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| Urban Profile: Newark, NJ |
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| CityVoices
newsletter: July 28, 2004 CityVoices readers, Newark, New Jersey (population 278,000) will probably always retain its “diamond-in-the-rough” status, in relation to glittery Manhattan. But Newark is every bit a diamond these days! Things are looking up as Newark and its churches seek to re-establish their proper places with America’s urban culture. After decades of wallowing in its 1960s-bound reputation, Newark is now bursting out as an affordable and creative place to live, work and worship. The city has always been a repository of great culture; with a wealth of universities, designer parks, libraries, and now a performing arts center. And while some of Newark’s old insurance giants did leave in the 1970s, a resurgence of that industry has occurred. Read on, as our various articles in this edition give a frank assessment of Newark and its churches today. Many of you already know about CityVoices move to the SCUPE office, beginning the first week of August. Please enter our new address and phone number in your contact list. CityVoices / SCUPE God’s grace and peace today, ******************** Newark: Tough to Get a Handle On Newark is tough to get a handle on, so let’s not overlook the obvious. It has a surprising skyline – consisting not only of its own towers, but its neighboring city’s, too. Manhattan is just minutes away and the Big Apple’s soaring rents are fueling a significant rebound in Newark’s real-estate market, as businesses seek more affordable office space. Newark also boasts an Ironbound district, whose railroad tracks encircle vibrant Spanish and Portuguese communities. “Mom-and-pop” stores spill their wares across Ferry Street, lined from above with the brilliant colors of international flags popping in the breeze. Just a few blocks away, you find yourself gazing up at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, a monstrous French Gothic cathedral that could as easily be perched on the shores of the Seine as on Clifton Avenue in Newark. Nearby, Brook Branch Park, part of the oldest park system in the United States, plunges deep into woodlands, sprawling across 341 acres. Yet the first thing people associate with Newark is the 1967 riots: More than three decades ago, political corruption and social injustice boiled over, and the wave of racial violence spreading through the country ripped into the city. Sixty percent of Newark’s population at the time was African-American, whereas the Newark Police Department was 83 percent white. When two white patrolmen stopped a black cabdriver for maneuvering his cab around a double-parked police car on 15th Avenue, they accused him of assault and resisting arrest, and beat him severely. Predominantly black neighborhoods, like those in the Central Ward, exploded. As events escalated, New Jersey State troopers and the National Guard were brought in. When the gunfire ended five days later, 26 people were dead, 1,100 were injured, and $10 million in property damage had occurred. In response, middle-class whites left the city, taking much of the money that had supported it. They took their businesses, and with them, the jobs on which thousands of local residents had depended. Newark has been rebuilding from that low point ever since. None of that rebuilding, however, would have been possible without individuals and nonprofits committed to reinvesting in the city. Today, the New Community Corporation (NCC), the largest community development corporation in the United States, offers job training to help residents leave welfare permanently. And together with the Supermarkets General Holdings Corporation, NCC has now built the first supermarket in the Central Ward since the riots. Newark’s future is still uncertain. Neighborhoods are slowly rebuilding and the downtown is perking up. At the same time, the juvenile HIV rate is up 131 percent since 1996. Violence goes unabated in the projects, where the number of teen deaths rose 86.7 percent between 1994 and 1997. "The city doesn’t have much planning capacity," says Nancy Zak, editor of Ironbound Voices, a publication covering neighborhood and citywide news. "I love the [Newark] Performing Arts Center," she says of the critically acclaimed $180 million “jewel-in-the-crown” atop the city’s revitalization effort. But the arts center, she notes, doesn’t solve the challenges facing the city’s overcrowded schools. However, since 1996, Newark has also seen the average number of children receiving public assistance drop by nearly 40 percent. From 1994 to1997, the infant mortality rate dropped almost 16 percent. There has been almost a 50 percent drop in juvenile arrests for indictable offenses – including crimes like rape and murder. While the city’s prospects remain a mixed bag, many indicators are indeed looking up. Newark is proving to be one of the most affordable places to start and run a business in the expensive Northeast Corridor. And a business rebound will spell success for Newark’s future. ******************** A Church Re-born in Newark (Seventy-seven year-old Bill Iverson became pastor of Newark’s historic Trinity Reformed Church in 2002. Since then, the once-dying congregation has experienced new life and outreach, ministering to three different language groups. An interview with Pastor Iverson follows) Give us a brief background on Trinity Reformed Church. Trinity Church began in a foundry in 1850, and had a significant influence until around 1965 when the last real outreach to youth took place. The last pastor also served another denomination and had divided duties for 22 years. She emphasized social issues, was faithful and much beloved. But there was no growth by new birth. At the same time, Newark was in decline. During 40 years, the city lost 175,000 persons. Newark became a national leader in crime, drugs, infant and maternal mortality and unemployment. Over the last century, Newark has lost over 400 churches. When I did pulpit supply work here in August of 2002, there were only
four members at worship. There were four tons of debris in the church
building, many cats, lots of smells and fleas. We started going to the
church each Saturday to clean it and felt hopeless. In October of 2002 I was asked to be pastor of the Trinity Reformed Church in order to replant it. I challenged two churches to lend us members for three months and we had 30 wonderful youth and adults whose presence made it easier to develop the worship service. Some stayed on to teach Sunday school. When the “scaffolding” of the helping groups fell off, there remained a neighborhood group of 30 or so in attendance. We have re-established the Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings, which have been an asset to our ministry. Why did I do it at 74 years of age? Because I love a challenge. No one
else wanted to do it, and the situation was a dishonor to the Lord Jesus
(above all). I also had confidence that if I showed up on the streets
with the gospel, the power of evil would be rolled back and the reign
of Christ would be manifested. Being a small church, Trinity Reformed has more building than we can use. We invited a Spanish church to join us. And through a fine Brazilian pastor, we started a Portuguese language service. We have been able to add members to the Spanish church through the ESL program, and reached adults from all cultures through the Sunday school. The key to unity is a weekly staff meeting: eating, sharing, studying and praying. The oldest corporation in America was formed in 1696 under King William
as the Collegiate Reformed Church of New Amsterdam. We think this kind
of relationship with mutual strategies and a common treasury for evangelism
and mission ministry is a good thing. The sharing of the building means
the sharing of the labor in its care. We believe that in time we should
have a collegiate church: our three language groups, one other church
from the heart of Newark, and a strong suburban church that has supported
the replanting of the church and renovation of its building. It’s been encouraging to receive 10 teams from Reformed Churches from Canada to Georgia who have come to renovate the church and do outreach. Each person brings a $125 gift for materials and other needs. Our Sunday school room, unused for 15-20 years, was renovated and dedicated in memory of a former pastor. I am encouraged with the fact that kids in the city are reachable, love to worship and enjoy being in the house of God. We have received about 25 new members, most by profession of faith. We also see that men are interested in getting together for honesty, and for fellowship. We minister in a depressed area, but Newark has many encouraging resources. We see the urgency of addressing social issues. If we face the problems, we get some answers. Give us a brief vision for future ministry in your Newark community? Our vision is to grow in the love of God – heart, soul, mind and strength as individuals and as a church family. That same love will transform the community. We seek to be a teaching church for our community – sharing learnings with other small churches. We hope to address this with seminars in the near future for those who have found ways to re-grow small churches. Contact: Rev. Bill Iverson, Trinity Reformed Church, 483 Ferry Street, Newark, New Jersey 07105. (973) 344-8228, billiverson@earthlink.net ******************** Newark Capitalizes on its Location (Adapted from “Rejuvenated Cities Capitalize on Location,” By Haya El Nasser and Paul Overberg, in USA TODAY) Newark was long the butt of jokes as New York City's unglamorous industrial cousin, a disintegrating city that lost population for 70 years. But Newark is having the last laugh now. A performing arts center graces downtown. Blue Cross Blue Shield, a huge employer that left in the 1970s, came back and brought 2,000 jobs. Every high-rise public housing project was torn down. Newcomers, drawn by housing prices that are half or less of those in other New York suburbs, are moving in. These days, Newark is doing what a few years ago would have been unthinkable: steadily gaining population. After dropping 1% in the 1990s, the number of residents has increased by 2% since 2000 to 277,911, according to Census population estimates to be released today. "Newark has always had location, location, location," says Mayor Sharpe James. But now, he says, "We're giving [people] the right reasons to live in the city. More and more people are relocating to Newark because of the high price of living in New York City," and its closest suburbs. The forces helping rejuvenate Newark are playing out in many other parts of the nation. The result: Once-declining cities are growing again, and towns in seemingly remote areas are booming. In the Northeast, Newark and other old cities such as Providence are reaping the benefits of these dynamics. In the shadow of vibrant cities such as New York and Boston, they're stepping up as affordable and attractive alternatives. Among the factors driving such growth are low interest rates that have fueled home buying and development controls that have jacked up housing prices in many suburbs. "As land gets taken out of the development cycle, it feeds people back to inner suburbs and cities," says James Hughes, dean of Rutgers University's school of planning. At the same time, demographic shifts have produced a new wave of people willing to live in cities on the outskirts of such hubs as New York and Chicago: immigrants, empty nesters and young people without children. "They're an arm's length (from) places they can't afford to live in but offer the lifestyle they want," says demographer William Frey, a fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. Newark is the perfect example. The city is part of a strong regional economy. New Jersey ranks fifth in the nation in job creation, and Newark has landed more than 8,000 jobs in the past 10 years. The state's aggressive programs to preserve land and rein in sprawl, which limit development in newer suburbs have boosted demand for housing in Newark. The city has capitalized on the region's rapid-transit system. Trains whisk people to Manhattan or the Newark airport in 10 minutes. The city also has expanded its housing opportunities. "We were making the mistake of building only low-income housing," Mayor James says. Now, the mix includes middle-class housing and even what he calls "Snob Hill type of housing." Professional couples are buying houses in Newark's old Forest Hill and Ironbound neighborhoods for $350,000. The same houses might sell for $800,000 to $1 million in more affluent Connecticut and New York suburbs. ******************** Newark Churches Band Together for Community Improvement (Adapted from “Churches look beyond their walls,” by Barry Carter, New Jersey Star-Ledger, Sunday, April 18, 2004) Two South Ward churches and neighborhood residents were determined to keep a 24-hour gas station / convenience store out of their neighborhood last year. They protested at Newark planning board meetings and held rallies at Leslie and Wainwright Streets, where the gas station would have been located. At the time, they said that type of business would exacerbate the drug traffic along a three-block stretch of Chancellor Avenue and harm the community. The churches – Clearview Baptist and Union Chapel AME – have welcomed New Life Missionary Baptist Church into the fold to clean up the area. Now, all three have teamed up again with community leaders and residents to take a hard look at the neighborhood. They have formed the Chancellor Avenue Corp., an organization that seeks to redevelop their community. The Rev. Marlowe Washington, pastor at Union Chapel AME, said the only way to fix up the area is for organizations to own tracts of land in the neighborhood. "We are committed to bringing back life to the upper Weequahic section of Newark," he said. In that three-block radius, there are some businesses, but the area looks blighted and organization members said they would like to see it revitalized. Clearview Baptist, which is on Chancellor, owns land across the street from its sanctuary and plans to build an annex. The Rev. Eric Beckham, pastor at Clearview, said the group's goal is to improve the area, help residents keep up their homes with grants and keep out businesses that don't benefit the neighborhood. To reclaim the area, community leaders have said they need to buy the privately owned land that would have been the site for the gas station. When residents protested against the gas station, they got help from the city council, which passed an ordinance that prevented the owners from using the land for that purpose. The council's action was a reversal of a previously approved redevelopment plan for the area. The consortium of churches and residents has been moving forward. Over the past several months, the group has formed committees and filed documents to become a nonprofit organization. Carrie Priester, a district leader in the community, said she has great hope for her neighborhood now that the churches have taken a stance. When she moved to the South Ward in 1968, Priester said she remembers how residents didn't have to leave the neighborhood to shop. "You could find anything you wanted," Priester said. "You didn't have to go outside of the community. There's not as much selection around here anymore." Priester said she would like to see a mini-mall with a variety of businesses to serve the needs of the community. Marjory Avant, a member of the organization and active neighborhood resident, said the formation of the group is an excellent example of community activism. "I'm impressed by the commitment and passion of residents of that neighborhood to have a say in the development and planning of their community," she said. ******************** Newark Abbey: Benedictine Lifestyle in Urban New Jersey In 1846 the Abbey of Metten in Bavaria established the first Benedictine monastery in the United States, St. Vincent Archabbey, Latrobe, Pennsylvania. In 1857 two Benedictine priests were sent from St. Vincent to care for the many German immigrants in Newark, NJ, founding St. Mary's Priory. These monks and those who followed them responded energetically to the needs of the church by staffing parishes. In 1868, responding to another urgent need, the Newark priory established a school for boys, St. Benedict's College (later called St. Benedict's Prep). As the city grew and prospered so did the monastery, becoming gaining its independence in 1884 as St. Mary's Abbey. Today the Benedictines of Newark continue the witness of work and prayer begun over 140 years ago. The monastery church is also a parish church, and priests from the monastery serve as chaplains to three convents, and help on Sundays in parishes in neighboring communities. The primary focus of the monks' common work is St. Benedict's Prep, which has revitalized and renewed itself over the years to meet the ever-changing needs of Newark. The monks of Newark Abbey cheerfully share with their neighbors the noise, pollution, struggles, and fears; the joys, victories, holiness and heroism that make up life in the city. Egyptian monks of old went into the desert to "do battle against the devil" and to seek and find God there. The Newark monks do the same in the desert of a modern city with its own thirsts, mirages and demons. The monastery becomes an oasis of spirituality for all people. City life is at times bewildering. The monks try to be signs of stability. They are called to be a Christian witness of peace in a society marked by racial tension and social unrest. Resisting the headlong pursuit of material goods and pleasures, they serve as reminders of Christ's simplicity. To read more about the lives of the monks of Newark Abbey, look for Fr. Albert Holtz’ recent book, “Downtown Monks,” published by Ave Maria Press. Contact: Newark Abbey, 528 M.L. King Boulevard, Newark, NJ 07102, (973) 792-5800, aholtz@sbp.org ******************** Worth Reading! God’s Neighborhood: A Hopeful Journey in Racial Reconciliation and Community Development, by Scott Roley with James Isaac Elliott, InterVarsity Press, 2004. Scott Roley was once an up-and-coming singer / songwriter in the contemporary Christian music scene, but then God called him to a different kind of ministry. He left his life of privilege, became a church pastor and moved into a disadvantaged neighborhood. There he began to learn hands-on what “loving your neighbor” required of him – social justice, community development and racial reconciliation. This warm, empathetic and challenging book tells the story of the Roley family’s journey of relocation, landing them in Franklin, Tennessee, 18 miles north of Nashville. Throughout the course of that journey, God teaches them precious lessons of life and ministry. If you feel stuck in your current situation, read and enjoy this book. You’ll find ways to change and ignite your own life. There Are No Children Here: The Story of Two Boys Growing Up in the Other America, by Alex Kotlowitz, Doubleday, 1991. Many of you have read this one, perhaps ten years ago or more! (read it again) Alex Kotlowitz has written similar books since, but none as eye opening and moving. “There Are No Children Here” relates the stories of two pre-teen boys growing up in Chicago’s near-west side Henry Horner housing project in the late-1980s. While very dated (Henry Horner no longer even exists), Kotlowitz’s plainly-related stories communicate the plight of the underclass, even as government leaders tell us that such problems no longer exist. A glance back at this book helps keep us in touch with much of what the church still has to deal with in rich vs. poor urban areas. ******************** Thanks for Reading CityVoices! Next month’s CityVoices newsletter offers practical and inspirational suggestions on re-charging your ministry life at the end of summer. Classes are over, denominational gatherings are history. Now it’s time to time to care for all that enables you to minister effective in the city. Look for some of the tried and true basics, as well as some new ideas that may lie right at your doorstep. Remember to contact CityVoices for the very best in resources for city ministry. “Transforming Power” by Robert Linthicum ($14), “The Expanded Mission of City Center Churches” ($10), and “A Biblical Word for an Urban World” ($10), both by Ray Bakke can be purchased by calling CityVoices at (312) 726-1200. Also, look through the Bookstore section of the CityVoices website (www.cityvoices.com) for a complete listing of all available resources. Thank You! |
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