Judson's Social Action Program Expands.

Building on Judson’s long-time commitment to social justice work and advocacy, in 2006 Judson Church created a new Task Force to consider how best to advance these overall aims through use of our resources, including designated funds given in the past for programs that no longer exist. Working with Senior Minister Donna Schaper, the Task Force conceived a plan to employ one or more graduate students (mostly seminarians or recent seminary graduates) part-time, to staff a combination of pastoral and advocacy programs. This plan ultimately developed into an experimental Training Center for Public Ministry from a Parish Base. It opened in September 2006 and continues for a second academic year as of September 2007.

The Training Center for Public Ministry from a Parish Base starts from the concept that ministry to those outside the church walls and ministry to those within the church walls must be done simultaneously, for either to be fully effective. We believe that true ministry requires effective work on issues and needs outside the church walls, and that such work requires involvement by church members, who can best be engaged by parish leaders who themselves understand how to work with community issues and who provide motivation and inspiration through exercise of their own effective pastoral skills. Most seminary training focuses only on parish skills, or at most, gives short-term field work assignments in community service organizations outside a parish context. Judson is uniquely equipped to model and train for a leadership style that combines the two sets of experiences from a parish base.

In the 2006-07 experimental year, the Training Center employed five Community Ministers, three of whom were seminarians, one a seminary graduate, and one a film-maker with community organizing experience. In January 2007, these first five Community Ministers each wrote a short paragraph about their experiences to that date. Here is what they said then:

Angad Bhalla: Over the past two months, I have focused on making Judson Memorial Church a known entity in the broad struggle for immigrant justice. This began in a seemingly bureaucratic manner with Judson joining the New York Immigration Coalition, the leading advocacy coalition for groups fighting for immigrant rights in New York State . Having since met with partners in the Coalition including the deportee and detainee advocacy group Families for Freedom and the Mexican Community Group Asociación Tepeyac, we are beginning to work on campaigns to turn New York into a sanctuary for immigrants and to keep families together when one member faces deportation. While this strategizing has been going on, I have really enjoyed getting to know the congregation as activists and friends. As activists, I got to know a few members attending an immigrant rights conference at St. John the Divine Cathedral, and later several more marching from Union Square to Times Square in the first of what will be several actions to support the growing movement. As friends, attending the Judson retreat not only introduced a practicing Sikh to Judson's unique style of religion, but allowed me to get to know so many of you as softball and card players that I know my work in the future will definitely stay fun.

Dominique C. Atchison: My work at Judson has really boiled down to two categories: Spiritual Violence and the work with youth on the pier. Specifically, I am planning a conference related to Spiritual Violence. Spiritual Violence, as defined by the Soul Force website, is "the misuse of religion to sanction the condemnation and rejection of any of God's children." This conference will be an attempt to bring together those who are committed to fighting against this issue in its many forms to find concrete means of healing and reconciliation. The conference is set to be held in April of 2007. I am now in the process of forming a planning committee to comb out the specifics of the conference. It will include representatives from within and without Judson Church. My second project is working with Margret and Rich to create the "Capstone @ Judson" Youth and Young Adult Ministry specifically geared toward the LGBT youth on the pier. Our plan is to begin our service in December. We have made contacts with organizations such as The Door, the Community Board and NYU's Protestant ministries.

Stephen Epps: As a community minister, Judson Memorial Church has provided me the opportunity to engage in profoundly meaningful work for the betterment of the human family. There are three such projects I would like to share with you. One, I am a part of Interfaith Friends of Potter's Field, a clergy coalition concerned with affirming and advocating the rights of grieving families who, due to financial impediments, are not able to access the remains of their loved ones buried in New York's Potter's Field. Two, I am working with Interfaith Coalition of Advocates for Reentry and Employment (ICARE) in an effort to remove legal and systematic barriers to formerly incarcerated individuals. Finally, I am in the process of establishing ties with Jubilee USA Network, which advocates measures for debt relief among developing countries. These social justice endeavors continue to reflect the legacy and type of ministry for which Judson is known; I am excited to be at Judson during this time.

Margret Hofmeister: My first few months at Judson Church have been busy and exciting. I have been focusing my attention on two projects-LGBTQ Youth Ministry and Interfaith Clergy Coalition. In both cases, I've been getting acquainted with the individuals and organizations currently involved in these areas of community building and outreach. This first step has been crucial in the planning and development of programs that satisfy the needs of the community. Most recently, I developed and submitted a five-month strategic plan for the formation of a "Progressive Interfaith Clergy Coalition" which was approved by the senior minister. Our first meeting took place on November 13.

Rich Montone: I have been busy meeting with congregants at dinners, brunches, after Sunday service, and by telephone to understand how the rich artistic resources of our community can be organized into events, showings, and performances that advance Judson's passion for social justice. Also, I have been working to design a small group reflection series that will help us deepen our spiritual wells as we meet the immense challenge of transforming the world of ourselves, our city, and our earth.

By the end of the academic year in May 2007, most of these January plans had come to fruition – or had been changed as a result of the intensive exploration given to them. Both outcomes provided valuable learning experiences for the Community Ministers, and the congregation.

Judson has employed Dr. Kathleen Talvacchia, a professional evaluator, to do an evaluation of the Training Center ’s first year of operation, to guide the Task Force in adjusting the program for future years.

The program continues in the 2007-08 academic year with an expanded group of Community Ministers. It includes seminarians Shannon (Shay) Kearns , Judith Scott, and Paul Thorson from Union Theological Seminary and Andrea Nelson from Drew Theological Seminary, plus a group of graduates with varieties of additional work experience: Eleanor Harrison Bregman, Michael Ellick, Susan Julia, Cheri Kroon, Jeff Mansfield, and Osagyefo Sekou. Also, Angad Bhalla will continue part-time as a Community Minister working on immigration issues; he is now employed by the New Sanctuary Movement as an organizer. The following is the first "report from the front lines" from these extraordinary individuals:

Eleanor Harrison Bregman

My areas of focus so far are:
· Connecting with NYU in anticipation of the opening of The Center for Spiritual Life that is in its beginning phase;
· Pastoral care and worship.
NYU is creating a Center for Spiritual Life, which it hopes to house in a new building across from Judson, where the Catholic Center exists now. Once a sale from the Catholic Diocese to NYU is finalized, a new multi-story building will house the new multi-faith Center. While Donna has been in conversation with some top NYU leaders about the plans, I have been developing relationships with staff in the Student Resource Center, the Office of Community Affairs and the NYU Sustainability Task Force, and with the current campus chaplains: Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Protestant and Catholic. I have also been contacting various directors and deans of religious life on various campuses around the country to learn as much as I can about multi-faith programming. I want Judson to be ready to be an effective partner with NYU on this new multi-faith, multi-cultural venture, and to be a responsible neighbor to this institution that surrounds us. We need to be in a position to work with, negotiate with and, perhaps on occasion wrestle with, NYU.
Within the Judson community, I have taken on various pastoral assignments, providing care and counseling to persons in need. I planned and led a worship service with Holly Bean. I represented Judson at a planning meeting for an interfaith Thanksgiving service.

Michael Ellick

As a community minister I, along with Cheri Kroon, have been developing a mid-week service at Judson which will be starting on Tuesday nights in January. In addition to this I am going to be running a Theological Discussion Group before church on Sunday mornings (starting in December), and have been assisting Donna with various pastoral care duties. Since last Spring I have also been working as an organizer for the New Sanctuary Movement, both as "executive secretary," volunteer coordinator, and a sort of 'congregational outreach' specialist. This fall I have also been working ten hours a week in the office, helping with administrative overflow (a "floater" for Donna and Erich), and most recently being the congregational "producer" for this year's production of Christmas Rappings.

Susan Julia

I am currently involved in the following:
· Coordinating Maureen McNamara's "Evening of Songs;"
· Representing Judson at a multi-faith roundtable of "Pride in the Pulpit," a Task Force on Religion and LGBTQ issues in the NY Metro and Lower Hudson Valley areas;
· Representing Judson on Planned Parenthood NYC's Religious Leaders Task Force (will include media training);
· Representing Judson with "Cast your Nets on the Other Side," a NY Conference UCC revitalization initiative in cooperation with West Chester Congregational and Community Church of the Pelhams;
· Drafting a "Becoming a member" brochure;
· Planning a midweek service with other Community Ministers;
· Performing various administrative tasks, such as contacting potential new members;
· Attempting to connect UU's with the New Sanctuary movement;
· Taking pastoral care referrals, particularly those involving addiction issues;
· Working with the Congregational Life Committee, the Small Groups Ministry and the monthly Weeknight Book Group.

Shay Furness Kearns

I am partnering with the TransMasculine Community Network of New York which seeks to promote social change and foster community among transmasculine people and their allies. (Transmasculine refers to any person who was assigned female at birth but feels this is an incomplete or incorrect description of their gender. The Network seeks to connect people through real-life social interaction in a safe and supportive environment. They aspire to establish awareness and understanding through outreach, education and collaboration with other communities and organizations, and to empower transmasculine people to become leaders in their lives and communities.
I am working with this group to train people to be speakers about their transgender experience. I am helping to plan a Transgender Day of Remembrance celebration where I will be representing Judson and offering a prayer at the vigil. In the spring I will be helping to plan a benefit for the Network and also to plan an art show highlighting the experiences of Transgender people. There is also interest in starting a discussion group on Transgender and the Bible.

Cheri Kroon

My focus has been in two areas: pastoral care and creating a midweek service. It was my hope that working as a community minister would broaden my experience in ministry and deepen my work in the area of pastoral care; I am happy to report that both of these goals are being met. I have been assisting Donna in providing care ranging from people in the midst of a medical crisis to people who simply need to talk with their pastor. Our work as a team on this front is deepening my skills; it is also helping to define my limits as I talk through my pastoral work with Donna as my colleague and mentor.
The midweek service is a program I am developing with Michael Ellick. Our aim is to make an inroad into the great mystery that is "our service to NYU." The service we are planning will begin in January. The plan is for a Tuesday evening service consisting of two parts: music, meditation and prayer, followed by a round table discussion over soup and bread. We are binging in musicians and speakers from both the NYU community and the Judson congregation. We are excited about this new venture; we are aware that whatever we create needs to be handed over to a new set of community ministers next year.

Jeff Mansfield

My work as a Judson Community Minister focuses on restaurant workers in New York City. I am working with the Restaurant Opportunity Center of New York, where I have:
· Attended and participated in the first national restaurant workers' organizing conference in Chicago;
· Run 3 prayer vigils for protesting workers outside 2 restaurants;
· Organized a clergy action and letter delivery on behalf of workers;
I am currently organizing a number of churches, synagogues and mosques into a letter-writing boycott of Fireman Hospitality Group. I am making contact and participating with related labor organizations such as The Service Workers Rising Campaign, NY Jobs with Justice, The NYC Private Equity Campaign and The NYC Labor and Religion Coalition.
I have been employed as a busboy in a NYC restaurant, in order to better understand the industry and worker issues. I am working on a magazine article about my experiences, focusing on the injustices in the system. The way we eat says much about our community, our democracy, our equality, our values - and I want to expose that.
I am working with several partners to develop an ESL program using a congregational conversation partners approach. (Along with racism, language is an enormous barrier to upward mobility for immigrant workers in the restaurant industry). We hope to use space at Judson.
I am writing a proposal for funding to be a NYC restaurant workers' chaplain. My hope for the future of my ministry is to continue to address immigration issues in restaurants, including racism and sexism, labor organizing, high rates of substance abuse and depression and religious liberty issues such as the difficulty Muslim workers face in fasting and keeping Ramadan.

Drea Nelson

Most of my work as a Community Minister at Judson has been in partnership with Sylvia's Place, an LGBT homeless shelter sponsored by the Metropolitan Community Church. We hosted a Halloween Party at Judson, which was a success. The next big project is planning for a screening of their documentary, which follows several youth throughout the summer. One of the Judson young people (Lottie Rowe) has volunteered to help, and will be receiving community service credit from her school; her teacher has agreed that other students can receive credit for attending the film. I am working with Chris Ventresca to put together a larger screening and art exhibit that would be a fundraiser for the shelter. We are still in the brainstorming and planning stage on this project, but we are moving toward the action stage.

Judith Scott

I am working with the Sunday School with Andy's leadership, following his amazing program and energy: we have special Advent and Christmas songs and activities planned. I am planning a Women's Retreat with congregants, particularly Rose James. The retreat will be on International Women's Day in March. I am leading wprship on December 2, the first Sunday in Advent; it will involve the children and an opportunity for congregational feedback. I am working with both Cong Life and an ad hoc group who gathered recently to talk about worship and welcome at Judson, focusing on welcoming new members and embracing multi-culturalism.

Osagyefo Sekou

I have represented Judson at a number of community events. I spoke to the Eastern Long Island NAACP membership meeting, where I challenged the African-American pastors to work with their churches to become part of the New Sanctuary movement. I coordinated a presentation by Angad Bhalla in a course on U.S. Latino Church History at Union Theological Seminary.
I went to Jena, LA, for the mass rally for the Jena Six, and I have a forthcoming piece in The Fellowship Magazine, "On Jesus and Jena: The Quest for a New Civil Rights Movement." I recently published an essay in the same magazine entitled, "What Meaneth Black Suffering: Race, Meaning-Making and Democracy in Post-Katrina America."
I had the challenging task of giving the eulogy in St. Louis for the sister of a childhood friend.
I am coordinating meetings with three foundations to pursue funding for Judson's Community Ministers program and our New Sanctuary work. I was recently taken in-care by the Judson Ordination Committee.

Paul Thorson

My work as a Community Minister is both internal to the Judson community and with outside partners. Externally, I have been:
· Working with United for Peace and Justice, the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, Manhattan Together, the Satyagraha Forum and the Khalil Gibran International Academy;
· Leading a group of 11 Union students to a vigil and nonviolent direct action to close the School of the Americas.
Within the Judson community, I have been trying to connect with as many people as possible around anti-war activities (their views about what it means to resist in the face of a widespread sense of exhaustion and hopelessness). In addition, I am:
· Meeting with small group ministry, book study and Congregational Life Committee;
· Working with Donna on plans for Judson's participation in the city-wide celebration of Satyagraha (Ghandi's non-violent action for Indian Independence); Judson is taking leadership in a march on April 6 from the Ghandi statue in Union Square to MLK Blvd. (that weekend also marks the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.);
· Exploring whether Judson wants to be a part of Manhattan Together, a group grounded in Industrial Areas Foundation organizing; it might provide us with one way of working through issues of class, race and gender power dynamics;
· Working with Heidi Dorow on an event she is planning at Judson in January.
I am also defining a focus for my thesis project at Union next year. It involves creating or resurrecting a progressive publication (i.e. Christianity and Crisis) that is more political, intellectual and in-depth than anything currently available. I have lots of energy around this project, and would welcome any feedback from Judson folks. I am enjoying and feeling challenged by my work here.

Judson is grateful to the Carpenter Foundation, the Henry Luce Foundation, and a generous anonymous donor, for the critical funding they are providing to underwrite the bulk of the costs for the Community Ministry program in 2007-08.