The New York Service and Justice Collaborative

As of early June, 2023, the decision was taken that the New York Service and Justice Collaborative should take a “sabbath” year for the upcoming fellowship year. Bishops Heyd and Shin wrote as follows:

June 5, 2023

Transition for New York Service and Justice Collaborative and Next chapter for young adult service in the Diocese of New York

The Holy Spirit shapes our lives in every season.  Discernment—opening ourselves to our experience of God’s grace and love—has served as a foundation of our Christian tradition.  

Supporting young adult discernment through connections to community and service has been a long commitment of the Diocese of New York.

For twenty years the New York Service and Justice Collaborative— originally called the New York Intern Program— has provided young adults from around the country the opportunity to live in community and serve at area congregations and nonprofit agencies.  It was launched by the Rev. Dr. Earl Koopercamp at St. Mary’s in Manhattanville and directed ably for the last seven years by Ms. Judy Douglas.

Father Koopercamp’s leadership catalyzed a national movement of similar young adult programs through the Episcopal Service Corps.

Now, these residential programs across the country have experienced a reduction in applications.  

Unfortunately, this reduction includes our own New York intern program.  Despite hard work they were unable to receive enough applications to fill the class for the upcoming year.  Judy and the Board of Advisors asked for a “sabbath year” to consider next steps.  

Unfortunately, that will mean the effective end of the program because it ends the revenue from site placements that funds staffing and support.  This also means that the NYSJC event on June 22^nd has been cancelled.

Throughout our common life we are living as Church in a time of change.  Often this means caring for each other through difficult decisions and loss—and looking for where the Spirit is calling us to renewal.

We have commissioned the Young Adult Advisory Council to plan for a next chapter in a non-residential program that will engage young adults in every region of the Diocese in a rule of life, connection through prayer and community, and service.  

We expect the new initiative to launch a pilot effort in the fall.  We’re grateful to the Rev. Megan Sanders for helping to guide this effort.

Our values of discernment, service, and justice will guide the new initiative.  It will build on what we’ve learned from the intern program over two decades.  An event to launch this new initiative will be announced in the fall.

It’s a sad moment of transition.  We’re grateful for the visionary leadership of Father Kooperkamp and the faithful service of the Rev. Dr. Mary Foulke when it was New York Interns Program, and for the dedication and hard work of Ms. Judy Douglas as the executive director of NYSJC and of the advisory board and Ms. Paula Roberts, its chair. 

We also want to acknowledge and thank a number of other program leaders and supporters and the more than 100 young adults who have trusted the Spirit, come to New York and offered their gifts within the program over the past twenty years. 

We’re also excited about the possibility to build on the program’s accomplishments and engage young adults across the Diocese in following God’s Spirit and making a difference in the world.

The Rt. Rev. Matthew  Heyd                                      The Rt. Rev. Allen K. Shin

Bishop-Coadjutor                                                       Bishop Suffragan