CASE STUDY
Individual Impact:
First Christian Assembly
First Christian Assembly is an independent,
nondenominational church located in South
Philadelphia. Originally Italian Christian Church
of Philadelphia, the congregation has occupied
a historic Methodist Episcopal-built house of
worship since about 1920. Though
predominantly Italian at its inception, First
Christian Assembly is among the most diverse
congregations in South Philadelphia.
In the early 2000s, the 110-member
congregation recognized that the community
lacked access to affordable, high quality social
services. In response, the congregation
established the Philadelphia Access Center
(PAC), a social service agency that provides
counseling and referral services regardless of
ability to pay. Now in its thirteenth year, the City
of Philadelphia and Children’s Hospital of
Philadelphia commonly refer to PAC, which
serves the Philadelphia region. Kenneth
Melloni, Executive Director of PAC, explained,
“The Philadelphia Access Center acts as this
intermediary to link clients in need with
appropriate in-house services or service
providers in the community. Caring staff
members provide the counseling and guidance
needed by those seeking help putting their lives
back together.”
Whatever the need may be—a troubled
marriage, addiction, abuse, or difficulty
finding a job, to name a few—the staff
at the Philadelphia Access Center
works together with each individual or
family to find successful, sustainable
resolutions to their problems.”
Three fourths of First Christian
Assembly’s annual operating budget is
funneled into the Philadelphia Access
Center, which serves thousands of
people each year. The remaining funds
are used to pay for upkeep of the
historic building. In 2010, PAC:
Individual and Family Impact
Partners recognizes that, outside of the larger programs hosted or run
by congregations, clergy, program staff, and professional and lay
volunteers often provide one-on-one counseling, make referrals to social
service agencies, help find jobs, etc. Much of this outreach is “under the
radar” because of the sensitive nature of the assistance given. This research
project documented a wide array of outreach with an “individual impact,”
including counseling to suicidal individuals; counseling to strengthen
marriages; assisting people suffering abuse; helping people obtain
citizenship; referring people to drug or alcohol counseling (or providing it
directly); working with people at-risk of committing crimes/going to
prison; teaching youth pro-social values; helping people form new
friendships; and enabling people to work by caring for senior family
members.
While it is clear that clergy and other congregational leaders engage in
these interventions, and can enumera te how often they believe their
intervention has made a significant difference (helping prevent a suicide,
getting someone to drug counseling, etc.), again it is difficult to
substantiate each impact or monetize its value.
The total number of instances reported, across all 90 congregations, in
these areas of “individual and family impact” are recorded opposite.
• Referred 2,400 people to lifechanging services.
• Helped 56 individuals struggling with
substance abuse issues remain sober.
• Treated 50 abusive relationships.
• Helped 40 individuals find full-time
work.
• Prevented 6 individuals from being
incarcerated.
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A PAC counselor meets with a client. Courtesy of First Christian Assembly.