News

Joyfully and with thanks to God, Eliot’s Session and the Presbytery of Northern New England approved hiring Dr. Alvin Padilla as our Interim Pastor, and he agreed to serve, effective September 1, 2024.

Dr. Padilla is Dean of the Latino and Global Ministries Program at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He is now also serving as our pastor 3/4 time. He has agreed to lead our congregation, seeking to incarnate the gospel and all that it commands in the life, witness, and internal affairs of Eliot Church, its members, and its staff. As Moderator, he will facilitate our mission study and the process of seeking a permanent pastor. 

Because of his obligations at Gordon-Conwell, Dr. Padilla will not serve as Executive Director of our Day Center. Session and our Outreach Committee have put plans in place for Day Center executive leadership.

The Cummings $30 Million Grant Program aims to give back in the areas where it owns commercial property. Its buildings are all managed, at no cost to the Foundation, by its affiliate, Cummings Properties. This Woburn-based commercial real estate firm leases and manages 11 million square feet of debt-free space, the majority of which exclusively benefits the Foundation.

This year’s grant recipients represent a wide variety of causes, including housing and food insecurity, workforce development, immigrant services, social justice, education, and mental health services. The nonprofits are spread across 49 cities and towns.

Eliot Day Center will use the money — $50,000 each year for three years — to pay our Day Center staff, buy paper goods for food service and hygiene, and pay for utilities and contract services, such as wifi, electricity, and trash removal. Eliot Church is grateful to Cummings Foundation for this grant, which will enable us to keep our doors open and continue to serve as a hub where our unhoused neighbors can access spiritual care, person-centered support, and tangible resources for obtaining and maintaining safe and stable housing.

Cummings Foundation has now awarded $500 million to greater Boston nonprofits. The complete list of this year’s 150 grant winners, plus nearly 2,000 previous recipients, is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.