Each month we highlight Westminster’s community partner grant recipients. This November learn more about the Banyan Community and Avenues for Youth.

Banyan Community

By Suzanne Kelley and Kay Thomas

Banyan is deeply rooted in the Phillips neighborhood of south Minneapolis–a community of roughly one hundred blocks. According to Minnesota Compass, a project of Wilder Research, close to 28% of the residents of the neighborhood have incomes below the poverty level. In this context Banyan works to transform lives by developing youth, strengthening families, and creating community. After school programs provide homework support and enrichment activities for students. Banyan is built on relationships of trust, compassion, and celebration. Banyan believes that when youth, family, and community are synchronized, the greatest progress is made in raising educational achievement and reducing poverty. Westminster’s funding helps support the adult education program for parents.

In Banyan’s asset-based approach to building community, neighbors connect with and support each other, and parents are empowered to be deeply involved in their children’s education. The educational success of children served by the Banyan speaks to the power of Banyan’s wrap-around support and commitment to walking alongside families from children’s early years through higher education.

Avenues for Youth

By Emily McChesney

Avenues for Youth provides emergency shelter, short-term housing, and support in a safe and nurturing homelike environment to youth experiencing homelessness in Hennepin County. Westminster’s community partner grant is supporting an increase in needs due to the pandemic, as well as supporting onsite medical and mental health care in order to help youth transition positively into adulthood. One of the unique innovative programs Avenues offers is the ConneQT Host Home Program, which provides LGBTQI+ youth, ages 18 to 24, with culturally responsive housing within homes in the community. Avenues has a capital campaign underway for a new building. Current opportunities for Westminster members to get involved include sponsoring a youth for their birthday, being a holiday gift sponsor, or even hosting a youth in your home through the ConneQT program.

by Joan Dayton and Pete Cochrane, Campaign Co-chairs

Compelled by God’s call, Westminster’s enduring hope is for a sustainable future for our church, and justice in our city and beyond. That is the bold vision behind a new capital campaign that has begun at Westminster—Enduring Hope. In January Session approved the start of a new campaign and in February we were named Co-Chairs with Alice Mortenson and Jim and Carmen Campbell named Honorary Co-Chairs. For the past six months, many lay leaders have volunteered their time and talents during the planning and quiet phases of the campaign by holding listening sessions, creating communications, and reaching out to potential donors. We are all committed to a successful second campaign to complete the work started 10 years ago with the building expansion project.

At that time, the congregation committed itself to raising most of the building expansion project’s costs upfront through the Open Doors Open Futures campaign – which was done through extraordinary generosity – and the balance in a second campaign. The initial cost included land acquisition, construction, and $8 million for a mission component supporting affordable housing, local and global partners, and young adult leadership development.

With the physical space complete, it is time to focus on securing our financial future. The goal of the Enduring Hope campaign is $30 million, the majority of which will retire the debt. Paying off the debt will enable Westminster to grow and continue to thrive for the next 100 years. Ten percent, or $3 million, of what is raised will go toward mission, and $500,000 will fund renovations to the chapel.

Enduring Hope will pave the way for Westminster’s vibrant future and empower the congregation to continue being a telling presence in the city for generations to come. Please consider making a financial commitment to support the campaign today by pledging online through Realm.

Enduring Hope Campaign Details

Debt and Interest: Being debt free will allow Westminster to live into the future unencumbered and able to respond to emerging needs and opportunities. This campaign will secure a sustainable financial future for the church to grow and continue to thrive for the next 100 years.

Mission Component: A 10% biblical tithe of the campaign is designated for a mission component. A team of lay leaders is actively discerning options for distributing $3 million and at the October meeting Session endorsed the vision statement guiding the team’s discernment, “Because we hope for a just community, Westminster will invest to advance racial and social justice.”

Chapel Improvements: Updating the antiquated electrical system will reduce the chapel’s energy use and be in alignment with Westminster’s commitment to be a sustainable church. Livestream capacity will be installed. The walls will be returned to their original design to restore the beauty of the chapel and enhance the sound quality of the chapel organ, as it was originally intended.

Each month we highlight Westminster’s community partner grant recipients. This September learn more about Tubman, Minnesota African Women’s Association, and Advocates for Human Rights.

By Nancy Berg

Tubman

For more than four decades, Tubman has provided essential support to people of all ages, genders and cultural backgrounds who face relationship violence, sexual assault, exploitation, homelessness, addiction and mental health challenges. Tubman remains a leader in relationship violence prevention and intervention, responds to calls for help 24-hours a day and operates the largest shelter for survivors in Minnesota. Tubman continues to expand community housing services across the metro and provide legal advocacy and a host of related services that support resilience and independence. Tubman’s volunteers receive in-depth orientation and make a difference in every facet of Tubman’s work—from childcare champions to pro bono legal support. Despite the prolonged uncertainty, pain and loss brought on with the pandemic, and further compounded by systematic racism and inequities, Tubman helps the people they serve continue to live into the motto of their inspiration and namesake, Harriet Tuman, “Keep going.”

Minnesota African Women’s Association

The Minnesota African Women’s Association (MAWA) remains an invaluable resource for local immigrant girls and their families. MAWA offers two primary programs: the African Girls’ Initiative for Leadership and Empowerment (AGILE) and African Women’s Empowerment (AWE). The AGILE program educates young women on critically important topics including attending college, STEM, teen pregnancy prevention, HIV/AIDS education, financial literacy and environmental awareness. The AWE program focuses on job readiness and training.  Melissa Nambangi, a long-time member of Westminster, is MAWA’s founder and executive director and her commitment and passion is contagious. MAWA’s impact is seen and felt in the communities MAWA serves helping young women build confidence and leadership skills, while working with their African cultural experiences and values as they seek solutions in their new culture.

Advocates for Human Rights

by Kay Thomas

The mission of the Advocates for Human Rights (Advocates) is to implement international human rights standards to promote civil society and reinforce the rule of law. Advocates provides pro bono legal assistance to:

• unaccompanied immigrant and refugee children;
• people seeking protection from persecution, torture, and trafficking; and
• persons detained by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

With other human rights organizations around the world, Advocates promotes procedural and policy changes that respect the rights of all people to live with dignity, justice, equality and peace.

Emerging needs Advocates identified include welcoming and providing legal assistance to Afghan and Ukrainian refugees, continuing to fight for a just immigration system, supporting asylees and immigrants in advocacy at the United Nations, and closing loopholes in sexual assault laws in Minnesota and beyond.

Westminster member Karen Evans serves as president of Advocates’ Board of Directors. Additionally, Westminster members currently serve as Immigration Court Observers. Visit Advocates’ website to learn about the many ways we may serve in support Advocates’ mission.

For the second year in a row, Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis will sponsor a booth at the annual Loring Park Art Festival, held July 30 from 10 am to 6 pm and July 31 from 10 am to 5 pm. For the first time last year, Westminster sponsored a booth at the neighborhood art fair as an opportunity to take the church’s telling presence into our local community. The Westminster booth includes information about ministry areas at Westminster and scheduled performances throughout the two-day event.

This year, Westminster’s most recent Artist-in-Residence Katherine Parent will lead a community art project at the booth, which will join the current Westminster Gallery exhibition in August. In addition, last year’s Artist-in-Residence Joe Davis will perform at the booth at Noon on Sunday, July 31.

Here is the complete booth performance and activity schedule:

Saturday, July 30

• 10 am – Community Art Project with Katherine Parent
• Noon – Westminster’s bluegrass worship band
• 1 pm – Westminster’s bluegrass worship band
• 4 pm – Piano solo: Kenny Vigne

Sunday, July 31

• 10 am – Community Art Project with Katherine Parent
• Noon – Spoken Word Artist Joe Davis
• 2 pm – Cello and Piano Duet: Joe Trucano and Kenny Vigne
• 3:15 pm – Minnesota Mandolin Group

If you plan to attend the art festival, use this map (pdf) to find Westminster’s booth (labeled S4 near Info).