Serving the Community
Hope City Church in East New York recently held a three-day community initiative called "Hope on the Block," aimed at fostering community connection and outreach. The event included a free screening of the film Sound of Hope, a back-to-school carnival, a market, and an outdoor Sunday fellowship. Over 800 people attended, with the church providing 1,080 free meals and distributing 502 backpacks to local children and families.
Steven Hoffen, a 16-year-old from New York, spends his summer building hydroponic systems in places like the Queensboro Correctional Facility. Hoffen, who is passionate about sustainable agriculture, founded a nonprofit called Growing Peace. Since starting his first system in Tel Aviv in 2021 with money from his bar mitzvah, Hoffen has installed five systems across New York City, including in correctional facilities and community centers. His work is driven by the Jewish value of tikkun olam (repairing the world), and he aims to promote hydroponics as a means of both education and providing fresh food.
Rev. Dr. Gregory James Edwards and his congregation at Resurrected Life Community Church in Allentown, Pennsylvania are working to revitalize the local community through vision and mission-driven work. On Juneteenth, the church celebrated moving into a new 25,000-square-foot building, expanding Resurrected Life’s mission to serve the community, adding to its existing programs, including the Resurrected Life Children’s Academy and James Lawson Freedom School, which focuses on addressing educational inequities.
As the new school year begins nationwide, many Episcopal congregations across the country are celebrating with special backpack blessing events for students.
Interfaith Collaboration
Partha Sarathi Basu, who isHindu, has taken on the care of the Amanati Mosque in the Barasat district near Kolkata, India. The mosque, which has been part of his family’s identity for over 50 years, was preserved by Basu's grandparents after they migrated from Bangladesh following the 1964 riots. Over the years, the mosque has become a symbol of religious tolerance, welcoming worshippers of all faiths, including Hindus, Muslims, and Christians.
The Queer Interfaith Alliance is a new organization at the University of Mississippi, founded by Kadin Collier, an incoming freshman, with the goal of bridging the gap between campus religious groups and the LGBTQ+ community. Collier aims to create a space for dialogue, advocacy, and education where people of different faiths, beliefs, and sexualities can coexist.
The Annual Symposium on the Role of Religion and Faith-Based Organizations, scheduled for January 21 in New York City, aims to foster faith-based engagement in global advocacy efforts, addressing key themes such as the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action, the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development, and the 2nd World Summit for Social Development.
Real Estate and Redevelopment
The congregation at Chabad Center at Chestnut Hill has outgrown their current space and plans to expand into two Brookline properties that they purchased for $2.6 million total. Plans include a sanctuary for 200 worshippers, a social hall, and classrooms. However, neighbors in the Brookline area are pushing back on the expansion plans due to the size of the building.
Congregations in Los Angeles are exploring the possibility of building affordable housing on their properties, spurred by a new California law that eases development regulations for faith-based organizations. The Affordable Housing on Faith Lands Act provides a streamlined process for religious organizations and nonprofit colleges to develop affordable housing on their property. Reverend Paul Anthony Daniels of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Palms is one such leader considering the construction of affordable housing on church property. With rising homelessness in L.A. and limited vacant land, religious institutions are seen as a valuable, underutilized resource. For many faith-based groups, this approach aligns with their mission to help the needy, while also providing financial stability as congregations shrink and revenue declines.
Two developers attempted to develop St. Luke’s Church and the site is now being auctioned. The auction will open on September 24th. St. Luke’s Church was constructed in 1864 and closed after its last service in 2014.
If you enjoy these weekly updates, please consider becoming a Bricks and Mortals member or making a contribution so we can continue to provide this and resources like it.
Sign up to join our mailing list and get these every week!
