Be Counted!

Story by V. Michelle Bernard

Volunteers at Allegheny East Conference’s Metropolitan church in Hyattsville, Md., have hosted voter registration drives since mid-August. “We believe it is critically important to ensure that our community has the opportunity to exercise their right to be heard,” says Senior Pastor Trevor Kinlock.“Unfortunately, many Black and Brown communities have low voter engagement and participation or are victims of disenfranchisement schemes. These realities marginalize their ability to self-determine and bring about positive changes to strengthen their community. We also have many community members who are seniors or are non-English speaking and need assistance in registering to vote. This effort has provided us another important opportunity to service a need in our community.”

They also hosted weekly events to encourage more people in their community to participate in the 2020 U.S. Census.  

The church is also among many around the Columbia Union working to help feed underserved communities. Collaborating with county and local organizations, they have distributed food (Member Connie Thompson pictured volunteering) to more than 3,000 families per month since March.