The history of Northeast Community Transformation (NECT) is linked to a long tradition of mercy ministry in the Christian Reformed Church in North America.
In response to September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington, was an unprecedented outpouring of charitable aid. World Renew (formerly known as The Christian Reformed World Relief Committee) received significant contributions. As they usually do when responding to disasters at home or abroad, they sought to leverage these donations for lasting good. One of their initiatives hired several "Church and Community Consultants” to work with congregations nationwide, in an effort to build stronger communities and increase their capacity to respond to crisis.
In the New York metropolitan area, World Renew hired Al Santino as Church and Community Consultant to Classes Hudson and Hackensack, which includes congregations from New York to the Carolinas. With the help of an existing classical diaconal team, Santino launched NECT to serve as the "holistic ministry team" of classical ministries. A role we still fulfill today, we challenge and equip churches and individuals for ministries of mercy and reconciliation in their communities and social justice in the wider world.
One of the ways NECT connected churches and communities in ministries of justice and mercy to practice community development was to start an ESL program staffed with volunteers from area churches. From that program a need for immigration counseling was discovered and David Nachman of Visaserve. They assisted us in providing this service pro bono. These ministries were then rolled into New Hope Community Ministries when Al Santino transitioned to ministries in NYC. Liz Rodriguez grew into a respected community leader during this time and is now on staff at New Hope full time where she is community outreach coordinator and leads ministries such as Women of Hope.
Northeast Community Transformation was officially incorporated as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation in March of 2007.
Rev. Ken Vander Wall is a “retired” campus pastor who worked at William Paterson University for 45 years. He and his wife Carolyn are members of Madison Ave Christian Reformed Church in Paterson, NJ. He is a member of the NJ Coalition Against Human Trafficking and a mentor for Crossroads Prison Ministry.
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Shanti has been a member of the NECT since 2005 and currently serves as a Deacon at Midland Park CRC. She is also a board member of World Renew, a member of Passaic County Senior Advisory Council, and has also served on the board of Bethany Christian Services and worked with World Renew in Community Development in Cambodia and India. Shanti was formerly the editor of The Eastern Christian Herald, and formerly served as the East Coast Banner Correspondent.
Roy is a member of Cedar Hill Church, Wyckoff. He is a graduate of Calvin University and W.M.U/Cooley Law School. Roy is a Northwestern Mutual financial advisor serving his clients since 1974. Roy has a passion for social justice and racial reconciliation.
Steve is a resident of Midland Park and currently a member and Secretary of Council at Cedar Hill CRC, and has also been a Deacon and Elder there. He is married and has 2 sons that are both first responders. Steve is NECT’s treasurer and has also been Coordinator of the Homeless Sheltering Program that has been running for 30 years. Steve works for the Vander Plaat Funeral Home in Wyckoff and has been working there for the past 4 years.
Steve currently attends New Life Ministries CRC in Hawthorne where he is an Elder and Clerk of the Council. He is retired from over 40 years in banking, and currently is the President of the Board at the Holland Christian Home in North Haledon, NJ.
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Rev. Marco Avila is the Regional Mission Leader for Resonate Global Mission in the Eastern US. region. He and his wife Dinorah planted the New Horizon Church in Paterson NJ. Both have been involved in community development and social services.
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Dinorah Avila, is a social worker supporting seniors from Passaic County. She has experience as a community worker. Dinorah is a member of Rock Point Ministries in North Haledon, NJ.
Susan Panzica is the co-founder and Executive Director of Justice Network, which raises awareness about human trafficking, locally and globally. Justice Network exists to educate, equip and empower our friends and neighbors to become abolitionists. In addition to serving on the NECT board, Susan is also on the Board of Trustees of the NJ Coalition Against Human Trafficking, and serves as a member of the Operating Council, Chair of the Speakers Bureau, on several committees, and as Secretary of the Board of Trustees.
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Liz is the Community Outreach Director of New Hope Community Ministries in Prospect Park. While she was attending college at William Paterson University, she did an internship for NECT as a community connector. Liz is also a member of the recreational advisory board of Prospect Park and a member of the Hispanic Heritage Committee. Recently she received the award as the International Women’s Day by the senate and general assembly for her community work. Her passion is working with people and encouraging them to see all that God has to offer them.
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Jayna attends Rockpoint Community Church in North Haledon is currently a student at Ramapo College working towards obtaining her Master’s in Social Work. She has a passion for youth and justice and hopes to use those passions for Christ in her community.
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Doug has been a member of the NECT board since its founding. He has served as a Deacon at RockPoint Community Church over the past 30 years. His focus is on Asset Based Community Development, Justice/Mercy Ministries and Work as Worship.
Sherlene recently joined NECT. She is a member of Unity CRC in Prospect Park where she is a deacon and has served as Young Adult Leader and co-leader of the Community Outreach Program. She is a graduate of William Paterson University where she was active in the Beyond Colorblind campaign and the Fight Against Human Trafficking campaign of Intervarsity Christian Fellowship
