Bishop A. Rice of Bishop Memorial Mission at Myrtle Ave & Emerson Pl.
March is Women’s History Month. Each week, we’ll profile an incredible woman whose work over the years has made Myrtle Avenue a great place.
Born to Serve: Bishop A. Rice
For more than 20 years, a door has been open in Clinton Hill to those in need of help and hope. The Bishop Memorial Mission at Myrtle Avenue and Emerson Place is truly that – a mission. A mission led by a woman who has been dedicated to service and faith. This week, we sat down with Bishop Rice, founder and minister at the Bishop Memorial Mission and church, to learn more about her and the mission’s work in serving the neighborhood for more than two decades.
Personally Called to Serve
Bishop A. Rice says she was always called to serve, a feeling that was present from her childhood in South Carolina, to when she moved to Fort Greene in the 1970s, and still today. While originally she thought that meant going into education and becoming a teacher, she found the calling to serve in a spiritual sense strong and became a minister.
The Mission’s Work
Bishop Rice runs the mission with three H’s in mind: Give hope to the hopeless, feed the hungry, and help the helpless. The mission began with preparing meals for the hungry, and that work continues with a weekly pantry, open to anyone in hunger with no questions asked. In addition to food, the Mission also provides free clothing and runs programming for youth. From their preschool programs to after-school activities for kids, Bishop Rice believes it is vital to have activities for local youth because “there’s a lot of good children but we make them by not providing them services.”
“When people are in need, take them at their own worth; not what they think they’re worth.”
– Bishop A. Rice
All of these programs lead a full schedule each week for Bishop Rice and volunteers at the Mission. The food pantry is available every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning; adult Bible study is Wednesday evenings, youth night on Fridays, and church services on Sunday.
A Changing Neighborhood
Since moving to Brooklyn in the early 1970s, Bishop Rice has seen tremendous change in Fort the Greene and Clinton Hill neighborhoods. There are some of the smaller changes like seeing businesses close, including the Renken Diner at the corner of Myrtle and Classon (where Tipsy wine and spirits is now), where she worked as a waitress in the 1970s and 80s. She of course also remembers seismic events, like 9/11 when she opened the mission’s doors to house and feed volunteer firefighters who had arrived from Texas to help with the aftermath.
And there are larger issues, including displacement of residents due to rising housing costs. While the Bishop has seen neighbors and church members move out, she, of course, has seen many new faces arrive in the neighborhood as well. To the new neighbors, she invites them to become involved by volunteering at the church or donating clothes. As the Bishop said in our interview, “everybody can help somebody.”
To learn more, please visit the mission at 127 Emerson Place (between Myrtle & Willoughby), call (917) 648-3836, or follow them on Facebook.
Clinton Hill Simply Art & Framing
Give the gift of a STRAIGHT SMILE to your loved ones for Valentine’s Day. 
MedRite Urgent Care
Salon Rhed
Brazil’s Waxing Center
Vitality Health & Wellness Bar – NOW OPEN
Pratt Gourmet Deli – NOW OPEN
Gourmet Market at 81 Fleet
MOVE WITH GRACE
BROOKLYN BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU
Vitality Health & Wellness Bar
DINNER RESERVATIONS
HIT THE BARS
IMBIBE AT HOME
We’ve had an amazing year here on Myrtle Avenue, and we have a lot of you to thank for that. Our Senior Advisory Council published a book. We removed literally tons of trash from Myrtle Avenue. We gave out 125,000 lbs of fresh produce to local families. We have a (nearly) complete new plaza (finally!). We organized dozens of arts events. We kicked off a city-wide campaign to take a stand against hate. It really does take a village to pull all of this off, and we’re going to spend this November giving just a few of our wonderful partners and neighbors a little bit of much-deserved gratitude.
Last year, the 88th Precinct adopted the Neighborhood Coordination Officers (NCO) program and it has been tremendous. A pair of officers is assigned to a small section of the precinct, allowing the community to see a regular face and get to know their local officers better. Today at #MyrtleThanks goes out to all of the NCO’s who serve Myrtle Avenue every day, including 88th Precinct Officers O’Neill and Perez-Coyle (pictured above, L to R), John and Lewis.
Soul Summit represents the spirit of Fort Greene. On Day 10, we send a #MyrtleThanks to our friend DJ Sadiq for bringing music and dance to Ft Greene Park every summer.
On Veterans Day we take a moment to give a #MyrtleThanks to all of the local veterans – including some Myrtle Avenue business owners – who have served us all with their time in the armed forces.
Sending a #MyrtleThanks to the incredible Director of Fort Greene Park, David Barker! David is always working hard to keep our favorite local park in tip-top shape, and with a smile.
To Maria Baker of Pratt Institute’s MFA Writing Program, we give a #Myrtlethanks for editing and publishing 
#MyrtleThanks today to Captain John Buttacavoli of the 88th Precinct. He has just right amount of toughness and warmth, leading our the team at our local precinct well.
BRIC is a cultural gem in #fortgreene. Today we give a #myrtlethanks to BRIC’s Jessica Sucher, the Senior Manager of Community Engagement and a neighbor and friend of Myrtle, for creating connections to all BRIC has to offer for our community.
A #MyrtleThanks to local neighbor Ron Janoff for leading the Wallabout Walking Tours for the 2017 season! From May through October, Ron did an amazing job of leading groups of locals and visitors through Fort Greene Park and the historic Wallabout neighborhood, sharing the area’s fascinating history.
A big #myrtlethanks to 
The Myrtle Avenue Farm Fresh Box program – which provides low-cost shares of farm produce to local residents – cannot happen without the help of dedicated volunteers. #MyrtleThanks the crew of folks who come out to help twice a month. We look forward to seeing them again when the program starts back up after the winter break.
#MyrtleThanks today to Corey McBeth, a quiet force at Emmanuel Baptist Church, for advancing our organizations’ mutual concern for local youth by leading programs that serve local kids and teens.
Every year we are so impressed by our neighbor Renee Robinson’s enthusiasm for Small Business Saturday. This year was no exception. Today we send a #MyrtleThanks to Renee for volunteering this past Saturday at the #ShopMyrtle Station, spreading the word about the importance of supporting local businesses.
In the morning and afternoons, the neighborhood is teeming with young students coming and going from school. Today we give a #MyrtleThanks to all the local crossing guards who keep our kids (and sometimes us adults!) safe every day. Pictured here is crossing guard Shirl at Myrtle and Clermont.
#MyrtleThanks Terri Ball of Fort Greene Snap for always spreading news about our food programs and other valuable local resources available in the neighborhood with neighbors in need.
Today, #MyrtleThanks local artist Ramona Candy for curating the Fort Greene & Clinton Hill Artwalk this past spring and for always working to elevate the arts in our community!
The 
Other plantings include an assortment of ornamental grasses like Scottish Tufted Grass and Dwarf Fountain Grass. These thick grasses are starting relatively small but will fill out, developing into lush ground coverings as they mature. Also new in the plaza’s planters are a number of perennials that’ll bring pops of color come spring. Among these flowers are Black Eyed Susan, Purple Coneflower, and Sunny Border Blue Veronica.
The plants round out other new touches like a new 
The Myrtle Avenue Meeting & Mixer will take place on Monday, Dec. 4, 6-8pm
3. Gentleman Farmer Fort Greene
4. Marius & Co.
Installation of the piece began last week and is expected to be completed by the end of October.
Fort Greene gained another delicious food spot this week with the opening of a new prepared food shop just off of Myrtle Avenue near Fort Greene Park. The team behind Marius & Co. celebrated a ribbon cutting this Friday at 154 Carlton, between Myrtle and Willoughby Avenues.
The number of new restaurants and services have 
DÉPANNEUR
