Coalition Adds A Church

St. Aidan’s Joins

Coalition Adds A Church

St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church last night joined the church coalition which has proposed a community association to aid county poor and disadvantaged.

A statement released by the Bishop’s Committee says that “we feel we must enter into the efforts of other congregations to drastically re-examine attitudes and priorities; to raise substantial funds; and to act in a way that (1) assures self-determination and justice, and (b) forces redirection, of local, state and federal agencies.”

St. Aidan's also contributed $400 to the coalition. This matches the $400 committed to the Washtenaw County Black Economic Development League, Inc., and county Welfare Rights Organization (BEDL-WRO).

The 35-family congregation had issued a statement supporting the cause of BEDL-WRO and recognizing them as legitimate organizations. The 10 original coalition churches had three weeks ago issued a statement saying they did not recognize BEDL as sufficiently representative of the county poor to administer any funds the churches might make available.

The Rev. Richard Singleton, St. Aidan’s pastor, said his congregation’s stand is “to say ‘yes’ to both, but hope neither will say ‘no’ to us.”

Original coalition churches are: First Baptist, First Presbyterian, First Methodist, First Congregational, Trinity Lutheran, Zion Lutheran, Bethlehem United, St. Thomas Roman Catholic, St. Francis Roman Catholic, and St. Andrew’s Episcopal.