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Service & Justice

At Fairmount, we embody God’s love through worship, service, learning, and care — and you’re invited to be part of it. One way we live this out is through our Serve Council, which oversees community partnerships and creates meaningful service opportunities for the Fairmount community.

The Serve Council stands for social justice and works to improve the lives of those who have been marginalized in Northeast Ohio. Its goal is to help create a just, flourishing, and welcoming community where all people experience the love of God — not just in words, but in action.

Fairmount in the News

See Fairmounters making headlines for our work in the community. These stories highlight how we put love into action — showing up, speaking out, and making a real difference in Northeast Ohio:

Affilations & Community Partners

Matthew 25

As a Matthew 25 congregation, Fairmount has made aspirational commitments to build congregational vitality, dismantle structural racism, and eradicate systemic poverty. We recognize that we live in a world where not all have equal access to education, transportation, fresh food, financial resources, clean air, safe water, healthy environments, employment with a living wage, healthcare, benefits, citizenship, and affordable housing. These inequities create generational cycles of poverty and sustain a racial wealth gap that are systemic in nature. In response, Fairmount is committed to aligning our mission with Matthew 25 values in both our internal life together and our ministry in the wider community.

Earth Care Congregation

In 2023, Fairmount was again certified as an Earth Care Congregation by the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s Presbyterian Hunger Program, affirming our ongoing efforts to restore creation for the sake of ecology and justice. The Earth Care certification recognizes congregations that take seriously God’s charge to “till and keep” the garden. That same year, our Earth Stewards received an award from the local chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council for reducing our electricity usage, and this year we are thrilled to be installing solar panels on our roof. If you’re interested in helping lead this work of care for creation at Fairmount, consider joining our Earth Stewards Team!

More Light

Fairmount is a More Light congregation, committed to centering and celebrating the lives, gifts, and leadership of LGBTQIA+ people in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and beyond. We live out this identity locally by partnering with leading LGBTQ+ organizations, celebrating Pride Month, participating in Pride events, and teaching our community about queer-affirming Christian theology. Members of the rainbow family lead our community at every level, including among our staff, embodying our belief that God’s love is fully inclusive.

Greater Cleveland Congregations

Fairmount is a founding member of Greater Cleveland Congregations (GCC), a nonpartisan, broad-based coalition of 37 faith communities and civic partners. GCC has built and sustained the largest, most diverse grassroots base of citizens in Cleveland’s history, uniting residents of the city and suburbs across lines of race, income, and religion. Its mission is to be a powerful force for change, creating justice and opportunity in Greater Cleveland. Fairmount’s Faith in Action Team leads our congregation’s partnership with GCC, and Pastor Ryan serves as co-chair of GCC’s Strategy Team and Board of Directors.

Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry

Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry (LMM), founded in 1969, exists to challenge systemic injustices faced by those who are oppressed, forgotten, and hurting by providing responsive solutions, advocacy, and hope. LMM’s work centers on Housing and Shelter, Workforce Development, Youth Resiliency Services, and Guardianship Services. The organization operates many of the homeless shelters in northeast Ohio, leads Chopping for Change, and is preparing to launch a new program training formerly unhoused neighbors in the construction trades. In 2024, LMM honored Fairmount with the Faith and Friendship Award, recognizing us as a faith partner that embodies character, commitment, and a life of advocacy and service to the people LMM serves. Pastor Ryan also serves on the LMM Board of Directors.

Fairmount Cooperative Preschool

For more than forty years, the Fairmount Cooperative Preschool has called our church home. As a cooperative preschool, it affirms that parents are the primary educators of their children. While the school is staffed by professional teachers, it is operated by the parents of the young students, who assist in the classroom and share responsibility for the daily work that makes the school thrive. Children and grandchildren of Fairmount members receive priority admission.

Interfaith Group Against Hate

In 2022, Fairmount co-founded the Interfaith Group Against Hate, a multi-faith coalition led by Christian, Muslim, and Jewish congregations in response to the rise in hate crimes, white nationalism, and religious extremism. The coalition’s mission is to eradicate hate by building strong relationships among our congregations, educating the wider community about hate and violence, and organizing together on local issues that reduce discrimination and promote equity and justice.

Batey 105

Fairmount has a long history of mission partnerships in the Dominican Republic dating back to the 1980s. In 2014, we entered into a 25-year commitment with Batey 105, a small village largely composed of undocumented residents of Haitian descent. Over the past decade, our congregation has invested significant time, resources, and energy to strengthen this partnership by supporting healthcare, housing, education, and more. If you’d like to get involved, our “Bridges to Batey” leadership team would be glad to help you connect.