Exposure and Risk: The Great Coming Church: A Half Century of Urban Ministry

Exposure and Risk: The Great Coming Church employs the lens of the lives of George and Kathy Todd to explore innovative Christian social justice initiatives in the second half of the 20th century. The Todd's were key leaders of the Group Ministry of the the East Harlem Protestant Parish in the 1950's, an innovative effort in an impoverished New York City neighborhood. He guided the urban, industrial ministries of the Presbyterian Church (USA) in the 1960's and the World Council of Churches in the 1970's, in times of great social ferment. He was involved in the creation of a number of ecumenical efforts with other Protestant denominations such as the National Low Income Housing Coalition, the Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility (ICCR), and the Inter-religious Foundation for Community Organization (IFCO). He collaborated with Saul Alinsky and recognized how community organizing was a effective way for churches to engage in justice work. In the 1970's he directed the urban, industrial work of the World Council of Churches, which supported grassroots justice work in developing countries throughout the world. Dr. Harvey Cox, of Harvard Divinity School, says of this memoir, "Todd's riveting account of his life carries the reader all around the world and into one adventure after another. Here is a chunk of American and world history that will edify many readers." Kathy's work included the Frontier Internship in Mission, the World Student Christian Federation, and the National Council of Churches.

Rev. Trey Hammond, while serving in the Urban Ministry Office of the Presbyterian Church (USA), initiated this historical exploration of Protestant and ecumenical social justice efforts in the second half of the 20th century by a series of interviews with George and Kathy Todd in 1997 that served as the source of this memoir. He currently serves the La Mesa Presbyterian Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico.