Outreach

“PACK-A-SACK” – Each fall members of our congregation donate backpacks (40 last year) filled with school supplies to help homeless children start the new school year with confidence and dignity.

FOOD BASKETS are provided for families affected by AIDS referred to us by the AIDS Coalition of South Jersey at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

CHRISTMAS GIVING TREE - Each winter gloves, mittens, hats, underwear and other holiday toys and gifts are collected for “YOUR FOOD SHELF” in Camden.

HOUSING THE HOMELESS- Each winter our congregation shares with other churches in the community to house and feed a group of homeless men as part of the Homeless Hospitality Network where they receive training to help them get their lives back on track.

SHOE BOXES OF HOPE are decorated by our children and filled with personal care products purchased by members of our congregation for distribution to homeless men, women and children.

EASTER BASKETS containing candy and toys are provided for children in “the Eighth Street Club,” an after school program in Camden, New Jersey.

COMMUNITY FOOD DRIVE - Each Spring we serve as a drop off station for food collected from the residents of Haddon Heights for the Food Bank of South Jersey.

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY – Members of our congregation also work to help build affordable housing for the working poor in Camden.

WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR NEW WAYS TO SERVE. IF YOU HAVE AN IDEA, JUST SPEAK TO ANY MEMBER OF THE OUTREACH TEAM!

SPECIAL OFFERINGS WE SUPPORT

PEACEMAKING - Christians are called as Christ's people to be God's peacemakers as agents of reconciliation in families, individual lives, communities, churches, the international arena, and the whole of creation. Peacemaking is the human response to the divine gift of peace giving. The Peacemaking Offering supports the peacemaking efforts of the church at every governing body level, and provides an opportunity to witness to God's gift of peace in the world.

In order to help the whole church respond to God's peace giving in the world, 25 percent of the Peacemaking Offering is retained by congregations for their support of their own peacemaking ministry; 25 percent is used to support presbytery and synod peacemaking efforts; 50 percent is forwarded to the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program of the General Assembly, so that it can continue to provide assistance and resources for congregations and other bodies of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING – For more than fifty years, Presbyterians have joined with Christians throughout the nation in supporting One Great Hour of Sharing, responding to Christ's love for all people by joyfully sharing that love with people in need. The refugee and the stranger have found food and safe shelter; those stunned by the aftermath of disasters have found relief and help rebuilding; and communities seeking to take control of their future have found partners in development. Presbyterians' gifts support the work of The Presbyterian Committee for the Self-Development of People, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, and the Presbyterian Hunger Program. The hundreds of millions of dollars Presbyterians have given over the last half century have enabled a powerful witness to the love of the One who came that all might have life more abundantly.

CHRISTMAS JOY OFFERING - Presbyterians have long celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ by giving generously to a Christmas season offering. Fifty percent of the receipts to the Christmas Joy Offering are distributed to the Board of Pensions for assistance programs that provide support to retired and active church workers and their spouses and families. The other fifty percent supports the eight Presbyterian-related racial ethnic schools and colleges through the National Ministries Division of the General Assembly Council.