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Our History Since our first formal meeting in March of 2002, we began the process of partnering people of faith in suburban and rural church settings with those in the urban environment. The intent was to draw together people from the faith community, with differing backgrounds and a racial diversity to impact existing ministries and agencies with support through volunteering and finances. Our belief is that by working together, we strengthen and have a greater impact on our community, but also in this process the walls and barriers dividing us denominationally, racially and in class begin to fall. Additionally, we sought to create a forum for greater communication of what programs can be a shared responsibility cross denominationally. This began to occur from the onset of the organization and continues in an even more prolific way presently. Project URGE has been the catalyst for these opportunities to occur. We have had suburban churches give financially to a soup kitchen, to assist in meeting code, purchasing food and appliances. However, this effort has brought consistent volunteers from outside churches to help with food preparation and serving. We were able to assist a summer camp with under-resourced children in the 14621 area code with donations of food, snacks and engaging 10 different churches, cross-denominational, to host and help with facilitating the summer camp activities. This has occurred for the past 3 years. Our Jacob's Ladder team has gone city-wide helping ministry facilities and homeless shelters construct food shelf pantries, maintaining and renovating facilities, saving organizations on tight budgets both valuable time and money. This team has helped at least a dozen organizations, impacting several facilities greatly. We have had a Bread Run team in place for over 2 years, which delivers bread and baked goods from Tops in Canandaigua to soup kitchens and homeless shelters around Rochester on Saturday mornings. The Kidz Kafe' program hosted at Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church and headed by Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church has benefited from the involvement of 4 churches. We have also been able to take the children to suburban churches that have gymnasiums about once or twice a month. These churches also share in the purchase and preparation of food, and the children's activities. Additionally, we sometimes pick up children from homeless shelters and bring them to the Sat. morning program. The children were also taken to a Mennonite family farm in Rushville for the day. People have also helped send the children to Three Springs Ministries, summer camp for a week. Project URGE has assisted schools and churches with organizing and involving teens in service work for the past 2 years. Our information helps organize service opportunities for small groups, the 30 Hour Famine weekend, which includes a variety of churches, as well as, organizing a service days for schools, like Williamson High School, who had over 50 teens and adults helping at 7 facilities located within the "poverty crescent" in Rochester. In the fall, we host a bus tour showing ministry facilities, giving presentations and creating an awareness of how people can become actively involved in the challenges facing our community. We host social events, concerts, seminars and workshops, in an effort to inform people of how and where to become involved based on their strengths and passion, as well as to bring the strength of unity toward confronting the challenges our communities face. The concerts, seminars and social events also serve as informal events for people to become better acquainted. A couple years ago URGE began "Coatlink" at Crosswinds Wesleyan Church, which collects used and new coats, blankets, towels and distributes them to homeless shelters and ministry facilities in need in late fall when the weather is cooling. This effort continues to grow to other churches and helps to lighten the burden for some of the shelters and ministries in the area. In November of 2004 we began a Grant and Research team in an effort to help inform and assist ministries in becoming organized to be able to apply for funding, as well as to make them aware of opportunities for funding that were suitable to their specific needs. We also became part of a community representation called "FACT (Faith And Communities Together), which is a collaborative effort to apply for federal funding and seek more tangible ways to partner together to benefit the community regard to capacity building. Project URGE has assisted with plugging in volunteers to Francis Center, Women's Place and Sanctuary House (CFC) homeless shelters with sorting clothes, renovations, painting, cooking and children's programs. Our efforts have also spurred many donations of clothing, food and materials to the numerous shelters. Catholic Family Center recognized Project URGE with the "Faith Community of the Year" award for its service to the Homeless and Housing Services Department. Annually we host a combined worship event, which includes speakers, vocal groups, dancers and sometimes offers workshops. In 2005 the Concert of Praise featured acclaimed speaker, Dr. John Perkins, who has dedicated his life to racial reconciliation and rebuilding urban neighborhoods. Additionally, we had the "Cross Culture" teen choir from Baltimore's "Sandtown" community, that exemplifies the model of having multiracial teens from various denominations come together in song, dance and praise, working toward a positive impact in their community and in their own lives. Project URGE, Inc. has exemplified the meaning of collaboration through its work with churches, missions and agencies in and around the City of Rochester and neighboring communities. We have delivered on our goals by using constructive conversation and dialogue to in turn create tangible support and action benefiting the community. Additionally, Project URGE, Inc. is a member of the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA), a nationally engaged group that is a supportive network of urban practitioners, educators and churches committed to the work of God's Kingdom, especially as related to the poor.
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