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Programs Overview | Mission Statement | Birth of a Street Church | Journey to Street Priesthood

In the summer of 1994, the Rev. Deborah W. Little began meeting with homeless people on the streets of Boston, offering sandwiches, friendship, and referrals. From that simple beginning, Ecclesia Ministries has evolved into a church community that engages homeless and privileged people, service providers, clergy, churches, seminarians, and others in ongoing activities that work to meet the important physical, social, and spiritual needs of homeless people.

Ecclesia Ministries began in the spirit of being present to, and praying with, those who are homeless, in order to learn about their struggles and hopes and to offer spiritual support. Thus Ecclesia provides companionship and community to homeless people, a sustaining fellowship that distinguishes Ecclesia from other social service agencies serving homeless people. By offering caring, predictable communities that come together through common activities, Ecclesia seeks to end the isolation homeless individuals face. The relationships that are forged provide a foundation of spiritual comfort and trust and provide room for meaningful change.

How did I get to the street?....I wanted to learn about God, and I wanted to learn
what it is to be a servant. I wanted to get closer to people on the street,
to help, to understand, to learn, and to see what it means to love your neighbor ...
What did the Hebrew prophet mean, what did Jesus mean,
when they said if you really want to move closer to the heart of life,
to the heart of God, get closer to the poor?

~ Debbie

Read the inspiring story of the beginning of Ecclesia Ministries in "Birth of a Street Church."

Read Debbie's personal account in "Journey to Street Priesthood."

Program Goals

Ecclesia Ministries offers social services to homeless people in concert with spiritual companionship and community in order to provide dignity and continuity for lives that have little or none of either. Our objectives include:

• To offer the basic necessities of life to people on the street, whether they have a shelter to go to or not, and to facilitate access to services they need, including housing and medical and legal assistance.
• To incorporate as many as possible into Ecclesia's drug- and alcohol recovery support network; our arts, film, and other activities programs; our volunteer efforts; and the spiritual companionship offered by the Ecclesia community.
• To work with other Boston agencies and organizations that serve the homeless and to advocate for the homeless in political contexts.
• To remain relevant and close to the needs of those we serve by involving them in decision making and organizational life.
• To create greater awareness of unhoused people, and companionship with them among housed people, through extensive teaching and preaching and by involving volunteers from regional parishes in Ecclesia events and outreach.

Programs Overview

Ecclesia's programs support the spiritual and physical needs of homeless men and women. Ecclesia works full-time throughout the week, serving over 1,000 homeless men and women a year on the streets, in institutions, and in the shelter programs of Boston. Ecclesia primarily serves homeless men and women in Boston who live on the street, in shelters, in jails, or in housing for people with disabilities. About 75% of our community is male with diverse racial, cultural, and economic profiles.

Our secondary ministry is to people in churches, schools, and other organizations who want to become more involved with homeless people. Most of our programs are open to all who wish to participate, creating a stimulating and life-giving mix of gender, race, age, economics, religion, and education.

Common cathedral is the heart of Ecclesia Ministries. It is our church with Sunday worship service held outdoors on the Boston Common at 1:00 pm, come rain or shine, or snow. During the course of 10 years it has only been cancelled once. Between 100 to 200 people gather every week for the service, comprising of our parishioners, most of whom are homeless, and visiting congregations from Boston and all over New England. Common cathedral brings together housed and unhoused congregations in the celebration of life, followed by community lunch which is donated by volunteer churches. Gospel Reflection follows the service at St. Paul's Cathedral across the street from the Common. We celebrate the holidays together: Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Common art is a program of common cathedral that provides space, materials, and staff support for homeless guests to develop skills in the visual arts. The program allows participants to engage their creativity and to express what is important to them in a uniquely personal manner. Boston-area artists are welcome as teachers. Exhibits of common art have been held at Trinity Episcopal Church at Copley Square in Boston, "the West End Library" in Boston, Trinity Episcopal Church in Randolph, MA, Church of the Advent in Medfield, MA, and St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church in Dover, MA.

Common cinema a program of common cathedral, shows weekly films on mainly spiritual topics. It gives homeless guests an opportunity to have a couple hours of recreation apart from their basic survival.

STREET MINISTRY: Ecclesia ministers and interns spend time in direct street ministry to homeless people, providing for immediate needs such as food, winter clothing, blankets, and medical emergency referrals. Ecclesia works closely with medical, mental health, law enforcement, and outreach workers who serve people on the street, learning from them and collaborating for care and referrals. Staff members work on developing ongoing relationships with homeless people as well as with other outreach workers.

Common fellowship AND EDUCATIONAL GROUPS: Common fellowship is an opportunity for the common cathedral community to come together to discuss issues of concern and topics of interest. Gospel Reflection takes place each Sunday after Eucharist and lunch, as well as during the Monday Eucharist. Baptism and Confirmation preparation for community members is available when requested. Regular theological reflection is provided for volunteers, interns and seminarians.

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PASTORAL CARE: Ecclesia Ministries has trained over 100 lay and ordained volunteers to provide pastoral care to many of the more than 8,000 homeless people admitted to Boston area hospitals annually who have no one to visit or offer spiritual support. Hospitals involved include Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston Medical Center, Newton-Wellesley Hospital, Shattuck and Brigham and Women's Hospitals, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, and the Barbara McInnis House, a respite care facility run by Boston Health Care for the Homeless (BHCH). Volunteers are trained to offer the human connection that vulnerable, lonely men and women need to heal and, too often, to die with dignity, love, respect, and companionship. Volunteers receive on-going supervision and support and attend a monthly team peer supervision meeting.

Read more information on our Pastoral Care Team program.

LEGAL MINISTRY: Jedediah Mannis, Attorney. Jed offers free legal services for homeless people who attend common cathedral. He can be reached two Mondays each month between 12-1 pm at the lunch program at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, 138 Tremont Street. Jed also directs The Outdoor Church, a ministry similar to common cathedral on the Cambridge Common that meets every Sunday from 1-2 pm. Feel free to call Jed at 781-652-8860 between 9 am and 5 pm. Read his view on Legal Ministry.

VOLUNTEERS AND FIELD SUPERVISION: Ecclesia Ministries supervises seminarians and volunteers from churches and civic organizations. Each year, Ecclesia supervises up to six seminarians from divinity schools, including Episcopal Divinity School, General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church, Boston University, Harvard Divinity School, Andover Newton Theological School, the Micah Fellows program, and Ridley Hall (Cambridge, England). They assist with all aspects of our ministry at Ecclesia Ministries.

DOORBELL MINISTRY FOR DOWNTOWN CHURCHES: Ecclesia Ministries offers its help to all churches seeking better relationships with, and understanding of, homeless people. Ecclesia Ministries created the Boston Churches' Doorbell Ministry initiative to encourage downtown churches to talk together about "doorbell" ministry and to offer resources to homeless people. Trinity Church leads the Station of the City every Good Friday with a focus on issues of homelessness. Emmanuel Church is renting an office to outreach workers and has renovated its undercroft to provide a safe haven for homeless mentally ill women. Emmanuel Church also offers free space for our common art program. St. John's Neighborhood Action meal programs continues to serve homeless people. Ecclesia ministers offer healing and prayer with guests of St. Paul's Lunch and do ministry on the steps of the Cathedral. We celebrate the Eucharist and lead a healing service each Monday at 1 p.m. in the Cathedral, and many of our indoor meetings are held at 138 Tremont Street.

PREACHING AND TEACHING: We welcome opportunities to preach, speak, and teach in churches, at adult forums, youth groups, dinners, and in outreach committee meetings. We share the Ecclesia story, talk about our experiences, the work to be done, the value to our spiritual lives of being with the poorest people, and how churches can get involved. When possible, common cathedral parishioners share the teaching, telling their own stories and their experience. Speaking about our work and worship inspires others and gives us the chance to reflect on our church community, the presence of Christ on the street, and the spiritual lives of homeless friends. In May 2006, The Rev. Kathy McAdams joined us as Minister of Church Relations, for the purpose of strengthening our relationship with housed congregations. Please contact The Rev. Kathy McAdams at 617-347-8582 to schedule a date for her to visit your congregation.

Financial Support

Ecclesia Ministries is an independent 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization. We rely on the generosity of foundations, congregations, and individual donors for support. In February 2006, Ecclesia Ministries received a third Ford Foundation grant to support new street ministries in other cities (see Mission to Other Cities). In addition, Ecclesia receives the support of the following foundations:

The Boston Foundation
Jane B. Cook Charitable Trusts
Fieldstone Foundation
Living Springs Foundation
Adelard A. and Valeda Lea Roy Foundation
Porpoise Fund
Tomfohrde Foundation
Trinity Church/Wall Street

Please call the Rev. Kathy McAdams at 617-347-8582 to discuss making an ongoing pledge or remembering Ecclesia Ministries in your will.

Ecclesia Ministries Board of Directors

The Rev. Dr. William Kondrath, Chairman
Director of Field Education/Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology, Episcopal Divinity School

Mr. Robert Brower, Treasurer
Accounting Consultant

The Rt. Rev. Roy F. Cederholm, Jr.
Bishop Suffragan, Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts

The Rev. James B. Sherblom
Affiliate Minister, First Parish in Needham

The Rev. Charles Howard
Greater Love Movement, Philadelphia, PA

The Rev. Dr. Deborah Little
Founding Director, Ecclesia Ministries, and Missioner of common cathedral

The Rev. Joan B. Murray
Minister of common cathedral

The Rev. Dr. Nancy Taylor
Senior Minister, Old South Church, Boston

The Rev. Judith L. Stuart
Campus Chaplain, Northeastern University and Boston College

The Rev. Karen Coleman
Assistant Rector, Christ Church, Needham

Ecclesia Ministries Advisory Board:

The Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston, President and Dean, Episcopal Divinity School
Jim Greene, Acting Director, Emergency Shelter Commission of the City of Boston
Roseanne Haggerty, President of Common Ground, New York City
Philip Mangano, Interagency Office on Homelessness, Washington DC
The Rev. Robert Tobin, Retired Rector of Christ Church, Cambridge MA

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