Buena Vista Community Institute (BVCI)

Buena Vista Community Institute (BVCI) is the social mission arm of BVUMC and continues to work to help ensure that marginalized communities, people of color, and people of all faiths or no faith, are able to remain in, receive support, and be an active and empowered part of the Bay Area, its institutions, and the broader world.

How It Started

Buena Vista Community Institute (BVCI), a social action program of Buena Vista United Methodist Church, started in 1992 with a grant from the United Methodist Church’s Community Developer Program (CDP).  The United Methodist Church started the CDP after the Rev. Martin Luther King’s assassination in 1968 to foster community organizing and community development work in local congregations as part of the Civil Rights Movement. 

One can see the hand of BVCI in local efforts to empower and give voice to marginalized communities, promote and protect affordable housing, protect tenants from eviction, feed and clothe the homeless, support immigrants seeking asylum, and promote racial justice.

BVUMC applied to join the program, following a year of racial turmoil in Alameda, when Alameda police officers in 1991 were caught using new computer equipment sending messages to one another about killing black residents in the community. 

While the black community was the focal point of the police controversy, another incident sparked outrage from the Asian community that Spring and Summer.  This involved an 

administrative intern serving at Amelia Earhart Elementary School, Nielsen Tam. Tam was an administrative intern filling in for the Principal who was on pregnancy leave.  When Tam was assigned to another school, parents at Amelia Earhart became upset because they had come to appreciate him as their Principal, especially with the growing number of Asian students.  

A “Campaign to Save Niel Tam” was initiated by parents at the school but Tam was subsequently demoted, and re-assigned to a class room and informed that he would not be given an administrative position in the district.  This episode was a lightning rod for addressing the lack of Asian American administrators and teachers in the Alameda Unified School District. 

Church members were active in the 'Campaign to Save Niel Tam'. It was through this event that Buena Vista UMC applied to be a part of the National UMC Community Development Program.  With an initial grant, Roy Mita was hired as the community developer staff, and a policy committee was established with church and community members in partnership. After a time of community assessment, the CDP committee  identified the need to create a new organization to amplify the voices of Asians living in Alameda and organize the community.

Community Empowerment & Diversity

This assessment led to the creation of the Organization of Alameda Asians (OAA), a partnership between BVUMC and other Asian Americans in Alameda. The CDP also helped start the Coalition of Alamedans for Racial Equality (CARE), a new group which was organized in response to the police scandal.  CARE and OAA worked together to create a coalition to propose a community-wide conference on diversity.  

The “Economics of Diversity” conference was held at the College of Alameda, and  addressed the issues of racism across all levels of city government and institutions while acknowledging that diversity is impacted by economic issues as well. CARE also partnered with the Alameda Unified School District to create a “Multi-Cultural Student Relations” program at the 3 Alameda high schools. 

Following the creation of OAA, through the leadership of Sharon Bayle and George Chin, the committee  proposed the creation of the Alameda Multi-Cultural Community Center in 1997, which not only provided services and a space for community gatherings, but also created an intentional voice for the growing population of people of color in Alameda. Although now closed, it served as a hub for organizing, cultural programming, and community care.

Affordable Housing

The announcement in 1996 of the impending closure of Alameda Naval Air Station aroused community concern about the future use of the vast area occupied by the base.  At the same time, rents were skyrocketing, and CDP member Vickie Smith noticed the increasing appearance of moving trucks. Gentrification and displacement of current residents was an increasing threat.

Under the leadership of Lynette Lee, Chair of the CDP policy committee the church consequently prioritized the new housing crisis and gentrification of the West End of Alameda as an issue for community action. Cynthia Okayama-Dobke, a recent graduate from Pacific School of Religion and the Administrative Assistant in the BVUMC office, became the staff community developer, and community organizer for the campaign.  With committee members, she started organizing "Save East Housing", a campaign to convert 590 units of former Navy housing on the West End to affordable housing.

Out of that community organizing came Renewed HOPE, When the City of Alameda rejected the proposed plan for conversion of East Housing, RH joined with Arc Ecology to file a lawsuit in 1998 challenging the process.  In a court settlement the city agreed to expand affordable housing on new developments at the Naval base to 25% and the Catellus Corporation agreed to a 3 acre set aside for affordable housing at the site of their new market rate homes. More than 20 years after the lawsuit settlement, some of that housing is now under construction.

Jumping ahead to 2016, BVCI became involved with protecting tenants from exorbitant rent increases and eviction, with staff community developer,  Austin Tam representing the church with the Alameda Renter’s Coalition (ARC) and advocacy for a Just-Cause Eviction policy, which passed in Alameda in 2020.

Housing advocacy continues today with Renewed HOPE’s involvement with the recently approved Housing Element, a plan to push forward more inclusive housing development. Key community members Tom Matthews and Laura Thomas provided leadership for Renewed HOPE over the many years of the partnership along with Buena Vista member,  Lynette Lee. 

Community Health

In 2000, discussions began with Katherine Chun of the National Asian Pacific American Families Against Substance Abuse (NAPAFASA) to work in partnership to address issues of substance abuse and mental health.  That developing partnership led to the creation of focus groups with church and community members organized by Cynthia Okayama-Dopke.  After creating space for sharing of experiences and concerns around these issues, a Community Health Task Force was established and Victoria Lee Moy was hired as new community developer staff to incubate the new project.  

This led to the creation of the Welcome Project as an umbrella for community health programs, which included: Reiki, Massage Therapy, Workshops and Educational Events.  Within the church a new Healing and Wholeness Committee was established.

Youth Development

In 2000, the CDP committee, which formally adopted the name BVCI at that time, developed a growing interest in serving youth.  Through the collaborative work of consultant Dr. Kim Caluza and new community developer staff, Janet Co, an API peer counseling program was set up in partnership with Encinal High.

In the same year, Emily Lin, an intern from the General Board of Global Ministries, initiated a Summer Youth Institute that focused on empowerment of Asian youth and exposure to social justice training. The SPOT Youth Program was also started as an afterschool youth program with community developer staff Michael Wong and support of ministerial intern, Moto Yamada.   SPOT partnered with Alameda Point Collaborative's Growing Youth Project which had created an organic farm to cultivate healthy food for residents and also provide employment training specifically for youth.  

Through the leadership of Hee Won Kim, new community developer staff, SPOT also worked with APC to provide space for volunteering at its farm.  One later highlight of youth work was a reconnection with one of the groups the church incubated:  the talkSTORY youth program, cosponsored by the Alameda Multi-Cultural Community Center housed at the former Woodstock Elementary School.

Palestine Solidarity

In 2007, Church & Society Committee Chair, Jose Arcellana took a trip to the Holy Land and returned from his visit with a spiritual epiphany that we engage in ministry with the Palestinian people. In 2009, Janet Lahr Lewis, the United Methodist liaison to the West Bank, flew to California to consult with BVUMC on this vision.  The result was the creation of a partnership with the village of Wadi Foquin located in the Bethlehem District of the West Bank.  This initial effort was organized through community development staff Kaz Takahashi and later Kira Salde-Azzam with the support of BVCI funds.  

The Friends of Wadi Foquin (FOWF) provides support for community development projects in the village, annual pilgrimages to the Holy Land with visits to the village and other Palestine sites, and advocacy work on behalf of the village. FoWF has grown beyond BVUMC to include support from many congregations regionally and nationally.  FOWF is  currently Co-Chaired by BVUMC Pastor Emeritus, Rev. MIchael Yoshii and Rev. Naomi Southard  BVCI continues to support FOWF with financial contributions towards economic development projects in the village.

Since October 7, 2023 we are reminded of the ongoing oppression and displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.  Today, we join with faith communities seeking a ceasefire in Gaza and are a proud 'ceasefire banner' congregation. BVCI supports the local organizing efforts of Alameda Families and Friends for Ceasefire and Interfaith for Ceasefire, by offering space and financial support for actions, educational events, and fundraisers. Rev. Emily, former associate pastor at BVUMC has served as a liason to these groups. 

Immigration

Since the founding of BVUMC, immigrants have been an essential part of our lives and community.  In 2014, the Church and Society committee prioritized support for immigrant communities, and BVCI hired Marma Urbano as community developer staff to organize a process of discernment. Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice/Interfaith Coalition on Immigration Reform (CLUE/ICIR) was identified as an ideal partner for this new ministry. The coalition would later become the Interfaith Movement For Human Integrity, an organization that remains a close BVCI partner.

Buena Vista UMC voted to become a “sanctuary congregation” in 2017 as part of the larger movement for immigrant rights. The church also engaged with larger community efforts to close the West Contra Costa Detention facility through vigils and public witness at the site. 

Accompaniment

As part of the partnership with IM4HI, the church has hosted multiple individuals and families in the parsonage, while also offering them support in navigating services, education, and employment. In 2015, the church formed its first Nueva Esperanza Accompaniment Team (NEAT) to prepare to support an asylum-seeking family from Guatemala. The church would house the Alva-Garcia family in its parsonage between 2016-2019. 

The Rev. Myrna Bernadel-Huey’s first day as pastor of Buena Vista United Methodist Church in July 2020 became a flurry of activity in Alameda, as the church received word from the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity that an immigrant from Cambodia was released from San Quentin Prison and was on his way to a temporary stay in the church parsonage.

Chanthon Bun had a difficult life, touched by violence, but  healed and remade himself in prison, becoming an artist and model prisoner at San Quentin.  Most immigrants in his situation—even after having served their sentences--would have been picked up by ICE upon release from prison and locked into another detention facility.  Prepared for the possibility that Bun could remain free, his advocates and supporters, including the Immigration Committee of BVUMC prepared to transport him from San Quentin to our parsonage and place him in the care of the Asian Prisoner’s Support Committee.

To our surprise, that’s what happened.  Bun was one of dozens of San Quentin detainees to catch COVID during a major outbreak at the prison, but was able to recover at our parsonage.

During the peak of the pandemic, the church housed another immigrant released from prison and later a Honduran family led by two sisters, and a Haitian asylum-seeking family. All were assisted by a team formed from the church’s Immigration Committee and BVCI.

Basic Needs

The premise of Alameda-based Dine and Connect is to gather to share a meal as a community - housed and unhoused, food secure and insecure, elders and youth. Dine and Connect welcomes anyone who could benefit from a fresh meal to eat. The first meal back in 2018 was held in BVUMC's social hall.  Today, the meals are held once a week at five churches across Alameda. BVCI offers financial support to the program and church members volunteer at the weekly meals.

BVCI has also supported the All Good foundation About — All Good Living Foundation with technical assistance to support their fundraising efforts. All Good is an Alameda-based organization that runs supply closets out of schools for families in need across the East Bay. The foundation was founded by Chris Tam, son of Niel Tam. 

At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, as employment was curtailed, BVCI provided cash assistance to hard-hit immigrant households to support their basic needs.

Disability Rights

In 2012, education on disabilities in the Asian Pacific Islander community became a new focus of the Church and Society Committee of BVUMC. This eventually led to the hiring of Austin Tam and the creation of the Asian Pacific Islander Disability Awareness Project through the support of BVCI. Austin established a steering committee and organized monthly APIDAP gatherings for individuals and families for mutual support and socializing. The steering committee also discussed advocacy for the API disability community as Austin  networked with various existing organizations.  This work culminated in the first Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Disability Awareness Project summit in October 2016 at Wood Middle School.

October 2018 brought a new disability program to meet at the BVUMC social hall five days a week.  Helping Hands East Bay was created to serve Cantonese and Vietnamese speaking adults with disabilities, providing socialization and empowerment for participants. To this day, Helping Hands continues to use the social hall and is considered a close BVCI partner.

Racial Justice

In partnership with CA-NV Committee on African-American/Black Ministries, CA-NV Commission on Race and Religion, Twin Towers United Methodist, and others, BVCI hosted a four-part study group in fall 2024 on reparations for African-Americans. This group brought together people from BVUMC, other Methodist churches, and from the local community to discuss important topics such as the case for reparations, the black-white wealth gap, and the components of reparations.