Andy Ross Photo
Newhallville’s Rev. Boise Kimber and Wooster Square’s Pastor Vicki Baldwin.
A citywide call has been made to all the churches and synagogues, requesting a five-minute prayer every Sunday for God’s divine intervention in stopping the murders and other senseless violence currently ravaging the city.
The call was made Wednesday night at a gathering of 20 clergy people in the offices of the Christian Community Commission in the Newhallville Community Center building on Dixwell Avenue,
Pastor Donald Morris, chairman of the Christian Community Commission, urged all present to help begin a movement in New Haven by jointly embarking on a prayer of relief.
“We know the trials we are up against in this city especially among our youth and the violence that is spreading rapidly. It is time for the entire clergy in the city to get involved regardless of whether they are being affected by the violence or not,” Pastor Donald Morris stated. Morris called on all clergy representing different parts of the city to come together as one and pray for peace and for the leaders of the city to acquire the necessary leadership skills to help solve this ever increasing violence devastating the city.
A year ago, Morris announced the formation of Project Promise Land, a crusade that saw him organizing and leading marches through the toughest neighborhoods in Newhallville. Participants also helped with yard work, street beautification, finding jobs, bringing food to those in need and organizing a summer camp.
Morris’s plan includes a weekly announcement on WYBC-FM 94.3 at precisely noon every Sunday through Christmas. Each Sunday a different pastor from a different part of the city will offer up his or hers own prayer of peace and the restoration of civility in the city of New Haven.
“Every Church leader has his or her own unique and special gifts from God,” said Morris (pictured).
“Calling on God for an end of violence is a good thing but it is incumbent on us to present ideas to this city and the state that can help achieve peace,” Rev. Boise Kimber said at the meeting. “Chief among those ideas is for the creation of jobs. The city has made a promise to our youth to send them to college and that is fine, but not everyone is going to college. We still need the skills of plumbers, hairdressers, carpenters, welders and food handlers”.
Kimber said New Haven is fast becoming the ”Bio City.” Most new local jobs being created at Yale, the hospitals, and in medical-related tech firms require advanced degrees, he noted.
Kimber believed that there is money out there to train people for jobs but isn’t always put in the right places. He cited a recent meeting at Hillhouse High School with the New Haven Firebirds and 170 or so young men and women interested in becoming firefighters. Since the city of New Haven is going to hire between 100 and 120 firefighters within the next two years, it will be better to train these interested young men and women about how to take the exam successfully now he said. A former fire commissioner, Kimber advocated having the civil service board award bonus points on exams to citydwellers.