Mercy
Each member of the Diaconate is here to tell us about the ministries they are involved with and the related volunteer opportunities for either Home Fellowship Groups or individuals. Feel free to contact any them for more info and how you can be involved in helping our community! They are here to serve, help you to serve, and know where your offering to the Diaconate is being used.
In Jesus' Name
...was founded in 1981 to respond to the needs of the poor in Hoboken and continues as a coordinated effort of love and sharing among religious communities in Hoboken. The food pantry and clothes closet, hosted by Our Lady of Grace Church, serve hundreds of our neighbors.
In the past, Home Fellowship Groups have helped with work sessions to organize the donations and prepare the food for distribution, and have planned special events for new mothers served by the ministry. There are opportunities to help with special events for young kids and teens, to deliver groceries, or make visits to elderly homebound people.
If interested contact Lori Lawrence, Sara Peterson or Marcy Gupta. Food or clothing donations can be made during scheduled hours listed on the website www.injesusnamecharities.org or by contacting director April Harris at (201) 792-2112.
The Meals Ministry
...has been serving and caring for our Redeemer Hoboken church community for over 8 years. It's been a practical way for us to come alongside each other and be a blessing to others during both difficult times and times of joy. Volunteers have brought food to those who are sick, recovering from surgery, and welcoming home a new baby, among many other circumstances.
If you’re interested in volunteering, please contact Sara Peterson at sara@joelpeterson.com.
The Hoboken Shelter
...serves over 200 meals a day and houses 50 people nightly. They provide job readiness and life skills training and are involved in homelessness prevention programs. Most recently they have also established a permanent supportive housing program.
Redeemer Hoboken serves meals at the Shelter on the 4th Friday of every month, which provides Home Fellowship Groups with a great opportunity to learn more about the Shelter. If your HFG would like to sign up and/or you would like to learn more, please contact Bennett Feld at bennettfeld@verizon.net or David Edwards at dbecie@msn.com.
The Community Food Bank of NJ
...is a non-profit organization that serves as a central distribution center for other non-profit organizations that provide food directly to individuals. Food is either donated to, or purchased by, the Food Bank. This food is then distributed to other non-profit organizations that serve individuals, such as soup kitchens, food pantries, and shelters. Today the Food Bank distributes over 23 million pounds of food and groceries a year, ultimately serving 1,656 non-profit programs including 436 programs served by its Partner Distribution Organizations (PDOs). Through their combined efforts, they assist three-quarters of a million low-income people in 18 of New Jersey’s 21 counties.
Available opportunities: Warehouse: Salvage & Shopping Area (sort, repack, and label salvage food product and household goods); Thrift Shop (sort and stock donated items); Kids Division (sort new clothes, create packages of new clothes for needy children); Mailings (help fold, stuff, seal and label our various direct mail projects throughout the year). To schedule an appointment to volunteer, please contact Traci Hendricks at (908) 355-3663 ext 221 or thendricks@njfoodbank.org. The Redeemer contact is Bennett Feld at (201) 217-0577 or bennettfeld@verizon.net.
New City Kids Church
...works with children and teens in Jersey City using the arts, learning and leading, to invite children into the whole-life discipleship of Christ. They follow a child in their development from age six to age nineteen, being an advocate, family, friend, and counselor to the child. If you are interested in serving as an after-school tutor please contact Nathan Sinclair at nathan.sinclair@gmail.com.
Case Work
...is devoted to the needs and direct consideration of individual cases as they arise. A primary mission of the diaconate is to help members who are overburdened with difficult circumstances. These may be physical, emotional, spiritual or financial. If you are experiencing such pressures, please contact any member of the diaconate. If we can't help you then we will try to find someone who can.
Missions
...work comes in many forms including sharing the gospel, working with the sick and poor, helping build communities, providing financial support, and praying. Members or our church have been involved in all of the above. Our church has supported Karen Jacobsen, a missionary with Food for the Hungry in Rwanda. Please see her most recent newsletter (link here- newsletter below) for prayer requests and updates. Also, the PCA is mobilizing relief efforts in Haiti. For more information, visit www.pca-mna.org.
The diaconate is committed to raising awareness of missions work around the world and seeking out practical ways we can be involved and encourage our congregation to engage with missions. If you have a passion for missions, please contact Marcy Gupta at marcyms77@yahoo.com or Nancy Moody at nancyshemo@gmail.com. We would love to learn about it and connect you to others to exchange ideas and explore opportunities.