Justice & mercy ministry
The purpose of the Justice & Mercy Ministry is to cultivate an attention and love for the aspects of God’s character that display justice and mercy. Through our sustained engagement with the broader community in Greater Boston, we seek to build a communal commitment to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.
Since the founding of Church of the Cross, we have had a consistent desire to serve the city and have partnered with a number of different organizations that meet a wide range of needs. Some of the areas we formerly partnered in (pre-COVID) included refugee services, education, and homelessness.
In the Spring of 2024, our community participated in a grassroots information gathering process to better understand our community’s interests, needs, and capacities related to justice and mercy. Through this process, our Justice and Mercy team discerned partnership organizations and volunteer opportunities across Greater Boston where our church community can serve.
Homeless Ministry:
The Church of the Cross Homeless Ministry partners with Miracle Mile Ministries. Hosted at Lion of Judah Congregation, Miracle Mile Ministries is a multi-church initiative in Boston's Mass-Cass neighborhood that serves people dealing with homelessness and addiction. It is organized by a core group of Boston-area churches who partner with over a dozen other churches and parachurch ministries to provide access to holistic resources together with a community breakfast and worship service.
Get involved!
Join a team of volunteers to serve once a month at Miracle Mile's weekly breakfast Saturday mornings from 8-10:30. Please reach out to homelessministry@cotcboston.org if you'd like to learn more!
Food Justice Ministry:
The CotC Food Justice Ministry partners with organizations in Greater Boston that work to alleviate food insecurity. This ministry facilitates various opportunities to provide food to those in our community in need by supporting the operation of food pantries, preparing and serving of community meals, and the distribution of groceries.
Get involved!
Reach out to foodjustice@cotcboston.org to hear more about ways to partner with the team!
Prison Ministry:
The CotC Prison Ministry partners with various organizations and people across Greater Boston working to support and build up those affected by incarceration both within the prison system and throughout the process of reentry.
Get Involved!
There are many avenues to getting involved with prison ministry, such as visiting inmates, providing reentry support, participating in inmate correspondence, or providing support to families of incarcerated individuals. To learn more about how to get involved, email prisonministry@cotcboston.org to connect!
Mini-Grants Program:
The Justice & Mercy Team (JMT) invites you to apply for a JMT mini-grant! Through these mini-grants, the JMT encourages Church of the Cross parishioners to find ways to directly serve in our neighborhoods or partner with organizations serving our city. This could involve—among many other possibilities—purchasing supplies to prepare a meal for neighbors who are food-insecure, organizing a trash pick-up in a nearby park, or partnering with a local nonprofit to participate in a service day.
To learn more about these mini-grants, please read our grant guidelines here. To apply for a mini-grant (up to $1,000 per project), fill out this form.
Contact Heather Kaufmann at heather@cotcboston.org if you have any questions.