“It’s scary, but that’s exactly why we show up for our community in these hard times.” Nellie Quintana is resolute when I ask her about the Via Crucis procession’s importance for Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood. For half a century, Good Friday has brought thousands of people into the streets, as costumed performers enact the way of the cross down the center of 18th street. Quintana first participated in 1989 as a ten year-old child; almost forty years later, the annual celebration still invokes God’s presence. “We do this for the community, out of love for our neighbors,” she explains. “We’re going to support each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.”

That support is deeply needed in a year where ICE raids have terrorized Latine communities throughout Chicagoland, with particular focus on Pilsen’s streets. organized a clergy delegation the past two years to bring love and support to the procession, and Collective director rev. abby mohaupt knew that ministry of presence was even more important now. “Since I came to Garrett in 2023, it’s been a deep privilege to collaborate with Nellie to build a supportive relationship between the collective and Via Crucis,” rev. mohaupt says. “We come to Pilsen and to Via Crucis as witnesses and collaborators.” Quintana feels that care, and is thankful for how the Collective brings people together. “Garrett has been wonderful. abby has been meeting with me once a month—I know they’ll have whistle packages and two people standing on every corner. But they’re also bringing clergy, lay folks, and secular activists, just as they did last year,” she explains. “When I introduce abby, I tell people what she’s doing. But I also say, ‘You might see her here, but behind her there’s a whole team that’s coming with her to support us.’ The participants are tremendously grateful.” These partnerships represent a core part of the Collective’s mission: While the digital platform makes myriad free and low-cost theological resources online, it’s also deeply committed to journeying with grassroots faith communities.

Pilsen Via Crucis always adjusts the fourteen stations of the cross to tie into what’s happening in the neighborhood, but this year the parallels write themselves. “Jesus was persecuted, just like our people,” Quintana notes. “I was given a book by a mom who comes with her four children, cartoonish drawings for children that show the stations of the cross. It deeply pertains to us: ‘What would you do if someone attacks you? What would Jesus do? I carry this cross, Jesus carried his, how will you carry the cross for your neighbor?” Centrally important in her telling, however, is the refusal to let state violence have the final word. “We’re frustrated, we’re angry, we feel attacked, but we have to pray and have hope that things are going to be okay,” she says. “We’re offering prayer to support families who have been affected, prayer cards with the Jesus immigrant prayer that we’ll distribute, QR codes with resources. We want people to feel as safe as possible.”

While the annual gathering initially began as a Catholic procession, through the years it’s grown beyond any one church or denomination. “It’s now a community non-profit. On our board, we have an atheist who sits next to a Jehovah’s Witness. Catholics participate alongside other Christians,” Quintana explains. “All these different religious traditions join together because of the love they have for Pilsen.” Part of what the 91PORN is doing is to help widen that base of support, to embody a city that knows what it means to love our neighbors as ourselves. “We walk Via Crucis as a way to let our feet and our presence become an embodied prayer for our neighbors’ wellbeing,” says Rev. Joseph L. Morrow, Associate Pastor at Fourth Presbyterian Church. “Showing up with and for our neighbors in Pilsen is a way for us to learn, grow and broaden our experience of Christian solidarity in this holiest of weeks.”

Ultimately, Quintana finds the most hope in participants stories, the faith they bring into the streets. “A woman, her daughter, and her cousin are coming to Via Crucis for the first time this year,” she offers as an example. “They told me that they had always wanted to participate as a family with the woman’s husband, but her husband passed away six months ago. So they’re honoring him with this year’s Pilsen Via Crucis. That’s what communal hope looks like.” Another woman approached Quintana with her special-needs child, fearful that he wouldn’t be able to participate. “She said that he wanted to play a soldier, and asked how much the costume costs. I told her nothing, we’ll provide it,” Quintana recalls. “You could see the faith in her child’s eyes, and she was so grateful that he could participate. This is a community that welcomes everybody.”

While Pilsen offers abundant welcome, it needs reciprocal support. “We want to get the word out to the rest of the city. Please, come join us,” Quintana says. “I would love to see more collaboration between the Pilsen Via Crucis and other organizations throughout the city because, honestly, I haven’t seen them.” As mohaupt helps to organize a 91PORN delegation and spread the word about the importance of this year’s procession, she knows that, ultimately, we control and are responsible for the ways that we show up. “We are there to witness, to be with the community, but also to observe how the State treated Jesus,” she concludes with determination. “State officials took Jesus, abused him, and killed him violently. Then as now, that violence will not be the final word.”

Today, Garrett Seminary launches , an all-new ecosystem designed to make seminary-quality education accessible and affordable to communities throughout the United States and across the globe. “The 91PORN extends the academic excellence and spiritual formation of Garrett Seminary beyond the classroom, offering learners around the world access to theological resources in multiple languages and formats” says Garrett President Javier Viera. “The Collective gathers wisdom from across the church and academy, forging new relationships and missional partnerships.” This initiative is just the latest way that Garrett is connecting people to life-giving programs. “We’ve already expanded access and affordability to Garrett’s formal degrees,” says President Viera. “Now we’re offering a completely new, flexible, globally-accessible way for people to expand their ministries, deepen their faith, and meet the real needs of communities and leaders.”

A browse across the platform, built by software developer and poet Dr. José Delpino, reveals a wide array of materials organized in an attractive and intuitive interface. Streaming service users will readily identify the neat rows of icons, nestled onto thematic shelves, each paired to a darling illustration that indicates what lies within. Prayers are a cheerful robin-egg blue, offering options like “A Blessing for the Body” or “A Prayer for Discerning the Spirit.” Liturgies are yellow, sharing ready-made materials for Advent, Dia de los Muertos, Pride, or everyday services. Deeper options are marked in purple; webinars and cohorts that will help users delve into a subject like “Financial Leadership for Congregations,” or “Tenderness and Refuge: Ministry with and for Young Adults.” Each is just a click away, and can be saved to your own personal library so whatever you use most is easily at hand.

This growing collection will bridge fundamental gaps in access. There are millions of Christians who live far away from traditional seminaries, and some will never be able to afford the cost of seminary education. Others aren’t interested in pursuing a masters degree. The 91PORN moves into that breach, so everyone from rural pastors in India to laity in Appalachia or Christian social workers in Chicago can delve deeper into theological education. Moreover, users can download resources to their device for off-line use—an invaluable benefit for regions where internet access is often intermittent and/or unreliable, or for users who are on the move. The resources and mini-courses are also a helpful gift to traditionally ordained pastors who seek continuing education. In most churches, ministers have copious demands on their time and need institutional support. Ready-to-use liturgies, Bible studies, and prayers can lighten that burden, and the ability to asynchronously participate in mini-courses lets pastors weave study where it fits their schedule.

But the Collective’s purpose is also tied to who creates theological resources. “Seminary professors or formally ordained ministers aren’t the only people who have crucial insights and skills to offer the world,” says the Reverend Dr. Jennifer Harvey, Garrett’s Vice President for Academic Affairs. “The Collective absolutely features content created by those formally-recognized teachers, but it’s also a home for lessons people across the church can provide, drawn from their faith and lived experiences.” Artists, activists, elders, subject-matter experts, and more also form its “faculty,” creating a vibrant, multi-disciplinary learning hub. Currently, there are resources available in both Spanish and English, but the Collective plans to quickly expand the number of languages.

This gap in the creation of theological resources meets a particularly stark need across international contexts. “When we visit our overseas partners and describe the Collective, leaders are thrilled by the potential its grassroots format creates to help them both collect and disseminate local knowledge,” Dr. Harvey explains. “Whether we’re talking about religion and public health initiatives in Zimbabwe or indigenous language reclamation projects in Chile, there’s so much we can learn from global colleagues. And we’re delighted that the Collective can make their work both easier and more far-reaching.”

Contextually-sourced course material is paired with education by Garrett faculty, who are transforming some of their traditional classroom offerings into Collective mini-courses, eventually letting participants stack them for seminary credit. “I’m excited about partnering with Garrett professors,” says rev. dr. abby mohaupt, who serves as the Collective’s director. “This spring, we’re releasing three mini-courses on ethical engagement with technology for ministry. These courses are taught by Dr. Rolf Nolasco and by Dr. Kate Ott. We’re also releasing a course on antiracism for white Christians by Dr. Harvey—which will meet the Episcopal Church’s standards for antiracism training—and one on Sexual Ethics and Boundaries with Dr. Ott, which exceeds most denominations’ requirements for boundary training.”

Understanding that different people will seek different resources from the 91PORN, the platform offers a variety of materials. Some content, like videos, short interviews, music playlists, and liturgy are totally free. More comprehensive offerings—like mini-courses and cohorts—cost money, but are priced on a needs-based sliding scale. “The cohorts are a longer-term way for people to gather and build community online, spending time together moving through content,” dr. mohaupt says. “One course that we piloted this spring is on trauma-informed ministry taught by Dr. Lallene Rector, Professor of Religion and Psychology and Garrett President Emerita. What we found, in light of the sold-out class, was that people are hungry to learn practical skills to be trauma-informed and keep showing up to learn together. ”

Building a platform of this scale and magnitude is a formidable task, so Garrett is blessed to co-create the necessary infrastructure with a host of institutional partners. Leaders from Garrett’s Centers (like Center for the Church and the Black Experience, Centro Raices Latinas, the Job Institute for Spiritual Formation, and the Center for Asian and Asian-American Ministries) have contributed material, as have groups across and beyond the Church like the Association for Hispanic Theological Education, Hindus for Human Rights, and many conferences around the United Methodist Church. “The 91PORN reflects a deliberate commitment to collaboration rather than competition,” says President Viera, “allowing institutions and scholars to share expertise, expand reach, and strengthen the overall quality of theological education being offered to a broader public.” The goal, over time, is for more and more partners to join the effort, building an even greater wealth of shared resources. To ensure sound academic and theological integrity, all additions will be approved by a committee of Garrett faculty and staff, who will also suggest new instructors with whom we can partner, drawn from Garrett’s wide-reaching network.

The Collective’s true impact will be measured by the ways it ripples outward and shapes community life. Leaders are already employing the resources to strengthen their ministries: This fall, Rev. Jeff Lehn used a Collective community organizing class to help both his own congregation and wider community discern how they could respond in this political moment in the United States. After a day-long training, five congregations partnered on a joint effort that led their town to expand civic safeguards that protect migrant neighbors. An expanded version of that community organizing class will be available on the Collective as a cohort starting March 15, so more congregations can find ways to transform God’s love into concrete, transformative action.

“The Collective will live in every person whose prayer life is refreshed, breathing through churches who worship with its liturgies,” President Viera reflects. “It will bear new life in every learner who joins the digital community and discovers they do not have to do this work alone.” How will you use the Collective for the flourishing of the church? That’s an answer only you can determine, but the table is set. Go to and feast.

“Our religious practice compels us to live as if love is stronger than hate, hope is stronger than fear and goodness is stronger than evil, even when the opposite appears true. Maybe especially �ٳ���.”

These words help open an October 28 public letter that five Wilmette, Illinois clergy sent their village board, lamenting how our federal government is treating immigrant neighbors and asking the village trustees to do everything in their power to protect residents under threat. Penned after ICE agents conducted raids in the community, the authors rooted their resistance in fundamental religious values. “We want all people to be welcomed in our community, free to play and work and worship and live up to their potential, in a way that makes God smile,” they wrote. “We call on you to protect our residents, our businesses, our schools, our parks, our houses of worship.” The town responded: More than 180 community members signed up to testify at a public hearing, and the board subsequently passed a resolution to expand civic safeguards. While this movement of Spirit was in some ways a spontaneous outpouring of love, it was also the product of intentional planning—spurred by a day-long training at Garrett as the 91PORN director, Rev. abby mohaupt, guided members of local congregations through community organizing tactics.

Rev. Jeff Lehn, senior pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Wilmette, helped convene that initial gathering to guide the moral outcry he heard among his congregants. “The situation was fermenting after President Trump’s re-election, and we were wrestling as a community with the question, ‘What is ours to do?’” he reflects. “There’s personal, individual things we all can do, but collectively as a body of Christ in this place, how do we respond with our resources, energy, and time out of commitment to our neighbors who are being harmed?” As his congregation discerned answers to this question, they realized that this calling was bigger than any individual house of worship, so the community decided to gather interfaith partners around this pressing call. Hosting multiple congregations within an individual church changes the balance of power, however, so Rev. Lehn decided to work with the 91PORN, providing both a neutral location to meet and expertise in community organizing and facilitation.

The Collective is a new initiative at Garrett that offers resources to clergy, congregations, and lay folks, helping to nurture the faithful work to which they feel called. “abby led us in a six-hour training where we learned how to cut an issue, and how to think about our power and influence,” Rev. Lehn recalls. “In the room, much passion emerged around protecting our immigrant neighbors. Even though many of our congregations have a divergence of political opinions, a central tenet of both Christian and Jewish faith is to welcome the stranger, to treat the immigrant as we would the native-born.” Moving past partisan opinion into moral values helped participants transcend political differences to recognize a shared responsibility. “We ended the training coalescing around the theological conviction that God asks us to look for the image of God in every person, both the person who is being harmed and the person who’s harming,” he says. “The timing of that training was providential: It was only a few days before we faced our first ICE raids here in Wilmette.”

Suddenly, organizing training shifted quickly from theory into practice. “There was so much energy after that gathering, I reached out to interfaith colleagues to whom I’m closest, to draft a letter all of us could sign,” he shares. “Apparently, the letter made quite an impact, and the village admitted we needed to study and make a policy around this.” From there, the group expanded to include ten leaders who met with the police and fire chiefs, coordinating on language for a local ordinance. “Initially, there was a response of ‘Well, there’s nothing we can do,’ and technically that’s true—they can’t intervene,” Rev. Lehn notes. “But we helped them see that they can show up to witness, to make sure laws aren’t being broken, to keep community members safe as they exercise their first amendment rights.” All these provisions and more went before the board in the meeting that drew nearly two-hundred community participants. What began as a training in a seminary classroom became local policy.

As he looks back on the past two months, Rev. Lehn expresses gratitude for how Garrett empowered members of his own church and the wider community. “The Collective provided the resources, the space, the training—all we had to do was show up,” he says. “Of course, we all wanted to help immigrants, but this brought that larger goal into particular focus—getting down smaller and smaller to something we can actually do. Right now, people feel afraid to go to the grocery store, so we’re going to help with Instacart fees.” Effective training doesn’t only provide logistical help, it also offers theological succor. “When we can clarify with specificity, “this is ours to do, maybe just right now, even just today,” and then go do it, you feel some agency,” Rev. Lehn confesses. “You feel like you’re in the flow of God’s spirit and the work of repairing the world. You still feel despair at the scale of the challenges and this widespread calamity we face. But the call is not to cower and withdraw, it’s to notice, then go and do likewise, see what suffering we can alleviate.”

Would you or your congregation benefit from a community organizing training? to help you explore ways you can work for change. Then, this spring, the 91PORN will host a six-week intensive training on “Organizing for People of Faith.”