History
ECM: Past and Future
BY PRISCILLA DICKSON, D.MIN.
The following statement, drawing on various historical sources, was submitted by ECM Executive Committee member Polly Dickson to the Diocesan Mission Strategy Committee hearing on February 20, 2003.
Episcopal City Mission was incorporated in 1844—we are 159 years old this year. Its seeds were two ministries—a shelter for homeless street people in the North End and a Sunday School for poor people run by two women members of Trinity Church that took place in a sail loft on Atlantic Avenue. These two missions caught the attention of a wealthy merchant, Mr. William Appleton, who donated $50,000 to build a chapel to house them, the first St. Stephen’s. This building was destroyed by a fire in 1872, and the present St. Stephen’s in Boston’s South End was acquired in 1888. Under the leadership of The Rev. Frederic Allen, ECM started a youth program, the Mother’s Rest, and other religious, social, educational and recreational programs.
At the celebration of its 100th birthday, in 1944, ECM had ministries for the foreign born, the sick, prisoners, seamen, mothers and children. From and for this work eleven mission centers had been built, including St. Stephen’s, South End; St. Cyprian’s, Roxbury; St. Luke’s, Chelsea; three churches in South Boston, two in East Boston, one in Revere, and two immigrant non-English speaking churches —one Swedish in Dorchester, and one Italian in Boston. They also owned and operated a summer camp in Foxboro, Sailors’ Haven in Charlestown, and Mothers’ Rest at Revere Beach.
John Burgess, as archdeacon of Boston, was superintendent of ECM from 1956 to the time he was elected Bishop Suffragan in 1962. He was elected Diocesan Bishop in 1970. Early in the 1960’s ECM deeded the mission churches to the Diocese. By disengaging from parochial responsibilities, ECM was able to redirect its strategy of parish work, and its current programs have developed as a result. A grant program to enable urban parishes to work with their communities was established. This program has changed over the years, and recently the Parish Based Ministries Task Force began to explore possibilities for a similar ministry in the future.
In 1970 the Housing Seed Money Loan Fund was established, and in its 25 years of existence the program enabled the construction of more than 4000 units of affordable housing. In 1972, Morville House was built in the Fenway, providing 146 apartments to low income elderly. Today the Housing Task Force is exploring ways for ECM to be involved in
addressing the crisis in the lack of affordable housing. Expansion of Morville
House is underway.
When Bishop Burgess retired in 1976 he asked that a tribute to him be a collection of money to be given to community-based organizations that were empowering the poor. He specifically requested that the money be given out directly rather than made into an endowment. When those funds had been expended, ECM and the Diocese continued to support the Burgess Urban Fund, which gives grants to organizations that do community organizing, working to equip poor and oppressed people to take control over their own lives. The Burgess Urban Fund currently gives out $200,000 a year in grants to such organizations.
In the 1980’s under the leadership of Joe Pelham, ECM began to engage in public policy work. An issues committee was established and policy papers were developed, the first being “Housing as a Basic Human Right.” We now have a joint committee on Public Policy with the Diocese. In the 1990’s ECM began to work with the parishes on economic justice, and the Pelham Fund for Economic Justice was established.
What have we learned from the history of ECM? First, many of the social problems which have been addressed through the years by ECM are still with us today: homelessness, special needs of immigrants, low-income mothers and children, low-income elderly, prisoners, the sick, to note a few. We have learned that addressing the symptoms of social problems is not enough: we must address causes and work for changing the system that perpetuates them. Second, we can look at the various ways in which these problems have been addressed: housing the homeless, building mission churches, working with secular agencies to empower the poor and oppressed, and attempting to influence public policy to address root causes.
Which programs, which strategies have been most effective? ECM’s current programs, Parish-based Mission, the Burgess Urban Fund, the Pelham Fund for Economic Justice, Housing, and Public Policy, are addressing these problems, with help from the Diocese, and we must continue to evaluate their effectiveness.
The work of ECM has always maintained allegiance to three guiding principles 1) the belief that the Lordship of Jesus Christ extends across all of human life—there is no differentiation between the sacred and the secular; 2) the belief that wholeness and salvation do not reach people as individuals but through all their social relationships: empowering relationships and structures are central elements of mission and ministry; and 3) the belief that the church is engaging in complete Christian witness only insofar as it acts in concrete ways to serve as a voice and advocate for the poor.
How does the mission of ECM interface with the mission of the Diocese for the next ten years? This is a question that needs frequent revision. For one thing, many of the problems that ECM has addressed over the years are now the work of the many social ministries throughout the Diocese: prison ministry, work with the elderly poor, AIDS ministry, to mention a few. These ministries need support of the whole Diocese.
Some problems, such as public policy and economic justice, are being addressed jointly by the Diocese and ECM. Over the years ECM has been willing to use its relative measure of independence to undertake bold and innovative ministries that have become models for future action by the Diocese, and others.
Here is one hope and dream for the Diocese and ECM to work toward together: Invite parishes to partner together to address an urban problem of social and/or economic injustice. Some parishes are doing this through the linkage program of the Diocese, but many parishes, urban and suburban, are not involved. These partnerships should be diverse: suburban/urban, low budget/high budget, English-speaking and immigrant, etc.
Participating parishes would be prepared or formed for this ministry through anti-racist training and other programs to develop sensitivity and understanding. These parishes would be formed/transformed through participating in the liberation of the oppressed and poor with whom Jesus ministered and to whom Jesus sends us. We would all be transformed by those to whom we are sent and with whom we serve.