Building a Beloved Community
05-03-24
““The aftermath of nonviolence is the creation of the beloved community. The aftermath of nonviolence is redemption. The aftermath of nonviolence is reconciliation.””
“I’ve always known that I had a pastoral call on my life,” shared Alan Conley (MDiv 2015). But little did he know that his calling would lead to shepherding children and families while working for a non-religious institution like the City of Chicago.
As the Director of the Office of Faith-Based Initiatives in Chicago, Conley works every day to be a conduit between the city and faith-based partners. “A lot of times, people don’t trust the government,” he explains. “So, I’ve started leveraging the faith community as brokers of trust.”
Overseeing a wide range of programs for the children and families of the Chicago Public Schools, Conley’s job is focused on closing the service gaps that often exist. Working with a variety of faith-based organizations, his team manages offerings like Safe Haven, a program that provides students with additional learning time outside regular school hours; and Adopt-a-School, which ties faith-based organizations and CPS schools in genuine relationships to identify and offer enrichment activities for students during the academic year. His team also assists students and families facing crises. Most meaningful to Conley is the opportunity to host the annual Legacy of Love luncheon for the families of CPS students who passed away during the previous year. “We do not promote faith, we promote faith-based partnerships,” he says. “This is really a ‘social justice’ role. It makes sense for the city to partner with faith-based organizations that help support the values that students need to be modeled to be successful.”
“One of my proudest accomplishments was being able to navigate the pandemic,” remembers Conley. While departments and teams were being deemed ‘non-essential’ during that challenging season, Conley pushed his team to find ways to do work that the City couldn’t do without. “We developed a partnership with World Vision, acknowledging that people needed food! Many young people only got their meals at school or at Safe Haven programs. We were able to feed 1,000 families weekly from April 20202 to May 2021.” Conley’s work in partnership with churches allowed them to distribute food kits to CPS families in need.
“If it had not been for McCormick, I don’t think I would be prepared, for the work I am doing” Conley emphasizes. “The time at McCormick helped me understand that everyone deserves and should be humanized. Everyone is a part of God’s Kingdom.”
The opportunity to step into such an impactful role at the City of Chicago first came about while Conley was in a pastoral role at Metropolitan Apostolic Community Church of God. A mentor who observed his work running a Safe Haven program, as well as other community work, opened the door that eventually turned into leading faith-based initiatives. “This work that I am doing is helping me build that beloved community that Dr. King once spoke about,” he says. “McCormick introduced me to this way of thinking in a more pragmatic way. They helped me cultivate my theology as related to faith.”