UniteBoston

Bridging Divides Across Christians for the Flourishing of the City

Love Thy Neighbor Opportunities with Care Portal & Welcome NST

Exciting news! Boston-area churches have two powerful new ways to put “love your neighbor” into action: CarePortal and Neighborhood Support Teams.

By combining digital tools with personal connection, these initiatives empower our community to come alongside vulnerable children and families in tangible ways. Read the full details on our blog here.

Pastors, ministry leaders, and compassionate neighbors across Greater Boston – Join us for an upcoming Zoom Interest Call to hear how you can get involved with CarePortal and the Love Your Neighbor Project.

If you’re not able to make either of these times but would still like to be involved, please reach out! For questions regarding the Love Your Neighbor Project, contact Kasey Dillon at kdillon@welcomenst.org; for questions regarding CarePortal, contact Beatriz Acevedo at ​​Beatriz.Acevedo@careportal.org

Christians have always stood on the front lines, extending our hearts and hands in extravagant love to the most vulnerable—and our public witness matters now more than ever. Together, as we follow Jesus to unleash the power of community, may we rebuild infrastructures of care so that our whole community can flourish.

Open Position with Global Insight

Looking for a Projects and Content Manager for Global Insight

What is Global Insight? Global Insight is a pioneering missiological research initiative launched by Haggai International that explores the perspectives of transformative Christian leaders in the Global South by hosting forums and producing resources (articles, blogs, videos, and more) to serve Christian leaders around the world.

Website: https://globalinsightcollab.org/

The Projects and Content Manager is a new position to help move the vision of Global Insight forward. The manager will partner with the Vice President of Global Research to accelerate Global Insight’s initiatives, including moving research findings into accessible digital forms to serve the church in places of greatest opportunity and need. We are looking for a highly organized self-starter with experience in organizational leadership and digital content development who will enjoy working with and serving a diverse network of global Christian leaders.

The role requires strong intercultural experience and abilities.

The position is remote and full-time, with full benefits.

If interested and for more information, contact Tyler Lenocker: tylerl@haggai-international.org

UniteBoston’s Annual Fundraising Celebration & Community Gathering

You are invited to UniteBoston’s Fundraising Celebration and Community Gathering on Friday, May 29 from 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm at the Bruce C. Bolling Building in Roxbury. This will be an evening of celebration with food, joy, and an opportunity to partner with us in our bridge-building work across Greater Boston.

Our theme this year is “Illuminate.” In a time when division and uncertainty can feel heavy, we believe Christ calls us to shine (Mt 5:16)—bringing light to hard places, clarity to confusion, and hope to weary hearts. At UniteBoston, we are committed to equipping Christians to be peacemakers and bridge-builders—agents of unity, reconciliation, justice, and repair. Illuminate reflects our prayer that the Church would not hide its light but embody it boldly and beautifully for the good of our city.

This year’s keynote speaker is Rev. Rozella Haydée White, a public theologian, ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and “Love Big” coach. Dedicated to nurturing a love that is life-giving, justice-seeking, and restorative, she has authored a book entitled Love Big: The Power of Revolutionary Relationships to Transform the World.

Rozella’s work deeply aligns with UniteBoston’s mission to heal divisions and strengthen the Church’s collective witness. Over the past year, she has also played a vital role behind the scenes, working directly with Rev. Kelly and Rev. Devlin as a coach for a capacity-building grant initiative. We are thrilled to have her voice guide us faithfully illuminating the gospel and bearing witness to Christ’s reconciling work in our beloved city.

The evening will also include a conversation with Rev. Kelly and Rev. Devlin, stories of impact from our UniteBoston community, and creative expressions that reflect the heart of this year’s theme.

Join us to connect with friends old and new—and to discover how you can participate in God’s reconciling, restoring, peacebuilding work through UniteBoston.

We’re excited to offer FREE childcare during the event, provided by safe and vetted volunteers. Stay tuned for a link to register your children so we can prepare well for them. Children do not need a ticket to the event, but advance registration is required.

Here is our Fundraising Letter

We can’t wait to gather, celebrate, and shine together.  REGISTER BELOW

Ticket Options:

  • General Admission: $50
  • Student Admission: $25
  • Volunteers: Free

Sponsorship Opportunities:

  • Gold Sponsor – $2,000
  • Silver Sponsor – $1,000
  • Bronze Sponsor – $500
  • Table Sponsor (Organization) – $300

Our Goal: Raising $40,000

Your generous contributions will directly support our efforts to fortify Christian unity in Boston through strategic planning, staff and consultant support, and partnerships with local ministries.

Thank you for partnering with us to God’s work towards reconciliation, justice, and peacemaking in our city. If you have any questions or need further information, please feel free to reach out. We are deeply grateful for your friendship, encouragement, and support, and look forward to seeing you at the event!

Boston Sankofa Storytelling Showcase

The Boston Sankofa Journey is working to cultivate a common memory and nurture the spiritual vitality that has sustained the Black freedom movement—past and present—rooted in the liberating heart of the gospel.

This year, our team has been working to record the stories of twelve Black Christian leaders whose faith in Jesus has shaped their own faith journeys and fueled the work of racial justice and reconciliation in our beloved city. 


This gathering will bring these testimonies to life through a powerful evening of film premier, spoken word, art, and communal reflection. This gathering is co-hosted by Twelfth Baptist Church, which is known as a “Fugitive Slave Church” for its central role in the abolitionist movement and as a key stop on the Underground Railroad.  

Join us on Thursday, March 26 at Twelfth Baptist Church as we honor and learn from the testimonies of:
– Rev. June Cooper
– Rev. Dr. Willie Bodrick and Twelfth Baptist Church
– Rev. Valerie Copeland
– Rev. Dr. David Wright and Tenpoint BMA
– Bishop Larry Ward and Rev. Dr. Virginia Ward
– Rev. Dr. Ray Hammond and Rev. Dr. Gloria White-Hammond and Bethel AME Church Boston
– Mrs. Karen Haywood and The Historic Myrtle Baptist Church in Newton
– Dr. Geoffrey Hicks Sr.
Video testimonies from the above leaders will be interspersed with live elements of spoken word poetry with Rose Piercy, Storyteller Sister Alma Wright, Storyteller Rev. Charmayne Cook, a song by Minister Isaiah Briggs and Jaronzie Harris, and Storyteller Deacon Robin Nobles, with Dzidzor Azalgo as the event host.
*Note that only some of the storytellers will be present at the showcase itself. The rest of the stories are viewable on our Boston Sankofa Journey website here.*
Through spoken word, art, and storytelling, this evening will bridge past and present—inviting us to listen deeply, honor the wisdom of these elders, and discern how we carry the work of truth, healing, and reconciliation forward in our city.
Dinner begins at 5:30 PM | Showcase at 6:30 PM

We invite you to sit at the feet of these elders as we look back together to shape a faithful future together—for Jesus, toward shalom.

Registration is not required, but helpful for our planning purposes. This is a free event – Please help us spread the word!

Fill out the form below to register to attend

Loving Our Neighbors: Two New Opportunities for Boston-Area Churches

“When we see a civic promotion of fear, hate and violence as the trajectory of our politics, we need a civic faith of love, healing and hope to defeat it. Loving our neighbor, and learning to practice the politics of love, will be central to the future of democracy in America.” — Jim Wallis

This spring, UniteBoston is highlighting two new ways that Boston-area churches can put “love your neighbor” into action: CarePortal and Neighborhood Support Teams. By leveraging digital tools and relational solidarity, these initiatives unleash the power of community. Read more about these initiatives and discover how you can join in!

NEW: Showing Up Well: A Training for Volunteers on Genuine Engagement

UniteBoston hosted a training session entitled “Essential Practices for Showing Up Well,” led by the incredible Sarah Blumenshine from the Emmanuel Gospel Center. We explored how our interior mindsets—including unspoken expectations, cultural lenses, and the instinct to fix things—shape how we serve and accompany our neighbors in Greater Boston.

Every volunteer engagement is first and foremost a relationship. Sarah shared practical tools built around three essential practices for showing up well:

  • Practice 1: Slowing Down (The Accordion Method)
  • Practice 2: Being Attuned (Inner and Outer Alignment)
  • Practice 3: Acting Sustainably (Right-Sizing your contribution)

May these practices strengthen your hands and heart as we follow Jesus to love, serve, and accompany our neighbors at this critical time in our city and country. 

1. CarePortal: A Digital Bridge for Local Families

Massachusetts is filled with an abundance of incredible ministries, foster closets, and outreach teams. CarePortal provides the infrastructure to ensure that existing resources can reach the people who need them most, exactly when they need them, through the local church. It is a rapid-response infrastructure for families in crisis vetted by child-serving professionals that alerts local churches to tangible needs—like a bed for a child, or a working refrigerator. This builds a meaningful connection with someone who cares for them within their own communities.

Imagine a single mother in our region, forced to flee an unsafe situation with almost nothing. When a caseworker posted her need for beds and a way to cook a meal, within hours, a local church arrived not just with a bed and a microwave, but with a spirit of service. They stayed to help her set up the room and offered prayer. Through this digital bridge, the mother received more than just furniture; she received community support and tangible emotional care.

Another father described, “The investigator told me I had 48 hours to get a working refrigerator or my kids couldn’t stay with me. I had no money and no truck. Within four hours of the request going up, a family was in my kitchen installing a fridge. They saved my family that day.” 

See an overview of Care Portal from President and Founder Adrien Lewis:

How the CarePortal Model Works

CarePortal functions as a communication hub that alerts local churches to the needs of families in crisis, vetted by child-serving professionals like social workers, teachers, pastors, or caseworkers. It offers a tangible network of support through four simple steps:

  1. Uncovering Needs: A child-serving professional identifies a specific need of a vulnerable child or family. 
  2. Submitting Needs: The professional vets the request and enters it into the CarePortal platform.
  3. Sharing Needs: CarePortal sends a real-time geo-located alert to nearby churches and community members.
  4. Meeting Needs: The local church responds, providing the items or services, and explores how to build meaningful connections with families for the long term. 

Drunell from Harvest Time Church describes, “Through CarePortal, we are able to touch lives that we wouldn’t ordinarily be able to meet. We’re able to connect with families, and not only provide the need, but pray with them, speak with them, encourage them, and love on them.”  

This platform has already made a difference nationally – you can see their impact live here – to date, 176,000+ needs met and 467,000+ children served!

Beatriz Acevedo is the new Area Director for CarePortal, which recently launched in Cambridge, Burlington, Waltham, Arlington, Chelsea, Malden, Medford, Revere, Somerville, and Woburn. They have plans to expand to the Metro Boston area soon. With a background in public health and pastoral leadership, she has high hopes for CarePortal: “If just 50 churches commit to meeting 2 needs per month, we will serve 1,200 families every year.” This is God’s love in action!

2. The “Love Your Neighbor” Project: Support and Solidarity with Immigrant Neighbors

For five years, WelcomeNST has empowered Neighborhood Support Teams to transform neighborhoods into communities of welcome for newly arrived refugee families. In response to shifting resettlement policies and the current political climate, they are now developing a model to support immigrant, refugee, and asylum-seeking families that are already living in our communities.

In partnership with UniteBoston, WelcomeNST is forming Neighborhood Support Teams by matching local congregations with “sister churches” composed primarily of newcomers through the Love Thy Neighbor Project! Boston is the first area in the country where they are piloting this model! 

Imagine an immigrant family in Boston who has been part of our community, but is now living in constant fear of separation due to shifting immigration policies. A Neighborhood Support Team is there to walk with them in solidarity and accompaniment. 

  • Relational Support: Mutual friendships help families navigate systems and overcome isolation.
  • Practical Assistance: Teams listen to the family’s self-identified needs and goals, then come alongside the family with information and resources, such as job readiness, legal support, and language skills.
  • Proven Model: Every team receives a Preparedness Playbook, “Know Your Rights” training, and ongoing support from a WelcomeNST Specialist.
  • Grant funding: We’re pleased to share that the first NSTs will start off with a small amount of seed funding to support families.

The beauty of these partnerships lies in their mutuality; everyone has resources to give and places to receive. Recently, North Shore Community Baptist Church partnered with WelcomeNST to resettle a refugee family from Afghanistan. As they walked together, both the church and the family grew through a deep, transformative friendship.

Scott describes the experience: “We didn’t realize what was missing in our own lives until we met this family. Their hospitality and warmth drew us out of our frantic world and reminded us that life is about relationships. By simply being themselves, they showed us a better way to live.”  Scripture calls us to welcome one another as Christ welcomed us (Romans 15:7) and to love the “stranger” as ourselves (Leviticus 19:34). By reestablishing infrastructures of care, and extending our hands in mutual friendship, we follow God’s call to show belonging and welcoming to our immigrant neighbors so that our entire community can be strengthened. 

Join the Movement: Your Next Steps

We are calling pastors, ministry leaders, and compassionate neighbors in Greater Boston to join these two initiatives to live into Jesus’ commandment to “love your neighbor.”

Here is a recording from a Zoom interest call where Kasey Dillon and Beatriz Acevedo shared more about CarePortal and the Love Your Neighbor Project:

Care Portal

We are hoping to recruit 10 new response teams with congregations in the pilot phase.

You can enroll your church or team right away: Get Involved with Care Portal. For questions regarding CarePortal, contact Beatriz Acevedo at ​​Beatriz.Acevedo@careportal.org 

The “Love Your Neighbor” Project (NST)

Our immediate goal is to establish 5 matches between churches seeking support and sister churches by the end of March, with another 5 matches by the end of April.

If you are a church with interest in providing support please complete the Interest Form.  If you are a church seeking support, please complete the LYN Church Intake Form. Churches are all differently resourced and our hope is to nurture reciprocal relationships where all give and receive in different ways. For questions regarding the Love Your Neighbor Project, contact Kasey Dillon at kdillon@welcomenst.org.

churches are all differently resourced – strong in different ways – finances, others strong in relationships and care, churches indicate the types of support they are looking for – reciprocity & how everyone benefits when we extend our hearts and hands to give our resources time and talents to support one another – unleash the power of community

Together, we can unleash the power of community to ensure every neighbor has access to needed resources and friends who care. While much in our world today is pulling us apart, as Jim Wallis suggests, practicing the “politics of love” is an important action step we can all take to re-weave the ties that bind us together and our common life together. 

“Our work lives far above the realm of politics. It lives at the core of every faith – to love our neighbors. It’s the great commandment – and it applies everywhere in the world to everyone in the world. At the heart of it, this isn’t about a program, it is about standing together in kinship with those who are targeted, abused, persecuted and hated.  And it’s our chance to write the story that we will one day tell our grandkids when they are learning about this era in their history books in hopes that one day, they too will do the same.​” 

— Elizabeth Davis-Edwards, Executive Director of Welcome NST 

Collaboration in action! Snapshot into a call we had this week with Beatriz from CarePortal, Rev. Kelly from UniteBoston, and Kasey from Welcome NST



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