neXus Boston Collaboration Council
The Collaboration Council is comprised of leaders from the six founding organizations, plus several individuals who joined in to help neXus Boston get started. The members represent key groups that influence and are affected by Christian youth work and have committed to provide resources and staff support for the ongoing operations of neXus Boston.
Emmanuel Gospel Center: The mission of Emmanuel Gospel Center (EGC) is to understand and nurture the vitality of urban churches and communities. Founded in 1938, it conducts research to help EGC make informed decisions about where to best apply its resources. Understanding how the Center’s programs interact with the systems of the city is critical to avoiding counter-productive programs, especially in the urban environment. It seeks to understand the city as a large, highly inter-related social/spiritual system which, when nurtured properly, is capable of supporting the positive development of all individuals. All EGC programs stress the importance of relationships and are designed with high standards to be effective over the long run. As the administrative lead of neXus Boston, EGC acts as the financial conduit, is responsible for fundraising, supervising the director, and helping the partnership be more effective. Executive Director: Jeff Bass.
Center for Urban Ministerial Education: The Center for Urban Ministerial Education (CUME), Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary’s Boston campus, is particularly focused to help equip urban pastors and church leaders for more effective ministry and outreach in urban communities locally and throughout the world. CUME also serves in a support capacity by providing resources, ministerial fellowship, and stimulation for cross-denominational endeavors in evangelism and church growth. The program rose out of the urgent need for ministerial training specifically designed for urban church leaders in Boston, and first opened in September 1976 under the leadership of Dr. Eldin Villafañe. neXus Boston has its offices in the CUME building in Roxbury. Dean: Dr. Alvin Padilla.
Black Ministerial Alliance of Greater Boston: The Black Ministerial Alliance of Greater Boston (BMA), established in the early 1960s, is an alliance
of over 80 faith-based and community-based organizations with a 40-year history of serving the Black community in Boston. The BMA’s mission is to provide spiritual nurture for clergy, and advocacy and program services for the larger Black community. The BMA has active participation from churches representing over 20,000 parishioners. Current investments in the BMA have served over 106 faith-based and community-based organizations which in turn have impacted over 26,000 youth and families in Boston’s poorest neighborhoods. Executive Director: Harold Sparrow.
Boston TenPoint Coalition: The Boston TenPoint Coalition is an ecumenical group of Christian clergy and lay leaders working to mobilize the Christian community around issues affecting Black and Latino youth, especially those at risk for violence, drug abuse and other destructive behavior. The Coalition is committed to reinforcing and creating new networks of violence prevention and intervention services by building the capacity of member churches to serve high-risk and, oftentimes, violent youth. The Coalition also commits to strengthening and expanding partnerships with community-based, governmental, and private sector institutions willing to invest in high-risk youth and the future of the communities in which they live. Interim Executive Director: Rev. Jeff Brown.
Boston Urban Youth Foundation: Boston Urban Youth Foundation’s (BUYF) mission is to help at-risk youth develop spiritually, emotionally, academically, and economically. BUYF serves over 500 youth ages 11-18 from the Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan neighborhoods of Boston. It uniquely combines case management, incarnational mentoring, academic skill-building, vision casting, and positive peer group experiences to build positive futures, one kid at a time. BUYF motivates, mobilizes and equips at-risk youth toward college and a positive future. It partners with parents, schools, courts, and police. BUYF’s in-school and after-school integrated approach involves caring adults in the lives of young people so they can fulfill their God-given potential. Founder & President: Chris Troy.
Center for Youth Studies: The Center for Youth Studies (CYS) is a global network of youth ministry professionals committed to developing a comprehensive resource for youth work that is current, relevant, and geared for grassroots application. Its mission is to provide relevant informational
resources and promote global collaboration toward a comprehensive systems approach to ministry with youth. CYS believes holistic ministry with youth, children and families demands a broad collaboration of social systems, organizations and leaders. CYS also offers a place where youth and those who care about youth can go for free resources and information tailored to their vocational and practical needs. Founder and Executive Director: Dean Borgman.
Khary Bridgewater, Director of EGC's Applied Evaluation Systems, is a past executive director of Bruce Wall Ministries, former interim director of neXus Boston, and the former Co-Director of TechMission’s AmeriCorps program. Khary is also a licensed minister at New Hope Church in Framingham, MA.
Karin Wall, founding and former executive director of Bruce Wall Ministries in Boston and co-pastor of Global Ministries Christian Church (formerly Dorchester Temple Baptist Church), has been a full-time social worker since 1983. Karin has held several positions, including adoption specialist, policy analyst for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Director of Admissions for Boston University School of Social Work. She has graduate degrees in social work and African American Studies.
Virginia Ward, Youth Pastor at the Abundant Life Church in Cambridge, serves regionally on the Council of the New England Network of Youth Ministries, member of the Ministry Council of the National Network of Youth Ministries, trainer for the DeVos Urban Leadership Initiative. Virginia was instrumental in bringing the RELOAD youth work training to Boston this past March.