FEATURE STORY - Partners for Sacred Places

Right: Kinder Academy at
Bustleton United Methodist
Church in Northeast
Philadelphia, PA, is a thriving
daycare program that was
founded as an alternative to
the warehouse model of child
care. It has earned Keystone
STARS’ highest rating, thanks,
in part, to quality childcare
that provides a structured
preschool program with
the convenience of daycare
hours.
Far right: Breaking Bread, a
weekly lunch served family
style at Broad Street Ministry
in Philadelphia, PA, is more
than just a feeding program.
It is holistic outreach serving
an urban community. Those
who come find ready access
to a wide range of essential
services, from legal advice to
mental health counseling to
onsite health checkups, and
even a one-man barber shop.
historic building. Excerpts from
PHMC’s specific standards and
recommendations for feeding,
shelter, and healthcare programs
for the homeless are presented on
page 7 (their full report covering
all program areas is available at
Partners’ website), but several
characteristics, listed below, were
common to exemplary programs in
all areas, and should be carefully
considered as congregations assess
their own programs:
Human Resources
• Leaders of exemplary programs
have vision and a clear focus, but
buy-in from the congregation,
clergy, and staff is just as important.
• Congregation-hosted programs are
usually bolstered by the commitment
of a strong volunteer base from the
congregation’s membership, but
PHMC stresses the importance of
having a staff volunteer coordinator
to manage volunteer time and
projects effectively.
Program Resources
• Exemplary programs demonstrate
a consistent commitment to current
best practices in the field. This may
include voluntary participation in
a certification program (such as
the Keystone STARS program) to
surpass basic program standards set
by law.
• While different programs have
varying space needs, the best
programs make their space as clean,
safe, accessible, well-organized,
well-lit, and welcoming as possible.
This often presents particular
challenges for congregations in
aging sacred places, but PHMC
interviewees highlighted the small
but dramatic space improvements
that any program can make.
Partnerships
• The strongest programs are
exemplary because they adopt a
holistic approach to their services.
They do not duplicate the efforts
(and assets) of other organizations,
but rather establish partnerships to
provide access to a wider range of
resources in the community.
• Gathering and responding to
regular feedback — from program
partners and participants — is
another indicator of exemplary
programs in all social service areas.
The findings of this Exemplars
Project support the work of New
Dollars/New Partners congregations
as they asset-map their own
opportunities for community
partnerships, space sharing, and
programming.
By using these guidelines and
recommendations, congregations
can identify which service programs
best fit their membership,
community, and mission, while at
the same time recognizing which
programs are best left to other
congregations or social service
Continued on next page.
Sacred Places • Fall 2010 • 6