United Methodists clergy and business leaders gather to learn about and support StepUp Durham

Methodist clergy and business leaders gather at Asbury UMC at 8 AM on a Wednesday morning

Rev. Alan Felton of Resurrection UMC checking in and preparing for the morning's discussion on faith, business, and hiring

Rev. Cleve May, CityWell Church (left) and Rev. Carol Goehring, District Superintendent (right) 

Volunteers from Asbury UMC arrived at 7 AM to begin preparing a homemade breakfast for the Methodist clergy and business leaders in attendance. Special thanks to Bob Hinton for coordinating such a kind and generous team!

Rev. Alice Davis of Asbury UMC (left), Rev. Jessie Larkins - Assistant District Superintendent for the Corridor District of the NC Conference of the UMC (middle), Rev. Keith Daniel of StepUp NC (right)

Business leaders and clergy discuss their understanding of the intersection of faith and business

Rev. Erin Roesch, Director of Development and Employer Recruitment at StepUp and clergy in the NC Conference of the UMC, leads the group in a discussion of God's call to steward the gift of economic opportunity in Jeremiah 29 and Exodus 23

StepUp's Employment Manager,  Tim Wollin, writes down the marginalizing factors that affect someone's job search and the advantages of hiring those overcoming them through StepUp

Alton Lucas (StepUp alum) shares about his experience working with StepUp and the importance of fair chance hiring practices for those overcoming a criminal background

Rob Kinney (StepUp alum) shares about his employment journey and his new position at the Umstead Hotel and Spa, a StepUp employer. 

Rev. Carol Goehring invites Methodist clergy and business leaders to take a next step of supporting StepUp by giving time, treasure, and—most importantly—job opportunities to those partnering with StepUp

Carol Goehring is the current District Superintendent for the Corridor District of the North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church. 

By Carol Goehring

It was a breakfast meeting, and even at that early hour in the day, what surprised me most was the honest conversation about the feeling of being burned by a bad hire.  It was almost a universal experience, as the business and church leaders gathered shared in guided conversation.

Nine United Methodist churches in Durham and seven businesses were represented around the tables at Asbury United Methodist Church.  While Asbury hosted the event on May 4, providing some amazing food and a welcoming environment, it was StepUp Durham that introduced themselves as new members in the community.  StepUp Durham is a ministry that partners with adults and children seeking to transform their lives through employment and life skills training. 

Rev. Erin Roesch, a clergy member of the North Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church, is Director of Development and Employer Recruitment for StepUp Durham.  In just eight months, the organization has recruited over 40 local businesses to hire StepUp participants, including Duke University, Durham’s largest employer.  In that same period, 26 StepUp participants have obtained meaningful work, allowing them to improve their lives with stable income and renewed self-confidence.

Most of the guests at our breakfast gathering were small business owners and pastors--all of whom had hired someone at some point over the course of their career. Each had a story to tell, a story of strained resources and relationships, when an employee's challenges with substance use or criminal history affected their work. Together, we acknowledged our fears and biases, and our wariness in hiring anyone with a known criminal background, history of substance abuse, or employment gaps.  Risk-management, we concurred, is costly in terms of time, emotional energy and often, financial resources.  Not something most churches or small businesses can afford.

And yet, poor choices are not uncommon, and we agree that one should not have to suffer the consequences of poor choices forever. 

StepUp Durham is aware of the setback a poor choice can have not only on a person's self-image, but also on their employment journey. That is why the StepUp staff took time at our breakfast to explore the benefits of employing an at-risk applicant that has been trained, screened, referred, and supported by StepUp. We learned that in hiring from StepUp, businesses are able to make informed and responsible choices about the applicants they interview and hire.They can do so because StepUp provides:

•  32 hours of training for employment readiness in which a candidate learns how to prepare a resume and/or application, interview well, dress professionally, and demonstrate accountability through effective communication and time management
• Access to economic incentives for hiring someone with a barrier to employment, such as tax credits, grants, and Federal bonding--all of which add financial value to a business
• A resource to increase diversity in the workplace, whichstudies have shown is good for the business

StepUp staff also led those gathered in an examination of the social and communal benefits of hiring candidates who may be otherwise marginalized within the workforce. We learned that In providing economic opportunity to a StepUp participant, businesses:

• Stabilize unemployed or underemployed adults and families, restoring both their dignity and their ability to invest in the community via income taxes and other means
• Enable individuals and families to move out of homelessnessand take steps towards economic independence, thereby reducing their need to navigate complex governmental and nonprofit programs
• Better serve their customers by having a workforce that reflects the wide range of experiences present within a customer base. Chances are, a business has served someone with a criminal background. Has it hired one? 
• Create opportunities for those with a criminal record to earn an income and sustain their family, thereby reducing the risk for reincarceration. The costs of incarcerating a person for one year stands at $30,000. StepUp can partner with a person to find employment for $1,200 and thereby reduce the likelihood of recidivism. 

For members of the faith community, and in urban churches especially, the needs of those facing economic insecurity are ever before us.  Systemic solutions are hard to identify and often even harder to implement.  StepUp is one organization, however, that is offering not only hope to the unemployed and underemployed of Durham, but concrete employment outcomes that generate income and reduce poverty. I am excited to see what 2016 holds for them as they continue to engage business leaders, faith groups, and job seekers in this noble endeavor.