The Rev. Katrina D. Foster

NYPD Clergy Liaison, 46th and 94th Precincts
Fire Police and Department Chaplin,  Bridgehampton Fire Department 
Vice-President St. Michael's Housing Corporation
Mentor, Trinity Wall Street Fellows 
Coordinator, Financial Peace University

 

I lead from a focus on transparent, consistent, direct communication, clear expectations, weekly staff/volunteer meetings, annual evaluations and necessary adjustments to meet goals. I believe in communal prayer, bible study, and regular time off to encourage staff and volunteers to prioritize their families, work well and with joy.

I have served in a wide variety of ministry settings from inner-city urban to extreme wealth/resort settings to gentrifying, hipster Brooklyn. I have worked with a broad array of communities and have successfully built coalitions to engage in effective community organizing and community change. Every congregation I have been called to serve was in the process of being closed with little  hope of survival. Every congregation became a transformed community of faith, responsive to the immediate neighborhood with a reach further into the city and world. Each church became a place where people could experience the power of Christ, a community of concrete action and vibrant faith.  

 

I served Fordham Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Bronx from 1994-2015. It was a congregation made up largely of immigrants from West Indian, Caribbean, Latinx and African communities. The majority of the church members were single moms and their children. The average annual income during my time there was $22,000. Few members had a BA/BS or more. But, Fordham came to be the number one giving congregation in the synod and achieved total financial self sufficiency by creating working relationships with community partners like HeadStart, Our Sister's Place home for foster care girls and their babies, Picture the Homeless, a direct action organization elevating the visibility of homeless persons and creating permanent housing solutions, and through  tithes and offerings from the congregation. During my time at Fordham we grew from fewer than 20 members to 120. None of the new members were Lutheran before coming to Fordham. 

 

St. Michael's Lutheran Church, Amagansett and Incarnation Lutheran Church, Bridgehampton on Long Island are in communities of extreme wealth where I served from 2010-2015. Most members had college and advanced degrees. Some were cradle Lutherans but most of the new members were not. Many of the families were two parent households. After both congregations became  Reconciling in Christ and publicly welcomed LGBTQ+ people, both congregations began to grow. Incarnation’s unique ministry became working with survivors of domestic violence and undocumented migrants seeking to become citizens. St. Michael’s unique ministry was building St. Michael’s Housing, a 40 unit low income senior housing project and community center. Financial stewardship and generosity also became a focus of the congregation. 

 

St. John's Lutheran Church in Greenpoint, Brooklyn is a congregation in an amazing transition. Since I began serving here in 2015 the average age has dropped from 75 to 35. Many of our members are single young adults, most of whom were raised in various faith traditions including a few cradle Lutherans. Our community has a wide range of educational levels, we are socioeconomically diverse and have members from across the globe.  

Because St. John's became RIC we are now attracting young members and families who want to be part of an inclusive community. We also have interfaith couples who worship regularly and are some of the best evangelists we have. Creating an inclusive, public facing community of faith has attracted people from all economic levels, ethnicities, ages and religious backgrounds.