The Spiritual Practice of Trust

By Kelsey Rice Bogdan


Last week I read an article in the Boston Phoenix about cycles of youth violence, and why they are so hard to break. In “Dead Kids”, author David S. Bernstein writes that youth who would not participate in violence under normal circumstances are drawn toward it in violent neighborhoods, out of a need to protect one’s self. The result is a dynamic “where the fear of violence ironically pushes adolescent boys to copy the same behaviors, and end up on the same paths, as those before them.”  


This article especially hit home to me because of the impact two recent local shootings, that of 14-year-old Nicholas Fomby-Davis and 27-year-old Cory Johnson, have had on my communities. Fomby-Davis was a student at Dearborn Middle School, where Trinity Church has been organizing to turn the school around. I had assisted Johnson’s aunt as a lay worship leader only a few months ago when she preached at my Presbyterian church in Brookline. What struck me about the Phoenix article, in the context of these murders, was the fundamental role fear and mistrust plays in the ongoing violence.  


Fear is in many ways fundamental to the human condition. I don’t talk about certain things with certain people because I fear rejection. Our country doesn’t have honest discussion about energy policy, immigration policy, or pretty much any policy these days, because we fear change and loss. And in some parts of our city, people kill because they fear being killed. And all of this fear affects each one of us. Slowly, bit by bit, the fear poisons us. 


If I asked you to name the antidote to fear, you might respond with “hope.” But how do we live out hope? As our Hope in Action site here at Trinity Church stands poised to launch our college coaching program next week at Pathway Technology Campus in Villa Victoria, I find myself increasingly reflecting on the spiritual practice of trust as an expression of hope. If fear is born out of a basic level of mistrust, then trust becomes the ultimate counter to fear. Where mistrust leads toward dysfunction, the choice to trust opens us up to the interdependent life God intends for humanity. 


I’ve been learning a lot about trust in my own life during the past few weeks. As I transition out of my position as a Relational Evangelist, I also prepare our Hope in Action community to carry on our work  without me. I went on a short vacation a few weeks ago. The day before my return to the office, I realized with a sense of panic that I hadn’t done any work while I was gone. I had left all the work for others to do, leaving myself with no control over the process. And yes, I was afraid that nothing had happened. 


And what did I find when I got back? Tara and Christopher had matched up our volunteers to students who needed their help in Villa Victoria. Laura had already planned out the next meeting agenda. Eric had made plans and requested volunteers for our kickoff event. The team had come together to do what needed to be done. And I heard a call to trust more fully in our community. 


My impending departure from Trinity Hope in Action has made me realize more than ever that no matter how self-sufficient I am, I need a lot of help to accomplish the justice work that needs to be done. If I try to carry this whole project myself because someone else might not do it right, or not do it at all, then my mistrust limits the scope and impact of what we’re able to do.  


As I practice trust, amazing things happen at Trinity. Last week we held two training sessions for our new coaches, which were well-attended and well-facilitated by Hope in Action volunteers. Next week, we will hold the first of two thousand coaching hours with adult learners. These sessions will increase Pathway Technology Campus’ capacity, allowing it to offer tutoring and life coaching services to adults, where they have never before been available consistently. This development is happening through the hard work of a team that trusts and supports one another to get the job done. 


Admittedly, these are baby steps—they aren’t going to end youth violence immediately. But they witness to the way we’re supposed to live in relationship to our neighbors, ultimately turning the tide. Trusting can be difficult, and we shouldn’t naïvely do so. But in a world where our need to control destroys us, where our fear of one another kills innocent people in the street, it is time to cultivate the practice of relying on one another. Not only can it teach us more about how to live with one another in peace, but it can help us more fully lean into our fundamental dependence on a loving God.

Before April 10, 2010: "I would have said you are crazy."

This post was written by Janell Duberry, leadership team member at Church of the Holy Spirit in Mattapan.

Hope in Action day on April 10, 2009, for me, was a success. It was beautiful to see how many people came out from each site to show their support for the campaign. We had a great location outside, which made the event open for everyone to see and hear what was going on. The day's Agenda was organized well. I loved the public narratives, Marshall Ganz gave an amazing speech, and the closing prayer from Bishop Thomas (who confirmed me three years ago) really ended the event the right way. I felt that time-management was one of the key things that made the day so successful. Whether it was welcoming people to the event, or helping with registration, guiding the guests through Trinity Church, or helping setting up lunches, everyone from each site pitched in to help keep to the day's agenda. This movement and this day’s event symbolized what Hope in Action is about. We were a group of individuals from different backgrounds and places working collectively to help make a difference.

For my particular site at the church of the Holy Spirit, I was happily surprised to see the number of members who came out to support us. Like everyone there, we could have been anywhere on a Saturday afternoon; we chose that to be at Trinity Church to show our support for economic justice. What I loved most about the day was the collective decision-making process and how each leadership team member facilitated their own small group. I was nervous because I had never facilitated before, but excited at the same time. It was amazing to see how everyone was engaged in conversation and respected each other’s ideas and opinions. I found it quite informative because some of the things that were mentioned, I wasn’t aware of. An example of that is that a majority the families of the students who attend the after school program do not attend the Church of the Holy Spirit. We touched on issues that we knew were problems like the lack of tutors - only one tutor for every ten kids.

We recognized the need for more activities like science workshops, the arts, dance, photography, etc. to keep the children stimulated, and I think it was the first time that we were really were able to hear feedback from the members. What their likes and dislikes were, what some of their concerns were and how we can work together to make our 'Youth with a Choice' tutoring program even better. What also made the experience so great was being able to put a name to the faces of people from church: people you see and may had said hi to but never really knew their names or had a conversation with. Another positive was that, unlike previous community organizing events I've attended this year, the decision making process didn’t feel rushed. We had time to have a really great dialogue between one another and everyone in the room appreciated it.

When I was first approached to be part of Hope In Action and to join the leadership team, my reaction was NO. I do not have time for this and do not want to be bothered. Then I attended the MLK campaign kickoff event, and seeing how passionate people were was contagious. This campaign showed me that I too could be a leader; that we all can take on leadership roles; and that we shouldn’t sell ourselves short. Being part of this movement required me to step far out of my comfort zone. Public speaking is a fear of mine. If you said that I would be getting up in front of hundreds of people and giving a public narrative, I would have said you are crazy. The campaign at times was stressful and scary but I am part of something that is bigger than myself, which gave me a sense of empowerment, pride, and purpose.

Hope and youth gather in April 10 rally for justice, equality

This post was contributed by Micah Intern Caroline Hunter.

On April 10, 2010, the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts had no class. Or at least it didn’t see class.

Or race, gender or sexual orientation.

The Diocese hosted the culmination of Hope in Action, its campaign to engage youth in working for economic justice in Boston, on April 10. Several hundred people gathered in front of Trinity Cathedral in Copley Square for the event, which included a discussion of how to use the campaign’s resources; live music performed by a group of the Diomass Interns; and a speech given by community organizing veteran and lecturer in Public Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Marshall Ganz.

Although hispanic, black, asian, white, straight, gay, poor, wealthy, young, old, religiously active, atheist, New-England-native and many-other-locale-hailing individuals were present, these distinctions paled next to the passion for economic justice exhibited by the group as a whole.

At the event, teams from seven churches and universities around Boston committed and decided how to apply 1% of their time and/or money this year to social justice projects of their choice.

Examples of 1% commitment projects to be launched are: renewing the library of the Blackstone Elementary School in Dorchester, advocating for education reform in the Boston Public Schools,  and mentoring Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender youth in Waltham.

The Hope in Action campaign is part of a pilot youth and social action initiative in the Episcopal church called the Relational Evangelism Pilot Project.  One young adult Relational Evangelist from each of the seven project sites has recruited a leadership team in which they practice ongoing discernment about their values and goals as a group.  April 10 represented the intersection of the campaign’s different threads of justice work. For more about the event, see this article about Hope in Action on the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts website.