COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Westminster Hills Presbyterian Church has a strong commitment to both faith and community.
We see the two as inseparable parts of our members' lives. We assist our members in finding solutions, community support and information through our relationships with numerous agencies and resources in the Hayward area. If you do not see your specific need addressed in the resources listed below, please join us at the church, or contact us, and we will be happy to assist you.
The partnerships and resources that have become the foundation of our church's outreach and community services mission are the result of many years of work developing these associations for the benefit of those in need. This is why we are known as:
"A welcoming and affirming church serving the community."
Our sincere thanks to our community partners for their continuing generosity in serving all those who ask for help, year in and year out.
These are some of the organizations we consider partners. Those that are starred share our building.
*Afghan & International Refugees Support Services - (510) 782-6001
Alameda County Health Care Ministries (local Parish Nursing) - (510) 782-7629
Alameda County Human Relations Commission (Web site coming)
Family Emergency Shelter Coalition - (510) 886-5473; (510) 581-3223
*Interfaith Network - (510) 785-8372
South Hayward Parish - (510) 303-1890 (?)
*South Hayward Parish Food Program - (510) 782-2050
South Hayward Neighborhood Collaborative - (510) 272-6675/
*Family Resource Center - (510) 782-2947
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1964 WAS A VERY GOOD YEAR …
When the South Hayward Parish was formed in the spring of 1964 there was not much good stuff going on in our end of town. Three small faith communities came together to see if they could make some good stuff happen. They looked for the places where folk seemed to be in the most distress; where folk had little voice in the system; where justice was a scarce commodity.
At a time when daycare centers did not exist, the Parish caused them to be formed. When single mothers raising children on their own was a new phenomenon, the Parish established support services. When there were no crisis counseling services for families in trouble, the Parish developed a free system. When rents were soaring and landlords could charge whatever they chose from one month to the next, the Parish provided the leadership and meeting space needed to establish rent control in Hayward. When Weekes Park was a dangerous place controlled by drug dealers, the Parish put people in the park and used its churches as crash pads for youth who had overdosed. When folk faced discrimination and fair housing was an issue, the Parish members opened their homes week after week so neighbors could come together to get to know each other. When the farm workers marched through Hayward, they slept in Parish houses and in Parish churches. And today when hungry families need food and when Hayward’s day laborers need just treatment and support, the Parish is still there.
Groups concerned about social justice issues often come and go. Agencies, partnerships, collaborative; they all seem to wax and wane with time. So, after all these years, why is South Hayward Parish still around? Only one or two people are left who remember the beginning; the three faith communities have grown to seven; two of those are non-Christian making the Parish organization now inter-faith; and money is always in short supply. Let’s see, no money, no consistent leadership, and no common theology or culture among its members. So what is the glue that has held the Parish together for so many years? The “secret” is that the Parish has never lost track of its mission or of its focus. New faith communities have joined because they share the mission and the focus. Where the community is in distress, where folk need help to make their voices heard, where justice is scarce…. That is still the Parish’s place in this community. Westminster is proud to be a member!
