Yonkers branch a blessing for members
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YONKERS, N.Y. — Leaders in the Westchester New York Stake pondered for years the following "chicken and egg"-type questions: How can you find and attract members to the Church in an urban area if you don't have a branch that's based in their neighborhood? Similarly, how can you establish a branch in an urban area without first having a number of core members living there to support it?
"The fact that Yonkers — the fourth largest city in New York state, boasting a population of nearly 200,000 people — did not have an English-speaking branch of the Church weighed heavily on the hearts of our stake and mission leadership for quite some time," said Jeffrey A. Taylor, first counselor in the Westchester New York Stake presidency.
"Through some creative approaches and the efforts of dedicated leaders and members, we're thrilled to now have a dynamic and energetic branch established in Yonkers."
Urban and diverse Yonkers sits on the banks of the Hudson River, just a few miles north of Manhattan. Founded in 1646, Yonkers is comprised of a long-standing Irish-Catholic population and a burgeoning influx of immigrants from around the world, including many from Caribbean, Latin and African nations, seeking to make a better life for their families.
Though there is a small but strong Spanish branch in Yonkers, a struggling English-speaking branch was merged back into the boundaries of the Westchester 1st Ward five years ago due to insufficient priesthood leadership. Since then, some faithful members in Yonkers simply could not attend Sunday meetings at the Scarsdale meetinghouse, their assigned ward building, due to transportation issues.
"The number of cars among the members is limited. Public transportation is inefficient; with no direct routes, it could take members several hours to reach the meetinghouse on a Sunday morning," said President Taylor.
Missionaries stopped actively proselytizing in Yonkers because most investigators simply had no way to get to Church meetings.
"We knew many of our brothers and sisters in Yonkers were being prepared for the time when missionaries would again have a presence in Yonkers and there would be a place for the members to meet," said President Taylor.
Enter Elder Robert Browne and Sister Linda Browne from San Jose, Calif., full-time missionaries for the Church. Elder and Sister Browne, who also work in the New York New York North Mission Office, were assigned by Westchester New York Stake President E. Markham Bench to form an English-speaking "group" in Yonkers. The "Yonkers Initiative" was comprised of a core group of members whose purpose was to lay the groundwork for a branch to be re-created. Sixteen months after Elder and Sister Browne arrived in Yonkers, the Westchester 2nd Branch was formed there in February 2007.
In the fall of 2005, members living in Yonkers could attend a one-hour meeting, which included the sacrament, in the home of Almani and Kadija Akempta-Kargbo in the afternoon.
The meetings — structured as a mix between a sacrament meeting and a gospel doctrine class — were conducted under the authority of the Westchester 1st Ward with a bishopric member presiding. Elder Browne conducted and organized the weekly meetings. The group was also assigned a high councilor.
Shortly after the weekly meeting was established, investigators and less-active members enthusiastically began attending.
When the group was initially created, Elder and Sister Browne and the other full-time missionaries focused on contacting all members in Yonkers and inviting them to attend the Yonkers-based meetings. Initially, 25 people attended, with attendance eventually rising to an average of 45 people as the weeks continued.
Along the way, missionaries have had success finding and teaching families in Yonkers and have baptized 18 converts. In addition to the newly baptized members, the branch includes a mixture of long-time faithful members, students attending Sarah Lawrence College, and several young families pursuing employment in New York City.
"Our vision is to create a warm, safe and inviting place where people will come and want to stay," said Elder Browne.
The Church has approved plans for a new building in a more central area of Yonkers. A meetinghouse will be ready about the time that Elder and Sister Browne go home from their highly successful 23-month mission.
"We feel extremely blessed and fortunate to see the fruit of our labors. We are so grateful to be here as we can see a continuity of leadership in the branch," said Sister Browne.
