible and responsive to advocacy efforts.

Choose for your tribes wise, understanding, and experienced men, and I will appoint them as your heads.

Deut. 1:13

How? 

Voting it not a once-every-four-years endeavor. Local and state elections occur with greater frequency, providing voters with numerous opportunities to leverage their voices to promote the cause of racial justice.

·       Register to vote.

·       Find your Massachusetts polling place.

·       Check out Ballotpedia for information on local elections, both initiatives and candidates. Additionally, learn more about proposed ballot initiatives and constitutional amendments in Massachusetts.

·       Election dates and deadlines in Massachusetts.

Which elections matter for racial justice? 

·       District Attorney (DA)

o   The District Attorney is the chief prosecutor for a given county in the Commonwealth, and arguably the most powerful player in the criminal justice system. Following an individual’s arrest, the DA decides whether or not to charge them with a crime, and what crime(s) they should be charged with. A DA who is committed to racial justice will be more willing to hold police accountable for discriminatory or abusive practices, and can request alternatives to incarceration for young offenders. They can also work to ameliorate racial discrepancies in sentencing, and reform cash bail guidelines to avoid over-incarceration of low-income communities. See a video that further explains the difference a DA can make in fighting racial inequities and mass incarceration.

·       Attorney General (AG)

o   The Attorney General is the chief lawyer for the Commonwealth. The Office of the AG handles civil rights complaints, enforces health care laws, holds government officials accountable, and seeks community engagement throughout the state, among many other responsibilities.

·       Governor’s Council  

o   The Governor’s Council, or Executive Council, is comprised of eight individuals representing geographic districts. They provide advice and consent to the Governor on pardons and commutations, judicial appointments, and appointments of public administrators and members of the Parole Board, among others. Racial bias can often lead to disparate outcomes in a criminal defendant’s sentence or opportunity for parole. Electing individuals who will advocate for racial equity in criminal justice presents and important opportunity for reducing grave inequalities in incarceration.

·       Massachusetts General Court (state legislature)

o   The Massachusetts legislature is tasked with forming and approving a wide variety of policies and laws that affect racial justice – police reform, allocating budgetary funds to schools and community centers in neighborhoods of color, forming task forces to investigate racial disparities in health outcomes, and promoting housing stability.

·       Sheriffs (appointed or elected depending on county)

o   County Sheriffs are responsible for enforcing the law in their jurisdiction. These officials have incredibly wide-ranging power over policing in their jurisdictions, and have very little accountability and oversight outside of periodic elections. This critical position is often overlooked – an estimated 60% of sheriffs (who are 90% White men) run unopposed. In Massachusetts, sheriffs oversee the county jail and house of correction, and are tasked with the transport of inmates. 

Read a four-part 2020 WBUR investigation on prison deaths in Massachusetts, to learn more about how the decisions of county sheriffs can dramatically impact the life outcomes of prison populations – which are disproportionately people of color.

·       City Council 

o   City Councils create, pass, and amend local laws. Boston has thirteen councilors, four of which are elected at-large, while the other nine represent geographic districts. City Councilors speak into issues including civil rights, education, housing, public health, criminal justice, and small business development. A list of Boston City Council’s committees.

 SERVICE

One of the most important ways Christians can learn to love their neighbors as themselves is through becoming proximate to their realities, needs, and desires. Getting involved in your community provides a crucial opportunity to facilitate relationship building among individuals of varied life experiences. Service is also a direct Biblical mandate: we are called to care for the poor and oppressed (Isa. 1:17), to visit the incarcerated (Heb. 13:3), and to look out for the orphans and widows in their distress (Js. 1:27). 

“Injustice is not something to be aware of, it is something to engage, because to know is to do.”

Michelle Ferrigno Warren, The Power of Proximity: Moving Beyond Awareness to Action

Local Opportunities 

·       One legacy of racial injustice is the segregation of communities and fracturing of societal bonds. Open and trusting relationships and conversations are a necessary prerequisite to achieving racial reconciliation. 

o    Apply for a mini-grant to fund a community development initiative. Grant awardees receive funding from the city to create beautification projects, community gardens, mini free libraries, and other improvements alongside their neighbors. (Learn about ongoing beautification projects throughout the Boston area). 

o   Host a people’s supper to bring together individuals from different backgrounds and walks of life to engage in a discussion about race. This series of guided conversations is intended for established multiracial communities to come together at a shared table to break down barriers, lament injustice, and work towards collaborative solutions.

o Attend a Neighborhood Dinner through Unite Boston. Unite Boston is a non-profit that seeks to connect Christians from different congregations to build bridges across the work God is doing in Greater Boston. Neighborhood Dinners are opportunities to fellowship with other Christians in your neighborhood through the breaking of bread and sharing of conversation.

o  Join with neighbors in neighborhood clean-up days happening twice annual city wide through Love Your Block Neighborhood Cleanups.  

·       Volunteer at a Massachusetts prison.

o   As a tutor.

o   Through programs sponsored by the Commonwealth.

o   With the Alternatives to Violence Program.

o   With the Concord Prison Outreach.

·       Serve  as a facilitator of restorative justice circles. Restorative justice seeks to move beyond punitive or retributive models of justice and to focus on restoring personal or communal relationships damaged by crime. These processes can be an alternative to lengthy periods of incarceration.

·       Join a diversity committee at your workplace – or start one! Diversity committees are a great way to advocate for diverse hiring and cultural competency initiatives.

·       More opportunities to serve.

 DONATIONS

As Christians, we are admonished against storing up treasures here on earth, and commanded to be openhanded with our resources (Mt. 16:19-21). Christians can also promote economic justice by investing in communities and institutions that have been historically under-resourced and oppressed through racially discriminatory practices like redlining. Giving of our financial resources enables non-profits and initiatives to continue with their justice-seeking work, whether that is through empowering under-resourced communities, supporting the local church, or fighting discrepancies in access to justice or other resources. This is particularly important in the COVID-19 pandemic, as communities of color have borne a disproportionate burden.

But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the LORD their God. He made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. He keeps every promise forever. He gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry. The LORD frees the prisoners.

 Ps. 146:5-7

Practical Examples

Please note that RCCI does not necessarily endorse all of these ministries and/or all that they may advocate or believe. Rather, we seek to provide opportunities for your further exploration and reflection. Please do your own research before giving.

·       Support Black and immigrant churches that have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Check out the Massachusetts Council of Churches One Church Fund and the Churches Helping Churches fund.

o   One Church Fund aims to provide financial, practical, and relational support to churches doing essential ministry in communities which have borne the brunt of systemic inequities since long before COVID-19. One Church Fund will raise resources for immigrant, Black, poor, unhoused, and unaffiliated churches.

o Churches Helping Churches encourages affluent churches to donate to lower-income churches who are at risk of closure, in order to stabilize them and enable them to support their communities as they deal with the economic and health fallouts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

·     Donate to Commonwealth Kitchen - Boston's Food Business Incubator.

o Their mission is to build a new food economy grounded in racial, social and economic justice by strengthening the capacity, connections, and collective power of diverse entrepreneurs to start and grow successful food businesses. 

·       Donate to the Massachusetts Bail Fund. 

o   In the US, over 60% of the population of local jails are pre-trial detainees – individuals who are legally presumed innocent. An estimated 9 out of 10 of those people are incarcerated because they cannot make bail. Even short-term incarceration can have disastrous results – loss of employment, child custody, or housing. Given that Black adults are incarcerated at six times the incarceration rate for Whites and nearly double the rate for Hispanics, conditioning one’s liberty on their ability to pay further exacerbates racial inequities in the criminal justice system. Contributing to bail funds helps ensure that the accused, which are disproportionately people of color, are not forced to remain incarcerated because of a lack of access to financial resources.

·       Support the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF).

o   The LDF uses litigation, advocacy, and education to promote racial justice in a number of spheres: criminal justice, economic justice, education, and political participation. LDF has been a key player in securing and protecting voting rights for African Americans, desegregating public schools, and fighting racial disparities in the use of capital punishment.

·       Give to the Equal Justice Initiative.

o   This organization, founded by noted author and attorney Bryan Stevenson, represents innocent and unjustly sentenced detainees, with a special emphasis on the death penalty and juvenile offenders. Additionally, EJI works to educate the public on the legacies of slavery, racial terror lynching, and mass incarceration through reports, digital experiences, museums, and memorials.

·       Further the mission of Historically Black Colleges and Universities through The Thurgood Marshall College Fund(TMCF).

o   TMCF provides college scholarships and internship opportunities to students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). HBCUs provide top-tier educations at more affordable prices that historically White institutions, as well as a context in which Black students are empowered to thrive. Additionally, TMCF lobbies for educational justice on Capitol Hill to increase funding for HBCUs and students of color in higher education.

·       Partner with the National Urban League (NUL).

o   NUL is a nonpartisan civil rights and urban advocacy organization seeking to enable “African Americans and other underserved urban residents to secure economic self-reliance, parity, power and civil rights.” NUL helps register people of color to vote and protects their ability to exercise their civic rights, provides civil engagement curriculum to students of color, and helps empower individuals to secure employment, homeownership, and quality healthcare, among other initiatives. NUL has local offices that serve the needs of particular communities, as well as a central Washington Office that advocates on Capitol Hill for policy and legislative change.

·       Support the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA).

o   The CCDA empowers Christians to live out the three R’s of community development: relocation, reconciliation, and redistribution. CCDA members live, work, and worship in marginalized neighborhoods, adopting a holistic approach to empowerment that is church-based and community-based. Additionally, CCDA organizes and advocates in Washington D.C. to fight injustice, with a focus on three initiatives: Immigration, Mass Incarceration, and Education Equity. 

Additionally, consider seeking out opportunities to support Black-owned businesses in Boston. Business ownership is an important avenue for wealth accumulation and job creation. Black-owned businesses have been particularly hurt by COVID-19, with an estimated 41% closing their doors in the economic shutdown. (Additionally, some Black business districts have historically been targeted for destruction, further preventing economic growth in these communities. Learn about the burning of “Black Wall Street” in Tulsa, OK). Purchasing from Black-owned businesses is a tangible way of supporting communities where injustice is occurring and promoting a more equitable distribution of wealth. 

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Brooke Cohen is a San Diego native who moved to greater Boston in 2017 to attend law school. Brooke studied Political Science and Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, and loves to explore the complex relationship between mercy and justice in legal systems and in society. She and her husband, Justin, worship at Aletheia Church in Cambridge and reside in Downtown Crossing.

Resources for Teaching Children Anti-Racism

Created by: Alyssa Tocci and Sadie Elliott-Hart

Children notice and are shaped by our racialized realities at a young age. As caregivers, mentors, and church family, we need to help children understand the realities of racism and develop a positive racial identity from a Biblical perspective. One of the first steps to doing this is to learn how to talk to young people about race and expose them to race-related conversations. See below for resources to help you talk to children about racism.

Organizations

Wee The People (WTP) is a Boston-based social justice project founded by two Black mothers with the mission of engaging kids in topics of activism and social change through dance, movement, storytelling, and the arts. Their programming is aimed at children ages 4 to 12 and is rooted in the core WTP values: empathy, equity, racial justice, and social justice. WTP also hosts workshops and seminars for parents to strategize and prepare for challenging conversations with their children. Their goal is “to create high-impact, celebratory experiences that promote uncomfortable conversations parents often avoid with young children.”

Raising Race Conscious Kids  is designed for adults learning to talk to children about race, diversity, and justice. Their primary media are blog posts, webinars, and workshops, created to equip parents and caregivers for conversations that prepare young people to work for racial justice. Many of their resources are aimed at White people, but “a community of guest bloggers represent diverse backgrounds and the strategies discussed may be helpful for all.”

Instagram

Raising Little Allies To Be by @wanderandwonder.studio

Raising Little Allies to Be is a free resource available in pdf form created to facilitate conversations between caregivers and children. It includes book suggestions, activities such as drawing and writing, and opportunities for questions and reflections.

Diversify Their Imagination by @thedignityeffect

Diversify Their Imagination is an Instagram Live series from The Dignity Effect, a page founded by Nya S. Abernathy that promotes peacemaking and social-emotional wellness for families. This resource and reflection series is designed to engage parents in dialogue regarding raising children with an “anti-racist, equality- & empathy-focused worldview.”

Podcast

Coffee + Crumbs Episode 51: Talking With Kids About Race with Tasha Morrison

In this episode, host Indiana Adams and guest Tasha Morrison, author of Be the Bridge, discuss conversations about race with children and leading by example in the fight for racial justice. Several key points that Tasha addresses are the difference between diversity and racial reconciliation, being ‘color brave’ versus color blind, and equipping children to stand up against injustice.

Articles

“How to talk to your children about protests and racism” by Sandee LaMotte, CNN

Written in the wake of George Floyd’s death, this article provides parents with steps to help their children understand recent racial events as well as more general guidelines for talking to kids about race. It provides descriptions of various age groups' development stages and suggestions about what kind of conversations are appropriate and productive to help children understand race and racism.

Books

Diverse Bookfinder is a unique database created to help users find children’s picture books that feature Black and Indigenous people and People of Color. Their comprehensive collection includes all depictions featuring BIPOC characters published or distributed in the US since 2002, making it an excellent resource to explore and borrow books that represent a range of experiences and identities.

Our Skin: A First Conversation About Race is a book about race and racism to read with children ages 3-5. Filled with vibrant illustrations, engaging questions, and tips for parents on how to continue the conversation, this book provides a helpful onramp to start a developmentally appropriate conversation with your little ones.

The Gospel in Color: A Theology of Racial Reconciliation for Parents and The Gospel in Color: A Theology of Racial Reconciliation for Kids explain race, racism and reconciliation from a Biblical perspective. The parent’s version is written with the goal of equipping parents to educate their children, and the kids’ version is designed to facilitate conversations between kids and parents. Both books make complex ideas accessible with engaging illustrations and text, and celebrate the power of the gospel to bring reconciliation. 

Family Guides 

These guides come in different versions aimed at different family identities and give both an education for caregivers and curriculum to use with children. They are downloadable books that can be read at any pace. You can purchase and read more about the three different guides here. You can also learn more about how to use these guides on Naomi or LaNesha’s blogs or Instagram accounts.

For more teaching children anti-racism tools, click here.

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Take Action

If you are interested in Staying Connected to Alyssa and others Who Are Passionate about teaching children anti-racism, click Below.

Take Action

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Alyssa Tocci is an apostolic leader of a house church network in Boston. She is responsible for the launching of multiple expressions of local church in the city. She has been involved in a variety of other ministry roles since 2010. She is a fruitful ministry coach for children's ministry leaders, disciple making movements, and domestic church planting. Alyssa has two boys and lives in Roxbury.

History of Racism in Boston: A Resource List

History of Racism in Boston: A Resource List

By the RCCI Team, with contributions from Pastor Calvin Fergins

Recent realities, like COVID-19, the heightened publicity of racial violence, and economic downturn, have highlighted racial disparities in our communities. While these pandemics are deepening the chasms of differences in power and opportunity, they did not create them. On the contrary, our current crises highlight inequalities that have been present since before the founding of our nation. 

Boston has a long and complicated racial history. On the one hand, it tells stories of resilience, transformation, and victory. On the other, it reveals deplorable atrocities, subtle power moves, contemporary hate crimes, and well-intended actions that have a racist impact, giving us a veneer of progress while maintaining the status quo. 

As we find ourselves in a time of crisis and opportunity, we have the responsibility to work toward a new Boston, more just and equitable than before. To ensure a better future, we must look to our past. We must understand our history and learn from the mistakes, victories, and examples of those who have come before. RCCI invites you to explore the resources on this list to better understand our collective past so, together, we can move into a more just and equitable future. 

PS: Click here to see a downloadable bibliography of resources that goes well beyond these highlighted titles. 

Resource Write Ups  

Ten Hills Farm: The Forgotten History of Slavery in the North

Did you know that there was a Northern plantation in Medford, Massachusetts? You can still visit it, known as the Royall House & Slave Quarters museum, today. Ten Hills Farm tells the story of five generations of enslavers connected to this labor camp and how it was tied into the larger Transatlantic slave trade.

A People's History of the New Boston

The 1960s and 1970s represented a critical season of rebuilding for Boston following the impact of WWII. While wealthy, White men are often given credit for this transformation, this book tells the story of unsung influencers who, through grass-roots demonstrations, sit-ins, picket lines, boycotts, and contentious negotiations shaped Boston into the city we know today.

The New Bostonians: How Immigrants Have Transformed the Metro Area Since the 1960s

Between 1970 and 2010, the percentage of foreign-born, Boston residents more than doubled due to immigration from Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The New Bostonians explores these immigrant communities' invaluable contributions and their crucial role in nurturing Boston's prosperity - the fruits of which have not been equally shared.

Shut Out: A Story of Race and Baseball in Boston

Shut Out is the compelling story of Boston's racial divide viewed through one of the city's most renowned institutions: the Boston Red Sox. This story is told from the perspective of Boston native and noted sportswriter Howard Bryant.

Busing at 50

The Boston Busing Crisis of the mid 1970s garnered national attention as the city experienced mass protests and violence after the Boston Public School system attempted to implement school integration. Sadly, 50 years later, the Boston public education system is still unequal and still segregated. Explore this Boston Globe Series Broken Promises, Unfulfilled Hope that reflects 50 years after the Boston Busing Crisis.

Sarah's Long Walk: The Free Blacks of Boston and How Their Struggle for Equality Changed America 

In 1847, a five-year-old African American girl named Sarah Roberts was forced to walk past five white schools to attend the poor and densely crowded all-black Abiel Smith School on Boston's Beacon Hill. Incensed that his daughter had been turned away at each white school, her father, Benjamin, sued the city of Boston on her behalf. The historic case that followed set the stage for over a century of struggle, culminating in 1954 with the unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education.

Murder in Boston: Roots, Rampage and Reckoning

In 1989, Charles Stuart reported that his white wife had been murdered by a Black man. Boston’s deeply seated racism tainted the investigation and worked the city into a frenzy, before it was revealed that Stuart killed his wife by his own hand. Learn more about the Charles Stuart case - and the long-standing racial tension that shaped it - by watching this three-part docuseries or going deep through Boston Globe podcasts.

Holding Ground: The Rebirth of Dudley Street

Explore how, in 1985, the Dudley Street Neighborhood of Roxbury worked together to overcome barriers of systemic racism and rebuild the fabric of their neighborhood. This community movement gained national attention, set legal precedent, and models how residents, community activists, and city officials can organize for change.

Forever Struggle: Activism, Identity, and Survival in Boston's Chinatown, 1880-2018

Chinatown has a long history in Boston. In writing about Boston Chinatown's long history, Michael Liu, a lifelong activist and scholar of the community, charts its journey and efforts for survival. Liu depicts its people, organizations, internal battles, and varied and complex strategies against land-taking by outside institutions and public authorities. Chinatown is a powerful example of neighborhood agency, the power of organizing, and the prospects of such neighborhoods in rapidly growing and changing cities.

Black Bostonians: Family Life and Community Struggle in the Antebellum North

When published in 1979, Black Bostonians was the first comprehensive social history of an antebellum northern black community. The Hortons challenged the then widely held view that African Americans in the antebellum urban north were all trapped in "a culture of poverty." Exploring life in black Boston from the 18th century to the Civil War, they combined quantitative and traditional historical methods to reveal the rich fabric of a thriving society, where people from all walks of life organized for mutual aid, survival, and social action, and which was a center of the antislavery movement.

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Local Historical Sites

Explore local historical sites that honor the journeys of different groups.

•  A plaque and developing memorial highlighting the Native American internment camp that was held on Deer Island, one of the Boston Harbor Islands. Tours of Deer Island briefly acknowledge this injustice.

• Middle Passage Port Marker on Long Wharf. The Boston Middle Passage Marker looks two ways: Out to Boston Harbor, where enslaved Africans and enslaved Indigenous people arrived and departed, and also inward, down State Street, where these enslaved people and their descendants lived, worked, and fought for freedom.

• The Royall House and Slave Quarters in Medford.

• The Black Heritage Trail, African Meeting House, and African American History Museum in Boston.

• A variety of cultural sites in Chinatown highlighted in videos from the Boston Chinatown Heritage Project, created by teens in partnership with the Chinese Historical Society of New England and others.

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Author’s Note: Resource descriptions are based on language from their respective promotional websites and have been paraphrased for the purposes of RCCI.

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When a White "Sorry" Is Not Enough

When a White "Sorry" Is Not Enough

by Dean Borgman

Pentecost Sunday, and I just can’t get the sight of that white knee on a black neck out of my mind…. Just weeks after 25-year-old Black man Ahmaud Arbery was shot to death while jogging… Black police officer Breonna Taylor shot to death by white police in her own apartment… reminding us of a long list… including Eric Garner in 2014--also strangled by a wrongful police chokehold.

We’ve watched the slow and reluctant response of the police departments and police unions and town officials… and unresponsiveness up the line of our justice system to the Executive office itself. We’re forced to wonder about official response to a black knee on a white neck…. I’m left dazed and frustrated. 

My personal white apologies to close African American friends fall flat—I can sense it. They have seen it all… over and over… and experienced their own indignities. They have heard voices of seeming remorse with no systemic change… too often before. They know this painful cycle of oppression and are quite sure that hollow amends will continue. What can be done… until I… all of us… are able to see ourselves as part of the problem… before any solution can come?

Before we ponder solutions and suggest some new strategy, we must hear, more clearly than ever before, the depths of our problem. Few of us Whites have taken enough time to listen…  to really hear… what Black people have experienced along all the way since 1619… and how it really feels going into the fifth century since then. How does such a trail of racial travesties affect Blacks and Whites? Adequate response will take more painful time and effort than most of us have ever taken.

The Westminster Presbyterian Church of Minneapolis invited Princeton professor Eddie Gloude to speak on “Racism and the Soul of America,” (13Sep16) This look into White America’s soul from a Black perspective is painful… while perhaps prophetic as to the events of this past week in that same city.  This video speech is slow getting started but soon gets to the heart of systemic racism in America. Have we taken the time to listen to it… have we heard its diagnosis?

But how is it that so many White Christians, have through the centuries, failed to support the oppressed? Jesus announced his Gospel and personal Mission statement by saying:

 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me

to bring good news to the poor… to let the oppressed go free.”  (Luke 4:18)

In my life experience, growing up in a strong church, majoring in Bible and Theology, teaching in a White Seminary… this announcement of Jesus did not seem prominent… nor protests against systemic racism a priority… from Martin Luther King, Jr.’s time up until now.

A second Black voice comes to us from the pastor of Washington D.C.’ Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church, The Rev. William H. Lamar IV, preaching on: “It’s not just the coronavirus, it’s bad theology killing us:”

Here is what he had to say:

"There comes a time when being nice is the worst kind of violence. This is especially true for the many Christians who erroneously conflate being nice with following Jesus. No more euphemisms. No more pretending. No more craving the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day “Kumbaya.”

"I believe it is time for those who claim to follow Jesus to declare, without equivocation, that white evangelicalism is a morally bankrupt, bone-crushing theological system devoid of any semblance of the deity incarnate in Christ."

"Multiple factors are responsible for the alarming death rates that black, brown, Native American and poor white communities are experiencing from the novel coronavirus. Mendacious, misanthropic political leadership. A so-called health care system driven by profit and not human flourishing. An economic reality where even the below-a-living-wage money earned by poor and working-class people is siphoned off to the wealthy via tax cuts and tax policies that force wage earners to pay a larger share than dividend earners."

"American white evangelicalism is the offspring of the religion of settler colonialists, and the raison d’etre of settler colonialism is to remove an existing population and replace it with another. Settler colonialism is always violent, and it always has a theological system to support it.

"COVID-19—and its impact on black and brown communities—is the American empire in viral form. It lodges itself among the poor and feasts upon them. They cannot socially distance in tight, squalid quarters. They cannot wash their hands in lead-ridden water in Flint. We are having digital funerals for people who live in a city where Congress refuses to extend the health benefits… they themselves enjoy."

"This bad theology of who belongs and who does not, of who is worthy and who is not, has the blood of my parishioners on its hands. How would the novel coronavirus be affecting my community if the God-talk of white evangelicals, whose theology controls our political landscape, sounded more like Jesus?"

A third Black voice this Pentecost Sunday 2020 offers hope through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. It reaches into the richness of the Black experience for spiritual hope and more effective efforts for the common good. The voice is that of our national Episcopal Presiding Bishop Michael Curry: 

As a white man, I can’t say this so eloquently or as effectively. May the collective worldly- centeredness and individual-egocentricity of our systems be overcome with loving justice. May we, of all ethnicities and political parties, be able to hear this plea for our common good: the hope of God’s kingdom come and God’s will be done… for global health, for our national healing, and for the common good for all…. Through the love of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.

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Dean Borgman is a retired (but still teaching) professor of Youth and Family Ministries and Social Ethics at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He is an assisting Episcopal priest at Christ Church, Hamilton-Wenham and works as a part-time consultant for the Emmanuel Gospel Center in Boston. His experience in youth work is both suburban and urban, church and parachurch, national and international. He was involved in Young Life for several years, including YL’s early urban work on Manhattan’s Lower East Side and Young Life’s Urban Training Institute in NYC. He has taught for several years in Africa besides leading classes and workshops in several countries. His books include Hear My Story: Understanding the Cries of Troubled Youth, 2003, and Foundations for Youth Ministry: Theological Engagement with Teen Life and Culture, 2013. Dean received a Youth Ministry Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Youth Ministry Educators in 2006 and from Youth Specialties in 2013. Dean and his wife Gail live in Rockport, MA and have four grown children with twelve grandchildren.

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EGC is issuing a series of 1st person reflections in response to the killing of Mr. George Floyd, in the hope that each unique voice might be heard, that we might each speak to the part of the Body that we are nearest to, and that together as a team we might disrupt the sin-cancer of white supremacy and our beloved church’s addiction to simple answers.

The Journey for Justice: How Lament Powers Repair

by Liza Cagua-Koo

The Journey for Justice: How Lament Powers Repair

We are a world in tremendous pain, and as we convulse with it in our inner being, Jesus is standing at the door knocking.  His spirit is knocking urgently at the door of the church, his Body.  He's here, looking for the sick and those who welcome resurrection.  We are each individually and through our local expressions of church now making decisions to answer that knock, or not. 

Pursuing God's ways of dealing with pain through lament are the strong foundation from which we can engage productively and perseveringly in the work of justice and healing.  Unless we figure out what to do with pain in an ongoing way, we won't last in the cross-bearing partnership Jesus is calling us into.

Unless we figure out what to do with pain in an ongoing way, we won't last in the cross-bearing partnership Jesus is calling us into.

In this 3-part series I will share what I’m learning about running a marathon against injustice, and the interrelated centrality of pain, lament and repair.  This first reflection attempts to bring some texture to the pain I am seeing in others and in myself.

We Are in Pain 

We are in pain.  I bear witness to it here, in my limited way, and pour out my anguished cry out before God now and in the presence of those who might have an ear to hear. 

Selah.

There is a pain that no human can really hold consciously in its fullness: the depth of the suffering of even one person who faces chronic systemic dehumanization from white supremacy culture and systems.  Only God can fully bear the parental soul pain of having "the talk", the bone-deep exhaustion of the black tax, the mental trauma of being continuously gaslit when you've tried to name the systemic pattern throughout your life, and for generations. 

This is the pain of fighting to honor your imago dei when your experience at school, at the doctor's office, with the loan officer, or with the police, screams otherwise. And now, in this unexpected moment opened up by the straw-break of one horrifying video, there is the jolting pain of seeing the world you've been living in suddenly perceived by those on the outside. 

And as this other world outside your door seems to be waking, as white strangers kneel along a funeral route honoring George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, as targeting systemic injustice becomes a thing, there is the pain of daring to hope that this will lead to something.   And another kind of suffering manifests: the pain of figuring out a new way to be and to lead, in the face of eager white folks wanting to make it all better but not ready to face the cost to them of what repair might entail.

Selah.

There is another kind of pain: the pain of having your understanding of the world blown up into cinders.  The pain of deconstructing a comforting world that has rested on the myth of meritocracy, on the myth of American exceptionalism, and the misguided understanding that there are good and bad people in the world and all rests on individual choices, untethered from systems and their behavior.  The pain of betrayal of where you put your trust (your parents, your schooling, your history), and worse: the pain of sensing some level of responsibility now that you know something is deeply wrong. 

And when, finally, you come to terms with this new world, and decide to step forth into the struggle against systemic injustice, there is the pain of not knowing what to do, of making mistakes, of having your good intentions mean very little in the face of the impact of your actual choices. Here too is the pain of not knowing where to take your pain, because the world that has been oppressed does not have room for it.

Selah.

And there's the kind of pain I know best: the pain of being part of a group dehumanized by white supremacy while at the same time cooperating with white supremacy in order to survive it. 

This is a diverse nexus with many kinds of pain and expressions.  The pain of white-presenting Latinos who've gone along with being "white" and have let go of their roots.  The pain of non-white-presenting Latinos who've gone along with being tokens.  The pain of black-presenting Latinos marginalized within their own community because of colorism and anti-blackness in it.  The pain of seeing other people of color (POC) weaponized against our efforts for justice. The pain of seeing POC standing on the sidelines of those efforts, like when recent immigrants are quick to separate ourselves from historically disenfranchised groups here and distance ourselves from their cause. 

I well remember my first cries at school in Boston of "I'm Colombian!  I'm not Puerto Rican!" when my 8-year-old mind subconsciously tuned into that demonic wavelength broadcasting that Puerto Ricans were less than, as I witnessed my white teachers routinely chastising them and expecting little from them.  So much pain that the disease of white supremacy has caused the non-white immigrant communities as it has dehumanized and divided.  And as if that was not hard enough, there's the pain of coming to terms with the fact that we were also carriers, that the infection of racial/ethnic hierarchy was spread by us too.

Selah.

There is great pain amongst POC when we've left each other behind.  The pain is not just between white and black, it's amongst us all. 

The pain of indigenous people: decimated, blamed for their community's uphill battles—and mostly forgotten by other POC and whites alike as we fight for resources on their ancestral lands.  There is the pain of Southeast Asian immigrant communities left behind, invisibly falling short of the ridiculous "model minority myth," their youth in battle with other kids of color in the fight for street cred, looking for respect where it can be found.  There is much pain in the realization that we are often just fighting each other for crumbs in the heirarchy of the white supremacy table.

Selah.

What can be done with all this pain—these "tips" and the icebergs that they represent?  So many of us have trained ourselves to not look at such horrors, to ignore them, to overcome by focusing on what we think we can do and control.  But regardless of whether any of these different streams resonate with you or not, whatever your story is with injustice, I believe we MUST look at the pain and suffering, that the Spirit beseeches us to stand in its presence and see the extent of the desolation, the valley of dry bones before us corporately. 

I believe we MUST look at the pain and suffering, that the Spirit beseeches us to stand its presence and see the extent of the desolation, the valley of dry bones before us corporately.

Only by walking with God's spirit amongst these bones can God begin to transform us into a people who can be cross-bearers in Jesus, into a Body who can prophesy over dry bones, that they—that we—might all come alive and live.

While Ezekiel prophesied with words, I believe we must prophesy with action.  Today’s dry bones need the flesh of repair-- actions that have the chance to rehumanize what has been dehumanized, to bring to thriving what has been chronically attacked by the systems we live in. I am convinced that biblical lament is an essential fuel for our prophetic action, what will give us the courage to do what needs to be done.  Part II will speak to why that is.

---

Liza Cagua-Koo
Assistant Director

Liza Cagua-Koo pursues racial justice & healing at home in a Latino-Asian family, at Emmanuel Gospel Center with a multiethnic team of urban ministry practitioners, and in life with her BFFs and church community in Dorchester, MA.  She is on the long journey of decolonizing her mind and longs for the day when the church is best known for being an agent of justice in our racialized society.  Or the day Jesus comes back and delivers us all.  She'll take either.

Learn More

EGC is issuing a series of 1st person reflections in response to the killing of Mr. George Floyd, in the hope that each unique voice might be heard, that we might each speak to the part of the Body that we are nearest to, and that together as a team we might disrupt the sin-cancer of white supremacy and our beloved church’s addiction to simple answers.

A Theology of Racial Healing

Though the word “racism” is not used in the Bible, the work of racial healing has always been a biblical value. Scripture tells the story of God reconciling all people to himself and one another. 

In this resource, we suggest a Biblically-grounded theology on Christ's redemptive work in the area of race relations. We explore how the Bible addresses issues related to race, the impact of racism, Jesus’ heart for the oppressed, and Biblical principles of reconciliation.

May you be inspired to pursue racial healing as an outworking of your faith.

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COVID-19 & Churches: Meetings, Services & Reopening Info

Last updated June 8, 2020

COVID-19 & Churches: Meetings, Services & Reopening Info

reopening: advance planning

Reopening houses of worship: Boston’s Approach

from Mayor Walsh — May 19, 2020

Places of worship must take a very cautious approach and are urged to not reopen if they have doubts about being able to plan, implement, and monitor strict safety guidelines.

The Statewide “Safer at Home” policy remains in place, which advises against people 65 and older leaving home unless absolutely necessary. The Mayor urged seniors to adhere to the advisory and hold off on going back to places of worship, even if services restart. He also asked faith leaders to reach out to their elderly parishioners, to guide them and support them in putting safety first, and keep them connected in other ways. 

The City has been getting questions about church choirs and hymns. The Mayor says they shouldn’t happen yet, given the added risk of virus transmission from singing in addition to speaking. Face coverings must be worn at all times.

"The Risks - Know Them - Avoid Them"

by Professor Erin Bromage 

When your church starts to plan for future reopening, consider carefully the information in this article, and the level of COVID-19 cases in your area. The article presents factual information and discusses the emerging science on COVID-19 in a colloquial way which is accessible to the general public. The examples can provide helpful background data.

Safety Standards for Places of Worship from the State of Massachusetts

On May 18th, Governor Baker allowed the limited reopening of houses of worship with mandatory requirements and recommended best practices and checklists. These fall under four categories – (1) Social distancing (2) Hygiene Protocols (3) Staffing and Operations (4) Cleaning and Disinfecting. The online documents should be read carefully, but they generally include standards such as operating at 40% or below capacity, wearing masks, childcare remaining closed, eliminating coffee hours & meals, cleaning and disinfecting between services, and if an attendee tests positive for COVID-19, following CDC guidelines for deep cleaning and disinfecting and also notifying the Local Board of Health for tracing and isolating those who have been in contact with the person. In addition to Massachusetts guidelines, see other suggested practices and details in the resources below. Keep in mind that people over the age of 65 and people who have underlying health conditions – who are at high risk for COVID-19 – should continue to stay home except for essential errands. 

Many Greater Boston churches envision reopening their church quite far in the future. But for those hoping to reopen sooner, it is important to carefully consider the logistics involved as well as government guidelines.

While the decisions about reopening churches will vary due to the size of churches and with city and state regulations, church leaders need to understand and create plans for the many needed adaptations for when reopening is the wise choice. Churches need to consider the welfare of the larger community as well as their own members.

If churches follow wise cautions, opening for services will still not be an immediate return to the way things were before.

• Steps of preparation and phased stages of reopening need to be taken.

• Churches renting space or sharing space face an uncertain future, dependent on the policies and decisions of the building owners.

The larger questions also need to be considered:

• What have we as a church community learned about “being the church” during the stay-at-home time?

• How will that impact our vision, structure, and practice going forward? 

Relaunching Church: How to Seize this Moment for Your Church’s Future. 

What do we want to take into the future from the present crisis? Thoughts on: “Four strategic stages in navigating a cultural crisis: (1) Stabilize (2) Normalize (3) Mobilize and (4) Futurize.” By Jeff Christopherson

Resources and Examples of Guidance from Denominations on Reopening 

The Massachusetts Council of Churches (scroll down the webpage)

“Covid Conversation: Re-Entry in the Black Church” webinar with church leaders recorded on Facebook

Resources and Guidelines for Reopening

A detailed set of suggested guidelines and practices to consider, from the Southern New England Ministry Network (of the Assemblies Of God) 

Overview of the CDC suggestions for reopening of churches by The Gospel Coalition 

Since these are national guidelines relating to many types of congregations, they are quite general. By Joe Carter

 Reopening Church: Discussions and Webinars 

We're not heading back to the way things used to be. We're opening a new chapter after what we've learned from this pandemic. From the Vanderbloemen organization

ADVICe on church meetings

Coronavirus and the Church: Best Advice, Articles, and News

Christianity Today Magazine

Guide to Christian Funerals During COVID-19

Mass Council of Churches

Remote Meetings Guide

How to set up small group church meetings with Google Hangouts and Zoom. Remote Meetings, a brief guide from Park Street Church.

Mastering Virtual Meetings

Describes the challenges and advantages of virtual meetings.    8 Tips to improve your online meetings.

How to Facilitate Effective Virtual Meetings

Beth Kanter, an experienced non-profit writer, provides detailed advice on virtual meetings.

What It Takes to Run a Great Virtual Meeting - Harvard Business Review

Preparing Your Church  for Coronavirus (COVID-19)

A step-by-step, research-informed and faith-based planning manual from Wheaton College

Plan de acción para iglesias latinas COVID-19

This four part action strategy from the National Latino Evangelical Coalition includes ideas for Care, Communication, Collaboration, and Resources for churches with practical suggestions for communication and ministry online.

Dios es nuestro amparo y fortaleza. En medio de cualquier crisis global, la Iglesia siempre ha sido parte de la solución. Únete y comparte este recurso con todos los que puedas para servir con amor y compasión a todos los que nos rodean. Los enlaces e información pueden ayudarnos ha compartir ideas y recursos para servir mejor a nuestras comunidades.

Warnings About “Zoombombing” 

Zoombombing is where malicious intruders join your Zoom call and display unwanted information. Be cautious in sharing zoom meeting information and invitations publicly. 

• Advice from Tiffany Vail to avoid malicious intruders  

• Video tutorial from Kristen Ferguson of Gateway Seminary 
  
  

TOOLS

Resources for Nonprofits Impacted by COVID-19 from Tech Soup

This website includes:

• Tools to Support Remote Work

• Policy Resources

• Virtual Workshop: Managing the Impact of COVID-19 on Nonprofits

• Free Courses from TechSoup

Faith on Facebook Resource Hub 

Many churches have a Facebook page and many churchgoers are familiar with Facebook. This online tool has potential to share information, broadcast services (using Facebook Live), develop groups, promote learning and raise support.  On the Resource Hub page see the downloadable “Faith on Facebook Toolkit” and “Getting Started with Groups” for more detailed instructions.

Free Church Online Platform

Designed specifically for ministry, the Church Online Platform  combines several church online controls into one free tool. With Chat, Live Prayer, and synced video streaming, Church Online Platform assists in doing church together.

Live-streaming & Promoting Church Services

During this time we here at WEZE 590am The Word and WROL 950am and 100.3 fm The Spirit of Boston, want to come alongside you to help spread the word that while the church doors may be temporarily closed, God’s Word is ALIVE and available online daily!

Our stations have created a NEW Church Service Live Streaming Page on wezeradio.com and wrolradio.com to share the link and broadcast times for your weekly church services. As a valued partner in ministry and as a community service, we want to include your church FREE OF CHARGE!  

Participation is easy! Just visit WEZE or WROL to submit your live stream link and service details. Shortly after you submit your information, your church will be added to our online guide and throughout the week we will encourage listeners – on-air and online - to check out this page for their weekly worship options.