Mission Yearbook: Synod of the Northeast’s Connection to Transformation’ Conference holds ‘Jersey City Together’ Workshop

For his workshop as part of the “Connection to Transformation” conference put on recently by the Synod of the Northeast, the Rev. Jon Brown began his presentation on the organization Jersey City Together with a reading from the prophet Jeremiah that includes these hopeful words for modern-day community organizers: “Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. … But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”

Photo by Ed Mei via Unsplash

“There was a lot [those in exile] could not control in the big picture of superpowers,” said Brown, pastor of Old Bergen Church in Jersey City. “I’m determined to pray for the city in which God has placed me and to seek its welfare.”

Frank McMillen, the lead organizer for Jersey City Together, spent the first two years on the job getting to know clergy and others before the organization had its initial public launch, “which happened to be at my church,” Brown noted. “We had identified a problem in Jersey City, property taxes,” which hadn’t been reassessed in 30 years.

For the city and county officials who’d gathered that day, organizers presented data including a map depicting how much of their income residents were spending on property taxes. Jersey City Together had crafted three questions for the elected officials to answer and gave them 10 minutes for their responses. “When you are building relational power in the community,” Brown said, “it should be through the voice of the community.”

The point they pressed was this one: “How can you justify putting the biggest burden for your city on the most vulnerable?”

The mayor “was mad at us” initially, Brown said, “but then decided, this is not the legacy I want to leave in Jersey City.” The very next year, properties were reassessed, and Jersey City Together held workshops to explain to people how to appeal their new assessment if they felt it was unfair.

The Rev. Jon Brown

“We listened, we listened, and we listened some more,” Brown said of the process over which issue to address. “We surveyed and we had conversations with 3,000 people” about what they’re passionate about changing in their community.

The top three answers were affordable housing, public safety and police relations and education. Jersey City Together’s strategy team chose to address the property tax assessment as part of the affordable housing problem “because it was a winnable issue.”

The second issue, education funding, has been “a little bit harder,” since rising property tax revenue meant fewer school support dollars from the state. But since 2020 — after Jersey City Together and its supporters showed up at many, many school board meetings — the local school budget is now fully funded, Brown said.

“The biggest step is relationship-building,” Brown said, and Jersey City Together recommends a three-step process:

• Preparation before a relational meeting includes making a brief initial contact and learning what you can about the person before meeting them. “Reflect upon your own story,” the organization suggests, “and what you would like to share about your own formation, self-interests, priorities, institution and relationships.”
• During a meeting, focus on engaging the person. “Listen actively and ask follow-up questions that are focused on them,” Jersey City Together recommends. “Be creative and take risks. Look for opportunities to probe and ask questions you wouldn’t always ask in small talk. Think about next steps that meet the person’s self-interest.”
• Reflect and follow up after the meeting. This step includes reflecting on questions you were left with and “opportunities to teach, probe or agitate that you didn’t take advantage of.” Those could be good starts to a second meeting.

Mike Ferguson, Editor, Presbyterian News Service, Interim Unified Agency (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

• Patricia Nunez, PT Admin Asst. Stony Point Center, Interim Unified Agency 
• Matthew Nurkin, Vice President, & Managing Director, Investments, Board of Pensions  

Let us pray:

Father, may we, empowered by the Spirit, follow the example of your Son, whose incarnation brought healing, wholeness and redemption. Be present to your church in difficult places as we witness to the good news until “every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord.” In Christ’s name. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Big Apple examples of how Interfaith partnerships can bring about collective action

The Synod of the Northeast’s “Connection to Transformation” conference recently held at First Presbyterian Church of Jamaica turned its attention to using interfaith partnerships to achieve collective action.

The 90 or so attendees heard from the Rev. Dr. Chloe Breyer, executive director of the Interfaith Center of New York (ICNY), and representatives from Queens Power, which organizes that borough’s nearly 2.2 million residents to fight for and win justice in their communities.

Photo by Luca Bravo via Unsplash

ICNY describes itself as a “secular nonprofit organization with a mission to overcome prejudice, violence, and misunderstanding by activating the power of the city’s grassroots religious and civic leaders and their communities.” Breyer, an Episcopal priest in Harlem for more than 20 years, has led the organization since 2007.

For many years, Breyer has offered religious diversity training for educators, law enforcement and social workers. Another critical part of ICNY’s work involves hosting social justice retreats.

She labeled advocacy, service and dialogue as three “important components of interfaith work, three ways people can gather. If you have the ability, do all three,” she said. “Everything rests on relationships. You meet people where they are. You are patient and polite, which are not values being held up right now.”

Ever since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks against Israel, the staff at ICNY has felt “there had never been a time when our services were more needed, and yet we felt unable to deliver them.” Since the organization is near Jewish Theological Seminary, Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University and Barnard College, ICNY decided to welcome students in the fall with food that was either halal or kosher. “It wasn’t very glamorous, but it was beautiful,” Breyer said. “It worked well because of the simplicity.”

“If you show you know someone’s holiday, language and culture, that goes a long way,” Breyer said.

The Rev. Dr. Chloe Breyer

Queens Power “is comprised of faith communities, nonprofit organizations, schools and unions. The reason we organize is that we have a burning passion for justice and a moral calling to create the power to demand the resources required so that all residents of Queens can live with dignity and have equal access to opportunity,” Queens Power states on its website.

The Rev. Patrick O’Connor, the pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Jamaica and one of the founders of Queens Power, recalled a rally five years ago held outside of City Hall that drew 6,500 people. Those who showed up didn’t get what they were asking for, but they organized to obtain what they needed the most — more power, according to O’Connor.

“To me, to nurse is to advocate,” said Dr. Barbara Campbell, who taught nursing for decades before coming out of retirement to work for Queens Power. “I am knee-deep in this fight.”

Before its launch, Queens Power gathered 43 congregations “to build the organization first before moving into action,” said Rob English of East Brooklyn Congregations, a sister organization of Queens Power. Organizers talked in small groups to 5,000 people, asking what was most important to them. Then as now, affordable housing topped the list. With help from elected officials including U.S. Senator Charles Schumer, the Minority Leader from New York, the site of a former psychiatric hospital has been secured for development.

“It was one of the most exhilarating actions I’ve been involved in,” Campbell said. “There has been a huge brain drain. Lots of people are leaving [New York City] because they can’t afford housing, and we’ve identified land in Queens and Brooklyn” to construct housing units. “We’re going to fight. We have righteous anger over what’s going on. We believe that we deserve better here in New York City.”

According to English, about 10 congregations have said they have enough land to develop affordable housing, “if the mayor and governor step up.” Across the nation’s largest city, there are 1,100 city-owned parcels “ready to develop now,” he said.

“In these moments, we need to find issues where we can win,” said Parker. “Right now, people need a win.”

“A single congregation has limited power,” O’Connor said. “But when we build relationships across the town, the people on the other side who have power will respect organized action.”

Mike Ferguson, Editor, Presbyterian News Service, Interim Unified Agency (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

• Lorie Neff LaRue, Vice President, Education, Board of Pensions 
• Valéry Nodem, Associate, International Hunger Concerns, Presbyterian Hunger Program, Interim Unified Agency 

Let us pray:

Lord Jesus Christ, open our eyes to opportunities to show your love and compassion. As you healed those who came to you in need, so may we be agents of your healing in our communities. And as your touch brought wholeness and peace, so may our touch bring comfort and peace in your name. Amen.