Urban Service Corps Reflections

“Community living is central to the Episcopal Service Corps experience. From the moment we arrived in Cleveland, the spirit of intentional community has been pervasive. Our first activity together during our opening retreat was to create a rule of life, using monastic codes as inspiration. Based on this living document, our house operates on a common framework that reflects our unique personality as a group. Unlike six ordinary roommates, we are all committed to fostering a supportive atmosphere. We strive to create community according to Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s assertion that ‘a person who loves community destroys community, but a person who loves people creates community wherever he goes.’ Our commitment to the program and to each other allows us to build a genuine community with shared values and open, honest dialogue. This spirit of community extends beyond our own home as we try to become more engaged in the city of Cleveland.”

- Sarah Townsend, 2011-2012 Trinity Cathedral Urban Service Corps member from Dallas

 

“Discernment is a cornerstone of our year with the Episcopal Service Corps. We spend our Fridays pondering our futures and many of life’s other questions under the guidance of Program Director Adam Spencer. Our first order of Friday business is an 8 a.m. house meeting with pastries and such. After, we gather at Trinity Cathedral or at our home for brain food: something along the lines of Education for Ministry; presentations on, and conversations about, homelessness, worker rights, spirituality and more. At least once a month, we have guests (Service Employees International Union, formerly homeless individuals, spiritual directors) to facilitate these conversations. After a lunch break, we help out with Trinity’s Blessings in a Backpack program. We work with KG to fill 25 bags with enough food to nourish a family of four for the weekend. We deliver these bags to a local elementary and then return to Trinity to conclude with further dialogue on social issues of interest or our, twice monthly, book discussion. Each month we are assigned a piece of literature that relates to that month’s Friday programming and discussions. As of December we have enjoyed these selections: The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical, Crooked River Burning, The Fifth Mountain, The Selected Poems of Wendell Berry. We also regularly engage in exercises that aid in our discernment such as Trinity’s Culture of Call. Culture of Call allows each of us to better recognize our strengths and envision our futures. As we spend our workdays apart, Fridays are a great chance for us to be together as a community and to build toward a more complete understanding of one another.”

- Peter Moorhouse, 2011-2012 Trinity Cathedral Urban Service Corps Member from Jewett, Ohio

 

“A major part of the ESC program is our site placement work that we do Monday through Thursday. We have each been placed at different nonprofit organizations doing work that improves the surrounding community. We were introduced to each potential site placement and given a tour or an explanation of the mission and goals of the organization. At The Cleveland Leadership Center, we underwent a process that was much like speed dating with each employee that was quite intimidating, but fun nonetheless. We then ranked the organizations — and some of them ranked us — in order of our preferences. We were promised to be able to work at one of our top three placements. Luckily, this worked out for most of us and nobody was given their third choice!

Alex was lucky enough to be chosen out of the speed dating process to work at The Cleveland Leadership Center, where he has been busy writing grants and has been engaged in the various leadership programs that CLC offers. Marguerite has been working at The Stockyard Clark-Fulton and Brooklyn Centre Community Development Office where she has been given the prestigious title of “Greenspace Specialist.” Her main duties have been graffiti abatement, supporting urban gardeners and researching the feasibility of using goats to “mow” grass on vacant lots. Sarah has been working at Westcreek Preservation Committee designing their website, going door to door with fliers, and coordinating and attending meetings to discuss the importance of new trails and environmentally sustainable development in Parma. Peter is working at Lutheran Metropolitan Ministries where he works with individuals to promote self-advocacy at the 2100 Lakeside Mens Shelter, and has been helping to implement and research various advocacy-based projects to support the elderly, violence prevention in schools and environmental justice. Gwen has been working at Trinity Cathedral with the hunger program, Blessings in a Backpack, where she exercises her leadership skills in organizing the rest of her fellow interns and volunteers on Fridays to prepare backpacks of food for nearby low-income students. Laura is working for Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization, making block club postcard reminders, learning about the dynamics of the community involvement office and helping to plan and attend various events such as the Eco-Village Design Charrette, annual fundraiser and various block club meetings.”

–Laura Brown, 2011-2012 Trinity Cathedral Urban Service Corps Member from Indianapolis

 

“While much of the program was described as a time to discern our vocations or to be intentional about our lifestyles something that became immediately apparent in this process was the larger community. No, I do not mean the world, but the city of Cleveland. It is a city that has been faced with a plethora of economic issues and political pitfalls. In other words, it is a place that has suffered greatly from its neighborhoods to its downtown. But, like any city there is still a great bar and restaurant scene, music venues and theatres. Every city has attractions and that is usually all that anyone ever sees or knows about—for example, Cleveland equals the Browns, the Indians, 4th street and the Cavs for many people. But, this program has made it an unavoidable occurrence to see the behind the scenes; the reasons why there are now committed elected officials, a booming entrepreneurial population, hundreds of committed nonprofits and thousands of empowered, not to mention knowledgeable, people. The real ebb and flow of a city is invisible in the cursory glance of its flashiest attractions. The intentionality of this program has pushed us as individuals and a group to learn more. Through exploration of the issues facing the urban core and forming relationships with empowered people committed to the health of the city we have discovered that the more involved one is, the more the city comes to life.”

- Alex Barton, 2011-2012 Trinity Cathedral Urban Service Corps Member from Baltimore
Alex recommends a few online spots to learn more about Cleveland:
www.freshwatercleveland.com
www.coolcleveland.com
dscdo.org
www.gordonsquare.org

 

“Sustainability and simple living are values integral to our program. The city of Cleveland itself is a great place for anyone interested in sustainability. We attended the annual “Sustainable Cleveland” Summit earlier this fall, and were inspired by the many people, from diverse walks of life, who had come together to make Cleveland ‘A Green City on a Blue Lake.’ Trinity Cathedral itself is committed to being ‘green’ and having discussions and education around environmental issues. Guerilla gardens on vacant lots are almost ubiquitous here; Cleveland’s residents have reacted to crisis by, literally, sowing the seeds of opportunity. Several of our site placements focus on environmental sustainability, whether it is preserving land, supporting urban gardeners, promoting environmental health in inner city neighborhoods or community organizing in an urban eco-village.

In our own home, we strive to live as simply and sustainably as possible. Our drive to live simply is supported by the structure of our program. Six people living together naturally use fewer resources than six people living individually; our limited stipends and communal food budget make it easier not to over-consume – although we hear that ESC is more generous than a few other church-based service programs out there! We get a bus and train pass, free, through the program, and Cleveland is pretty easy to get around via bike and foot. Though most of us have cars, we don’t use them much. We’ve agreed, in our community vows, to reduce, reuse, recycle and to be aware of our place in the larger ecosystem. Rather than being militant eco-nerds, we look at sustainability as a process and a continual conversation. We do not, for instance, shun anyone who leaves a light on by mistake. We did, however, buy a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share with locally grown, organic vegetables and have been cooking on our own as much as possible, rather than buying packaged, factory-farmed fare. We’ve baked several loaves of bread, made a few batches of yogurt, experimented with lacto-fermented vegetables and might go into brewing our own beer! We compost our food scraps, try to turn off lights, and recently installed fluorescent light bulbs, a programmable thermostat, and a low-flow showerhead as part of a ‘Green Your Block Club Challenge.’ In the spring, we hope to grow herbs in our yard.

The other part of sustainability and simplicity that I see, especially with regards to service and community living, is in balancing commitments. One of the challenges of this program for me is that there are so many wonderful opportunities in Cleveland, both in terms of community involvement and service as well as social and cultural activities. I am continually trying to balance my desire to be involved with my knowledge that I also need to keep things ‘simple’ and limit what I take on, so that I am able to ‘sustain’ myself. Like everything, it is a learning process, and this program, right now, is the perfect place to do this learning.”

-Marguerite Hutcheson, 2011-2012 Trinity Cathedral Urban Service Corps Member from Boston

 

“Interns do not have to be part of any particular faith to join the Service Corps. This year’s interns represent a wide diversity of experiences and faith journeys ranging from ‘cradle-born Episcopalian’ to others who were not raised with a church or religious commitment. Trinity is very inclusive and open as far as churches go, and the program strives to meet people where they are and help them discern their own journey, no matter what they believe.

That being said, we are an intentional community that prays together and has committed to being open with each other about our faith journey as we participate in a wide variety of religious activities. Trinity Cathedral is a huge support in so many ways including:

Members donate money, time and household items and have been quick to respond if we expressed interest/need for something.
We’re paired with a host family from the congregation who is there to connect with us, be a resource and give us a chance to get out and about in the city. This year, some of the experiences have included outings to sporting events, symphony concerts and home-cooked meals. Yum!
We try to attend church services at Trinity at least twice a month. Most of us attend more than that and it’s a great experience! There are three distinctly different Sunday morning services so there’s a great chance of finding something that we can connect with.
We’re able to participate completely in the life of the congregation, including Wednesday night programming, Sunday classes and forums, neighborhood ministries and more. This is a busy place and there is so much to choose from.
Church members have offered their expertise in many different ways; from hosting us for dinner to leading reflections to giving us insight into their careers. They are present as a resource and support, it is so appreciated!

-Gwen Stembridge, 2011-2012 Trinity Cathedral Urban Service Corps Member from Atlanta