Dr. OrLando Yarborough III is the pastor of the Black Church at Yale. If you have any questions and/or would like to visit with him, please e-mail him at orlando.yarborough@yale.edu.
Black Church at Yale (BCAY) is a student-run church with a diverse congregation consisting of a variety of backgrounds including diverse ethnicities, nationalities and denominations. Although our services are mostly attended by Yale undergrads, we are open to graduate students, professors, staff and community members joining our worship community. We are joined together by our love for Jesus Christ, not by the color of our skin, or our denominational affiliations. We express our love and devotion to God through songs of praise and worship. During our worship set, we stand on our feet, clap our hands, raise our arms and bow our heads in reverence and adoration of our God. Our musical style ranges from contemporary Christian to gospel praise and worship. We have a talented team of vocalists along with a full band that consists of a keyboardist, bassist and drummer.
Sunday (10:00 a.m.) -Join us for worship services at the Afro-American Cultural Center, located at 211 Park St, New Haven, CT. Our worship format is very simple, without a long list of rituals and traditions. We believe that the most important components of a Sunday service are the worship and the Word, so we give priority to these two elements. We aim to be obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit, which means that sometimes we may deviate from our regular schedule to give way for an additional worship song or a special moment of prayer. Once a month we celebrate communion through the Lord’s Supper. Also, we get a special performance from the remarkable Yale Gospel Choir once a month.
The Serve the Nations Team - Jesus was a servant leader and we will be a servant people (Luke 22:24-27). We aspire not only to serve inside the church with excellence, but to minister in the marketplace. This church will produce future problem solvers for the greatest global challenges, thus becoming the salt and light of the world. (Matthew 5:13:16; Matthew 28:18-20). Purpose: To equip the BCAY family to follow Christ in servant leadership, thus becoming salt and light in the world.
The Hospitality Team - The purpose of the Hospitality Team is: 1) to create an environment of warmth by welcoming and accepting individuals from any background into the BCAY community. 2) to make those who come to BCAY feel comfortable as they explore what God means in their lives. 3) to establish a community where they feel welcomed.
Breath of Life Worship Team - The purpose of our praise and worship team is to: 1) To invoke the presence of God through musical worship. 2) To lead and involve the congregation in praise, adoration, and thanksgiving. 3) To create an atmosphere most conducive to hearing from and connecting with God.
The Audio/Visual Team - “They’re pretty cool…just join them.” ~ Anonymous member of team, 2011. The purpose of the A/V Team is: 1) to fully engage the congregation with every aspect of Sunday service: praise & worship, the message, and announcements. 2) to oversee the technical setup and breakdown of the sanctuary. 3) to manage the audio and projector feeds during service. 4) to launch the “BCAY Presents” monthly news video series (anticipated launch date is November).
Marketing and Communications Team - A lot happens at BCAY, and the Communications team is responsible for keeping everyone informed and in the loop. This team coordinates all internal and external communications and marketing efforts.
The Finance and Development Ministry - The Finance and Development Ministry is the business department at BCAY. This team manages the collection and deposit of tithes and offerings on Sunday mornings. It is also responsible for keeping up-to-date books, making payments, acting as signatories on authorized checks and officiating finance meetings/reports with Student Staff. This team will also assist in seeking fundraising methods to increase church funds.