The Council of Congregations

If you've looked at the EECM website or read much in the blog, you've probably heard references to "member congregations" or the Council of Congregations. Everyone who works closely with EECM is very familiar with the Council but I'm guessing that this knowledge does not extend too far beyond our hallowed halls. So today we'll do a crash course introduction to the venerable Council of Congregations.

From its inception in 1970, East End Cooperative Ministry has worked collaboratively with a variety of congregations throughout Pittsburgh. As an interfaith ministry, EECM partners with adherents to a variety of religious paths, although the laws of demographics dictate that most of our participating congregations fall within the Judeo-Christian spectrum. The initial member congregation headcount was 18 and that number has grown to more than 40 over the last four decades. For a complete list of the member congregations, click here.

Each congregation designated one of its members to serve as the liaison between that congregation and EECM. Until recently, those representatives also made up the EECM Board of Directors. Two years ago, the agency restructured its Board – a board of 40 was proving unwieldy – and the representatives from the congregations now constitute the Council of Congregations, an advisory body to EECM. The president of the Council serves on the Board of Directors to provide a connection between the two bodies.

Okay, so that's the history. What does the Council do? The Council of Congregation's primary function is to serve as advocates of EECM within their congregations. These congregations support EECM financially, provide volunteers, and allow us to use their space for our programs. Their Council rep keeps them informed as to the goings on at EECM and lets them know about specific needs we might have, publicizes upcoming events, etc.

The Council also lends its support to a variety of activities throughout the year including:

* An annual interfaith celebration of the work and life of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King;

* Congregational food drives during the Have a Heart for Hunger Campaign;

* An annual "Off to College" drive to collect school and dorm supplies for EECM's Children & Youth participants who are heading off to college and life away from home;

* The Houses of Worship Architectural Tour (more details about this fabulous event will be forthcoming at the end of the summer);

* An annual fall Coat Drive to benefit the men in our emergency shelter;

*The Kristallnacht Memorial Gathering – an interfaith service that remembers those lost in the Holocaust which takes place in November;

* Holiday Gift Giving – each year EECM provides Christmas gifts to nearly 700 individuals throughout our programs. The Council participates in providing these gifts.

This is just a brief overview of all the fantastic work done by our Council of Congregations. EECM was, is, and always will be a community-based organization and we would not be able to accomplish all that we do without the dedicated service of our member congregations.