Chapel of the Cross, Chapel Hill, NC

To live in Chapel Hill is to live, to some degree, under the fantasy of the "Village of Chapel Hill" concept. In this imaginary view, the ills of the large urban centers of the country (poverty, unemployment, single-parent families, limited affordable housing for the poor, the lack of quality educational opportunities, etc.) either are not considered by some to be problems or exist so far on the periphery of our daily lives as to be rendered invisible. Many of us who live here are aware that the reality consists of a much closer match to large-city problems than we would care to admit.

In a period of shrinking social services, few programs are available to young minority men and women to help address the effects of this litany of ills inherited from persistent racism and a still-segregated society. The logical first place to look for support to be generated is from within their own communities. Established in 2002 as an outgrowth of St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, the Grape Arbor Development Corporation is a "non-profit organization dedicated to the mission of providing enrichment and developmental activities to enhance the academic, personal, and moral development of young people in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro community through the establishment of a Youth Enhancement Center." It is fitting that St. Paul, historically the first church in the area established to minister to the needs of slaves in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro community, has taken the lead in establishing this center. The name of the organization, Grape Arbor, derives from the grape arbor under which the St. Paul congregation originally met.

To reach out and involve the broader community in this effort, the founding group from St. Paul has invited representatives from a number of organizations along with several unaffiliated individuals active in community programs to join the Board of Directors of Grape Arbor. Because of the very special relationship between the Chapel of the Cross and St. Paul AME, it is logical that our parish be represented on the board. Our rector, Stephen Elkins-Williams - who with the Rev. John Burton of St. Paul and the Rev. Stephen Stanley of the Chapel of the Cross was instrumental in the establishment of the sister parish relationship between the two churches - is serving on this first broadened board, as is Charles Kahn, husband of Chapel of the Cross parishioner, Annette Kahn.

At the present time, in addition to several beginning programs involving area young people, there are two major needs for which the Board of Grape Arbor is seeking assistance and cooperation from other individuals and organizations. The first is in the search for a full-time director for the organization. That search is now under way. The Search Committee would welcome the addition of other names to the list now under consideration. The qualifications required for the position of Director have been published in various professional newsletters and local newspapers. A copy may be found on the bulletin board at the Chapel of the Cross. The deadline for the submission of applications has been extended to December 31, 2004.

The second critical need is to find a location for the headquarters of Grape Arbor where administrative and program activities can be housed. Now that the organization is established, it is the intention of the Board that it operate independently of St. Paul, although closely tied to and identified with the church. Grape Arbor has received a grant from the federal government that may be used to assist in the renovation of any property it may acquire or lease. The Board is seeking, preferably through property donation (with the tax advantages that such donation to a charitable organization accrue to the donor) or long-term property lease at a low, or preferably free, rent, a building of approximately 12,000 square feet to house Grape Arbor's activities. If you have, or know of, any property that might be made available, please contact Stephen Elkins-Williams.

The Board would also be very receptive to volunteer work in the areas of academic and language tutoring and other personal involvements with young people from the Black and Latino communities. To learn more about Grape Arbor, its programs and needs, we encourage you to speak with Stephen Elkins-Williams or with Charles Kahn. The Board sends its best wishes in this holiday season to the members of the Chapel of the Cross.

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