About Us
About Us
The Broome County Council of Churches is a nonprofit organization located in Binghamton, New York. We are a network of 100+ congregations and our programs operate in an interfaith way.
Our mission is:
“Connecting compassion with needs; inspiring growth with dignity.”
Programs
Our main programs include CHOWⓇ, Faith in Action Volunteers, the Hospital Ministry, and the Jail Ministry. We also sponsor other community programs such as the Greater Good Grocery, BCCOAD, and Encounter. Our programs serve individuals and families facing a variety of challenges, such as food insecurity, limited mobility, hospitalization, incarceration, and more.
History
The history of the Broome County Council of Churches began with the organization of the United Churches of Broome County in the spring of 1941. Twenty-six churches united in this cooperative effort. In 1959 the organization was incorporated as the Broome County Council of Churches. The Council currently has approximately 150 member Protestant, Anglican and Roman Catholic congregations, plus an affiliation with three Jewish synagogues, an Islamic Mosque and several non-denominational congregations that participate on interfaith efforts.
Vision
Inspired by the faith commitments of the congregations that inform us, the Broome County Council of Churches is an organization that collaborates with many facets of our community. It acts as a hub whose spokes reach out to various congregations, businesses and constituencies in the community to bring them together to serve, educate and advocate for the common good. It serves as an incubator to develop replicable programs that provide localized service.
Mission
The Council’s mission is to provide a vehicle for local faith communities to cooperate on neighborhood or county wide efforts. Its motto is “Connecting compassion with needs; inspiring growth with dignity.” Currently this is expressed in chaplaincy programs in local jails, hospitals and nursing homes; several study, worship and outreach programs for area congregations; a Peace with Justice committee; Encounter, a television and a radio program; a Faith in Action Volunteers program; and CHOW® (Community Hunger Outreach Warehouse) with its emergency food, nutrition education, food recovery program, the CHOW® farm, and Broome Bounty, our food recovery program.
