https://vimeo.com/18637551]
Yes, the economy is down, but is spiritual need up? In the midst of economic troubles, Germantown residents face foreclosures, layoffs and a growing amount of debt.
But economic hardship won’t stand in the way of Abdul Wahil’s faith. “We can’t fix the economy or the unemployment rate,” Wahil says, “but what we can do is pray and learn how to better ourselves.” Wahil belongs to the Germantown Masjid, or Masjid As-Sunnah An-Nabawiyyah, (4944 Germantown Ave., 215-848-2615). He says he has been attending more frequently since being laid off.
With all of the churches, synagogues and mosques on Germantown Avenue, it’s clear the community has a religious presence. Most community members will tell you that religion is an integral part of their life. Chester Bynes belongs to New Covenant Church (7500 Germantown Ave.,215-247-7500). Over the last few years he says he has seen an increase in racially mixed congregations in the area. “You’ll see blacks, Hispanics and whites at one church,” Bynes says, “During hard times, faith gets people through.”
Germantown resident Leon Flood is agnostic, but thinks a bad economy could bring a flow of new membership to faith groups. “Religion can help some people, but me, I just go with the flow when times are hard,” Flood says.
In today’s economic (and religious) climate, church leaders can’t take lagging attendance numbers lightly. Many religions in the area are logging their congregations onto Facebook to keep the communication going.
Mt. Zion Baptist Church of Germantown (41 Rittenhouse St., 215-844.7614) is making efforts to bring growth to their congregation. “Regardless of the economic times, we have to weather the storm’s in life together,” says Chair of Trustee Ministry Terri Dean.
Church members keep in touch online and sometimes keep younger members in line. “The minister to our youth is on Facebook,” Dean says, “She keeps an eye on the kids and what they’re doing – it’s a way of communicating. I myself can privately reach out and if I see a status that doesn’t seem good I can ask if they need to talk.”
On Friday nights they run out of parking spots at the Al-Aqsa Islamic Society (1501 Germantown Ave., 215-765-2743). Abdur Rahman, principal at Alexa Islamic Academy says, “I don’t see any change myself due to the economy. Our Friday service is jam-packed and the whole parking lot is filled.”
At Al-Aqsa, growing participation is based on their ability to network and provide services to members. Two Americorp workers are on-site to help find people jobs and housing. The group also has members on the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations who investigate claims of racism in school and work environments and offers interfaith programs with Christian and Jewish organizations in the area. “We keep the community active,” Rahman says, “there’s always something going on.”
As planning director at Impacting Your World Christian Ministries (5507 Germantown Ave., 215-438-7838), Theresa Hampton focuses on activities to keep attendance up and the community active. “We have salsa lessons and potluck dinners planned,” Hampton says, “You have to give back to the community – you can’t just sit in the pew for observation.”
“Consistency” is the word the Unitarian Society of Germantown (6511 Lincoln Dr., 215-844-1157) reports of their attendance record. The society is a religious community made up of different faiths, also known as Unitarian Universalism. “People find a strong sense of community here,” says Linda Smith, administrator at the society. “From the research that we’ve seen, in times of economic stress people turn to their faith.”
The spirit of giving and outreach is alive at the Germantown Mennonite Church (21 West Washington Ln., 215-843-5599). “The level of participation can depend on economic conditions but the larger mission of this church is to give back no matter what hard times we face,” says Interim Pastor Kip Gilmore-Clough.
The church has a broad range of members, including same-sex couples, singles and parents with young children. “We try to foster a very supportive community here,” Gilmore-Clough says, “People feel connected by their spirituality.”
The First Presbyterian Church in Germantown (35 West Chelten Ave., 215-844-8141) hasn’t seen an increase in attendance since the economic decline. “I wish I could say that people are drawn to their faith during these times,” says Reverend Nancy Muth, “But I haven’t seen much of a difference.”
The church offers members the opportunity to get involved in community ministry by recently beginning a drop-in center for Germantown High School students on Friday afternoons. “We have a commitment to the community in spite of this economic turndown,” Muth says.
First Presbyterian has developed a plan to open an internet coffee house where people in the community can find resources, including on-site job training programs. Muth says learning a trade is key to helping people get on their feet and it’s on her radar to make this venue a reality for the community. “We’re a little jaded in Germantown in that we don’t recognize that we should all ban together to make things happen,” Muth says.
Muth hopes to work with the other local Germantown Presbyterian church’s to create programs and promote attendance. “We’re not just here to pray for them,” Muth says, “We’re here to reach out a hand and help.”
[local /files/2010/04/sp1024germantownteamenterpriseGALP.mov]
With sinking attendance numbers creating fiscal burden at the three churches making up Germantown Avenue Lutheran Parish (GALP), each congregation is beginning to take creative strides to ensure they keep afloat financially. One of the goals in convening at the monthly GALP meetings is to discuss ways in which each church can boost membership and funding by revitalizing their presence on Germantown Avenue.
At St. Michael’s Lutheran Church (6671 Germantown Ave., 215-848-0199) Pastor Andrena Ingram says money saving ideas tossed around recently are sharing office supplies, such as staples and paper, obtaining joint coverage under a single insurance policy and providing information to members about how to best handle their finances.
“We are embarking on a stronger stewardship drive,” she says. “[We are] teaching people how to be better stewards of their finances and hopefully build up our offerings.”
The key to increase member giving comes down to one simple idea: filling the church pews with more members.
“[We’re working to] outreach to the community and let them know that we’re out in the area providing something for them to do, whether it be food, entertainment or worship,” says Trinity Lutheran Church (5300 Germantown Ave., 215-848-8150) member Clifton Hayman. “These are the things that we’re hoping we can do to enhance the program and the church awareness in the neighborhoods.”
Examples of current efforts to gain visibility while also fattening the church budget are upcoming fundraising events, such as Women’s Day and Summer Soiree. But making money isn’t the only matter these churches are concerned with. They also want to make an impact in the community by giving back. The congregations recently joined together to get involved in the City Soup campaign and the Hunger Coalition’s Walk Against Hunger, both of which enabled them to provide money to food shelters in the area.
Much of the work done through these churches is made possible by a vicar program led by the nearby Lutheran Theological Seminary (7301 Germantown Avenue, 215-248-6397). Vicars are interning students from the seminary who step in to take on pastoral duties and other important responsibilities. Christ Ascension Lutheran Church (8300 Germantown Ave., 215-247-4233) Pastor Martin Lohrmann, who received his PhD from the seminary, says the internship program has caught on at his church by enhancing the experience of his congregation.
“A year ago people didn’t know what to expect for having a student pastor, but [he’s] done a nice job,” he says, “People like having a student pastor here. It increases the goodwill between regular folks in the pews and whatever fancy things happen at a theological seminary.”
The relationship between the churches and the seminary is vital because the institution, along with help from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), provides the stipend and housing necessary for the visiting intern. This keeps each congregation from having to invest in the funds needed to hire a “lieutenant” pastor.
Hayman says this opportunity is particularly crucial to Trinity Lutheran Church because they are currently in between pastors. Along with utilizing their vicar, Trinity has established a thriving lay ministry program, which allows Hayman, his wife and six other members of the congregation to lead Sunday sermons in a round robin type format. He says a recent rise in visitor attendance is partially due to this operation because of its ability to switch sermons up every week. “With different lay ministers preaching every Sunday you get a variety of the word,” he says, “And I think that’s a good thing.”
Pastor Ingram boasts using Internet technology to bolster attendance at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church. She currently maintains a website and a Facebook group page to garner more visibility. Though she says her congregation is growing sick of hearing her harp about the importance of reaching out to people via the Internet, she stands strong in the belief that it helps reach a wide range of people looking for spiritual guidance.
“I am a believer in social networking,” she says, “I [friend] a lot of youth and I do a lot of ministry to some teenagers.”
With all these ideas floating around between congregations, you have to ask yourself why they haven’t decided to merge. Each church reports a steady attendance roster at 50 members and they are all located within miles of one another. Why not join forces, triple their congregation size and possibly put an end to the financial troubles brought on by the downtrodden economy?
“It has a lot to do with the history of Lutherans in this part of Philadelphia,” says Pastor Lohrmann. Each church is steeped in a rich history that dates back several decades. He says this pride in their past, coupled with a devotion to their perspective congregations keeps them attuned to their own priorities. Their dedication, however, to lend a helping hand to neighboring Lutheran congregations is unwavering.
“Right now I consider my work to be a partnership with the other congregations, so that we’re all lifting each other up,” says Lohrmann, “If what we do here is raising energy and awareness [at the other churches] then I consider that to be a success.”
1 Trackback / Pingback