Case Study
A robust neighborhood church extends its reach and deepens connections by sharing ministry.
Church of Our Saviour (COOS) in Akron’s West Hill neighborhood is a hodgepodge of people boldly living into our mission to love and serve God. Some of us are converts, some are part of the LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) community, some are seekers, and some are friends who value our tradition for its inclusiveness, liturgy, and focus on outreach. We even have some “lifers” whose families have been worshiping here for generations. No matter our individual backgrounds or identities, we honor the beauty in diversity, both at Sunday worship and throughout the week when our community gathers for meals, grocery and clothing distribution, and other meetings and events.
We believe that we all have a role to play at Church of Our Saviour. We are known for our vigorous lay leaders who use their gifts and talents both in and outside of the parish, making possible many fellowship and outreach activities. We seek to cultivate deep, long-lasting relationships. We don’t just want to provide things to our neighbors; we want to work together with them to create a neighborhood that we all can enjoy and be proud of. We’ve done a lot together so far and will continue to look for new ways to collaborate in the future. We are most certainly not a Sunday-only community.
Right from the beginning, when a group of lay leaders approached the bishop about forming a new Episcopal Community in West Hill, through to the present day, lay leadership has always been instrumental to the mission and ministry of this parish. The voices of the laity help create the vision for the ministry in which the congregation will engage. Clergy and lay leaders discern the needs of the community by talking with our neighbors and sharing ideas, insights, expertise, and passions. Lay leaders enrich and enhance the faith community by offering their charisms, energy, and excitement in worship and fellowship. Everyone has a role to play—whether young people in Christian formation making blankets for children living in a women’s shelter, a group making quilts for new Habitat for Humanity homeowners, someone creating altar frontals and hangings, or our Gen Z choir director composing special music for worship. Lay leaders coordinate National Night Out, cook community meals for those in need in the surrounding neighborhood, build houses, assist seniors to maintain their homes, and coordinate participation in Akron Pride events.
One of the ways we identify lay leaders is through a ministry called Food & Faith that focuses on building community through relationships. Food & Faith provides an informal space for new members, people new to The Episcopal Church, and others in our community to ask questions about the church, the Episcopal tradition, and Christianity in general, and about how we respond to various justice issues in our society. The first sessions were held at homes of parishioners who lived within walking distance of the church, so that those who lived in the neighborhood who did not have a car could attend. Later, parishioners who had been the “newbies” began asking if they could host the sessions. Those who need a ride are picked up by other parishioners so they may still attend.
As the rector, I look for ways to invite people to share in ministry. I pay attention to existing ministries that have openings, to new ministry opportunities that have unmet leadership needs, and to people who might have been waiting in the wings for just such a moment. I am intentional about, for example, putting forward delegates to Diocesan Convention who are not already serving on the vestry. This extends the opportunity to others to exercise their gifts.
I also cultivate lay leadership through prayerful discernment, training, coaching, encouragement, and mentoring. Not only do I mentor, but so do other parishioners, creating a culture in which the members know that they are empowered and equipped to do the work to which they have been called.
Lay ministry provides an avenue for more robust ministry within and beyond our doors. Our lay leadership extends the reach of our ministry to other Akron neighborhoods. For example, members of COOS partner with others in the wider faith community during Mitzvah Day activities, on Habit for Humanity and Rebuilding Together worksites, and at Akron Pride.
Perhaps the biggest example has been our response to food insecurity. More than 30 years ago, we started the Friendly Pantry, a monthly distribution of groceries. We grew from handing a bag of groceries out the door, to inviting our guests to come in for muffins and coffee. When we began assisting with a meal program in a different Akron neighborhood, we learned of the struggle to make ends meet, particularly near the end of the month, for some in the church’s neighborhood. This led us to offer a once-a-month community meal—dinner on us, a sit-down meal served family style. In its third year, we expanded to twice a month, enabling us to provide more meals and more opportunities to build community with our guests.
When COVID arose, conversations centered not on whether we would continue feeding people, but on the logistics of how. With input from two physicians in the congregation, members of the outreach committee, and others, we switched from sit-down meals to meals to go. We never skipped a beat; groceries and meals were still provided to meet the abundant need, and on the days when weather permitted, we brought clothes from our Friendly Clothing Closet outside and made them available to our neighbors in need. The Friendly Closet has since expanded and moved into a larger space to accommodate the volume of donations received and to allow for the freedom of movement for our “shoppers.” At every turn, we have sought opportunities to expand our ministry and engage the wider community. This is mutual ministry at its best.
Mother Debra has been with Church of Our Savior since 2012. Before coming to Church of Our Saviour, Mother Deb was priest-in-charge of St. Paul Episcopal Church in Roosevelt, New York. She is a graduate of Wagner College and Bexley Hall Seminary in Columbus, where she earned a Master of Divinity in 2009, after a nearly 25-year career in publishing. She is a two-time deputy from the Diocese of Ohio to The General Convention of The Episcopal Church and has served on Diocesan Council, the diocese’s Commission on Ministry, the Commission on Racial Understanding, as vice-chair and chair of the Summit Mission Area Council, and on a variety of other diocesan committees. In Akron, she convenes the West Hill Ministerial Association, is a member of the Akron Faith-Community Leader Group, and serves as chaplain to the Akron PeaceMakers Youth Group.