Interviews

From Seminar 2: The Peopling of New York City

Interviews 1.Interview with acting Deacon of the Rugby

Barbara – 1. Have you been to a church in the Caribbean and, if so what were they like? Answer: They have Christian churches, Anglican churches, Lutheran churches. Christian churches have different denominations. And there are the non-denominational churches, which you can sort of put it, you can call it independent churches. Also the denominational churches have like a structure with a head with all the churches under it. The non-denominational churches are independent of their own self-government and things like that.

Barbara – 2. So the main difference was that they were denominational? Answer: Denominational in the Caribbean and this is a nondenominational church. Although they are Caribbean majority churches in Brooklyn that are also denominational churches. For example you have the Baptist Church, that’s a denominational church, you belong to the Baptists all over the country.

Roberth – 3. Did you belong to a particular denomination before? Or have you always been nondenominational? Answer: No. I was a teenager you know at the time, and wasn’t really a member. When I came I came to college here, and was off the church a long time. And in 1996, I was back in the church again, came to the church. So I never experienced as an adult the denominations type of church. But I was a teenager then.

Barbara – 4. With a denominational church in the Caribbean, is the structure any different than Rugby’s? Answer: Generally no, except that you have, ah, maybe the service might be different, the type of service may be different. Because our church you can kind of classify as a very exuberant worship you know, put a lot of nose in the worship. Some of the churches are more sedated, more quite, versus our church. Um, many differences in denominational churches and our church is that were tend don’t have that big board that can replace the pastor, all the different rules. The denominational church has rules. When they the rules where to move from one church to another church. Lets say you are a pastor for 10 years at a Baptist church for 10 years and you move to New Jersey, Florida also so on. This church is just focused on all the leadership and all the leaders there.

Barbara – 5. Have you ever been on a missionary trip? Answer: No.

Barbara – 6. If you did, what do you think the most important aspect of the missionary trip? Answer: Of course the helping people’s basic needs. They need medical attention, food, if they are ___(inaudible). You can’t really preach the gospel until somebody who is hungry, they are in pain, need. You know you can’t really. They won’t be able to hear the gospel, you have to feed them first. So far the first thing they should be is comfortable, in terms of their health, their food, things like that, shelter. When we satisfy those things, then you can share the gospel. Because then they will be able to listen to you and they are not concentrated about where they are going to get their next meal. So the first they would like to take care of people’s needs, and then share the gospel, and (inaudible) the kingdom (?) of God.

Barbara 7. Ok, this is my other classmate’s question. What percentage of the various Caribbean – Do you know the ethnic background of your congregates, the break down basically. Answer: Um, it should be very loose numbers.

Barbara – It’s fine.

Answer: I would say, um Jamaicans are probably about 75 percent

Barbara – Ok.

Answer: And um people from Guyana probably 10 percent. But then we have people from all the other islands, St. Vincent, Trinidad, Haiti, and Granada. And of course we have Americans borns here. Native born Americans. And they be native, they are Caribbean people who are basically born American, ___(inaudible) part of the country. I’m not talking about those, I’m talking about lets say African Americans or um, something like Puerto Ricans, these people also, but a small percentage, very small.

Barbara – 8. What would you say is the most specific characteristic for a church that is catering to the West Indian community? Compared to other churches, what- Answer: We actually don’t actually gear to a particular ethnic background or anything like that. Because basically the community we focus on, we happen to be in a mostly Caribbean community and for me it is actually incidental. If it was another community, well- I don’t think we doing things specific other than since we have the community of Caribbean people, and their connection back to their home land, so we put the missions in those areas because the congregation can go to and then we expand to other places, like West Africa, South Africa, like that. It’s based on community we have in the church, then we connect back to where they are connected to.

Barbara – All right.

Roberth – I have a question, how does this church contribute to community development?

Answer: There are so many things. Um, I’m just considering about the time. You guys have to hand this in tomorrow?

Barbara – No, but tomorrow is school.

Answer: How much more time do we have, because I have some things to do?

Barbara – 2 more minutes, How many- Quickly we have two more questions

Answer: Ok, what was the question again?

Roberth- How do you think this church has contributed to community development?

Answer: Oh man, in this ___ (inaudible) we have what a, we have – I don’t know there is a building next to it called Rugby Family Services. There we do a lot of community work. We do counseling, all kinds of um deeds in the counseling we do. Counseling for domestic violence victims, um we do, we teach G.E.D. classes, so people can take G.E.D. classes, computer classes, we do referrals for people. Immigration information, if they need forms to be completed things like that. Also people, some people, are not aware of many things, many help that the government has, they are not aware so we show them where to go. If they student education, student scholarships things like that. Medicare, Medi – you know those types of things we do all of that. In addition, we o have a feeding program, where we feed the homeless four days a week. They make a really good meal because I eat there sometimes.

Barbara – Yea our class visited, and one of your classmates said it was good food too. (To Roberth) Any last questions?

Roberth – I have a question, what type of events does the church do to create unity in the community? Does it do any sort of events?

Answer: Any sort of events? Outreach events? Um, we have seminars, seminars on different things from business development, we had a seminar on can teenage avoid, how abuse, and stalking of teenagers things like that. Sometimes we work with other organizations, where they have community events. Also we may bring in, lets say, government officials may want to, to promote something they are doing, I don’t know immigration or jibs fair something like that, they can use our auditorium and work with that to, things like that, you know.

(Pause)

Him: Let me give you this, let me help you. The building next to this is called the Youth and Family Services and it’s, it’s an affiliate of our church. It’s like a ministry of ____(inaudible) there are other things ____(inaudible) that can help you.

Barbara – All right thanks.

Him: That’s where I work actually.

Barbara – Ok. Do you have time for one more question? (looks for a question)

Him: Sure. Where you guys located…?

Barbara – Harlem.

Roberth – Do you think that we might be able to come visit another time?

Him: Call me at that number.

Barbara – Thank you very much.

Him: The best for what you’re doing.