Briggs Center for Faith and Action

“Form 990, part iii, line 4a, program service accomplishments:”

“This does not include costs for the center's excecutive director and staff assistant who invest many hours in the program in the course of the year. Not does it include costs for thr use of the center's carpenetr's house, the location of ongoing activities of the center and office space for the staff. Samaritan fund: to meet the specific needs of families and individuals in distress who need help with homelessness and other short-term needs, the center created the samaritan fund. A careful accounting of this fund is maintained by the staff assistant. Grant to good shepherd ucc, sahuarita, az: this congregation on the arizona/mexico border is heavily involved in humanitarian ministry to migrants in distress in the sonoran desert. The center support helps the church with this humanitarian ministry. The center maintains a close relationship with this church. The center's executive director regularly attends an annual border issues fair sponsored by the church. Bethesda cares: bethesda cares is a humanitarian agency located in bethesda, maryland whose purpose is to provide housing and support for homeless men on the streets of the city. The agency has won high marks of late for its work in helping homeless veterans find sustainable housing. Thrive: thrive is a comprehensive agency in helena, arkansas seeking to revitalize this mississippi river delta city ravaged by poverty when textile mills moved away. The agency has been in operation for ten years and has made remarkable progress in helping eager and willing people create small business, art programs for youth, improved education and community facilities. The $500 grant is used for these purposes. In recent months thrive has led a city-wide effort to build a safe and sturdy playground for the children of the area, a facility not hitherto available in thrive's neighborhood of this hard-pressed city. Frontera de cristo/cafe justo: beginning 2014, the center launched a relationship with cafe justo, a coop of mexican farmers who grow, roast and produce quality coffee. The program enables the families to remain in their homeland and still make a better living for themselves. The coffee is sold primarily in churches now in all fifty states and canada. The center regularly orders coffee from the coop at sells it to members of local churches. The center also buys coffee in bulk to use during the coffee breaks of the esl program. If the center generates a profit, the proceeds are sent to the frontera de cristo ministry in douglas, arizona on the mexico/arizona border which is heavily involved in various ministries focusing on humanitarian support for migrants. Shaw community ministries: shaw is an inner-city ministry serving children in the shaw community of washington, dc in an after-school program. Shaw annually sponsors scholarship drive to help graduating seniors in the ministry attend college. Martha's table of washington, dc: in 1991, the briggs church began making approximately 300 sandwiches on a monthly basis for the highly regarded martha's table, a comprehensive washington, dc social service institution. When the center evolved from the church and became part of the westmoreland congregational united church of christ, a group coalesced that began making 500 sandwiches a month. Beginning 2009, the center expanded the program even more to make 1200 sandwiches on fifth saturdays of the year, four times annually. Along the way, the center augmented the sandwich making by supplying 100 small bags of fresh fruit along with the sandwiches. This effort has become a community wide enterprise attracting volunteers from the larger community, both adults and young people. Spiritual hospitality and meditation: the center supports a ministry of spiritual hospitality and weekly meditation in the center's carpenter's house. The carpenter's house: in addition to meeting space for weekly esl classes and office space for the center, the carpenter house is in use constantly for american and inte”

“Form 990, part vi, section a, line 2:”

“Robert benton, vice president/secretary, has a family relationship with robert l. Maddox, executive director.”

“Form 990, part vi, section b, line 11b:”

“After the federal form 990 is prepared by an independent accountant, the draft version of the federal form 990 is reviewed by the entire board of directors before being filed with the internal revenue service.”

“Form 990, part vi, section b, line 12c:”

“Required to disclose conflicts annually and the policy is monitored by having each trustee and officer reaffirm their understanding of the conflict of interest policy (and compliance with it) on an annual basis. If the governing board or committee has reasonable cause to believe that a member has failed to disclose actual or possible conflicts of interest, it shall inform the member the basis for such belief and afford the member an opportunity to explain the alleged failure to disclose. If, after hearing the members response and after making further investigation as warranted by the circumstances, the governining board or committee determines the member has failed to disclose an actual or possible conflict of interest, it shall take appropriate disciplinary and corrective action.”

“Form 990, part vi, section b, line 15a:”

“In order to determine the executive directors compensaion, non-interested members of the board of directors use a process that includes reviewing comparable data informed by market research and outside counsel.”

“Form 990, part vi, section c, line 19:”

“The center makes its governing documents, conflict of interest policy and financial statements available to the public upon request.”