Here's your weekly roundup of news and media related to Bricks and Mortals's mission. An undercurrent in many of the articles this week is the impact of shifting demographic patterns, both within congregations and in wider neighborhoods and communities. As communities change and evolve, how do faith-based organizations adapt to their community's shifting needs?
This week, in Religion News, one article pondered what will happen to the thousands of buildings left vacant as some churches close throughout the United States. The article features a range of case studies, including the Sisters of the Holy Family, who sold their motherhouse and used the funds to build senior housing, and the First Church of Nazarene, which transformed its space into a community hub for non-profits and a non-denominational congregation. The article also highlights Dominic Dutra's work and his new book, Closing Costs.
In Rochester, a former synagogue building may soon become a performing arts center. The Congregation B'Naith Israel left the building in 1961, but the structure may soon find new life as Senator Schumer announced $400,000 for the project as part of Congress's recent $1.5 trillion spending bill.
Other congregations are pursuing affordable housing development on their properties. In Georgia, the Atlanta First United Methodist Church has proposed a 320-unit building on their property downtown. In South Berkeley, California, several Black churches are utilizing their property to expand affordable housing stock in their community.
In New York City's Financial District, the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church is nearing the end of its construction. The original structure of the church was destroyed during the 9/11 attackHouses of Faith and Mission Work
In Chicago, faith-based organizations have observed a recent trend of break-ins and robberies on their premises. One Ukrainian-American congregation found that their sanctuary had been vandalized. Days later, another church had their snowblower stolen after the intruder could not locate tithes or offerings. Some leaders are viewing crime as an impetus to close or move their congregations, while others are viewing it as a sign to further invest in their community.
An Associated Press article highlighted Manhattan's Church of Notre Dame, a church founded in 1910 by French missionaries, and is now home to a congregation primarily of French-speaking African immigrants. This also reflects wider demographic shifts within American Catholicism -- a recent study found that 32% of Black Catholics in the United States are immigrants.
Communities of faith are continuing to provide aid and relief to Ukrainians. A delegation of 19 rabbis from New York visited Ukraine to distribute medical supplies and provide comfort to Ukrainians impacted by the war. Faith-based organizations are also holding fundraisers and item donation drives to provide support to Ukrainians fleeing war.
During the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many neighborhood groups formed, often in cooperation with houses of worship, to provide food, diapers, personal protective equipment, and other forms of mutual aid to their neighbors. Two years on, many of these efforts are still going strong, and are making changes to ensure their projects' long-term sustainability.
Data from the US Census has shown a large demographic shift: in many large US cities, Black populations are shrinking, even in places like Chicago, where overall population is increasing. The reasons for this are complex, but a recent study highlighted the role of foreclosures; during the subprime mortgage crisis in the 2000s, banks targeted Black and Latino homebuyers with "viciously disadvantageous mortgages." Foreclosures, along with rising urban housing costs due to gentrification, have precipitated a move into suburbs, which are increasingly racially and economically diverse.
As some suburbs have become more diverse, other suburbs have insisted on policies designed to keep affordable housing out of their communities. Public engagement meetings, which are disproportionately attended by wealthier, older community members, have become a site where homeowners successfully torpedo many housing reform plans. At a recent meeting in Connecticut, a lawmaker rejected the idea that housing is a human right, and suggested that people experiencing housing insecurity might find better paying jobs instead.
The majority of affordable housing in the United States is not created through government subsidies, but is "naturally occurring affordable housing." Many policymakers are working to preserve this affordable housing stock, but a significant portion of NOAH may be lost to rising sea levels, further entrenching the United States's affordable housing crisis.
In areas with hot housing markets, some employers are building and/or operating their own housing for their workforce. Especially in areas heavily reliant on tourism like Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, service industry workers often cannot afford to live close to their work, making it difficult for employers to find and retain workers. (Of course, we can look to history to find other examples of this arrangement, such as the boom of company towns in the US throughout the 19th century.)
