‘Open doors’ at urban ministry in Cincinnati
By Toya Richards
The day two young girls knocked on the doors of Carmel Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, elder Madeline Bronaugh had no idea what they needed was a meal to fill their hungry stomachs.
What she did know, however, was about the ministry of presence and how to be available, something Carmel Presbyterian practices on an ongoing basis.
Bronaugh said the youngsters wanted to see the inside of the church, located in the city’s Avondale community, and were given a tour. But after a while Bronaugh wondered if they also might like a cold cut sandwich.
The girls said yes, and even asked if they could take sandwiches home to their mother, she said. “I said, ‘They are hungry.’”
Bronaugh said the young girls then started coming to the church’s Sunday breakfasts, and eventually between 60 to 70 children were showing up for the meal.
As the kids came later and later in the morning, that breakfast morphed into lunch after church, which then grew to include “the adults who were coming down for soup and sandwiches,” she said.
“It went to a fellowship meal every Sunday,” Bronaugh said of the gathering begun in 2004. Not only do the community members come, but church members too have an opportunity to get to know one another and “dialogue” following church service, she added.
The Rev. Clarence Wallace, who was called to the church in the late 1970s, said service to the community has been the ethos of Carmel Presbyterian since its inception more than 100 years ago.
"The longevity and continued presence of the pastor is key for communities in transition," said the Rev. Jerry Cannon, pastor of C.N. Jenkins Presbyterian Church in Charlotte and formerly a church specialist serving the African American Congregational Support office. "Dr. Wallace has become a reliable presence to the city of Cincinnati."
Originally located in downtown Cincinnati, the predominately African-American congregation “has always had a history of community engagement,” Wallace said.
Whether establishing a community center or facilitating calm in the midst of the tumultuous Civil Rights Movement, Carmel Presbyterian has sought to work outside itself.
Since moving in the late 1950s from downtown, the church has worked primarily in Avondale, which has gone through a demographic and cultural shift over time. Today, a large percentage of Avondale residents live at or below the poverty level.
Projects like a youth summer enrichment program, which includes academic enhancement and cultural awareness; and an Alcoholics Anonymous group established at the church have thrived over the years.
"Urban Ministry is a unique calling and it requires particular skill sets," Cannon said. "Much of what one does in this context is not taken from the academic classrooms of seminary, but instead from the life application of God’s Word and the Holy Spirit in action."
Wallace also has brought leadership to a coalition of area churches that purchased a beleaguered neighborhood shopping center struggling to maintain tenants and keep away illegal activity. Today as the owner of The Avondale Town Center, the coalition continues to improve occupancy and uses the center for community wide events such as health fairs.
Youth, as well as their parents, continue to be a theme for Carmel Presbyterian, which has about 200 members. One of the church’s biggest efforts has been working since 2006 with the Every Child Succeeds program, an initiative developed through founding partners Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, United Way of Greater Cincinnati and Cincinnati-Hamilton County Community Action Agency/Head Start.
With the help of 16 provider agencies, Every Child Succeeds provides home visits for first-time, at-risk mothers regularly from the time of pregnancy until the child's third birthday. Carmel Presbyterian opened its doors to provide one of the base sites for workers who fan out into the community.
“I don’t think we would be where we are today without the support of the church,” said Anita Brentley, clinical quality assurance coordinator for Every Child Succeeds and project team leader for the Avondale Every Child Succeeds home visitation partnership.
In addition to providing office space for the program, Carmel houses a pantry of supplies like diapers and wipes for those with small children in the community in crisis, and also is available for program families to come to for home visits if their houses are not available, Brentley said.
“The church is so open and warm that it brings about a real good comfort level,” she said. “They have that wonderful open door kind of feel.”
Mothers’ and fathers’ support groups which meet at Carmel also have developed from the program, and attendees gather to learn and fellowship.
“They are communicating with each other. They are helping each other with strategies,” Brentley said of support group members. “It’s become a wonderful session.”
Wallace said through the years the church could easily have left Avondale and moved to the suburbs, “but it chose to stay.”
“There is a certain amount of risk staying in the urban core,” Wallace said. Staying “was not an easy decision.”
"I believe that this congregation is an example of consistence and presence," said Cannon. "It continues to connect with the community to which it is planted and it serves as a spiritual sanctuary for members who have moved away to come back and reconnect with the mission and the community service of the church."
Yet, “our ultimate aim is to let people know that the church of Jesus Christ is alive and well, and that Jesus is not just preaching on Sunday,” he said. “Jesus embraces, loves, cares and supports.”
Carmel Presbyterian wants people to know “you are loved here. We want you to be a part of us,” and then together the community can be transformed, Wallace said.