About 2 years ago I was waiting to meet one of my best friends for lunch.  I still remember how she breezed up to the table and declared herself in possession of a “crazy idea”.  Turns out the idea involved us applying together for a job, which was in fact posted for only one person, to run an organization I had heard of only here and there over the years.  It seemed like a perfect fit for our collective abilities and passions and I the more I learned about this organization the more I felt like it was exactly the kind of place I would love to work.

Two months, several interviews and lots of consideration, prayer and conversation later Christa Lee-Chuvala and I became the Executive Directors of the Boston Faith & Justice Network.

The past two years have been a tremendously rewarding time for both Christa and I.  We have had the opportunity to lead an organization which, though only ten years old, has a rich history of bringing together and engaging Christians in and around Boston to follow Jesus with their money and change their lifestyles to free up resources to pursue justice in this world.

We have enjoyed meeting the people and connecting with the organizations who have been part of creating and expanding BFJN over the years.  We’ve been privileged to grow that network as we meet new people and connect with new organizations and churches doing justice-oriented work in Greater Boston.  We have learned so much from all of you.  So much about God’s abundance, about community, about doing justice together. About what simplicity looks like and about the impact our economic choices can have when we act with intention.

Since September of 2014 when we began this journey, we’ve set up a brand new website to bring BFJN’s focus on the connection between economic discipleship and social justice to a new group of people and to our existing network in a new way. We’re working to develop the site further as a resource clearinghouse. We’ve developed workshops and seminars around the principles of living justly, simply, gratefully and generously to engage with people of faith about our call to choose radically countercultural actions that move us away from consumerism and self-orientation. We give these workshops regularly at churches, with school groups, and at conferences to diverse groups of people from whom we learn a tremendous amount. And we’re holding events to foster dialogue and build community, like our panel discussion on Just Consumption coming up on November 17.

This fall we’re imagining what BFJN can be in the next ten years. We already bring people together, but we want to build more connections among individuals, churches, and organizations working for justice in all kinds of ways across the Boston metro area. We want to highlight the amazing work groups are already doing, and open up opportunities for ecumenical collaboration and radical generosity. We’re also working to create new resources for churches and organizations focusing on economic discipleship and economic justice.

Are you interested in coming along with us on this journey? We’d love to hear your thoughts as we move forward. And as we celebrate 10 years of BFJN, we’re asking for 10 new monthly donors and 10 new volunteers to help us expand this movement of Christians living simply and giving generously to pursue a just world. Thank you for celebrating with us!