Why I Love CUME

Why I Love CUME

by Jeff Bass, Executive Director 

On January 21, I attended the opening convocation day at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary’s Boston campus, more commonly known as CUME, or the Campus for Urban Ministerial Education. I am an adjunct professor at CUME, and each spring, I teach one of their core urban ministry courses, Living Systems in the Urban Context. 

Attending the convocation is one of the obligations of teaching at CUME. But even though I went out of duty, it didn’t take long to reconnect with my sense of why CUME is so important and to remember why I make teaching there one of my priorities. Throughout the day, I was reminded why I love CUME, and I went home with a renewed appreciation for and commitment to CUME’s vital ministry in urban Boston.

I love CUME because it is a genuinely diverse expression of the church in Boston. The Bible is clear that we are heading for a multiethnic reality, with people “from every nation, tribe, people and language” standing before the throne (Rev. 7:9). The CUME community is the best representation of this that I have experienced. The room has no majority and is a glorious mix of Black, white, Asian, and Latino; men and women; people from different countries and backgrounds; and a range of ages from young adults to seniors. It’s a joy to worship, pray, interact, teach, and learn in this beautiful expression of the kingdom of God in Boston.

Jeff Bass teaching a class in the Living Systems in the Urban Context course in Spring 2023. Emmanuel Gospel Center.

I love CUME because of the passion and commitment of the students. The vast majority of CUME students have jobs as well as active ministries. In one small group session, we heard from a student who has a full-time job, is a senior pastor and a grandfather, and is, of course, taking classes at CUME. His energy for his life and learning was palpable, as was the energy from all the students I interacted with that day. It’s inspiring to be with so many people who expressively love the Lord, invest in their learning and growth, and put their faith into action in their whole lives. 

I love CUME because of the real difference it makes in the lives and ministries of its students and graduates. CUME students are urban ministry practitioners. They are not there just for academics but also to deepen their knowledge and practical skill sets so they can engage in effective ministry now and in the future. While I was eating my lunch, a student came over and spoke to me for five minutes about how he is applying what he learned in my systems class and how it is positively impacting his ministry. CUME undergirds the active ministries of its students with theological understanding and tools for practical ministry, and it is fun to see the enormous impact this has had across the church in urban Boston over decades.

“CUME undergirds the active ministries of its students with theological understanding and tools for practical ministry, and it is fun to see the enormous impact this has had across the church in urban Boston over decades.”

— Jeff Bass

I love CUME because of its strong and dedicated leadership. I’ve known CUME’s dean, the Rev. Dr. Virginia Ward, for many years now. She is a gifted and passionate leader who is building a solid team around her. The feeling at the convocation that day was one of confident team leadership, with all the parts working together to create an excellent experience for the students. Despite its many challenges, CUME is well led and is moving forward with strength and competence. 

I love CUME because its mission is critical to the health of the church in urban Boston. CUME’s mission dovetails beautifully with EGC’s mission, and this dovetail is intentional. CUME was founded in the 1970s to provide theological education to urban ministry practitioners. At the same time, EGC was re-envisioned as a center for applied research and ministry development, all in the service of Christian leaders. As we approach the 50th anniversary of CUME’s founding, I love seeing CUME’s vision and mission still being turned into a beautiful reality each semester as we continue to work together to strengthen Christian leaders and seek the peace and prosperity of this city to which we have been called.

Snapshot of CUME

Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary—Boston

Campus for Urban Ministerial Education (CUME)

1976

CUME was founded in September 1976 at Twelfth Baptist Church in Roxbury, Massachusetts.

Student Body*

For the 2021 to 2022 academic year, total enrollment at CUME stood at 138 students, including 86 men and 52 women. 72% of the enrolled students are ethnic minorities, not including international students. The students represent 28 denominations and come from 19 different countries. Like other theological schools, CUME’s enrollment has been negatively impacted by the COVID pandemic.

• African American: 46 students (33%)

• Asian: 25 students (18%)

• Hispanic or Latino: 26 students (19%)

• White: 12 students (9%)

• Two or more races: 2 students (1%)

• Unknown/Unavailable: 19 students (14%)

• International Students: 8 students (6%)

Faculty

CUME has two full-time and 14 adjunct professors.

• African American: 10 (63%)

• Asian: 1 (6%)

• Hispanic or Latino: 1 (6%)

• White: 4 (25%)

Certificate and Degree Programs

• Urban Ministry Graduate Certificate

• MA in Christian Ministries

• Master of Divinity, including the Urban Ministry Track

Languages

Classes are taught in English as well as some in Spanish and Portuguese.

*The data is based on Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary’s ATS Enrollment Reports for Fall 2021. The numbers are based on fall census data from September 27, 2021, and not on full-year totals.  

Contact Jeff

New Form

Would you be willing...?

Would you be willing...?

by Jeff Bass, Executive Director

Editor’s Note: In this opinion piece, Emmanuel Gospel Center’s executive director, Jeff Bass, shares how his life took an unexpected turn from the suburbs to the city. His story is one of the many ways God calls different people — from those down the street to others around the globe — to embrace the call to join him in his “divine mission for redemption.”

There I was. Alone in a room with the Rev. Dr. Michael Haynes. He looked me straight in the eye and said, “Would you be willing to go to the city?”

But I wasn’t really alone. I was among thousands of other college students that Dr. Haynes, the senior minister of Boston’s historic Twelfth Baptist Church and former pastor of Martin Luther King Jr., was addressing at Urbana ’79, just south of Chicago. That question has led to other “Would you be willing” questions over the decades, each one shaping God’s call on my life.

Urbana is InterVarsity Christian Fellowship’s famous missions conference, but I really had no interest in being a missionary. My college roommate and I had asked the English theologian John Stott a question when he spoke at Princeton a few months back, and Dr. Stott invited us to discuss it more over breakfast if we would come to Urbana in December. In retrospect, I think he was keener on getting us to Urbana than he was truly interested in our question. Be that as it may, after Christmas with my family in the suburbs of Cleveland, I drove to Urbana to have breakfast with Dr. Stott and attend the conference.

Jeff Bass as a young college student around 1979. Emmanuel Gospel Center.

It turned out that Urbana ’79 was an amazing experience. Forty-plus years later, I remember Luis Palau’s dynamic speaking, the energetic worship, the challenging small-group conversations, and a very well-orchestrated communion service with 17,000 participants. I don’t remember Billy Graham speaking, though I see he was on the agenda. I do remember that Dr. Stott’s devotions on Romans each morning were the best Bible teaching I’ve ever heard, and I remember that it was cool to have breakfast with one of the greatest theologians and Christian leaders of our time — though I don’t remember gaining much ground on our question.

What I remember most was Dr. Haynes’ passionate speech about the importance of God’s work in the city. I remember him saying at the end of his talk, “Some of you will be called to the city.” Thanks to the wonders of the internet, I just discovered that what he really ended with was:

“God this day may be directly calling you to personally covenant with him in a partnership to fulfill the most exciting yet demanding and critical mission of the Church of Jesus Christ in this new age and in the decade of the 1980s — right in center city, urban America, USA.

Brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, our Lord is waiting for you to walk and work the city streets of this world with him in a divine mission for redemption. Would you be willing to go to the city?”

I can’t explain it, but it really did feel for a minute like Dr. Haynes was talking just to me — like I was alone with him in that big hall, and the Holy Spirit was asking me: Would you be willing to go to the city? And somehow, I knew at that moment I was being called to the city.

“I can’t explain it, but it really did feel for a minute like Dr. Haynes was talking just to me — like I was alone with him in that big hall, and the Holy Spirit was asking me: Would you be willing to go to the city?”

— Jeff Bass

Of course, I had no idea what that meant. It would not have been any stranger to me if Dr. Haynes had said, “Would you be willing to go to the farm?” I really had no connection with the city, and no real interest in the city either. I grew up in the burbs and was happy there. I picked Princeton over MIT in part because of its bucolic campus. I was studying environmental engineering and thought I would be headed to the woods someday.

But God had other plans. Not only was he calling me to the city, he was calling me to Dr. Haynes’ city. In the summer of 1981, I graduated from college, got married, moved to Watertown just outside of Boston, and started a new job as a hazardous waste management consultant at Arthur D. Little in Cambridge. And so began a journey to develop what so many others have had all along, a sincere love and appreciation for urban communities and urban people in general, and a passion for Boston in particular.

My wife, Ellen, and I did our best to get to know urban Boston. We joined an urban church — Ruggles Baptist on the border of Boston and Brookline. (It seemed pretty urban to us at the time.) We found a little ministry in the Yellow Pages (yes, this was pre-Google) called Christians for Urban Justice and started volunteering with them.

Through Ruggles, we met other people who cared about the city, and eventually, ten of us moved together to Boston’s Mission Hill neighborhood, building homes on land no one wanted. And through Christians for Urban Justice, Ellen and I met folks at the Emmanuel Gospel Center, including Doug and Judy Hall. I took their inner-city ministry course in 1988 and got my first introduction to systems thinking in Christian ministry. Around that time Doug, EGC’s executive director, asked me to join the organization’s board. From there, Rev. Bruce Wall, EGC’s board chair and a spiritual son of Dr. Haynes, encouraged me to join the staff in 1990, and I replaced Doug as executive director in 1999.

My life took a turn in December of 1979. An opportunity to have breakfast with a Christian leader I admired turned into an apparently clear word from the Holy Spirit, which led to a whole series of “Would you be willings”: Would you be willing to come to the city? … to move to Mission Hill? … to raise your family here and send your kids to Boston Public Schools? … to learn from the richness of people often labeled as “poor”? … to become friends with, work with, and work under people who are very different from you?

These “Would you be willings” challenged my faith, caused me to take risks and to grow, and led me to make choices in my life to follow through on what the Lord was calling me to.

More lately, the “Would you be willings” have been: Would you be willing to lament? … to find the courage to speak up even when it’s challenging or costly? … to repent of your arrogance and grow in humility? … to see things from other perspectives? … to give up power to empower others? … to learn to serve in new ways?

The journey has been — and continues to be — challenging, fulfilling, and often unexpected.

I want to continue to be willing…

TAKE ACTION

Since Dr. Haynes spoke to the young crowd at Urbana in the late 1970s, urban ministry has become even more crucial to the mission of the Church of Jesus Christ as more and more people migrate to the world’s cities. A lot has changed since then, and I wonder what challenges Dr. Haynes would have for us today.

I am clear that the Holy Spirit often challenges us with “Would you be willing...?” to invite us to cooperate with what God is doing around us. What “Would you be willings” is the Lord asking of you?

• Would you be willing to embrace the new opportunities God has created for the church through the COVID pandemic?

• Would you be willing to fight racism and injustice in your settings, even if it is personally costly to you?

• Would you be willing to listen to “the other side”?

• Would you be willing to follow instead of lead if leading has been your norm?

• Would you be willing to take the risk to follow God in a new way in this challenging season?

Jeff Bass

Jeff Bass joined the staff of EGC in 1991, and was named executive director in 1999. A graduate of Princeton University (civil engineering major), Jeff first worked as a consultant for Arthur D. Little, Inc., but left in 1987 to become the business manager of a local church, where he learned first-hand about the inner workings of an urban congregation. In 2014, Jeff was granted an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Gordon College. Jeff is an avid tennis and paddle tennis player. He and his wife, Ellen, have two adult children and two amazing grandchildren.

EGC is on the Move!

EGC has sold our building in the South End, and we are preparing to move to Second Church in Codman Square, Dorchester!

Innovation is in our DNA. Over our 80-year history, our focus has always been the same—to strengthen Christian leaders to serve urban communities. But our methods grow and evolve as we learn from and adapt to the ever-changing realities of Boston.

EGC Staff Photo

Our decision to move stems from our desire to be agile and sustainable, allowing us to concentrate our time and resources into serving leaders and loving the city.

We have sold our building in the South End to IBA (Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción), the local community group that operates Villa Victoria. We are excited that their plan is to build affordable housing on this site. Funds from the sale will both finance our move and seed an endowment that will increase EGC’s financial stability to be more agile in  pursuing our mission.

Second Church in Codman Square, Dorchester.

We are excited to partner with Rev. Dr. Victor Price of Second Church in Dorchester. Together we hold a common vision for faith, collaboration, and innovation with partners across the city. We look forward to sharing more details with you in the coming days about how  our relocation is the “smart move” for pressing on in that call!

I’d Love to Hear from You

What do you think about EGC’s move? Do you have thoughts on how EGC can better encourage and strengthen Christian leaders in the city? Send me your thoughts at jbass@egc.org.

Part of EGC’s new space at Second Church.

Hungry for more details? Here are some FAQs:

Why are you doing this?

Our Board and staff have been considering a move like this for over 8 years and it is not one we make lightly. In prayerful response to changes around us and within EGC, we are making this significant change to put EGC in a stronger position to advance our mission—to strengthen Christian leaders to serve urban communities. It's a long story, but we felt we needed to make a choice between investing to maintain a large, aging and in some ways challenging facility (in an increasingly gentrified and expensive neighborhood), or streamlining so we can more fully invest in our mission. We love the South End neighborhood, but we feel that selling our buildings and moving into a rented space in a less-gentrified urban neighborhood best positions EGC for ministry today and tomorrow. We want the next 80 years to be even better than the last 80 years!

You’ve sold your buildings?

Yes, we sold our buildings in the South End to Inquilinos Boricuas en Accion (IBA), the local community group that operates Villa Victoria. We are excited that their plan is to build affordable housing on this site. Funds from the sale will both finance our move and seed an EGC endowment that will increase our financial stability to be more agile  in pursuing our mission.

What will happen to the South End Neighborhood Church?

The three churches that meet at EGC will need to find new homes. Thankfully, IBA will be taking some time to implement their designs. So the churches can stay in this space through all of 2019 if they want to, which gives them time to make new plans.

What about the house (the Hall Hotel)?

EGC sold the Hall Hotel to Brian and Cathy Corcoran last winter. They are working to fix it up and continue its use as their family home and a center for Christian community. They will be neighbors to the new affordable housing that will be developed by IBA.

Where is EGC moving?

We plan to move to a rented space at Second Church (the historic church building in Codman Square, on the corner of Washington and Talbot). We will have over 3,000 square feet of dedicated space, and use of other spaces in the building for EGC meetings and our convening ministry. Three other churches, a few small ministries, and a solar business also share space in Second Church’s large building, so we are joining a robust and dynamic ministry community.

When are you moving?

We have work to do to configure the space at Second Church for our needs. Timing will depend on construction (and more importantly, on construction permits). At this point, we expect to move sometime later in 2019. IBA is graciously letting us stay in our current space until we are ready to go. We will make an announcement when we know a moving date, but at this point middle to late 2019 is a good guess.

What happens next?

Not many changes immediately. EGC and the churches that meet here will be working on our plans in the coming months. In the meantime, EGC will still be in the South End, doing our work of strengthening Christian leaders across urban Greater Boston from this space. Nothing will seem different until we get much closer to a moving date later in 2019.

What can I do?

Thanks for asking! You can pray for EGC at this significant point in our history. We’ve been in the South End for all of our 80 years, so this is a significant journey  for us. Our mission is to strengthen Christian leaders to serve urban communities throughout urban Greater Boston, and we are excited to be transferring our work base to another significant urban neighborhood in Boston.

Also, please let me know what you think about the move, and how EGC can best encourage and strengthen Christian leaders in our city. You can email your thoughts or questions to me at jbass@egc.org.  I’d love to hear from you!

Choosing to Listen

PERSPECTIVES

Jeff Bass, Executive Director, Emmanuel Gospel Center

Last night I attended a community meeting at the Boston Islamic Center in Roxbury Crossing. Over 2,600 people came together in my neighborhood to hear Mayor Walsh, Senator Warren, and assorted leaders and citizens from the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization challenge us to stand together against bigotry and for community.

“It would be arrogant and naïve for me to continue to ignore my own arrogance and naïveté as I process this. So what do I do now?”

Like many in Boston’s blue bubble, I was shocked and deeply disappointed by the results of the November election, and I’ve spent the last few weeks trying to get a handle on our new and emerging reality. I have been asking myself, “What was I missing?”  It would be arrogant and naïve for me to continue to ignore my own arrogance and naïveté as I process this. So what do I do now?

As I heard speaker after speaker affirm last night, my first responsibility is to listen. As a White Evangelical male organizational leader, growing in listening is especially important for me.

I know many people who are angry, and many who are fearful—not just about the divisiveness in our country, but about the impact the election will have (and is having) on their families and neighborhoods. One friend wrote that she feels like someone is pointing a gun at her children saying, “Don’t worry, I won’t pull the trigger.” Even though the gun is not pointed at me in the same way, can I appreciate the danger that she and so many others are experiencing? Can I begin to understand the pain and betrayal they feel?

At the same time, I know people who are hopeful—even excited—about a change in leadership and the opportunity for the country to move in what they see as a new direction. They had a different set of “deal-breakers” in the election (change, the economy, the Supreme Court perhaps). Can I understand their views, and appreciate their decisions? Can I empathize with the pain they’ve felt these last eight years that would lead them to choose Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton? It’s unfathomable to me, yet look at what happened.

“Even though the gun is not pointed at me in the same way, can I appreciate the danger that she and so many others are experiencing? Can I begin to understand the pain and betrayal they feel?”

So I have a lot to learn, and I’m going to start by doubling down on listening. Well. And a lot. This means taking the time for more conversations, more reading, and more pressing into new relationships. And when I do, I want to seek first to understand, feel, relate as best I can, before I say or do anything else.

“I want to first seek to understand, feel, relate as best I can, before I say or do anything else.”

As we create space at EGC staff members to speak up with our perspectives on what we are learning and seeing in the church in Greater Boston, and as we weigh in on issues that affect us, I hope that we can stay grounded in listening.

If you’d like to talk about any of this, please let me know. I’d love to listen.

Jeff Bass and his wife Ellen live in Roxbury Crossing, about a mile from the Islamic Center.