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Celebrating 25 Years of CityLights

    January 01, 1995 | Our Member's Stories by Susan Aggarwal

    Wayne CityLights members turn out with Southwest Philly residents to construct a new playground at Mitchell Elementary School. 

    Celebrating 25 years of CityLights
    City and Suburb Destinies Intertwined
    By Susan Aggarwal

    We’ve learned in recent WaynePres newsletters some background about our special mission outreach to Southwest Philadelphia called CityLights.  The unique “faith-based urban/suburban partnership” was founded in 1995 under Dr. Galloway’s leadership and directed for 20 years by Carey Davis.  Since its inception, Citylights has recruited, inspired and deployed hundreds of Wayne members as volunteers in the city.

    To quote Rev. Dr. Ronald Sider, author and Professor of Holistic Ministry at Palmer Seminary, “Suburbanites and urbanites together must affirm that to care about one requires that we care about the other.  Our destinies are intertwined…  Through CityLights, Wayne Presbyterian has effectively connected organizations in Southwest Philadelphia to each other as well as connecting suburban people to God’s work in the city.  Likewise, urban partners from Southwest have contributed to the life of Wayne Presbyterian in a variety of ways, including enriching people’s spiritual experiences as well as challenging them to live free from the material trappings of this world.”1

    The late Pat Leidy stepped up immediately, and Carey put her in charge of our liaison system.  Pat assigned Wayne members to each of our SW partners - to get to know and pray for them and their mission.   Sometimes modest monetary support was provided, but the “sweat effort” contributions, spiritual support, and in-kind gifts were boundless.

    From the start of the CityLights Ministry, Director Carey Davis organized monthly “neighbor helping neighbor” meetings which allow Southwest Philly organizations to share needs, resources, and activities with each other.

    A typical monthly CityLights “neighbor helping neighbor“ meeting addressed by a top City government spokesperson on new benefits for elderly residents.

    At one Saturday meeting, a daycare center mentioned its need for cubbies to store the children’s outerwear.  SW Men of Works had the carpentry tools and talent.  They promptly came forward, and lo, the cubbies were built and installed!  It would not have happened without the CityLights connection. 

    WPC volunteer teams were soon active in such areas as the Sherwood Church Soup Kitchen, Cornerstone Christian Academy, Mitchell Elementary Public School, Presbyterian Children’s Village (now Gemma Services), Myers Tots, Southwest Community Development Corp. (Southwest CDC), Presbys Inspired Life senior apartments, New Spirit Community Presbyterian Church (now merged with Grace Christian Fellowship as the Salt and Light Congregation), Kingsessing Garden, and Bartram Highschool.  WPC member Ernie Baker, a SW public school music teacher, was supported with bus trips and donated instruments.  

    Wayne members have provided musical instruments or funded their purchase so the talents of inner city youngsters could be developed and their lives enriched. 

    Elder Doug McBrearty helped Southwest CDC put together the first-ever Economic Development Study of Southwest Philly.

    Beginning in the late 1990’s, member Jane Beatty spearheaded our lasting relationship with Mitchell Elementary.  Russ Brundage worked several days every week as a remedial reading mentor.  In 2006, students at Wayne Elementary and Mitchell cooperated to publish a book of poetry to raise funds for reading materials at Mitchell.   Influenced by the CityLights relationship with Mitchell, the Target Company provided a major grant and several hundred employee volunteer hours to revive the school’s dormant library. 

    CityLights annual grants have allowed Mitchell Elementary to send its “Minor Threats” chess team to compete many state and national tournaments – with outstanding results! 

    A young Wayne member collected 1500 books to stock the library shelves as his Eagle Scout service project.  Our Hammers with Heart team helped build a playground for Mitchell and flower boxes on every stairway landing. 

    In 2008, the Hammers and others under Jim Rush constructed a new library at Cornerstone Academy.  Since 2009, the Susan Hall Galloway Fund has provided tuition scholarships for several dozen Cornerstone youngsters. 

    Over the years, SW partners have come out to WPC to address gatherings on such topics as urban economic and housing problems, public education, hunger, and racism.  The “Phone Buddies,” steadfast ladies at our church, regularly called up and chatted with lonely residents at Presbys senior apartments. WPC member George Aman worked with Southwest CDC to resurrect the Southwest Globe Times newspaper to highlight “Good News” going on in the SW community.  WPC provided the paper’s initial working capital, and member Ted Behr volunteered to be the paper’s editor and publisher. 

    CityLights was the originator for our Lenten outreach called “40 Days, 40 Ways to Serve”, and for the original “Saturday of Service (“SOS”) days.

    In 2009, our WPC Session spun off CityLights to be a stand-alone non-profit. George Aman put together the legal framework and the Board numbered both WPC members and SW residents.  The idea was to seek outside grants to sustain the programs.  This approach did generate funding for successful public workshop series on the trauma of urban living, public health issues, greening, and job training.  Sadly, with the economic downturn, grants for networking itself were not to be had.  The non-profit was eventually disbanded and CityLights has reemerged as a Wayne Presbyterian “Faith in Action” ministry once again.

    Shortly after he arrived, Rev. Casey Thompson formed a select team to study “the next big thing” for our church mission outreach.  After months of reflection and prayer they recommended that we capitalize on our Southwest experience with a new venture which became The Common Place (TCP) to enrich the lives of children and supporting families in SW.  TCP acquired the New Spirit Church property and assigned Rev. Aisha Brooks-Lytle and Rev. Sudie Niesen Thompson as co-pastors.  The concept was well received in the community there partly as a result of the trust established by CityLights.

    A top civic priority in Philadelphia is affordable housing.  Recognizing that need, Southwest CDC has applied to the City to purchase three houses based on a special grant from WPC.  The CDC would rehab and sell them at affordable prices – generating funds to buy, renovate and sell more modernized homes for low-income families.

    A deeply meaningful annual event in Southwest has been the Vigil for Victims of Violence where groups of CityLights members pray at the sites where local residents were killed by gun violence.

    In 2015 Carey decided to relocate with her husband Rev. Gerry Davis to another part of the city.  In due course, Rev. Cean James, pastor of Grace Christian Fellowship in SW, was tapped to replace Carey as the CityLights director. 

    Quite a few of the original WPC volunteers have also moved on - as have many of our early community contacts.  Nevertheless, CityLights remains a valued and respected partner for our many friends Southwest. A quarter-century ago, the ideas on which CityLights was created were groundbreaking within our denomination.  Today, in an area beset with chronic lack of economic, educational, employment, housing and health opportunities, The Common Place also provides its own unique remedies - and CityLights remains relevant.

    To quote Deborah Lee, Principal of Cornerstone, “Our Wayne volunteers come regularly like they’re on the payroll! They’re incredible, indispensable... As CityLights demonstrates, in a partnership that befits the kingdom of God, both urban and suburban parties benefit greatly, both personal and social transformation occurs, and God is glorified.”2

    (Photos courtesy of Southwest Globe Times Newspaper)

    Sider, Ronald J., et al:  “Linking Arms, Linking Lives,”  Baker Books, 2008. P96

    2   Gordon, W., & Tizon, A., “Urban and Suburban Partnerships,”  www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/116778.pdf