A global pandemic and city-wide shut downs. Economic stress and large numbers of people filing for unemployment. George Floyd’s murder adding to the growing list of the tragic deaths of black and minority people. Our society erupting in mass demonstrations and protests: people calling out for racial justice. Continued political animosity and polarization leading to violence. 

These are just a few of the crises that our city and nation have faced this year. As the Executive Director of UniteBoston, we are committed to building bridges across historic divides in the Christian church racially, culturally, and denominationally. This fall, we celebrate our ten year anniversary of UniteBoston’s very first e-newsletter, yet like many church leaders, we are re-imagining the form that our bridge-building efforts should take within this current context. 

How should we point out the reign of God through Jesus Christ today? What is the good news for these people, in this time, in this place? I believe that rather than being centered on a building or a once-a-week worship service, God is thrusting the Church to look outward. This is indicative of the incarnational call to look at the people in our midst and consider how we can show love, hope and care to them. The global challenges also unite us in a common enemy by which we can walk together to impact problems that no one church or denomination could solve by itself. I believe that there has been no more important time for church unity work than today, and I want to share a few of the grassroots efforts that UniteBoston has initiated this year.

In April, as COVID-19 was hitting our city and country, our team launched a “Love Thy Neighbor” campaign to inspire outreach and missional engagement. A city in Greater Boston named Chelsea was the hardest-hit city with COVID-19 in the state of Massachusetts, with an overwhelming amount of community need for food. We initiated a COVID-19 relief fund and spread the word to our network, and within a few weeks, almost $2,000 came in. We were able to provide food pantry items for three churches that each serve hundreds of people weekly, as well as items for mental and spiritual health for patients at the Boston Hope Hospital, and gift cards to families with the Black Ministerial Alliance.

We also partnered with a local church to launch a program in which Christians throughout the Greater Boston area could assist families with basic food needs. This program is focused on providing groceries to families and households who have someone that tested positive for COVID-19. To date, 90 volunteers from 31 churches have provided groceries to 216 families who have gone into quarantine! Below is a photo of Patrick and the food that he delivered to a family, and you can read other stories from this program here. 

Additionally, in early June, as the country grappled with multiple murders of unarmed people of color and systematic oppression of those peoples, former Patriots player Benjamin Watson reached out to local clergy proposing a united prayer gathering for racial justice. Nine days later, over 1,000 people spanning race, denomination, and age gathered for “Boston Pray,” to worship the God of justice and call forth the need for reform in our city. We were also excited to see local news and press cover this story, including the Boston Herald, Boston Globe, and local news stations.

Finally, due to the public health crisis, this summer UniteBoston was unable to coordinate a large worship concert in the Boston Common as we have hosted each summer for the last three years. However, two local Christian artists reached out to us to see if we might be willing to host a virtual concert with the songs they have written in this time.

Thus, we hosted a “Love Boston” concert on September 12, with seven artists representing hip-hop, worship, soul, and gospel genres performing original songs of justice, faith, and resilience. During the concert, Lori Dupre created a painting where the artists placed their handprints over words like global pandemic, economic stress, and fear, replaced by words of healing and hope and a cityscape of Boston. You can watch this streaming concert on UniteBoston’s Facebook page.

I echo what Rev. David Wright, Executive Director of the Black Ministerial Alliance and UniteBoston’s Board President shares: “I see Christians trying to get ‘through this’ so we can go back to our understanding of ‘normal.’ But God is intentionally leading us to a different place of doing and being the Church. We do ministry in our congregations, but how do we incarnationally engage the world for the kingdom of God? How do we see ourselves within an ecosystem of other churches so we can really be salt and light to the world? I see the body of Christ coming together in phenomenal ways; I’m just hoping that it continues and isn’t just an episodic thing because we had this crisis.” 

Today’s challenges provide common ground by which followers of Jesus can unite to declare the reconciling peace and hope found in the gospel. Scripture implores Christians to be known by our love (Jn 13:35); let us not shy away from this opportunity but run together, showing love and care for those in our midst. When this passes, may we say that love spread more quickly than any virus ever could! 

Rev. Kelly Fasset, an ordained minister in the American Baptist Church, is the founder and executive director of UniteBoston.