We love our neighborhood and we’re here to serve our neighbors.

Our Neighborhood Renewal Team exists to help bring God’s healing and justice to our neighborhood. We prize tangible local ministry, partnership with others who love our neighborhood, and face-to-face relationships. We are particularly interested in the areas of economic justice, the arts, and the lives of our children.

Become a Mentor through Pathways Mentorship Program!

Youth-Police Roundtable

The mission of  the Youth-Police Roundtable is to bring together youth aged 14-24 from the Washington Heights/Inwood Community and Officers representing the 34th Police Precinct to develop dialogue, accountability and collaboration around issues of community policing, public safety and supporting youth who are at-risk or involved with the criminal justice system.

Objectives:

• Mentor young leaders aged 14-24 in community organizing and justice advocacy.

• Establish an ongoing dialogue between youth and police to establish rapport and trust.

• Youth and police identify issues of common concern related to  community policing, public safety and supporting at-risk youth.

• Partner with a broad coalition of community partners to support the above objectives.

For more information contact Al Santino, Community Coordinator at alsantino@uptowncommunitychurch.com

Click here to learn more about this initiative.

Pray March Act 

The vision of Pray March Act (PMA) is to create a nation-wide collective of churches and organizations that are committed to Christian Anti-Racist work by dismantling racist structures in their cities through praying, marching, and activism. We believe that there are systems and structures in our cities that support the marginalization of oppressed communities. PMA is committed to galvanizing the church to dismantle those structures.

Uptown Community Church is a member of the PMA coalition of churches that are working together in 2022 to identify anti-racist public policies to advocate for. Members of our church are participating in three Policy Working Groups that were created around three policy areas: housing, public education and the criminal legal system. 

Join a PMA Policy Working Group!

Full schedule of the upcoming PMA 2022 Policy Campaign

PMA 2022 Policy Campaign - Orientation Meeting 1 (presentation)

PMA 2022 Policy Campaign - Orientation Meeting 2 (presentation)

Washington Heights & Inwood Mentorship Program

Our Mission

The mission of the Washington Heights & Inwood Pathways Mentoring Program (“WH/I Pathways”) is to recruit and equip community leaders to mentor youth in Washington Heights and Inwood to achieve greater possibilities for a safer, healthier, and thriving neighborhood.

WH/I Pathways was started by a coalition of neighborhood churches and non-profit organizations working together to support the well-being of the Washington Heights-Inwood community.

Mentors

A mentor is someone who is willing to selflessly invest their time in a relationship, to build up the character, hope, and skills of a youth. We have identified 30 young people who would significantly benefit from regular interaction with a caring adult.

What kind of mentors are we looking for? If you care about young people and want to make a difference, we're looking for somebody like YOU!

Mentoring Opportunities

Inwood Academy for Leadership Middle School (433 W. 204th St.)
Once a week before-school program (7:15-8:30am). This time includes sharing breakfast with your mentee and participating in a group session with fun activities and discussions about important life values.

Inwood Academy for Leadership High School (108 Cooper St.)
An opportunity to come alongside a student, encourage them through their challenges and help instill hope toward goals and ambitions for a bright future.

For more information or to apply, contact:
Kala Mueller, Program Coordinator, 646-647-5076 or whimentoring@gmail.com

Fairview Ave Lot Renewal Project 

The purpose of this project is to bring local citizens, organizations, building and landowners, and institutions together to address the beautification, health and safety concerns of the lot located on Fairview Ave between Broadway and Broadway Terrace.  

If you are interested in participating please contact Al Santino; 917-903-5569

Service Opportunities with Community Partners

If anyone is interested in volunteering, please be sure to contact Tiffany ahead of time by email or phone at 212-942-4204.

Washington Heights and Inwood Food Council

The WHIN Food Council exists to develop pathways to food justice in Washington Heights and Inwood. The WHIN Food Council is looking for community participants for its main committee project areas: urban gardening, health advocacy and policy influencing, food vendor partnerships, community health/nutrition event coordination, and website/tech support. The WHIN Food Council meets monthly for general body meetings that are open to the public and where project committee members meet and plan. If you are interested in a leadership role, the Council’s Steering Committee meets monthly to discuss the continued development and growth of the Council’s existing programming. General body meetings take place once a month, usually the third Thursday of the month. Project Committees meet as needed.

Information on the WHIN Food Council is available via their Facebook page, here.

Uptown Community Church is a founding member of Viva Uptown Inc., a church-based collaborative which is joining God and our community for the flourishing of Washington Heights and Inwood.  Learn about us at vivauptown.org