BY VIRGINIA CREASY
As the year comes to a close, I am incredibly grateful for God’s provision. Did you know that in 2019 Sacred Sector:
Equipped 48 faith-based organizations with resources for workplaces,
Equipped 12 seminarians to apply policy, principles and practices to their work at faith-based organizations, and
Held 27 events for faith-based organizations and seminarians on organizational best practices
But it’s more than just about numbers. It’s about how Sacred Sector transformed our participants to offer a distinct contribution to civil society. I’m happy to share two stories with you from two incredible faith-based organizations.
Brigid’s Path
Through the Sacred Sector learning community, we equip faith-based organizations and seminarians to live out their faith in every area of their organizational lives, by training them and helping them address public policy, positive public engagement and organizational practices. We love being able to share how these organizations are learning and growing by featuring them in weekly articles and a monthly newsletter called Sacred Spotlight.
Last month, Sacred Spotlight featured an interview with Jill Kingston, executive director of Brigid’s Path, the first newborn recovery center in Ohio and only the second type of facility in the United States that supports drug-exposed infants and their families. Brigid’s Path was a 2019 participant in the Sacred Sector Community, one of a number of organizations that provide distinct contributions for the greater good in areas like mental health, food insecurity and refugee housing, all from a faith-informed perspective.
“Faith-based organizations contribute greatly to the flourishing of civil society,” said Dr. Stanley Carlson-Thies, founder and director of the Institutional Religious Freedom Alliance, a division of the Center for Public Justice. “A vital aspect of the value added by religious organizations in the area of service delivery—an aspect specifically protected by institutional religious freedom—is that they often provide services differently.”
Here is how Kingston of Brigid’s Path described their approach with new moms: “We believe every person has value and deserves love, grace and forgiveness. That is huge for our families. Many of our moms don’t understand their own worth and value as children of God – and we do our best to change that.”
Through participation in Sacred Sector Community, Brigid’s Path was equipped to further engage in government partnerships, and better navigate opportunities for referrals for the moms going through the program. In so doing, Brigid’s Path offers another option for moms – one with hope and healing at its very core.
Pregnancy Decision Health Center
Sacred Sector exists to equip faith-based organizations and their leaders so they can faithfully live out their mission. Through our Fellowship and Community learning cohorts, participants access written resources, in-person and virtual trainings as well as one-on-one coaching from our staff.
PDHC President Julie Moore (far left) pictured with a family helped by her organization's services.
Julie Moore, president of the Pregnancy Decision Health Center in Ohio and 2019 Sacred Sector Community participant, said that even though her organization has existed for almost 40 years, the Sacred Sector Community still had new things to teach her organization to be a helpful resource in identifying what areas of PDHC organizational life were strong, and which areas they wanted to grow.
When she needed clarity on a new grant application process for state funding with one of PDHC’s programs, Moore reached out to CPJ’s staff for a one-on-one consultation. “I wanted to be absolutely sure what we could and couldn’t do, because the grant application language had changed slightly from the previous year. It is helpful to research it, then have Chelsea Langston Bombino as an additional resource and discuss with Stanley Carlson-Thies at length about restrictions.”
Gratitude for the Sacred Sector
Join me in thankfulness for the sustained growth and impact of our participants, which are testimony to the larger work that God is doing. I am grateful for the unique strengths of the faith-based sector and the sacred calling that Sacred Sector participants have felt to serve their diverse communities. Looking forward to the new year, I am excited to see how God moves to expand our capacity and strengthen the work that you, as part of the faith-based sector, do.
Virginia Creasy is the Program Manager for Sacred Sector.
WANT TO GET INVOLVED?
1. Sign up for the Sacred Spotlight monthly newsletter to stay updated and learn more about Sacred Sector’s learning communities.
2. Know a seminarian or a faith-based organization? Connect them with Sacred Sector’s Fellowship and Community, designed to equip individuals and organizations to live out their faith-shaped callings. Email virginia.creasy@cpjustice.org for more information.