The Challenges

In the St. Louis region, as in other metropolitan areasacross the country, the problems of racial inequality,segregation, poverty, and crime persist.

Most troublingis the fact that these problems tend to be concentrated in oururban core – the City of St. Louis and the inner-ring suburbsof St. Louis County. Even the casual observer can see thatmuch of the region’s “core” area is marked by decayingneighborhoods, a declining tax base, poorly distributedresources, ongoing job losses, and a corresponding loss of population. An estimated 30% of the core’s population isliving in poverty.The challenges faced by those living in the urban core areasof St. Louis have persisted for many decades. Unfortunately,the situation is not improving.Virtually all of St. Louis City and portions of St. LouisCounty can be deﬁned as “distressed” areas: residents’ in-come is at 70% or less of the median income of the entiremetropolitan area.175,000 residents of St. Louis City and County livewithout health insurance.According to a U.S. Census Bureau study, St. Louis isone of the most segregated cities in the United States.At a time when the nation’s metropolitan areas are becomingmore integrated, St. Louis ranked fourth on the bureau’s“most segregated” list,

behind only Milwaukee, Detroit and

METROPOLITAN CONGREGATIONS UNITED

Cleveland. Most African-Americans in the area live in theurban core while most whites live in outlying suburbs.83 percent of students in the St. Louis City PublicSchool System are non-Asian persons of color; 78 percentof these students come from low-income households.A recent report by the East-West Gateway CoordinatingCouncil,

here We Stand

, underscores the challenges fac-ing the region. The St. Louis area ranked 10

among 35“peer regions”n an index of economic disparity, deﬁnedas the difference in economic well-being between residentsof the central city and those in the region’s counties.

St.Louis ranked 11

on the Racial Disparity Index, whichmeasures such variables among the races as residentialand social segregation, poverty and unemployment rates,housing, jobs and infant mortality rates. And St. Louishad the highest ratio of crime between its central city andurrounding suburbs.

“Leveraging the competitive advantagesof inner-city St. Louis and improvingthe economic vitality of these areaswill beneﬁt the entire region as demand for goods and services increases.” Every citizen has the right, and the responsibility, to take part in the democratic process, to become aware of the issues that affect him/her,to identify solutions, and to developelationships with the policymakers ho can bring about change. his is the core philosophy of Metropolitan Congregations United (MCU).

St. Louis Inner City Competitive Assessment and Strategy ProjectInitiative for a Competitive Inner City, September 2000

Metropolitan Congregations United is an interdenominational, multi-racial community organization ofeligious congregations in the St. Louis Metropolitan Region that are working for a common purpose:to create a better life for all residents.

MCU operates on the belief that all people shouldhave access to a living wage, quality education, goodhousing, affordable health care, and a safe place toraise children. Yet, existing public policies oftenseem to focus on encouraging and supporting theseelements at the region’s edges at the expense of theurban core. Resources and investment are dispro-portionately used to subsidize new roads, sewers,and other infrastructure in newly developing areasrather than to redevelop urban areas and support theregion’s most vulnerable citizens.Public policy, in other words, has become part of theproblem rather than a source of solutions. Systemicchange is needed to give citizens, especially lowerincome families in the urban core, a greater voicein how public policy decisions are made and howresources are allocated in the region.ne solution to this problem is metropolitan organizing: creating coordinated efforts that help individuals become informedbout issues affecting the region and encourage them to take an active role in inﬂuencing public policy. To this end, MCUwas formed to teach citizens how to:Gain access to decision-makers.Bring greater attention to their needs.Create urgency in the community to revitalize the urban core.Impact the social, political, environmental, and economic decisions that affect their lives.

About Metropolitan Congregations United

The report also shows that among the 10 metropolitan areasthat ranked poorest in terms of economic disparity betweenthe central city and outlying areas, eight also ranked amongthe lowest in terms of population growth, and seven weremong the lowest in terms of growth in household income.The conclusion is clear: those metro areas that do not workto provide opportunities for all their citizens pay the pricewith slow growth and limited prosperity. A consistent,effective strategy needs to be implemented to reversethese trends and help revitalize the urban core. That isthe message Metropolitan Congregations United seeks tocommunicate through both words and actions.

“Poverty and race are the toughest political issues in American society.There are 320 metropolitan regions in the U.S. and the ones that get their act togetherare going to win.”

David Rusk Consultant and Author

MCU began in 1997 as three smaller organizations,CUCA (Churches United for Community Action), C4(Churches Committed to Community Concerns) and CACI(Congregations Allied for Community Improvement).Today MCU serves as the umbrella organization for fourclusters: CUCA, C4, CACI and Isaiah. Recently, anotherinitiative, known as Manos Unidas, has also emerged toddress issues relative to the Hispanic community.MCU’s work is carried out primarily by volunteer mem-bers who are actively involved in this important work.They are supported by a small, professional staff trainedin community organizing techniques. The organizations’reach is clear:MCU is afﬁliated with the Gamaliel Foundation, an international consulting and leadership development institute for faith-based community organizing. The Gamaliel Foundation provides training for MCU staff and volunteers, ongoing consulting,and assistance in recruiting diverse and professional staff.

MCU’S Work

MCU’s success is driven by the development and training of leaders in member congregations whoidentify and act on issues impacting their constituencies. MCU provides the tools these leaders needto become involved in the democratic process. These include:

Training:

MCU offers different levels of training so that clergy and leaders in each congregation can gain the skillsnecessary for organizing community residents and communicating effectively with elected ofﬁcials, business leaders, andother public ﬁgures. At the foundation of training is an experience called “week long” where participants are exposed toall the values, principles and dynamics of faith-based organizing.More than 500 individuals serve on MCU’s core teams, meet-ng monthly to work on issues, plan strategies and convenessemblies.160 members serve on local boards and provide the leadershipn issues brought to the public arena. Clergy meet regularlys part of MCU’s Clergy Caucus.MCU’s leadership teams include 8 people on MCU’sabinet,twenty-eight on its Executive Board, 6 on its MoneyTeam, 8 on the Transportation Task Force, 7 on the Healthare Task Force, 8 on the Economic Development Task Force,12 on the Educational Task Force and 12 on the ImmigrationTask Force.

Rev. Emery WashingtonFormer Pastor All Saints Episcopal Church

“It is very gratifyingto see the growth of our coalition,to see people from north and southSt. Louis city and county,Catholics, Protestants and Jews,working together and seeingthe fruits of their labors.Together, we can make a differencein St. Louis.”

MCU’s 62 member congregations represent 11different denominations and more than 100,000individuals — a powerful voice for change in thecommunity.