What is GBIO?

University Lutheran Church is an active member of the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization (GBIO). Founded in 1998, GBIO is a coalition of about 100 religious and civic organizations that have come together across lines of religion, race, class, and geography to work on issues of community concern. GBIO is built on one-to-one relationships, formed when two people sit down to share their histories, concerns, hopes, and desires.

Since its formation, GBIO has primarily focused on affordable housing and education. In affordable housing, GBIO was instrumental in the creation of a five-year, $100 million state affordable housing trust fund to support the construction, renovation, and rehabilitation of affordable owner- and renter-occupied housing units. In 2001, its first year, $20 million from the housing trust fund supported about one thousand new and renovated units statewide, including a forty-unit project in Somerville. Currently, GBIO's Nehemiah Project is seeking to build a thousand low-cost two-family homes in Boston.

In education, GBIO has primarily worked to obtain more resources for programs and equipment in the Boston public schools and advocated for increased state aid for education to cities and towns.

How can I get involved?

Many opportunities to work with GBIO are available:

• Support: Volunteers are always needed to write letters, make phone calls, sign petitions, or attend rallies to support specific campaigns. For example, in March 2002, fifteen UniLu members attended a rally in Mattapan to ask Boston Mayor Tom Menino to provide city-owned land for the Nehemiah project. Also, UniLu occasionally holds one-to-one campaigns or "house meetings" of roughly ten people to identify issues of importance to the congregation. Watch for bulletin or newsletter announcements about these opportunities.

• Leadership: University Lutheran has a "core team" of people who coordinate issue work within the congregation and act as liaisons to GBIO as a whole. The Somerville-Cambridge Area Team includes representatives from 12 local member institutions who meet once a month to discuss issues and coordinate efforts. Sometimes, GBIO-wide issue teams (such as housing or education) form to strategize and organize around specific issues. GBIO's parent organization, the Industrial Areas Foundation, also offers three-day or ten-day trainings for people interested in developing their leadership and community organizing skills. These trainings have been transformative experiences for many who have attended them.

For more information on GBIO and how you can become involved, contact theUniLu core team (Rachel Anderson, Gail Bucher, Chris Porter, and Rita Schwantes) at gbio@unilu.org.

—Chris Porter