Here's this week's round-up of news and media related to Bricks and Mortals's mission.
Parking and traffic remains a challenge for many congregations. In Minnetonka, Minnesota, the Eagle Brook Church withdrew an application to construct a new church campus after community members expressed concern that the campus would cause significant traffic in the neighborhood and that the large parking lot may have negative environmental impacts. At the same time, some congregations are thinking about parking in new ways. Writing in Christian Century, Pastor G. Travis Norvell of Minneapolis's Judson Memorial Baptist Church called churches to reimagine their parking lots -- imagining people- and community-centered uses for that land instead of automobile-focused ones.
In Brooklyn's Fort Greene, the Catholic Diocese filed permits to demolish the St. Michael-St. Edward Church, a long-shuttered church adjacent to Stonewall House, in order to build a primarily market-rate housing development.
Faith-based organizations that rent their spaces face rising rents that can have disastrous impacts on their ability to continue worship and mission work. In Idaho, a state that has seen an in-flux of new investment that has raised residential and commercial rents, the Couer d'Alene Soup Kitchen, a 21-year-old program of Cherished Ones Ministries, is facing a large rent hike that will force them to find a new, more affordable space.
Preservation Chicago released its list of the city's eight "most endangered buildings." Of the list, three are properties associated with faith-based organizations, though endangered for different reasons. In two cases, congregations and larger denominational bodies have struggled to finance maintenance of their buildings, while in the case of Moody Church in Chicago's Moody Triangle, developers may soon demolish the structure.
Partners for Sacred Places announced the winners of their Faith & Form / Interfaith Design International Awards for Religious Architecture & Art, honoring sites all over the world.
Across the country, a childcare shortage is impacting families who struggle to find safe, affordable care for their kids. Faith-based organizations have long operated programs that provide important services to working families in their communities. For example, an article ran this week about the River of Life Church's daycare program in Fargo, the first daycare center organized by a Black church in North Dakota. But the childcare industry is under great strain currently, as American Rescue Plan money runs out and centers face staffing shortages and turnover. Faith-based childcare programs are facing similar issues to the industry as a whole: staffing shortages are leading to the closure of these services as well.
As COVID-19 regulations and precautions are lifted and case numbers decline, faith-based organizations are reflecting on the past two years and their work. In NYN Media, Monsignor Kevin Sullivan of Catholic Charities discussed how the organization met challenges during the pandemic. Congregations are continuing to embrace community health work beyond COVID-19-related programs. In South Jamaica, Queens, the New York - People's First Baptist Church is co-organizing a series of health workshops with the Mother Earth Juice Bar. And in Los Angeles County, after several violent incidents, ministers are calling for better mental healthcare policies in their communities.
In Brighton Beach, Ukrainian and Russian communities have worked alongside each other to send aid to Ukrainians impacted by the war. Around 2 million Ukrainians have fled their homes because of the war, adding to the existing refugee crisis. Throughout the United States, Afghan refugees who left Afghanistan last fall are struggling to find affordable housing. Many faith-based organizations have stepped up to temporarily house them, but many of these arrangements are not viable long-term solutions for these families. An article in Tablet Magazine also highlighted how Muslim refugees are finding space and time to practice their religion in the community they are living in in North Carolina.
One major threat to adequate affordable housing is climate change. The increase of major weather events coupled with the increasing unaffordability of housing in the United States has led to unsafe situations. Working class renters are finding themselves in basement or ground-level apartments that are increasingly prone to flooding. Of course, the burden of pollution and climate catastrophe does not fall equally on all populations -- a recent study found that formerly redlined neighborhoods see disproportionately more air pollution.
The affordable housing crisis has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. While the government created rent relief programs, the funds have frequently not reached families fast enough to keep them in their homes. At the same time, some landlords have evicted tenants to drive up rents higher throughout the pandemic, escalating the affordability crisis.
But how do we address these affordability issues and create adequate housing without leading to cycles of gentrification and displacement? In CNU's Public Square, Robert Steuteville highlights methods to combat centralized poverty without displacing communities. In Bozeman, Montana, a supportive housing development has embraced principles of "trauma-informed" design to create a peaceful and calm atmosphere.
That's all for this week: I'll be back next Friday with more news and information.
