Social Ministry
Led By: Alyssa Schultz
Contact Email: alyssa.schultz@scouting.org
Social Ministry meets every 3rd Wednesday at 11:00 AM
Our Social Ministry Committee at St. John’s continues to be a very active committee trying to meet the needs of people.
We continue to:
· The Campbell Soup Labels Collection has been discontinued.
· Collect Box Tops for Education - this year 718 were collected, also for Mission for Navajo.
· Collect Hotel Samples – these are used by Women in Crisis (now called Safe Place) and are greatly appreciated. Our members are faithful contributors to this project.
· Host an Everybody’s Birthday Party – yearly parties are given to Topton
Residents.
· A project to celebrate the 90th Birthdays of the congregation’s nursing home residents with cake and refreshments. This year we honored Dorothy Geschwindt & Helen Emhart.
· Send greeting cards to nursing home residents and shut-ins.
· Make valentine favors for approximately 30 nursing home friends and shut-ins.
· Prepare a full course meal 3 times a year for approximately 130 to 150 people at the New Journey Community Outreach (NJCO) in Reading and serve it. This ministry feeds people on week days and the Kennedy House Catholic Soup Kitchen feeds on weekends.
· Redners’ Save-A-Tape program – we receive 1% of all Redners’ register tapes. Our total for 2017 is $983.85, which is put into our current fund. Thank you for continuing to save your receipts.
· Any Boyer’s store will recognize our “Caring & Sharing” program---just show your Blue Card - monies go to World Hunger.
· Collect food items and monetary donations for the Northern Berks Food Pantry,
and food bags for Thanksgiving.
· Designate monies contributed in lieu of flowers to service agencies.
· Sell Equal Exchange Fair Trade coffee and candy bars to benefit small coffee growers in other countries.
- Pine Street is posted and reserved for handicap parking for Sunday services
· Angel Tree for the Salvation Army at Christmas - 40 children & 20 Seniors. Members of our church also volunteered at the Field House to help with pickup, packing and distribution of donated gifts.
· A Birthday Card Ministry was put in place for our 80 years and older members. Each month the cards are available in the North Narthex for members to sign. We appreciate Jane Kramer for taking on this project.
· Volunteer Day has been discontinued do to the changing venue of the Visiting Nurses “Tree of Remembrance” project.
- Salvation Army Project - 500 letters and calendars were collated and put into mailing envelopes.
Due to our efforts we now can accommodate any handicapped individual. We have hearing devices for the hard of hearing individuals, large print bulletins for those who find it difficult seeing, wheelchairs available for those with difficulty in walking and removable chairs to accommodate wheelchairs in the nave of the church, and Special Greeters to assist persons with mental challenges.
Our van transportation has been in place since 2005. It transports senior members to the weekly service, picnic, and other church activities. The volunteer drivers and helpers assist people into the van and church. The seniors are met at church by volunteer companions who are with them for the service.
We want to say a great big “THANK YOU” to all our members of St. John’s for your faithful participation in these programs. We are doing a lot of gratifying activities and we invite you to join our committee and share our joy with us. We are working to fulfill God’s Word which means helping our neighbor. Won’t you come and help us? God needs you!
Committee Members: Lynne Bagenstose, David & Delores Kistler, and Barbara Miller.
In Christ
Kay Hagenberger (chairperson)
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