During the 2023 holiday season, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints collaborated with religious organizations on more than 60 projects serving some 42,000 children in the New York metro area. One of many leaders supporting this interfaith partnership is the Reverend Que English, who has said that this alliance is a model of how “we come together to bring hope” in a divided world.
The Rev. English of the New York Commission of Religious Leaders has served as the director of the Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services since 2021; previously, she served as the deputy director of faith-based initiatives for the Governor’s Office in the State of New York. She is married to the Rev. Tim English, the senior pastor of Bronx Christian Fellowship in Bronx, New York.
With a passion for empowering, training and educating, the Rev. Que English joins this episode of the Church News podcast to talk about the power of — and the need for — interfaith efforts.
Listen to this episode of the Church News podcast on Apple Podcasts, Amazon, Google Podcasts, Spotify, bookshelf PLUS, YouTube or wherever you get podcasts.
Transcript:
Rev. Dr. Que English: As I mentioned earlier, I am a coalition builder. I did establish several interfaith roundtables; councils, as you would call it. And we recognize that we’re all children of God and that we don’t come together to create a conversion moment. We come together to support humanity, to do our part in what God has called us to do in seeing humanity healed, restored, revived. We come together on issues that crosses all socioeconomic barriers, that crosses race, that has no respect of religion. And so, when I think about the interfaith community, we can’t operate in silos as religion. And when we see one another, we should see God.
1:02
Sarah Jane Weaver: This is Sarah Jane Weaver, executive editor of the Church News, welcoming you to the Church News podcast. We are taking you on a journey of connection as we discuss news and events of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
During the 2023 holiday season, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints collaborated with religious organizations on more than 60 projects, serving some 42,000 children in the New York metro area. One of the many leaders lending support to this interfaith partnership is the Rev. Dr. Que English, who has said that this alliance is a model for how we come together to bring hope in a divided world. Rev. Dr. English is a member of the Commission of Religious Leaders in New York and has served as the director for the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services since 2021.
Previously, she served as the deputy director of faith-based initiatives for the governor’s office in the state of New York. She is the wife of Rev. Tim English, the senior pastor of Bronx Christian Fellowship in Bronx, New York. We are delighted to welcome her to the Church News podcast today, as she is known for her passion to empower, train and educate.
2:19
Rev. Dr. Que English: I’m so glad to be here with you today. Thank you, thank you so much for having me.
2:24
Sarah Jane Weaver: Well, I feel like our brief introduction of you did not do you justice. Is there any way you can just share with our listeners something else about yourself that you think is important?
2:36
Rev. Dr. Que English: Yes, I do. I think, you know, coming from the streets of New York, I’ve always been a grassroot movement person. And when I say that, when I think about the atrocities that were facing us during my time in New York, from human trafficking, domestic violence, criminal injustices, I’ve always found myself at the forefront of combating these atrocities. And so even prior to serving in government, I launched the first people-of-color- and survivor-led organization to combat human trafficking and domestic violence in New York. I’ve also formed numerous interfaith coalitions and worked strongly and intentionally with those that were justice involved, particularly our youth that needed mentoring and help.
So I was very intricate in that movement in New York and seeing justice served on that end, too, and seeing what more we can do to keep our young boys and young girls out of prison. So, I think outside of government, you know, I did a lot of movement on the streets, I would say, of New York, and I used to get arrested at times on Martin Luther King Day as we fought in justices against what I felt mattered to the heart of God.
3:54
Sarah Jane Weaver: And you are such an influential leader in New York and a great, great friend of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It has been one of the really remarkable privileges of my life to have that limited association with you as I have written about the Church.
And so, let’s actually jump back to where we started this podcast and talk about this project between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other faith-based religions or organizations in New York City that was aimed to help children at Christmastime.
4:27
Rev. Dr. Que English: It was a powerful, powerful movement that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints led in New York. And when I think about it, it was nothing short of bringing light in such dark times. And bringing hope to so many that needed it. When we gathered in New York just to commemorate before the launch itself, to see so many people who cared come together, I don’t think anyone had a dry eye in the house as we thought about the impact we were going to have as we served children.
When you think about children, we have to think about what they’re going through during these dark times as well. We have to think about their mental health. We have to think about the surgeon general declaring a national emergency on youth mental health. An uptake, a 51% in our United States emergency rooms in 2021, average age 12 to 17. We have to think about the increase in suicide-related deaths.
And that, during that Christmastime, to be able to say, “We’re going to shine a glimmer of light. We’re going to give hope to those that may have felt hopeless during that season, so that they can keep moving forward and knowing that there are people that not only care about them, but genuinely love them and will continue to support them on their journey.” Sometimes they just needed a hug. Sometimes they just needed a smile, an embrace. And yes, of course, the amazing toys and coats which we decided as the house of worship to do, coats to not only those that were underserved, but coats also to those that had parents that were incarcerated.
And so, this movement with the Church is a very important movement. And it’s important that we do what we need to do for our world together, serving humanity, brightening the corner wherever we go. I have been honored and privileged to work alongside the Church. And as I have shared with your Elder Quentin Cook in the past, when I’m in your presence, it’s having a Martha and Mary experience on every turn. And it’s so beautiful. I don’t think I’ve ever had an encounter with the Church where we both haven’t shed tears, knowing that we feel the pains but we also embrace the joy together. And so, being able to serve alongside The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been nothing short of a privilege.
7:26
Sarah Jane Weaver: Well, and I’m glad that you mentioned Elder Quentin L. Cook, who’s a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He so appreciates interfaith collaboration. He has said on multiple occasions that anyone who feels accountable to God should link arms, because together, they can lift and strengthen families and societies and communities and ultimately the world. Talk about that.
7:52
Rev. Dr. Que English: I would love to. As I mentioned earlier, I am a coalition builder. And in New York, I did establish several interfaith roundtables; councils, as you would call it. I remember coming to Utah a few years back with the Commission of Religious Leaders, talking about, “How does this work? How does it work in New York?”
For one, we recognize that we’re all children of God — all are children of God — and that we don’t come together to create a conversion moment. We come together to support humanity, to do our part in what God has called us to do in seeing humanity healed, restored, revived. We come together on issues that crosses all socioeconomic barriers, that crosses race, that has no respect of religion. So, when we think of the atrocities that are facing our nation, all of us become targets and are susceptible to its demise. And so, when I think about the interfaith community, we can’t operate in silos as religion. And through the eyes of God, when we see one another, we should see God.
And so, we’ve worked intentionally in various areas. One, as I mentioned earlier, has been human trafficking. With the interfaith community, realize it affects the Sikhs, the Jews, the Christians, the Muslim community — but what can we do? The key is being able to focus on the issue and not the religion. Because if you can focus on the issue, then you can use your God-given skills, talents, resources, etc., to join together with whomever to combat it intentionally, for the purpose of improving these outcomes that we have seen in these various areas that need it the most.
One of the things that has been great is, as an interfaith coalition builder, I remember us coming together also around the high number of incarceration of people of color and thinking about what can we do to address even that. And what was beautiful is that we all came together and met with government and created dialogue, created dialogue as the heart of God would want us to, because for me, if it pains the heart of God and we call ourselves faith leaders, it should also pain our heart. And so with that pain, we’re driven to act, as I heard beautifully from the Tabernacle Choir in recounting Hugo’s story.
Love is action. And that is what the power of interfaith is. In times of crisis, we show up with hope. In times of crisis, we work to unite. We promote unity. In times of crisis, the lens the world sees these things through is not the same lens we see things through. We see it through the eyes of faith, through the eyes of hope, through the eyes of love. And so we move intentionally to be that bridge builder, because we — in our communities, in our city, in our state — are the trusted messengers.
11:42
Sarah Jane Weaver: Well, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a member on the Commission of Religious Leaders in New York. It’s Elder David Buckner. He’s an Area Seventy of our faith. And I know that over the years, that group has become like family.
11:56
Rev. Dr. Que English: I love Elder Buckner, by the way. I just need to say that. I need to interrupt you before you go any further. Oh my gosh, he is such a great friend, him and his lovely, lovely wife. Continue.
12:08
Sarah Jane Weaver: I think we all agree on that fact. You also have another passion as you think about all of God’s children on earth. And that’s the way some of them come into the world. Tell us about some of the efforts that you have made in recent years and your passion for making sure that every baby and every child and every mother are safe.
12:31
Rev. Dr. Que English: Yes, this is very dear to my heart. I’ll start out with saying the United States has the highest maternal mortality rate than any developed nation in the world. Sad statement. I’ll follow that statement with our Black women pregnancy-related deaths are three to four times higher than white women. And our American Indian Alaskan Native pregnancy-related deaths are two times higher than white women. I think the next statement I’m about to make should rattle through everyone’s being. And that is over 80% of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable. And that’s a moment of pause, because there’s no reason why we should be in that state as the United States of America.
Many of these pregnancy-related deaths are due to health care disparities, are due to racism, are largely due particularly in the postpartum stage to mental health issues, as well as others. We also need to recognize that it crosses socioeconomic conditions; you can be very wealthy or very poor and still experience maternal mortality or morbidity — from Serena the tennis player, who outwardly speaks about it, to the recent death of the Olympian and other Olympians who had suffered morbidity issues, you know, to those that are in areas that are underserved, experiencing the same. So, for me, when I hear of these types of atrocities, I think of ways in which we need to think differently on how to improve them.
So, in my role in government, I am privileged to be able to tour our nation in areas that have high maternal mortality or morbidity rates and connect pregnant women and postpartum women to services real time on site that’s needed. Not a social media post, not a press release, but going to the community and showing up with who others would call exhibitors, but whom I call the village that these women didn’t even know existed. So they’re being connected to mental health services, to health care coverage, to support systems such as doulas and midwifery services.
And that’s where The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints came in for us, who has joined us on this journey of improving maternal health outcomes in our nation until the United States become one of the safest places for women to give birth. And they have been with me on this journey from Day 1. And we are locked arms in arm. Because as I remember looking at the fact that even in the 1800s, the women of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints led in midwifery services. And they saw the advantage long before anyone else did of midwifery services in our country and in the world. And so now, we too see it, that having a support system improves outcomes for mothers and mothers to be. A support system, whether it’s a doula or a midwife, their roles improve outcomes for pregnant women, period. It has been proven.
16:52
So, being able to journey with the Church has been an honor and a privilege, where they are showing support as well as other entities that have been joining us in this movement, from World Vision, from Frida Babies and others. And of course, we could use more support, but just the fact that we are marching in this intentional movement to approve maternal outcomes, I really believe that we are going to see a difference in our numbers in the years ahead as a result of our intentional effort.
On our last gathering in Calverton, Maryland, not only were we able to offer the mental health services, vaccinations and health care coverage, but we also had sonograms for the first time, and we were so surprised at the line of women who wanted to know right then and there, “How’s my baby doing?” As we look at 2024, we will continue that. But to know that we are making a difference in the lives of these women is all that matters to me.
And my last thing I’m going to say, when we’re in Dallas, Texas, a woman walked through the doors, and she just burst out in tears. And we ran up to her, because I was like, “What happened?” And she said, “I didn’t even know this existed for me.” She didn’t even know. She looked around at the village that was comprised of almost 30 organizations, that even after we went back to our respective homes, those organizations were responsible to make sure that they continued to walk with these women long after we were gone. She said, “And I’ve always wanted a water birth.” And right there on site, we were able to connect her to a midwife. Those are the stories that change lives. And those are the stories that says, “You’re on the right track. Keep doing what you’re doing.”
18:55
Sarah Jane Weaver: Well, and at the Church News, we have written about these community baby showers that bring the women who need them with the resources that they need in the communities where they live all together. And so we’ll link to that from this podcast so that people can hear more about that.
I love the fact that just like those early Latter-day Saint women who settled Utah and saw a need and figured out how to solve it, that you’re doing that today, that you’re seeing needs and linking arms with those who can do that. It is a powerful thing when people of faith link arms.
19:31
Rev. Dr. Que English: Absolutely. And it’s called the MOMS store: Maternal Outcomes Matter Showers. So, we’re really privileged to do that and hope that we can partner even with those that are listening to this podcast when we end up in their city. We would love to have them.
19:46
Sarah Jane Weaver: And, you know, we have a tradition at our podcast, that we always end with the same question, and we always give our guests the last word, and we also give them a chance to testify of their faith and their belief in Jesus Christ and in a loving God. And we’d love to do that for you today. So, can you tell us what you know now that you didn’t know before you were able to link arms and collaborate with those of other faiths?
20:15
Rev. Dr. Que English: I think just knowing that the power of the masses and how much influence we have if we come together, versus then in silos. I believe that we don’t realize how much power we have as faith leaders and how much influence we really have as faith leaders when we come together for a common purpose, common cause. And I think what I’ve seen over time is how powerful our voices really are, beyond the invocation, beyond a benediction at a gathering, but how we can make change in government, in community, in state in our respective houses of worship. We need to embrace that more.
And for me, I live by a statement: “What saddens you is what you’re assigned to heal. What angers you is what you’re assigned to solve.” That’s purpose and destiny kissing. And I encourage everyone to find that purpose, to find that place where you feel, “I have to do something about this.” And then pursue and to always remember that as long as there is breath, there is hope. Thank you.
21:55
Sarah Jane Weaver: You have been listening to the Church News podcast. I’m your host, Church News executive editor Sarah Jane Weaver. I hope you have learned something today about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by peering with me through the Church News window. Please remember to subscribe, rate and review this podcast so it can be accessible to more people. And if you enjoyed the messages we shared today, please make sure you share the podcast with others. Thanks to our guests; my producer, KellieAnn Halvorsen; and others who make this podcast possible. Join us every week for a new episode. Find us on your favorite podcasting channels or with other news and updates on the Church on TheChurchNews.com.
