In honor of Father's Day, the following article has been contributed by Rev. Alfred “Al” Taylor, founder of Man Up in Harlem, a ministry for men that encompasses weekly prayer walks and wide ranging community service. He is the pastor of Infinity Mennonite Church of Harlem, and also the NYC Chief of Staff for State Assemblyman Herman D. Farrell.

The Man Up in Harlem slogan is: “Don’t Talk About It, Be About It!”, which pretty much says it all—it’s our responsibility to look around at our families and our community, see what needs to be done, and then figure out how to do it. This often requires the collective effort of committed individuals, and at Man Up in Harlem our mission is to provide a means for mentoring and organizing men and boys/teenagers who want to improve their lives, and the lives of the people around them.

Our goal is to revitalize Harlem—in the sense of a renewed vibrancy in its citizenry, decreased gun (and all other forms) of violence, improved family relationships, and addressing economic issues such as job training and affordable housing. I believe this process includes a crucial spiritual aspect: Transformation happens when individuals encounter Jesus Christ and realize that God loves them. Man Up in Harlem is committed to expressing that love in very concrete ways.

We initiated a weekly Man Up in Harlem Prayer Walk in the Polo Grounds/Rucker Park in mid-2008, after four murders had taken place in the Polo Grounds housing project in just two months. Every Thursday at 6 a.m.—rain or shine—we meet at 155th Street and 8th Avenue, praying in each building, and at several points along the way, ending in Rucker Park at 7a.m. At first, people didn’t know what to think about what we were doing. Now many of them look forward to having us there—sometimes they join us, or they ask us to pray for them, their children, or their loved ones.

A year and a half after we began, NYPD Commissioner Kelly contacted us because the Department’s statistics showed that no homicides had been committed there since the Man Up in Harlem Prayer Walk began. (We recently had our third anniversary, and this remains the case to date.) New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) has reached out to us to discuss establishing Prayer Walks in other NYCHA projects, and we are in discussions with possible local partners at various locations.

Other Man Up in Harlem initiatives include weekly study/mentoring sessions in the Polo Grounds community room, and fundraising drives to provide Harlem children with all-expenses-paid scholarships for summer camp in the Catskills. Along with Infinity Mennonite Church of Harlem (IMC), Man Up in Harlem also co-sponsors an annual community “Back to School Block Party” on 146th Street (between 7th and 8th), and “Friday Night Live,” a free family-friendly talent/variety show the first Friday of the month at IMC (corner Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd. & 146th Street).

In all we do, we aim to build people up and enhance relationships—individuals’ relationships with each other, with God, within their families and the community. We are committed to serving men and teaching men to serve, not because we wish to exclude women, but because women have historically shouldered a tremendous burden in the African-American church and community. Man Up in Harlem is one way of helping men to focus on the ways they can contribute to others—and benefit from—adopting the slogan: “Don’t Talk About It, Be About It!”