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Germantown Avenue Crisis Ministry
A united effort of churches
along Germantown Avenue from Chestnut Hill to Germantown providing
relief for families in transition. Connections with the local
councilperson's office and social service agencies assist people with
long-range needs. The office is located in the First Presbyterian
Church on Chelten Avenue. Each Sunday an offering of food is collected
for the food pantry. |
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Northwest Philadelphia Interfaith Hospitality Network
As a
participating host church amongst a united effort of congregations from
Germantown to Chestnut Hill, Germantown Mennonite uses its church
building to help provide shelter to homeless families.
Northwest Philadelphia Interfaith Hospitality Network provides
three to five families with private rooms, quiet safety and caring
support in the calm setting of participating area congregations. It
accommodates many kinds and sizes of families: intact couples, single
father households, and adolescent boys as well as single women with
children.
Two to three times a year for two to four weeks Germantown
Mennonite hosts guest families, providing hospitality and volunteers.
Each volunteer provides a meal, groceries, or company during the
hosting period. Combined, all of these small tasks make a huge
difference in the lives of our families as they achieve and accomplish
their goals on the path to stability.
During the past 15 years, NPIHN has moved 250 families
from homelessness to stability. The NPIHN program provides
knowledgeable staff assessment, referrals, life skills training;
including parenting, financial literacy, career counseling, housing
placement, relocation assistance, mentoring, and community building.
Equipped with new skills and relationships, 96% of the families never
utilize another shelter following their NPIHN experience. The
hospitality network is comprised of 1200 caring volunteers. They are
congregations, concerned citizens of the community, generous donors,
community businesses, and institutions.
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Mennonite Central Committee's Annual "Penny Power
Project"
Penny Power supports an annually named ministry of need with a focus
upon children. Each Sunday in March Germantown Mennonite Church
collects coins, pocket change and larger donations gathered by children
and adults. The collection is taken to the annual Pennsylvania Relief
Sale which supports Mennonite Central Committee projects.
- 50 pennies gives a family in Burkino Faso enough
corn for a day, 110 pennies provide a chicken to a family in the
Ukraine, and 100 pennies provide an HIV test in Tanzania.
- For
instance, did you know there is an estimated $7 billion U.S. in loose
coins lying around in the United States alone? Scoop up your change for
the Penny Power offering where 50 pennies buy a mango tree seedling in
Burkino Faso and 100 pennies provide a sack of organic fertilizer for
gardens in El Salvador.
- Mennonite
Central Committee, the Catholic Relief Services and the Palestinian
Hydrology Group together built pools in the small West Bank village of
Bardalah, a Palestinian village of 2,700 people. Most of the villagers
rely on the land for their livelihood, but growing fruits and
vegetables such as tomatoes, cauliflower, and squash can be challenging
in the climate of the Jordan Valley. These 150 cubic meter pools will
collect rainwater in the winter season and store water in the summer,
supplying water to 60 dunams (15 acres) of farmland, and benefiting 90
farmers. In addition to the pools, 500 meters of new irrigation pipes
were installed.
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Peace and Justice Support Network of the Mennonite Church USA
On one Sunday each year, designated as "Peace Sunday," we honor a
peacemaker in Philadelphia. The honoree designates a peace cause or
agency to receive half of a special offering collected throughout the
month. The other half of the offering is given to the peace and justice
initiatives of the Mennonite Church.
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Philadelphia Mennonite High School
Called "The Miracle On 24th Street," this high school was founded in
1998 in the Fairmount section of the city, providing an innovative
program for grades 9 to 12. Philadelphia Mennonite High School draws
from Philadelphia's rich tradition of diversity by providing
educational excellence for students of diverse ethnic and
socio-economic backgrounds. Visit their Web site. |
St. Catherine Labouré Medical Clinic
St. Catherine Labouré
Medical Clinic, of Germantown which offers help to the uninsured.
Doctor Sheila Davis, the founder, and physician assistant Michele
Palos-Samsi (who will speak to us during morning worship on May 20)
provide more than “mere medical help.” So many people have been beaten
down by life and every system they are a part of. Humanity is beaten
out of them and they are accustomed to being treated in a dehumanizing
way. In one visit, she demonstrates that she’s different. She sees you
as a beautiful person in the midst of your brokenness. I can’t say
enough about the power of what she does.
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Face to Face — St. Vincent Dining Room
Face to Face is a community service organization with a
spiritually-based tradition of caring for those in need. Face to Face
believes in the innate goodness, dignity, and potential of all persons
and is committed to seeking social and economic justice for all.
Concentrating its efforts in the Germantown section of Philadelphia,
Face to Face takes a holistic approach to providing those in need with
a sense of belonging, empowerment, and self-determination. Our programs
reflect a holistic approach to celebrating mind, body, and spirit." St.
Vincent's Dining Room is one aspect of Face to Face.
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Urban Resources Development Corporation (URDC)
Six
congregations, First United Methodist of Germantown, St. Vincent's
Roman Catholic, Janes Memorial United Methodist, Providence Baptist,
First Presbyterian of Germantown, and Germantown Mennonite, secure
homes needing renovation in Northwest Philadelphia, repair, restore,
and sell them to new home owners.
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