EMMANUEL GOSPEL CENTER INC
This organization has already been registered
Someone in your organization has already registered and setup an account. would you like to join their team?Profile owner : k*****n@e*c.o*g
Mission Statement
Emmanuel Gospel Center strenthens Christian leaders to serve urban communities. We help them understand complex social systems (such as homelessness, urban education, intercultural relationships or racial equity), build relationships, and take responsible action, particularly in low-income and immigrant communities in urban Greater Boston. By working with and through churches and community partners, EGC seeks to build a community that supports and cares for everyone throughout the city.
About This Cause
Emmanuel Gospel Center seeks to understand how God is at work in the city, and serve the Church by equipping Christian leaders for effective ministry. We help urban Christian leaders understand complex social systems, build fruitful relationships, and take responsible action within their ethnic and geographic communities. We try not to position ourselves as problem solvers, but rather as servants who help build and maintain safe and impactful spaces for collaborative innovation and action-taking. By “Christian leaders,” we mean people working intentionally on change. This includes individuals and families leading in their community, recognized and emerging leaders at churches or Christian fellowships, and churches or Christian networks. We equip Christian leaders through a variety of programs, each of which includes a combination of learning, training, connecting, and partnering. We believe the city is a large, highly interrelated social system, so we take time to learn how the city and its related systems are changing; we connect with the people involved to build strong working relationships; and we equip where it is most strategic, providing teaching, training, tools and resources for effective work. We conduct practical demographic and community-based participatory research that informs and supports long-term positive growth. Then in collaboration with those most affected, we develop appropriate responses to what we learn by listening and being involved. We call our approach Living System Ministry (LSM). Through LSM, people increase their understanding of the complex social systems of cities and learn how to apply systems thinking to their work. We provide informal and formal training in LSM through all of our programs at EGC as well as through a variety of settings, including one-on-one mentoring, workshops, conference seminars, seminary classes, a book written by our retired president (The Cat and the Toaster: Living System Ministry in a Technological Age) and our website (www.egc.org). Applied Research and Consulting (ARC) is the heart of all we do at EGC. We use community-based participatory research, innovative tools and technologies, and collaboration to understand complex social systems, identify unacceptable realities, and work for justice and community transformation. ARC helps Christian leaders and their partners learn together, deepen relationship, and take collaborative action in responsible service to the city. These are our major programs: * We are collaborating with the Institute for the Study of the Black Christian Experience, Black Ministerial Alliance of Greater Boston, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary’s Boston campus, and Boston TenPoint Coalition on the Boston Black Church Vitality Project. BBCVP seeks to discern and tell the story of what God is doing in Black churches in Greater Boston. It is the first large-scale project dedicated to understanding and nurturing the health of both individual Black churches and the broader Black Church ecosystem in Greater Boston so Black churches can thrive in their next era of ministry. * The Boston Education Collaborative (BEC) seeks to empower churches, schools and non-profits to support underserved urban students. BEC helps students thrive in all areas of life by nurturing and supporting church/school partnerships; facilitating and encouraging neighborhood-focused involvement; engaging in systems level work; and participating in broader networking, coaching and learning opportunities * Intercultural Ministries (IM) helps the Church in Greater Boston express love and unity (John 17) among diverse cultures, so the Kingdom of God is more fully expressed and advanced in ways that are incarnational, systemic and fruitful. IM helps build relational bridges within and across cultural lines. IM seeks to develop healthy partnerships with immigrant-led organizations and collaborate, under their leadership, on initiatives they identify. IM also seek to help churches and immigrant communities understand and address intercultural blindspots, especially regarding power and systemic dynamics. * The Race and Christian Community Initiative (RCCI) seeks to help Christians develop the understanding and capacity to be active participants in dismantling racism as an outward expression of their faith. Using curriculum (developed by RCCI under the guidance of people of color) that incorporates spiritual practices and frames justice as continuing God’s redemptive work, RCCI convenes 6-month cohorts to help Christians develop knowledge, empathy, skills, postures and capacity to reach across racial lines and identify personalized action steps. Through RCCI’s support and accountability groups, Christians discuss actionable commitments and share experiences and resources. RCCI also offers workshops, provides consultations, and disseminates resources and learning and action opportunities. * Starlight Ministries equips churches and Christian ministry groups to build loving and mutually transformational relationships with people in Boston and Cambridge who are affected by homelessness or are street involved, meeting them where they are in life and walking with them toward their goals and dreams. Our support programs (street and shelter outreaches, drop-in center, and Christmas and Easter banquets) provide opportunities for churches and ministry groups to observe, serve alongside and learn from our staff. (While our outreach programs are on temporary hold because of the pandemic, we are providing resources to ministry partners and facilitating collaborative efforts.). We also offer group and customized trainings and networking opportunities. EGC also supports church planting efforts and provides training in urban ministry. In addition, EGC is the fiscal sponsor for about a dozen other Christian ministries, including Boston Faith & Justice Network, Chinatown Respite Care and Mustard Seed Generation. Our goal is to develop programs that serve urban residents well, build capacity, and operate effectively at the grassroots level, particularly in Boston’s low-income and immigrant communities. By working with and through churches and community partners, EGC seeks to build a community that supports and cares everyone throughout the city. Each year, we serve about 1,500 people, primarily in urban Greater Boston.