There is a conviction in Christian tradition that it is often the most dejected or looked-down-upon members of society, rather than the wealthiest and most powerful, who in fact know best about how to make their communities a better place, as reflecting Matthew 21:42, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” That conviction was central to Messiah Lutheran Church’s thinking when it merged with Trinity Reformed Church during the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic to launch what eventually became the Rotterdam Community Center in Trinity’s former church building.
Now an independent secular partner for Messiah’s continued ministry in the community, since first opening its doors in June 2022, the Rotterdam Community Center has welcomed over 62,432 neighbors and served over 220,184 meals worth of groceries, all powered by over 22,755 hours of volunteer service.
Until last year, the organization was run almost entirely by members of the congregation with fundraising support from their pastor and a growing number of neighbors in Rotterdam. Some 38% of residents in the Town of Rotterdam are struggling to make ends meet amidst the current affordability crisis according to the United Way’s 2026 ALICE Report. ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed and serves as a measure to indicate people who are working full time but still cannot afford to put food on table or other necessities.
More than 400 neighbors now visit the center every week for four different nutrition security opportunities, a wide variety of arts & culture programs like quilting, ceramics, Zumba, a book club, free movie nights and more, as well as a myriad of community hub classes. The center’s flagship community hub class that reflects Messiah’s original guiding conviction is the Community Advocates program. Supported by the Schenectady Foundation, the Community Advocates Program has trained over 40 food pantry guests from across Schenectady County in public speaking, storytelling and organizing skills to address the root causes of poverty and hunger.
The Community Advocates have been especially busy since the passage of H.R. 1, also known as the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," which made drastic cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP or food stamps. The bill cut the federal share of administrative costs for the program from 50 percent to 25 percent effective October 1st of this year. Furthermore, if implementation of further cuts is not delayed, starting in October 2027, New York counties will be required to pay up to 15% of SNAP benefit costs for the first time in history. This could lead to 8,859 Schenectady County residents currently enrolled in SNAP to experience a $1,875,000 reduction in benefits in the last quarter of 2027 and a $7,500,000 reduction in benefits in 2028.
On Sept. 8, in a unanimous, bipartisan vote, the Schenectady County Legislature passed a resolution supporting a two-year delay of the federal SNAP administrative and benefit cost shift under H.R. 1 and calling on New York State to hold counties harmless if the federal government refuses to act. This legislation was passed after the Community Advocates held a rally supported by a coalition of organizations including Schenectady Shares, the Sycamore Collaborative and the Schenectady County Food Council.
One of the Community Advocates, 72-year-old Laurie Lumbra, a retired teacher living on about $1,400 a month who relies on a bike for transportation, stated at the rally, “Poverty is expensive. I maxed out two $5000 credit cards just paying for food, doctors, rent and utilities over the last few years. I sold my car and paid off my debt. People should not have to make these kinds of choices in the United States of America or anywhere.”
In Rotterdam, the stone that the builders rejected has indeed become the cornerstone, as Community Advocates like Laurie Lumbra organize at the Rotterdam Community Center to ensure all their neighbors have access to healthy and nutritious food in one of the wealthiest states in the wealthiest country in the history of the world.
Rev. Dustin Wright has served as Pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Rotterdam, New York since 2014 and as founding Executive Director of the Rotterdam Community Center since 2022. He also serves on the Steering Committee of the Schenectady County Food Council.
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