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Mission Statement - We are all continually challenged to respond to Micah 6, verse 8: And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Our ministry attempts to bring social justice issues to the attention of the congregation. The goal of our projects is to give members the opportunity to serve those in need in a variety of ways. We strive to proclaim the love of Christ in our activities for the people near and far.
ON-GOING PROJECTS:
FISH - We provided two bags of food for ten low-income families on a monthly basis. This was done with donated food and designated funds from the congregation, and the help of the OFs for delivery to Transfiguration Catholic Church where the food is distributed. We also provide some food bags for people who come by the church asking for help.
Shelter Cooking - Our cooking teams cooked and served one meal a month for Julian Street Shelter. We had a very successful fundraiser in September with matching funds from Thrivent. A typical meal for 60 costs $120 to $140.
Health Connection - The congregation donated about 50 cans of ready to serve soup for their food basket program, which provides individualized monthly food baskets to low income persons with AIDS in our county.
Second Harvest Food Bank - We continue to collect seasonal non-perishable food and garden products for the food bank.
Bulletin Board - We have a bulletin board in the narthex with information about social justice issues and reading materials.
Fair Trade Coffee - We purchase Fair Trade Coffee for use at coffee hour and also have ground and whole bean coffee for sale. This supports a fair wage for the workers, and a portion of the money we pay goes to Lutheran World Relief.
SPECIAL PROJECTS:
The Easter Giving Tree - This year we donated money to Amnesty International. The money was given by the congregation members in memory or honor of loved ones, in lieu of Easter Lilies . We were able to send $1195 to Amnesty International.
Summer of Comfort VIII - This summer we collected school supplies for Friends Outside. We were able to give them a total of 31 backpacks full of school supplies, some extra supplies and $221.
Help One Child - We sent them $300 toward a campership for the Mt. Cross family camp for foster and adopted children.
Asante Project - In November, the Asante Network brought some of their handicrafts from Africa to sell. Asante is a non-profit, and they use the money for their work with women's groups in Tanzania.
Christmas Giving Tree - This year we collected food items and gifts for children for The Lord's Pantry at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church. The response from the congregation was wonderful and greatly appreciated
We have a small committee, but many people have been actively involved in the above projects. We thank all of you who helped make these things happen.
Our plans for next year include maintaining our ongoing projects, identifying needs in the community and providing meaningful special projects. We would like to form a third team for shelter cooking. We are always interested in any ideas from members for special projects or general suggestions. We also would welcome additional members on our committee. Pease let one of us know if you are interested in the committee or any of our projects.
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