Omar nicholson
Editor's Note: This article is part of a series featuring the 2020 Sacred Sector Fellows. Each Fellow received a host site placement, where they are conducting an organizational assessment and implementation plan, and then will apply the “Three P’s” -- organizational best practices, public policy, and positive engagement -- at their host site.
This summer, I conducted my internship at the Council of Churches in Greater Bridgeport Connecticut (CCGB). The Council of Churches is a faith-based nonprofit cooperation of churches and affiliate organizations in Bridgeport, CT. The Council is “dedicated to meeting the needs of people at risk and breaking the cycle of poverty and crisis in the Greater Bridgeport area.” [1] The mission of the CCGB is to “create and sustain a more just, healthy, and vibrant society.” [2] As such, the work of the Council in living out this sacred mission focuses on bridging educational gaps of vulnerable children, providing food to the hungry, reintegrating formerly incarcerated members of the community when they return and supporting young people in crisis. This work is enabled through the core values of the Council which centers around collaboration, diversity and equity. To provide further insight into the function of the Council, it is helpful to think about the organization in terms of the Three P’s framework.
It is not difficult to notice strong alignments between the Three P’s framework and some current projects of the Council. We may consider a few examples. Of the many ways in which the Council’s public policy practices fulfills its value of diversity, the Bridge Building-Becoming Allies project is noteworthy. One aspect of this project aims to facilitate conversations on race and white privilege. [3] Small groups of people are paired together from both white and black congregations to share their stories of racism on different levels. This space results in relationship building and further collaboration around engaging and undoing racially motivated ways of being and doing. In 2019, five pairs of churches participated in the conversation on race and white privilege and have continued their relationships. Also, the Bridge Building program administers the Tent of Abraham initiative. This initiative brings together leaders of the Abrahamic faiths [4] to a table of conversation and learning. Bridge-Building is one of many efforts of the Council to build public awareness of issues of diversity and racial difference.
It is important that the organizational practices of faith-based organizations engender an atmosphere of healthy coexistence and equality between people of divergent identities. [5] The Council’s commitment to this reality is evidenced in their bold inclusive approach to team acquisition. ‘The Council is an Equal Opportunity Employer. [6] This means that the only criteria for employment are qualification and training. This signals the Council’s position that the hiring process should not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, age, sex, marital status, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, military status, predisposing genetic, condition, etc. [7] The organizational culture of the Council embodies the Christian affirmation of the Image of God in all. The Council has also done a unique job of managing its public engagement with both ministry partners and community members. This includes providing accessible reports of all programs and advocacy efforts that they undertake. As a result of this transparency, members and affiliates of the Council are able to keep up-to-date in the ongoing work of criminal justice reform, feeding programs, educational programs and after school initiatives, among others. The CCGB is purposeful in making its stance on current issues clear to all members and partners.
During my time with the CCGB, I have studied and documented the strengths and opportunities of their organizational culture. Also, I have crafted an educational piece on the Clean Slate Initiative, an important step towards criminal justice reform in which the Council is engaged. One of my learning goals was to understand how theological competence can inform issues of justice and equity. I aimed to achieve this goal by observing and clarifying the CCGB’s theological rationale for its stance on crafting public policy which centers around equity and justice.
The Council was founded in 1945. Its founding charter is to “…do jointly what no single communion, congregation or denomination can do alone; namely, to express through fellowship, cooperation and service the essential unity of the Christian Church.” [8] Today, 75 years later, its focus is on moving from charity to justice.
[1] “About CCGB,” Our Mission, accessed June 18, 2020, https://www.ccgb.org/about-us, paragraph 3.
[2] Ibid.
[3] “2019 Annual Report,” The Council of Churches Greater Bridgeport, accessed June 18, 2020, https://faithconnector.s3.amazonaws.com/ccgb/downloads/ccgb_annual_report_2019.pdf, pp. 7
[4] Islam, Judaism and Christianity
[5] Sacred Sector, Fellowship Manual 2020 (n.a., 2020), 4.
[6] Board of Directors, CCGB, "Personnel Policies and Practices of The Council of Churches Greater Bridgeport" (CCGB, Bridgeport CT 2017), 2.
[7] Ibid.
[8] About CCGB.
Omar Nicholson is a third year graduate student at Yale University.
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