Disciple: All Kinds of Collaboration

Collaboration can come in many forms. It can be a new ministry formed with other partners, or it can be work undertaken by two or more churches. It can be involvement with community organizations, and sometimes, it is simply a matter of being present. Churches across the diocese are proving just how varied collaborative approaches can be.

[Image: Volunteers at the El Buen Pastor food drive. Photo courtesy of the Rev. Cuyler O’Connor]

REDUCING MEDICAL DEBT

St. Timothy's, Wilson

It was a day like any other when a parishioner walked into the Rev. Paul Castelli’s office. He wanted to help an acquaintance he’d learned was in financial difficulty and at risk of being evicted from her home.

Writing a check to the woman in need was not an option, and Castelli, rector of St. Timothy’s, Wilson, and the parishioner spent time talking about the fragility of financial situations. One of the challenges that came up was the cost of medical care. The parishioner noted that many are only one major health crisis away from homelessness.

“That just stuck with me,” said Castelli.

Later that night, Castelli was browsing X (formerly Twitter), something he did not ordinarily do. He happened upon a post from a colleague in the Diocese of Fond du Lac, who shared the work his church was doing around a campaign in partnership with RIP Medical Debt to do just that. It rang a bell.

Castelli first heard about RIP Medical Debt years before. During the Occupy Wall Street movement, the founders of the nonprofit organization were working in the finance sector, specifically in the area of purchasing debt. It’s a notable area of finance, where one creditor sells its debt portfolio to another (if you’ve ever purchased a home through one mortgage company only to be notified later that your loan is now held by another, that is an example the buying and selling of debt). The future founders actually took the time to speak with those encamped on Wall Street and heard concern around medical debt mentioned at an astounding rate. It made an impact on them, and they went on to found RIP Medical Debt, now known as Undue Medical Debt.

The nonprofit was created to be a buyer in the debt market with a focus on medical debt. For the first several years, the focus was on third-party debt, meaning debt that had already been sold and sent to third-party collectors. Since then, they have begun purchasing primary debt as well, meaning they work directly with healthcare institutions. They purchase the debt for pennies on the dollar; once they own the debt, they are then able to forgive it. For every dollar donated to the organization, they are able to abolish $100 dollars of medical debt. And the more funds available, the more power each dollar has, much like the way bulk pricing works.

The intersection of the day’s conversation with his parishioner and the unlikely find of the story around a campaign to reduce medical debt gave Castelli an idea.

“WE’RE GOING TO DO THIS”

Lent 2023 was approaching. Castelli couldn’t shake the profound statement made by his parishioner about medical debt being a leading cause of homelessness. He thought about the Fond du Lac campaign to reduce medical debt. He thought about all those in his community likely dealing with the same crisis.

“I said, ‘We’re going to do this,’” reflected Castelli. “I don’t know how, but we’re going to do this.”

He started with a group of Wilson clergy with whom he met regularly. Weekly group lunches included the Rev. Daniel Pinnell of St. Mark’s and La Guadalupana, Wilson, and clergy from First Baptist, Winstead Methodist and West Nash Methodist churches in Wilson, along with the chaplain from Barton College.

He explained the concerns around medical debt and his idea to contact Undue Medical Debt to discuss a partnership. Lent seemed a perfect timeline for a campaign.

“We always begin Lent on Ash Wednesday with this call to prayer, fasting and almsgiving,” said Castelli. “One of the things the practice of fasting is for is solidarity with the poor and those who are hungry all the time. Our almsgiving ought to be tied to our fasting. Whatever we save by fasting and abstinence, we then give to those who are in need, whether it’s in the form of food or something else. So I said, what if people contributed their money, their almsgiving from fasting, to abolishing medical debt?”

The ecumenical group of clergy was on board with answering the question. All agreed that collections from Wednesday Lenten services and Good Friday would go to the collaborative campaign to raise money for medical debt reduction. They wanted the funds to benefit Wilson County residents, and Undue Medical Debt determined they could, in fact, make the campaign that specific as Wilson County had an unusually high level of debt, determined to be $4.9 million. The team set a goal of $30,000 to abolish it all.

Castelli first mentioned the plan to his congregation on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday. By that evening, he was receiving texts from parishioners supporting the idea, and by the time the campaign officially launched on Shrove Tuesday, he had $1,000 pledged by 14 parishioners and $8,000 in hand. By the campaign’s end on Easter Sunday, more than $35,000 had been raised, providing the forgiveness of all medical debt in Wilson County, and making a start in Edgecombe County as well.

To qualify for forgiveness, the household had to earn less than $100,000 per year or hold medical debt exceeding five percent of their annual household income. The 2023 campaign by the collaborative group abolished almost $5.7 million of medical debt across 2,837 households.

EXPANDING THE CIRCLE

St. Timothy’s decided to repeat the campaign in 2024. Because the debt had been largely eradicated in Wilson County, this time the circle was expanded to include Wilson (to help those who had incurred debt between campaigns), Edgecombe, Nash, Warren, Halifax and Northampton counties. This time the fundraising goal was $17,800 to abolish $4.5 million in debt. Castelli contacted the diocese, which ultimately contributed $5,000 in initial and matching contributions. The 2024 campaign raised a total of $22,000, exceeding its goal. Castelli contributed the excess to a campaign working to reduce $14 million of medical debt in Johnston County.

“What I would love to see happen is a cascade effect,” said Castelli, “[In] a couple of years maybe, we could work together to wipe out all of the debt owed in our diocese. I want to do this again. I want to do this every year.”

GETTING STARTED

If you are interested in creating a campaign to eradicate medical debt in your local area, start with a conversation with Undue Medical Debt. They will be able to assist in assessing the needs in your area to help establish fundraising goals as well as provide resources such as a webpage dedicated to your campaign, a direct link for donor funds, and means to track your campaign’s progress.

- Christine McTaggart

FOOD

El Buen Pastor, Durham

“Hola querida comunidad. Hoy distribución de comida..los esperamos!

So goes the message posted by El Buen Pastor, Durham, at least twice a month, often more, on Facebook. It is an invitation to those who are hungry to come and be fed.

The food distribution ministry of El Buen Pastor is one that has existed in one form or another for years. But since the arrival of vicar the Rev. Ricardo Medina, it has taken on an energy and vibrancy that has built it to a whole new level.

In partnership with the Interfaith Food Shuttle, El Buen Pastor guarantees food distribution at least twice per month, on the first and second Saturdays, though it often happens more often. On distribution days, more than 30 volunteers arrive at the church to meet the delivery truck, sort the food, assemble the food bags, and await the arrival of their community neighbors.

Those who witness the ministry in action see the volunteers from El Buen Pastor, as well as fellow Durham Episcopalians from St. Titus’, St. Joseph’s, St. Stephen’s and Chapel of the Cross, Chapel Hill. They see children handing out 100 tickets to awaiting families, helping to ensure an average of 400 people receive food each time. Or they may hear those children calling out the ticket numbers on a bullhorn to invite the ticketholder to drive up to the table. They see Medina and deacon the Rev. Cuyler O’Connor engaging with the families, teaching each other a second language—be it English or Spanish—laughing at jokes, sharing stories, welcoming newcomers or simply catching up with those with whom they’ve built relationships over time.

They see beloved community realized.

For it is a beloved community. It is people who are willing to answer the call on a regular basis and on short notice, as the extra Saturdays often happen with only a half-day’s notice. It is the foundational partnership of El Buen Pastor and the Interfaith Food Shuttle joined by local businesses that donate baked goods and other items as they can. It is the community throughout Durham that spreads word of the food drive to help ensure those who are hungry need not be.

It is a place of connection. Sometimes the need is immigration assistance or healthcare access, and sometimes it is introducing a jobseeker to those who might know someone in need of their skills.

It is an invitation that begins “Hello dear community” and proves to be the living embodiment of exactly that.

St. Margaret’s, Waxhaw

In March 2024, St. Margaret’s began partnering with a local nonprofit, Common Heart, to host a weekly drive-thru food distribution event in our parking lot. With the addition of the St. Margaret’s site, Common Heart now has a distribution site in Mecklenburg County five nights each week. Neighbors are invited to line up in the St. Margaret’s parking lot, and volunteers walk from car to car checking in each family. Once the food truck arrives and volunteers help get everything set up, the cars drive through to receive a week’s worth of groceries, including frozen meats, bread and produce.

[Image: High school students from St. Margaret’s youth group volunteering at Common Heart. Photo by Beth Klepar]

The need to add another site in the Waxhaw area came a few months ago when another local site became overwhelmed with the number of families showing up each week. Program leaders came to learn there are a large number of newly-settled Ukrainian refugees in the area. St. Margaret’s is blessed to be able to connect with them and other neighbors to hear more about their struggles and how St. Margaret’s might partner with them. The community has responded with resounding support, and every volunteer slot remains filled!

- Traci Scott

FORMATION

Trinity, Statesville

In March 2024, Trinity, Statesville, hosted a Passover Seder for the congregation. Trinity children had been studying Last Supper and Passover lessons during their education hour, and as the children and youth programs coordinator, I thought experiencing a Seder would bring the lessons to life. I reached out to Beverly Maurice, president of Congregation Emanuel and generous teacher of Jewish customs and history, who was thrilled to lead the occasion.

Attended by about 30 participants, Maurice delighted her all-age audience by overseeing the instruction of the Seder. Before the gathering, the children made matzah covers to be used during the Seder meal. At the meal, each table was set with the matzah plate, plenty of grape juice to pour the multiple glasses drunk during the meal, and the Seder plate. The items on the Seder plate are symbolic of aspects of Passover. The roasted shank bone represents the Pesach sacrifice; a roasted egg represents spring and the circle of life; horseradish represents the bitterness of slavery; herbs and celery remind participants that Passover corresponds with spring and the harvest; and salted water represents the tears of the Israelites when they were enslaved. The haroset (a mixture with grape juice, walnuts, apples, and cinnamon) represents the mortar and brick used by the Hebrew slaves to build the structures of Egypt.

One of the most enjoyable parts of the Seder for the kids was finding the afikomen, a piece broken off from a matzo during the Seder and hidden for the children to find. The table was covered with small leaping frog toys, reminding guests of the plagues of Egypt. An empty chair reminds guests of both the Messiah expected by the Jewish people and the people who are missing from the ceremony. A donation plate was on each table to remind guests to assist Israelites today and those that are hungry. The collected monies went to Fifth Street Ministries in Maurice’s honor.

All ages enjoyed the experience and learned so much about our history!

- Jean Foster

Beverly Maurice, president of Congregation Emanuel leads a Passover Seder experience. Photo courtesy of Trinity, Statesville

Calvary, Wadesboro

“Pause; Ask; Listen…” Four churches shared a Lenten journey in the uptown Wadesboro area this year. While each congregation held their own services and formation experiences, the shared Lent and Easter experience began with Ash Wednesday at First United Methodist Church and culminated in a community Easter Sunrise service in the garden of First Presbyterian Church. First Baptist Church and Calvary Episcopal Church also participated in the community ministry, hosting Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services. The talented music ministries of all four congregations were also a welcome offering, as the choirs of each joined in the services to create a community choir.

The collaboration magnified worship, helped spread the gospel, fostered collegial friendships, and increased community awareness of the unity shared between distinctive Christian faith traditions. Calvary held liturgies throughout the season at both the parish and in the shared community.

The Rev. Heather McIntyre, head pastor of First Presbyterian, offered a weekly blog reflection to the community. The Rev. Stacey Lundy, head pastor of First United Methodist, organized Morning Prayer and contemplative spirituality on Wednesdays at First United Methodist Church. “These services are important because they help build up the ‘kindom’ of Christ on Earth and remind us that we work better when we are together,” said McIntyre. The Rev. Timothy Moore of First Baptist added, “Sharing these Lenten worship services with sisters and brothers across ecumenical lines invited the worshippers of our combined churches into unfamiliar spaces and to hear multiple voices. The combined choirs of these small churches brought a depth and vibrancy to music that they do not experience every week.”

The clergy of these four congregations meet and collaborate on ministry in the Wadesboro area routinely. They offer each other vital friendship, as well as collegial support. Ministry in Anson County is a community matter. Lundy reflected on the ecumenical ministry, “The Holy Spirit was truly at work among us. Our Lenten worship themes were complementary, worship was deep and edifying, and our people experienced the fruitfulness of working in unity. In a culture of deep division, the witness of the church’s unity that does not erase difference is all the more powerful.”

- The Rev. Craig A. Dolack

COMMUNITY

St. Mary's, High Point

The Ministers Conference of High Point and Vicinity, an interracial and ecumenical body of pastors representing churches in which St. Mary’s pastors participate, recommended that pastors encourage their congregations to come to the community information session. St. Mary’s is predominantly a white congregation, yet we do have people who are interested in working on these issues. Some of us gathered at that session to show our support while learning about the commission’s proposals. Very few other white people were in the audience that evening.

I have heard that St. Mary’s is developing a positive reputation among the Black churches in our community: “They always show up.” Sometimes showing up may seem insignificant in this work, but when few others do, it makes a statement of support. St. Mary’s is striving to engage in the diocesan priorities because we believe they are important to our faith, and we believe God is creating a beloved community into which we are invited.

- The Rev. Rob Travis

St. Peter’s, Charlotte

In 2023, St. Peter’s, Charlotte signed on to join a commercial energy use awareness program, “Power Down the Crown” (PDC) run by the City of Charlotte. The basic idea is that participants gather utility data for their facility and voluntarily share it with the group via an online platform. The goal is to inspire a greater consciousness of electricity and natural gas consumption and its harmful environmental impact, and to stimulate efforts to reduce the usage, while benchmarking against others in the program.

St. Peter’s is only the second faith community to participate. It builds on a previous initiative we undertook several years ago, which was a comprehensive audit of our energy use, done by Interfaith Power and Light, to identify areas for improvement. We felt that participating in the PDC program could further boost our resolve to continue with efforts to reduce our electricity usage.

The centerpiece of PDC is data collection and submission. As we share ours, we eagerly anticipate learning over time how our usage tracks, how we compare to other facilities, and, most importantly, how we can learn from those who have success in “powering down.” Our hope is to recruit more faith centers to join PDC as part of their creation care ministries.

- Chris Lakin

Holy Comforter, Burlington

With love and faith, Holy Comforter, Burlington, co-founded Allied Churches of Alamance County (ACAC) in 1982 as part of an interdenominational collaboration to nourish the hungry, shelter the homeless and fight hopelessness with services for those in need.

ACAC provides a 24/7 emergency shelter, the Empowerment Center (teaching skills, finding outside housing, job placement help), a Community Kitchen (Joe’s Diner) along with “boxed meals to go” and additional resources. It also works with community partners to obtain services for shelter guests with continued support after leaving.

[Image: Martha Adams, Holy Comforter’s Allied Churches liaison with Alisa Moore-Woods, ACAC’s employment/donation and volunteer coordinator who has said, “Thanks for not forgetting us!” Photo courtesy of Martha Adams]

42 years later, our parish’s Christian commitment remains intact to help provide the most basic human essentials through ACAC with regular donations of funds, hands-on service and gifts of requested supplies. We know God’s grace is in actions that generate self-worth and dignity in those less fortunate. As the numbers of empty stomachs, unhoused families and those in despair increase, our commitment is vital. Requested gifts are now accepted every day instead of certain Sundays. Each Christmas, Allied Churches Honor Cards are sold to change lives for the better and a holiday gift collection for ACAC takes place in our pews.

Through this and other active collaborations, our church family continues to be blessed, enlightened, humbled and awakened to what we take for granted in our own lives daily. The focus remains on sharing our faith and blessings.

- Martha Adams

GENERATIONS

Penick Village and Emmanuel, Southern Pines

“Now and Then” is a program connecting Penick Village residents and Emmanuel Episcopal Youth. Started during Lent 2024, the idea stemmed from conversations between the Rev. Colette Bachand, chaplain at Penick Village, and me, Emmanuel’s Christian education director, about how to get two important age groups to start talking and sharing with each other in an organic way. Both groups need each other spiritually and in community, but their daily needs are very different.

Eventually a plan developed with questions for both groups. If we gathered in early evening, youth group attendees would be coming from sports/choir/play practice, potentially in dirty uniforms and hungry. Residents at Penick would normally have eaten by then. Could both groups bend a little and reap the benefit of meeting dirty and tired? The answer was a resounding yes.

The youth showed up on time and with smiles on their faces, and Penick residents perked up and powered through the “late” meeting time. Conversation was encouraged through intentional questions like, “When your parent asked/s you to do a chore, did you do it? If so, why?” This led into deeper discussions of respect for parents and elders and into discussion of discipline. Then a speaker from each table would share to the entire group. The discussions flowed with ease over iced tea and cookies, and each event opened and closed with prayer. Simple, effective and affordable. The visit was only an hour a week for four weeks, and groups stayed the same throughout. But the experience will be one to remember for all involved, and both groups are looking to re-create this event now twice a year.

The importance of this program was to re-create the relationship between these two groups for several reasons. One was to remind youth that Penick Village is a part of Emmanuel. Some youth don’t attend church on Sunday and may have little interaction with elders. Moore County is an active-duty military station for Fort Liberty, and many local children and youth are away from their extended families.

The youth need the elders behind them, and the elders need the joy and humor of the youth behind them. Both need to know Christ is with them during every stage of life. “Now and Then” doesn’t work if both groups’ needs aren’t met. It is truly a blessing for all who were involved.

- Melissa Glitzow

Conversation at a “Now and Then” gathering at Penick Village. Photo courtesy of Melissa Glitzow

Good Shepherd, Rocky Mount

Good Shepherd, Rocky Mount, will participate in the area’s annual Gatekeepers Workcamp this summer. More than 100 volunteers (adults and youth in grades 6-12) from area churches will provide free home repairs for elderly and disabled homeowners.

Gatekeepers Workcamp began in 1992 as a mission partnership among a consortium of Rocky Mount churches led by Lakeside Baptist Church. Gatekeepers teams have repaired more than 300 homes in the community over the past 33 years. The mission of the Workcamp is to provide a hands-on, Christian mission experience for youth in an ecumenical setting, and to provide free home repairs for homeowners who are unable to maintain their homes because of financial or physical limitations.

“Gatekeepers is a wonderful way to build relationships between area churches, help the less fortunate in our community and have fun doing it,” said Britt Myers, senior warden at Good Shepherd. “My daughters have both participated, and while they worked very hard, they came away learning many lessons—including how to sand and paint!”

Each year, Good Shepherd hosts more than 100 youth and adult volunteers for daily lunches in the Parish Hall during the workdays.

- Brenning Daughtridge

Youth participating in the Gatekeepers Workcamp. Photo courtesy of Brenning Daughtridge

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