Mr. Jamar Doyle
Jamar Doyle began his service as President and CEO of the Council for Health and Human Service Ministries in March 2022. Before joining CHHSM, Jamar served as Executive Director of the Greater Collinwood Development Corporation in Cleveland, Ohio, one of the city’s largest community development organizations, charged with fostering equitable and inclusive economic development and community engagement in the Collinwood area of Cleveland. Before working in Collinwood, Jamar worked for ten years at the St. Clair Superior Development Corporation in roles of increasing responsibility, most recently as the organization’s Assistant Director. Civically active in the Cleveland community, Jamar currently serves as Vice President of the board of directors for the Ohio CDC (Community Development Corporation) Association, a 300-member strong statewide association focused on strengthening Ohio’s communities. Jamar also serves as a commissioner on the Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s Bond Accountability Commission, an independent organization created to monitor the expenditure of funds for school construction projects. Jamar grew up in the AME Zion Church and remains active in his family’s home church in Cleveland. Jamar holds a Master’s in Urban Planning, Design, and Development from Cleveland State University’s Levin College of Urban Affairs and a dual B.A. in Political Science and Urban Studies from the University of Pittsburgh.
Ms. Cindy P. Crotty
Cindy P. Crotty currently serves as an advisor to Vocon, a privately held company. She is a retired financial services executive with over 35 years of experience in commercial, retail, private and corporate banking. She was formerly the Executive Vice President and Regional President of Peoples Bank. She reported to the CEO and was responsible for leading and growing all bank operations for the North Region including retail, commercial, business banking, investment management and insurance. Prior to Peoples Bank Ms. Crotty spent 20 years at KeyCorp, most recently as an Executive Vice President and a member of KeyCorp’s Executive Council, where she was responsible for the Commercial Client segment. Prior to KeyCorp, she spent 14 years in various corporate finance and wealth management leadership roles at Citibank, NA (now Citigroup, NA). Ms. Crotty was trustee on the Board of Trustees of the University of Akron and a board member of The Gathering Place, and Hathaway Brown School, is past president and former board member of Beech Brook, retired board member of the Visiting Nurse Association, and was an inaugural member of the United Way Women’s Leadership Council. She is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and completed the Key Executive Experience at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University.
Rev. Dennis Coy
Dennis Coy currently serves as senior pastor of Congregational United Church of Christ in Canton, Ohio – and has served this congregation since early 2014. Mr. Coy serves as Chief Risk Officer for financial institutions. Mr. Coy has served as a member of the United Church of Christ Board of Directors. Mr. Coy is a career investigator and investigations manager in both the public and private sectors with over 20 years of experience as a specialist in the area of White Collar Crimes and financial crimes, in general. Mr. Coy has served as an executive overseeing risk, compliance, and investigations in the banking, financial services, and financial technology (FinTech) sectors. Mr. Coy is also active in his community and has served in various roles with regional and state-wide nonprofit organizations. He has as a B.A. in Legal Studies from Dominican University and attended the University of London for divinity and theological studies.
Rev. (John) Tyler Connoley
John Tyler Connoley is the Conference Minister of the Central Pacific Conference of the United Church of Christ. They have spent most of their adult life serving in the church, first as a lay leader and then as an ordained minister. They grew up in Zambia, where their parents were missionaries in the Wesleyan Church. They came to the United Church of Christ in 2004 and have served in the conference setting of the United Church of Christ since 2014. Rev. Connoley loves connecting people and helping them find their calling, and has years of experience in group and individual discernment processes. Rev. Connoley has been a prophetic voice, advocating for full LGBTQ+ religious inclusion since 1992. A biblical theologian and storyteller, Rev. Connoley has a Master of Arts in Religion and a Master of Divinity, both from Earlham School of Religion. Their undergraduate degree is in Business and Economics from Indiana Wesleyan University. In addition to their ministry activities, Rev. Connoley is a small business owner with their husband.
Rev. Lorraine Ceniceros
Lorraine Ceniceros currently serves as the Conference Minister of the Kansas-Oklahoma Conference, United Church of Christ. Rev. Ceniceros previously served as the Associate Conference Minister for the Southwest Association and the western half of the Southeast Association for the Wisconsin Conference. She has significant ecclesiastical experience, having served for five years on the Central Association Committee on Ministry. Rev. Cenicersos also served as Chair of the Board of Directors for the Southern California Nevada Conference. Rev. Ceniceros has a Bachelor of Science degree from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff and a Master of Divinity from Claremont School of Theology. She has experience as a local pastor, a pediatric chaplain and most recently, has served as manager of Spiritual Care for Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica. Prior to her entry into ordained ministry, she held several managerial positions.
United Church of Christ
About
For over 400 years, the United Church of Christ has been the church of firsts, weaving God’s message of hope and extravagant welcome with action for justice and peace. We are a church where Jesus the healer meets Jesus, the revolutionary, and we grow a just and peaceful world together.
Maria C. Coyne, President & CEO
Maria C. Coyne serves as the President and CEO of the UCC Cornerstone Fund. Maria is a financial services executive with over 30 years of experience in commercial and retail banking. Nationally recognized as an engaging leader, Maria is featured in several books and publications including How Women Lead by Dr. Sharon Hadary, and Off the Sidelines by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. She has also worked with several “fintech” companies providing strategic consulting, and as a senior consultant at the telos institute. While at KeyCorp from 2001 to 2015 she served as an Executive Vice President and a member of KeyCorp’s Executive Council. She was the founder of the Key4 Women program and also held leadership positions in Retail/Consumer Banking, Business Banking, Strategic Planning, and Client Experience. She was named twice (in 2013 and 2014) as one of American Banker’s “25 Most Powerful Women in Banking”, and twice as one of the “Women to Watch” (2011 and 2012). Prior to Key, she spent three years at the Greater Cleveland Growth Association and over 10 years at Bank One Cleveland, serving in various management capacities before becoming Director of Marketing. She is a prominent thought leader on small business and women’s leadership and has been featured frequently in media including the Wall Street Journal, CNN, NPR, Bloomberg News, and BusinessWeek. Maria has considerable experience serving on non-profit boards including the Cleveland Catholic Diocese finance council, the Ursuline Sisters finance council, Beaumont school, the MacDonald Women’s Health Council of University Hospitals, the Sovereign Order of St. John, and she was an inaugural member of the United Way Women’s Leadership Council.
Maria is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelors of Business Administration in Finance. She also completed the Key Executive Experience at the Case Weatherhead School of Management. Maria is a proud Clevelander, where she and her husband raised their two adult children. She is an avid rower and enjoys travel and learning about new cultures.
Ms. Elizabeth Walker, Esq., Chair
Elizabeth Walker has been engaged in the legal profession for over 35 years. Currently, she is a serving in an Of Counsel capacity to Chartwell Law, LLP in their offices in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Ms. Walker retired from Zurich America Insurance Company in 2018 where she specialized in the field of employment law, educating, training, counseling and defending insured employers. Ms. Walker is a graduate of Rutgers College, New Brunswick, New Jersey, where she earned a B.A. in Economics. She attended Colgate Rochester/Bexley Hall/Crozier Theological Seminary studying applied ethics before earning her Juris Doctor Degree from Temple University School of Law in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is admitted to the bars of the State of New Jersey and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Ms. Walker is an active member of Old First Reformed United Church of Christ where she serves as Chair of the Outreach Leadership Team. Ms. Walker serves as Moderator Emeritus of the Philadelphia Association of the United Church of Christ and on the Investment & Endowment Committee of the Pennsylvania Southeast Conference of the United Church of Christ. Ms. Walker is a member of the Board of Directors of the United Church of Christ and Chairs the Audit Committee of that Board. Ms. Walker also serves as that Board’s representative on the Investment Committee of United Church Funds. Also, in the national setting of the United Church of Christ, Ms. Walker is serving on the Taskforce developing a Manual on the Local Church and on the Racial Equity Advisory Taskforce. Ms. Walker has served on the Cornerstone Fund Board of Directors from 2012-2017 and from 2019 to present. Ms. Walker has served as Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Cornerstone Fund since 2020.
Ravenswood United Church of Christ (Chicago, IL)
“Church is more than a place to go on Sunday morning. At its best, it is a community that lives and breathes with the seasons of life.”
– Rev. Jason W. Coulter, Pastor, Ravenswood UCC
Ravenswood Raises the Roof
Ravenswood United Church of Christ is a mainstay in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood. It has provided a place to fellowship and worship for almost a century. But when Rev. Jason W. Coulter took over as lead pastor in 2008, he noticed years of deferred maintenance to an aging building. “The walls needed painting. The boilers were old and failing, and the bathrooms – extremely dated – just weren’t aesthetically pleasing,” says Coulter.
With a small, yet mighty congregation, Rev. Coulter was able to address many of the church’s needs with fundraising and an unexpected insurance settlement. “We had a committed group of people who wanted to fundraise,” explains Coulter. And those efforts paid off. After a year-long campaign which included a country-line dance inspired fundraising party resulted in a $75,000 surplus. Those funds covered many upgrades including new paint and a new boiler.
However, Coulter needed an additional $50,000 for a huge undertaking – replacing the building’s roof. With a grand total of about $120,000, Coulter understood that fundraising would not be enough to fix the church’s most pressing repair. So, with advice from a friend in the banking industry, Coulter opened a few small investments with the Cornerstone Fund. In addition, he applied and was approved for a small loan – just enough to cover the repairs for the roof.
Fix the roof, reach the people.
One of the core missions of Ravenswood UCC is sharing the love of God with people, regardless of an individual’s background. On the website, Rev. Coulter emphasizes, “Our doors are to you no matter who you are or where you are in life’s journey. So whether you’re young or old, black or while, gay or straight, right or left-handed, or somehow all of the above – you are welcome here with us.”
Indirectly, the Cornerstone Fund loan has helped to support this mission. “Our biggest relief is that we don’t have to worry about the building structure anymore. We get to attend church every Sunday knowing it’s going to be warm and that there’s not going to be any leaks,” says Coulter. “We can just focus on our core mission – which is worshiping God and serving our community” adds Rev. Coulter.
Another part of Ravenswood’s mission involves a congregation which has a social justice focus. Coupled with a strong UCC identity, Coulter wants to ensure an objective that is recognizable even by those driving past the church or pedestrian passersby. A large banner that includes a 4’x8” rainbow flag, occupies the main entrance of the church and states, “God is still speaking.” It’s a clear indicator that Ravenswood UCC is an LGTBQIA–welcoming community.
“Having an up-to-date building where people can come together with shared values, compassion, kindness, and inclusion – that is the kind of identity we want…that’s who we are,” says Coulter.
Preserving the building for the next generation is a priority.
The cover of Ravenswood UCC fundraising brochure featured the 90-year-old matriarch of the church holding a baby on her lap. The image speaks volumes about the direction of Ravenswood and why building repairs were so necessary. “We want to make sure this church is around so that the next generation can enjoy the same worship that the previous generation had access to,” Coulter asserts.
The new roof has allowed Pastor Coulter to also focus on the family and childrens’ ministries. Since he started in 2008, he’s noticed an increase in the number of children who attend service, too.
Since addressing the major repairs to the roof, Coulter has also been able to give some much-needed attention to the children’s ministry, nursery, and Sunday school. “We also have a young parents’ group that meets regularly for parents night out. Our nursery provider comes in on a Friday night and all the kids play under a secure roof while the parents enjoy a night on the town. We can do all of these things because we don’t have to worry about the structural security of the building,” says Coulter.
Churches helping other churches
With a congregation of only about fifty members, Coulter relies heavily on volunteers to assist with every aspect of operation. Ravenswood is a “small church that doesn’t have an administrative staff.”
It was critical, then, to have a seamless loan process – one that is straightforward and uncomplicated. Coulter was able to single-handedly submit the loan application and provide supporting documentation with ease.
And when asked whether he’d encourage other small churches to partner with the United Church of Christ Cornerstone Fund, Rev. Coulter gave a ringing endorsement. “We took advantage of a good loan at a fair rate. And the process was very simple.” He continues, “Churches helping other churches really resonate spiritually and organizationally.”
The Inflation Reduction Act: How it can Benefit Faith Communities
Host
- Dr. Rev. Brooks Berndt, Minister of Environmental Justice, United Church of Christ
Panelists
- Jerome L. Garciano, Esq., a LEED Accredited Professional and author of the Green Tax Incentive Compendium
- Rebecca Perera, Director of Lending, United Church of Christ Cornerstone Fund
Date
- Recorded October 2022
Downloads