Photo courtesy Bed Stuy Parents Committee
Uplifting our community with the Love of Christ since 1988
The Concord Baptist Christfund was established in 1988 by The Concord Baptist Church of Christ as a testament to the power of Jesus Christ and the inspiration of Black people to let money make money for Christ. It was the first such fund created by a Black congregation and was made possible by the vision of the late senior pastor emeritus Dr. Gardner C. Taylor and the sacrificial and faithful giving of the Concord people.
The Concord Baptist Christfund is a contemporary bright star in the church’s long history of organizing the resources of the church to make the difference in people’s lives. Funded at $1 million, the Christfund now benefits people far beyond our own congregation and causes far beyond our own neighborhood.
The Concord Baptist Christfund is in keeping with our church’s legacy. About twenty years after the 1847 founding of “The Concord street Baptist Church of Christ (colored),” two of our founding members, Ms. Maria Hampton and Mrs. Hagar Washington rallied Black Brooklynites to support the “Colored Poor of Brooklyn” fund. Under the aegis of the Female Union Relief Association Concord Church provided financial support to the “sick and suffering poor.”
In the1880’s, the church organized the Concord Mutual Relief Society to share resources with people who needed to bury their dead, recover from illness and injury, and secure homes for their families. The congregation later provided critical and ongoing financial support to the Howard Colored Children’s Orphanage, the Brooklyn Home for the Colored Aged, and Brooklyn’s YMCA. They provided financial support for the anti-lynching campaigns led by Ida B. Wells Barnett; and provided support for the infrastructure development of the freedom and civil rights movement building campaigns.
In its first few years, the Concord Baptist Christfund provided critical financial support for HIV/AIDS education and prevention programs and supported the completion of Eyes on the Prize II. Since its inception, the Christfund has given away in excess of $1 million by using the annual interest earned on the principal to make grants.
With an eye toward the future, Concord is now reflecting on how to best move forward in ways most impactful as the needs of our community shift and deepen.
To download a historical listing of some of the grants made – click here.
The Concord Baptist Christfund Press
Concord Baptist and RIP Medical Debt Erase Over $4 Million in Bills for Brooklyn and Newark Families
Bed-Stuy Church Clears $4M Medical Bills For 4,500 People
https://dogoodu.com/2020/06/12/bed-stuy-church-clears-4m-medical-bills-for-4500-people/
Historic Bed-Stuy Church Honors MLK Day With Black Self-Empowerment Grants
https://www.kingscountypolitics.com/mlk-day-marks-black-self-empowerment-in-bed-stuy/
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