Philadelphia is a city full of culture, that is something everyone can agree on. It is a sanctuary city, in the melting pot of america. It’s safe to say that walking down the streets you can see a wide variety of different people doing so many different things. People of any race and ethnicity are safe to practice any religion they choose and lead any life they want. All this being said, Philadelphia's community should be strong and together, people wanting to grow with their people instead of against them. This should be true, but for a lot of people, it isn’t. There are also a lot of problems in Philly that revolve around racism and hate, which is odd considering we are supposed to be the city of brotherly love. But there is hope. We were named this for a reason. There are plenty of reasons still to be considered the city of brotherly love, people that want to help just have a hard time finding out how they can. There is a solution that has been here pretty much since the creation of our country. The role of churches at different periods of Philadelphia history shows the potential for spreading ideas of equality and justice. This is an underutilized resource, and if used to its full potential could make a huge difference for a lot of people in this city. Many people don’t realize that freedom of religion is one of the things that makes America so unique. In fact, it is our first amendment.

Quakers have been around for a very long time, and they have done so much for Philadelphia and its community. Actually, they may be the reason why philly is here at all. William Penn, who was a quaker, founded this city, as well as the state that it resides in. William Penn along with these early Quakers believed in an inner light in which every human possesses. They believed that a church was unnecessary, instead they had meeting houses, which could be pretty much any building. They practiced values of simplicity and peacefulness, and were meant to find god in themselves and in others through interacting. “The belief that everyone is equal has put them at the forefront of social justice initiatives, such as the abolition movement, the women’s rights movement, to make education and healthcare available to all, prison reform, and more.” (Arch Street Meeting House) All of these values were built into the structure of this city. Laws and rules like these values were built within this city. These quaker values influenced a lot of the founding fathers decisions in writing the constitution, and of course the first amendment. Since they didn’t have churches, these meeting houses that they used became very important to the history of this city. But don’t think that just because they have old influence doesn’t mean they aren’t still standing today. In modern days there are a few that still stand that are kept in good condition, but are still open to the public. One of these meeting houses is the Arch Street Meeting House, which is located in Philly on Arch Street. “Today, Quakers and groups founded by Quakers, continue to work for social, political, economic, and environmental change as much as their ancestors did.” (Arch Street Meeting House)

Although Quakers were around in early America, the majority of Americans at the time were and still are christian. This meant that churches began to crop up more and more, and by the 1960’s 60.3% of people in the US went to church. That’s a whole lot of people. But not everything was perfect. There were many problems that went on in churches, such as rentable pews. Churches would rent out their pews instead of having them stay free, because of demand and just wanting money. But not all churches decided to do this. The Church of the Advocate in Philadelphia, PA, advocated for the people that didn’t have the money to go to church. This church believed that christianity should be free for all, no matter how much money they have or the color of their skin. This church's founders believed that going to church should be free and legal for everyone, “free for all time”. This meant that unlike other churches, you didn’t have to rent pews. Social status and financial status were not a problem at this church because they accepted everyone. It also hosted movements from the black panthers and provided services for poor and middle class people around the church. “Church of the Advocate remains a showpiece of architectural design with a legacy of social activism amid the ever-changing landscape of North Philadelphia communities.”(Church of the Advocate) It also helped black people and the black movement gain momentum and be a center for the community to be at. It also went on to host major events, such as the Third National Conference on Black Power in 1968, the Black Panther Party Convention in 1970, and the rally to raise money for the Angela Davis Defense Fund in 1971. So amidst all of the racial and economic struggles, we have a strong, organized group of people fighting for justice in America, all brought together by a single church.

Nowadays, churches seem to want to help out a lot more than they did before. If you are in need of financial help, such as rent, you can turn to your church for help. If someone is under threat of eviction, some churches help out nationally. And now that the internet is a thing, it’s easier than ever to access these helpful resources. Many churches also host food banks for poor and homeless people. Some even help get students and adults education who have trouble learning. “The Arc of Philadelphia advocates with and for all children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families, to promote active citizenship, self-determination, and full inclusion.” (The First Presbyterian Church). So it seems that many churches are now places where you can receive help in various ways, but can people like you and me help as well? Well, it turns out in the modern day there are many ways that churches can provide volunteer work and a chance to make a difference in Philadelphia, and the world. Some organizations that aren’t religious affiliate themselves with churches so that they get a better outreach. “UTC is a nonprofit organization that engages children and adults from some of Philadelphia’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods in community-based, urban-greening projects. First Church volunteers with UTC several Saturdays a year from 10 am to 1 pm.” (Also The First Presbyterian Church) This all sounds amazing, but the problem still remains that this is a far underutilized source. Today, many churches across America are in the decline, resulting in even less utilization. 

For the first time since our country's beginning, churches are actually on the decline. “About 4,500 Protestant churches closed in 2019, the last year data is available, with about 3,000 new churches opening, according to Lifeway Research. It was the first time the number of churches in the US hadn’t grown since the evangelical firm started studying the topic.” (The Guardian). Is this really that bad, though? Well, comparing statistics from the 90’s to present day shows the real damage: “Americans' membership in houses of worship continued to decline last year, dropping below 50% for the first time in Gallup's eight-decade trend. In 2020, 47% of Americans said they belonged to a church, synagogue or mosque, down from 50% in 2018 and 70% in 1999.” (Washington DC) This decline is massive and really hurts the chances for the youth to connect with churches because there just aren’t going to be as many of them around to be a help. So, what can we as a society do to fix this? One option is to just kind of say goodbye to the church we once knew. Many charities and nonprofits such as The Salvation Army have sort of evolved from Churches but are still extremely good for people. Another option is to have churches become more accustomed to the younger generation. For example, having a clean and responsive website and a team of experts running that website would be extremely helpful for a declining church. Because of Covid, some churches have even started to offer online church service, on sites like Zoom.