Briggs Center For Faith And Action

Programs: The center conducts an active program of ministry and services. English as second language (esl): the center's largest program is english as second language, an effort the center inherited from the former briggs baptist church. In 2017, the center enrolled 325 international learners in the program who attend at no charge. Twenty-one volunteer teachers offer fifteen different classes during weekdays and on sundays. The direct cost to the center of this program for 2017 was $49,027. This includes the salary of the (part-time) director of the program, personnel, books, supplies and snacks for the coffee break at each weekday session. This does not include costs for the center's executive director and staff assistant who invest many hours in the program in the course of the year. Nor does it include costs for the use of the center's carpenter's house, the location of ongoing activities of the center and office space for the staff. Martha's table of washington, dc: in 1991, the briggs church began making approximately 300 sandwiches on a monthly basis for the highly regarded martha's table, a comprehensive washington, dc social service institution. When the center evolved from the church and became part of the westmoreland congregational united church of christ, a group coalesced that began making 500 sandwiches a month. Beginning 2009, the center expanded the program even more to make 1200 sandwiches on fifth saturdays of the year, four times annually. Along the way, the center augmented the sandwich making by supplying 100 small bags of fresh fruit along with the sandwiches. The annual direct cost of this program in 2017 was $3,923. This effort has become a community wide enterprise attracting volunteers from the larger community, both adults and young people. Spiritual hospitality and meditation: the center supports a ministry of spiritual hospitality and weekly meditation in the center's carpenter's house. Rev. Yonce shelton leads a weekly men's group. A volunteer leads weekly meditation. Fees generated in 2017 amounted to 1,948. The carpenter's house: in addition to meeting space for weekly esl classes and office space for the center, the carpenter house is in use constantly for american and international youth meetings, use by local and national scholars who need a quiet and free space for writing and research, and occasional emergency housing especially for immigrants in various stages working their way through the us immigration system. Samaritan fund: to meet the specific needs of families and individuals in distress who need help with homelessness and other short-term needs, the center created the samaritan fund. A careful accounting of this fund is maintained by the staff assistant. Grant to good shepherd ucc, sahuarita, az: this congregation on the arizona/mexico border is heavily involved in humanitarian ministry to migrants in distress in the sonoran desert. The center support helps the church with this humanitarian ministry. The center maintains a close relationship with this church. The center's executive director regularly attends an annual border issues fair sponsored by the church. Bethesda cares: bethesda cares is a humanitarian agency located in bethesda, maryland whose purpose is to provide housing and support for homeless men on the streets of the city. The agency has won high marks of late for its work in helping homeless veterans find sustainable housing. Thrive: thrive is a comprehensive agency in helena, arkansas seeking to revitalize this mississippi river delta city ravaged by poverty when textile mills moved away. The agency has been in operation for ten years and has made remarkable progress in helping eager and willing people create small business, art programs for youth, improved education and community facilities. The $500 grant is used for these purposes. In recent months thrive has led a city-wide effort to build a safe and sturdy playground for the children of the area, a facility not hitherto available in thrive's neighborhood of this hard-pressed city. Frontera de cristo/cafe justo: beginning 2014, the center launched a relationship with cafe justo, a coop of mexican farmers who grow, roast and produce quality coffee. The program enables the families to remain in their homeland and still make a better living for themselves. The coffee is sold primarily in churches now in all fifty states and canada. The center regularly orders coffee from the coop at sells it to members of local churches. The center also buys coffee in bulk to use during the coffee breaks of the esl program. If the center generates a profit, the proceeds are sent to the frontera de cristo ministry in douglas, arizona on the mexico/arizona border which is heavily involved in various ministries focusing on humanitarian support for migrants. Shaw community ministries: shaw is an inner-city ministry serving children in the shaw community of washington, dc in an after-school program. Shaw annually sponsors scholarship drive to help graduating seniors in the ministry attend college.