"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me."

                                                     - Matthew 25:35

View Annual Report of Board of Christian Service

Why is AHCC’s commitment so strong?
“Because the church is not a church unless it’s actively reaching out to its neighbors and those in need,” says the Rev. Gary Miller, Senior Minister. “Jesus met someone at the point of their need paralysis, hunger, their human brokenness. A tenet of Christianity is compassionate caregiving without restrictions.”

Carol Ross, past chairwoman of the Board of Christian Service, says the church’s generosity improves the lives of people in Hartford where the need is so great. “This church is making a difference. It’s one of the reasons people join this church,” she says. “We have a heart for this city.”

The Board’s stewardship carries the responsibility of making sure it gives wisely. To that end, Board members spend considerable time reviewing applications, visiting many of the agencies or sites of service and discussing the reasons for their allocations.

The allocation process can be difficult as Board members wrestle with how to proportion grants. For example, how much should they give to the UCC compared to how much they give to local agencies? How do they balance grants to the large agencies with grants to small agencies? How much do they grant when faced with a reduced benevolence budget, knowing that for recipients it’s a “very painful reality to absorb cuts.”

Besides the outreach provided by grants, there is a less conspicuous kind of outreach. More than 20 nonprofit organizations use church space free of charge or pay only for custodial and heating costs. This list includes AA, Leadership Greater Hartford, Hartford Jazz Society, Spectrum In Motion Dancers, Covenant to Care, ConnectiKids and many neighborhood and regional groups.

From Coal to Cambodians to ConnectiKids
The nature of giving by Asylum Hill Congregational Church has changed with the times. Recipients for the past several years have tended to be close to home. There was a time in the late 19th and early 20th century, however, when the church directly supported foreign missions, instead of through allocations to the United Church of Christ. For example, AHCC gave money to the Rev. Wilbur and Elsie Deming from 1919 to the late 1930s for their mission in Ahmednagar, India.

AHCC has also responded to foreign crises. In 1904, it gave $32.10 to “suffering Macedonians.” It gave $329.53 to aid Japanese famine victims in 1906 (the Sunday School made a separate donation of $150 for famine aid). In 1916, the church gave $1 to war relief, $3 to Serbian relief, $801.15 to Armenian and Syrian relief.

In 1906 the church responded to an American tragedy with $407.50 in aid to San Francisco earthquake victims. The church sponsored refugee families establishing homes in this community Ð Cubans in 1963 and Cambodians in 1980.
Organizations that help children and youth have long received church grants. Some of those groups are the Boys & Girls Club, Youth Challenge, SAND Summer Program and ConnectiKids.

Then, there are these intriguing examples of giving mentioned in past annual reports, although the connection to the church is not noted: $50 to an organization called the Congregational Union of Ireland in 1930; $5 for coal to poor Hartford families in 1903; and $7.29 for books for Hawaii in 1902.

Lastly, this example of benevolence 100 years ago attests to the wide reputation of AHCC and its first minister, the Rev. Joseph Twichell:

Harriet James of Hampton Institute in Virginia sent a letter to her sister Bertha James Lane of Hartford dated Oct. 26,1901, asking her to enlist the aid of Mary B. Lewis of Farmington Avenue toward getting some money “from the poor box of Dr. Twichell’s church.” The money was being sought to help an orphanage in Hawaii run by Helen James, sister of Harriet and Bertha. The roundabout appeal was successful because Helen James of the Kona Orphanage in Hawaii wrote her sister Bertha on Jan. 8, 1903:

“The people of the Congregational Church, Dr. Twichell’s, sent me Twenty-Five dollars for the library. Of course, Miss Lewis was the instrument which procured it. I haven’t written her yet as I am simply overwhelmed with desk work.”

How The Grant Process Works
The allocation of grants from Asylum Hill Congregational Church is the responsibility of the Board of Christian Service, which begins its annual process in the summer. The chair of the Board of Christian Service sends a letter to area agencies inviting their application for church funds. Most grants are for one year, but a few agencies are given three-year grants.

The letter also lists criteria that guide the board’s decisions. Priority is given to food, housing, education and leadership development. The church serves agencies in concentric circles, from its doorstep outward. Primary focus is the Asylum Hill neighborhood with secondary considerationfor other parts of Hartford and the wider metropolitan area. Some money goes to regional seminaries and the United Church of Christ. Of particular consideration are agencies with close ties to Asylum Hill Congregational Church or developed by church members.
The Board also administers restricted grants established for designated purposes. It chooses the recipients as long as they fit the general purpose of the fund:

— The Faith Collins Fund, designated for the “the gentle women of Hartford,” has been allocated to Hartford’s Interval House and My Sister’s Place in the past.

— The Buchanan Fund, designated for foreign missions, has been allocated to the United Church Board of World Missions, Association Promoting Education and Conservation in Amazonia and Habitat for Humanity.

— The Luna Leach Fund is earmarked for social services in Greater Hartford.

— A portion of the Christmas/Easter Offering, is given to the Board for outreach.

The applications are due by mid-September, and the Board of Christian Service then begins the review process. It divides into subcommittees of Education, Basic Needs, Asylum Hill Neighborhood, and Social Services. Members study agency requests, their budgets, and any recent audits. They often visit an agency to see how well it is run and to get a better idea of the program.

The twelve-member board, along with Fredd Ward, Director of Outreach, convene in late November/early December for the first round of recommendations. If the recommended allocations exceed the budget, each subcommittee reviews its decisions and adjusts the figures. After the full board reaches consensus, it submits individual grants of more than $10,000 to the Board of Deacons for approval, as required by church policy.  Around the turn of the calendar year, Fredd notifies recipients of their grants, which are awarded either in March, June or October, with larger grants being distributed in installments.

South Park Inn
Rodney Johnson used to be a full-time caretaker of his elderly father at home but after his father died, his sisters had to sell the house and Rodney, unemployed, eventually found his way to his new home at South Park Inn in Hartford.  Now he lives in a cubicle about 8 x 8 feet square, one of 33 men in a transitional living program at the old South Park Methodist Church on lower Main Street. He’s warm, comfortable, well fed and hoping to become independent.  The transitional program is one of three services of South Park Inn. The two others are an 85-bed emergency shelter for men, women and children, also at the church, and the 35-bed Plimpton House at 847 Asylum Avenue, a long-term home for people with health or emotional difficulties who are generally not able to live on their own.

South Park Inn opened its shelter in 1984 to ease growing homelessness in the city. One of eight in Hartford, the shelter is housed in the old Methodist Church sold by the congregation when it merged with the United Methodist Church on Farmington Avenue in the West End. South Park started the transitional living component in 1989 and opened the Plimpton House six years later.

The shelter’s purpose? “It is to help people take their first steps toward getting their lives together,” says Mary Lovelock, co-director.   “John (Ferrucci, co-director) would say it’s to keep people from freezing on the streets.”  Both are correct.  The shelter limits residents to a month stay, with some extensions. They get a bed, breakfast and dinner, and medical treatment by medical students under supervision of a doctor. They also get help in finding a job or housing, and with overcoming drug or alcohol problems. Children in the shelter, who number from 10 to 18, must go to school if they are of school age.

The transitional living program allows men to stay for up to two years in return for working toward independence. They go to outside classes, rehab programs, job training or work. Some also may learn English, earn their high school equivalency diploma, get treatment for substance abuse and improve daily living skills. Lovelock states that about 65 percent of the shelter’s residents are from Hartford, and the rest are divided equally between other state residents and those from outside Connecticut.

South Park Inn operates its three programs on an annual budget of about $1.7 million. Asylum Hill Congregational Church gives $14,000, up from its initial $500 in 1984. Like other shelters, it relies on a lot of volunteers and a dedicated paid staff. The shelter employs 27 full-time workers on three shifts. The social workers, Lovelock says, want to work there. They like the population they are helping.

She tells the story of one former shelter resident.

This man, in his early 40s, had a good work history for 20 years but drank on weekends. One day he lost his job and started drinking every day. In a year, he had gone through his savings, was arrested on a drunken driving charge and came to the shelter after losing his house.

“He was a decent guy,” Mary says, “but he needed his confidence back” and help with his drinking. He worked with a counselor for a year while getting alcohol treatment and attending AA meetings. He went through job training, got his confidence back and was hired to work for a landscaper.

South Park had given that man a place to take those steps to get his life back together.

Agencies Receiving AHCC Support

Asylum Hill Community

BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF HARTFORD
An after-school program in Asylum Hill for children ages6-18 to help them become productive citizens through a combination of character development, education, cultural enrichment and physical activity.

CONNECTIKIDSA program to improve the lives of West Middle Elementary and M.D. Fox Elementary students through tutoring, cultural enrichment and recreation.

GRAY LODGE shelter for females, ages 13-18, referred by the Department of Children and Families, that offers individual and group counseling, education and support.

HARTFORD CHILDREN’S THEATRE city program for children and youth to teach the dramatic arts; includes live performances.

LOAVES & FISHES MINISTRIES Offers Asylum Hill residents a chance to improve their lives through a good meal; educational/training programs; and substance abuse, HIV/AIDS and job counseling.

YOUTH CHALLENGE Residential and outreach programs for individuals and families suffering from life-controlling problems, such as substance abuse.

SOCIAL SERVICES

CAPITOL REGION CONFERENCE of CHURCHES (Amigos de Los Ancianos "Friends of the Elderly" Program)
Helps homebound and/or isolated elderly Latino individuals remain independent and in the Hartford community through Friendly Visitor and Friendly Shopper volunteer programs.

CHRISTIAN ACTIVITIES COUNCIL Provides inner-city children with summer educational enrichment, including programs for children with physical limitations, children of new immigrants and children in disadvantaged situations.

CHRYSALIS CENTER Provides health and other services to persons with mental illness with the aim of helping them live independently.

COMMUNITY PARTNERS IN ACTION (Resettlement Program) Helps criminal offenders prepare for successful reintegration into the community after release from prison.

FAMILIES IN CRISIS (Youth Enrichment Services)
Provides services to children, their community caregivers and their imprisoned parents for up to two years, including counseling, case management and referral services, and educational support.

FAMILY LIFE MINISTRY Provides support for young parents aimed at developing positive parenting, life and leadership skills. Also provides individual/family case management services.

FOSTER GRANDPARENT PROGRAM Supports mentoring program that matches adults age 60 and older with young people for the purpose of alleviating problems of the youth and enriching the lives of older people.

GREATER HARTFORD LEGAL AID FOUNDATION Provides free legal services to poor people in civil cases in Hartford County.

HOPEWORKS This interfaith organization works to strengthen the community through counseling, education and outreach for young people and their families, schools and community organizations.

HARTFORD CONSORTIUM FOR HIGHER EDUCATION (Career Beginnings Program)
A program sponsored by public and private colleges in the Hartford area to increase the number of city students who graduate from high school and go on to college and meaningful careers.

LITERACY VOLUNTEERS Teach English literacy skills to adults.

SAMARITANS OF THE CAPITAL REGION Provides lonely, despairing and suicidal individuals with round-the-clock telephone service from trained volunteers.

SOUTH ARSENAL NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT CORP (Summer Program)
Provides job assistance, adult and youth recreation, community economic development and advocacy.
(Strive)Provides neighborhood advocacy, economic development and participation in public policy changes, through the delivery of direct services.

BASIC NEEDS

CENTER CITY CHURCHES (MANNA Program) This program, in cooperation with other agencies, provides meals at elderly housing, a soup kitchen and from the CCC food pantry; emergency utility aid; and advocacy, information and referrals to other agencies.

COVENANT TO CARE (Adopt a Social Worker & Mentor Programs) Connects faith communities with social workers to help children and families; matches teens with adult mentors who help with important life decisions.

CRISIS FOOD SUPPORT Provides emergency food to needy families.

CONNECTICUT AIDS RESIDENCE COALITION Helps to insure housing and support for persons with HIV/AIDS and promotes responsible public policy and community awareness of the problem.

FOODSHARE A regional center that distributes food to more than 265 local programs that feed hungry people.

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY Provides housing for low-income persons and families through building homes with volunteers and “sweat equity” of the selected homeowner.

HARTFORD FOOD SYSTEM Provides organically grown produce to lower income and elderly Hartford residents through existing food distribution agencies.

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION SHELTER & HOUSING CORP. Operates a shelter for homeless men and tries to help them become independent.

OPEN HEARTH Operates a shelter for homeless men and a clinical recovery program.

OPERATION FUEL Gives emergency fuel aid to the elderly, disabled and low-income working families. Services also include budget and credit counseling, help with job search and referrals.

SOUTH PARK INN Operates a shelter for homeless men, women and children, a transitional living program for men, and long-term housing for mentally handicapped individuals.

EDUCATION

AHCC SENIOR HIGH MISSION TRIPS High school students help people in need rebuild their lives and, in return, get opportunities for volunteer service.

ALBAN INSTITUTE Helps church congregations deal with such challenges as conflict management, leadership, clergy stress and burnout and church growth.

ANDOVER NEWTON THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL Prepares men and women for the clergy, and provides continuing education for clergy and lay church leaders.

CENTER CITY CHURCHES (Center for Youth) Provides after-school tutoring, cultural activities, and summer programs to Hartford children.

CENTER FOR URBAN RESEARCH, EDUCATION & TRAINING Provides summer tutoring for students in grades 1-8 and weekly field trips for education and recreation.

HARTFORD ACTION PLAN ON INFANT HEALTH & TEEN PREGNANCY A public-private partnership to reduce teenage pregnancy in Hartford.

HARTFORD CAMERATA CONSERVATORY This school for the performing arts is developing a year-round program to teach inner-city teens to help create new artistic programs and to teach aspects about running nonprofit arts institutions.

HARTFORD PRAYER BREAKFAST An annual gathering of people of all faiths to pray for the well being of Hartford and Greater Hartford.

LEADERSHIP GREATER HARTFORD (Common Ground)
A program to train city and suburban high school students how to be leaders in their community.

ORGANIZED PARENTS MAKE A DIFFERENCE (Noah Webster project)
A program at the West End elementary school to teach students computer literacy skills.

PASTORAL SERVICES AT HARTFORD HOSPITAL A program to educate clergy and volunteers in counseling patients.

SEMINARY SCHOLARSHIPS Financial aid to AHCC members attending seminary.

SPIRITUAL LIFE CENTER Seeks to foster awareness and development of spirituality through individual and group direction.

URBAN MISSION, BUDDY BREAKFAST PROGRAM A Saturday morning program that helps minority boys, ages 6-14, stay out of the criminal justice system. They are joined by adult mentors, who provide good role models.