Dr. Mathylde Frontus may not have the backing of powerful rival City Council Members Mark Treyger (D-Coney Island, Bensonhurst, Gravesend) or Justin Brannan (D-Bay Ridge, Bath Beach, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst), but God seems to be on her side.
That after, Frontus, candidate for the open 46th Assembly District seat (Coney Island, Sea Gate, Bath Beach, Bay Ridge, Brighton Beach, Dyker Heights, Gravesend) held an interfaith clergy breakfast at her Coney Island campaign headquarters this week to discuss some of the most pressing issues facing the Coney Island community.
Over a dozen clergy from local churches, mosques and synagogues attended the meeting of the minds where the faith leaders agreed that problems such as gentrification; substance abuse, mental illness, homelessness and hunger need to be addressed.
“The breakfast was a great success,” said Frontus. “Clergy are the gate-keepers in our community, with their ears to the ground about all that goes on from day-to-day. It is crucial that they have a seat at the table as part of the planning for Coney Island’s brighter future. They know what families are going through and they shoulder more than their fair share of taking care of those in need.”
Among the items the clergy discussed was the need to work together and leverage their resources so that they can address the issues in their community.
Frontus said she will be meeting with the clergy again next month and will discuss how local congregations can obtain funding to deliver important community services. She also offered to help organize the clergy and help them form an umbrella faith-based coalition so that their efforts to delivery programs and services can be coordinated.
The clergy expressed excitement and optimism about the budding partnership and vowed to invite new clergy to the July meeting.
Those in attendance included:
- Reverend Dr. Pamela Atkinson, Coney Island Cathedral Church, 2816 Mermaid Avenue
- Pastor Stephen Trainer, Graffiti Church, 2811 Mermaid Avenue
- Reverend Anna Carter, Naomi A.M.E. Zion Church, 2502 Neptune Avenue
- Pastor Anthony Jones, Greater Works Ministries, 2802 Mermaid Avenue
- Imam Lukmon Kalejaiye, Masjid Bab-us-Salam, Coney Island Islamic Community Center, 3604 Neptune Avenue
- Rabbi Chaim Brikman, Chabad by the Ocean, Congregation Kneses Israel of Sea-Gate, 3801 Nautilus Avenue
- Pastor Maggie Lebron and Reverend Adam Lebron, Reaching Out Ministries, 1907 Mermiad Avenue
- Pastor Milagros Quiles, Iglesia Pentecostal De JesuCristo, Cristo Viene, 2102 Mermaid Avenue
- Pastor Anthony Azumah, Champions of Christ Worldwide Ministries, 2115 Surf Avenue
- Charlene Batts, Coney Island Cathedral Church, 2816 Mermaid Avenue
- Pastor Samuel Malave and Mrs. Myrna Malave, New Church International, 2002 Neptune Avenue
“I was really moved to see clergy and faith leaders gathered in one place, for one purpose – what’s best for the residents of our community,” said Pastor Trainer. “Where there has too long been division, there is now a great and tangible step toward unity. A very special thank you to Dr. Frontus for fostering that conversation and providing an opportunity for next steps.”
Pastor Lebron said it was such a pleasure being able to sit and speak with other clergy regarding the issues surrounding the community we serve.
“This has been long overdue and I pray we can lock arms and come together as one body to bring major impactful changes into the Coney Island Community which we love so much. Thank you to Mathylde Fontus for putting this together and for including us in your plans for the future,” she said.
Pastor Anthony Jones echoed the sentiments of his colleagues and noted, “What I experienced at our first clergy breakfast was a spirit of vision, unity, synergy and blessings from God. I am excited about working together with the other clergy in Coney Island to coordinate our efforts to better serve our community.”
Frontus has had a long interest in the work that clergy do to serve their communities. In June 2000 she graduated with a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School, and years later when pursuing her PhD at Columbia University she wrote her dissertation about the role that clergy play to address the mental health concerns of the Coney Island community.
Frontus is also the owner of Avant-Garde Behavioral Health Resources, a consulting firm providing capacity building services to behavioral health organizations. She recently designed the Clergy-Clinician Collaborative Initiative for one of her clients, ICL, to develop a partnership between their mental health staff and clergy from the community.
Frontus is running against Ethan Lustig-Elgrably, who has Treyger’s support; and Chris McCreight, who has Brannan’s support in the Sept. 13 Democratic Primary.
Republican Steve Saperstein is thus far running unopposed on the GOP side.
