Mission & Justice: Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries

The mission of Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries (CMM) is to mobilize congregations and communities across economic, religious, racial, and ethnic boundaries so that, in partnership, they can work more effectively for a just society.

It is an interfaith, interracial coalition of urban and suburban congregations in metropolitan Boston. Rooted in diverse traditions, they are united to confront social injustice. Their faith-based actions include education, networking, urban-suburban partnerships, and resource sharing.

Currently the emphasis for CMM is divided into six primary program areas:

Interfaith Youth Initiative (I-FYI)
I-FYI is a unique initiative for high school students (ages 15-18), college students and seminarians, that combines leadership development with peacemaking training, cross-cultural dialogue, and spiritual development. The program focuses on five core areas of engagement: Building Bridges, Training Leaders, Engaging Faith, Serving Others, and Making Peace. Through the I-FYI program, we seek to foster a generation of leaders who can provide strong leadership in their communities, as advocates for peace, justice and constructive social change.
Legislative Advocacy and Public Witness: Partners for Justice Advocacy Network (PJAN)
CMM’s Partners for Justice Advocacy Network (PJAN) uses a range of constructive, nonviolent strategies to create structural change on issues of common concern. Strategies include call-in and letter writing campaigns, petitions, visits to legislators, media work, attending hearings, joining and co-leading interfaith vigils, marches, and rallies.
community meetings and dialogues on social action and cross-cultural understanding
CMM holds dialogues, community meetings, cultural outings, and public events throughout the year. These provide opportunities for civic engagement and for building community, a deeper understanding of current issues, and interfaith and cross cultural diversity. Community events are open to all! CMM holds monthly board meetings, an annual meeting every fall, and various fundraising events.
congregation to congregation partnerships
CMM strongly encourages the building of partnerships between member congregations from diverse traditions or communities. The partnership model creates a strong foundation of personal relationships that can lead to larger networks of dialogue and action. Working together and, where possible, worshipping together, partnering congregations have established programs such as after-school programs, a transitional house for Haitian deportees, and the development of a youth arts center.
Material Assistance Program (MAP)
CMM collects clothing, toys, and household items for low income, homeless, and refugee communities. For more details, please call 617-244-3650 or email: info@coopmet.org.
Advocacy Network to End Family Homelessness
The Social Concerns Committee of Trinitarian Congregational Church in Concord realized that congregation members regularly spent hours cooking meals for the homeless, donating food for the homeless and very needy, collecting warm clothing for poor people, and making financial contributions to charities that helped homeless and at-risk families. Still, we knew we wanted to address the root causes of family homelessness. With the guidance of Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries, the Social Concerns Committee organized an interfaith forum on family homelessness in January 2005.

For 2008 our contribution to CMM was toward their ongoing important work, with special emphasis on their Interfaith Youth Initiative (IFYI) program.

Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries’ address is: 474 Centre Street,Newton, MA 02458

Their Phone is: 617-244-3650

Their website is: Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries (www.coopmet.org)

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