by “Every community is different. As I hear people speak and engage in the CCD Philosophy, I’ve learned that we have to be able to take what is doable in Dorchester, not necessarily what is done in the South Side of Chicago. Take what is applicable,” says David Nok Daniel, an elder at Christ the King Dorchester Church, as he reflects on his CCDA journey with the Flourishing Congregations Initiative.
Ruling Elder David’s Presbyterian Church is nestled in the Dorchester neighborhood, in the Savin Hill area of Boston, Massachusetts, a neighborhood facing the challenges of immigrants struggling to make ends meet, people sleeping on the streets, and youth who are looking to be invested in. Despite these challenges, this congregation is committed to serving and loving their neighbors. David has been serving there for 15 years now and has found a passion for supporting families and communities in Boston.
This community began over 20 years ago by some community-minded people in the Boston area. They formed a network of seven faith communities, and through this collaboration, a heart for the Dorchester neighborhood began to grow. This led to the birth of Christ the King Dorchester, which felt the call to reach the people in the Dorchester neighborhood. This group stopped commuting to worship in Cambridge, and instead rented space from a Unitarian Church, meeting there twice a week, to be with people in the community.
A couple of years ago, this congregation decided to put up a community resource center as a way of carrying out their mission to support the community’s needs. They had about $100,000 in funding and wanted to get started right away. Later, the congregation came to the realization that although they had the funds, they didn’t quite have the resources. Collectively, they decided to rename the initiative to The Neighborhood Hub. They knew they wanted to invest some time and energy in immigration, youth development, and homelessness, but didn’t know what specific programs would best serve these populations. Despite having the funds at hand, they opted instead to slow down, consider what their neighbors are sharing and experiencing, and gather insight from their own community at Christ the King Dorchester.
This discernment led them to join CCDA’s Flourishing Congregation Initiative, a four-year program designed to take congregations from community isolation to community partnership, strategically assessing, addressing, and adapting their ministries to the needs of the community. In this program, they hoped to consider ways to serve the population around them and decide on three main focuses to lean into.
After two years in the Flourishing Congregations program, Christ the King has gained a clearer understanding of what faithful community engagement can look like. Elder David says, “We learned to partner with organizations doing great work in the areas they are great at, and we are passionate about.” One example is the church’s partnership with a local school, where they are finding practical ways to support students while continuing to deepen their understanding of the eight key components of Christian Community Development.
For Elder David, the work is not about moving quickly or launching programs for the sake of activity. It is about helping the congregation grow into a community of people who know and love their neighbors well. “We want to take it one step at a time and learn how to love our neighbors in a way that is more authentic. How do we help our members be good neighbors?”
That question continues to guide Christ the King Dorchester as they move forward. Equipping members to become authentic witnesses, building meaningful partnerships, and learning what it means to flourish alongside the community they call home.
