The Ministry to the Local Community
The congregation at First Presbyterian Church commits
itself to serving others in our community and the world. We coordinate
with local churches to support through practical, volunteer, and financial means, the following local programs:
2 Cents A Meal / Cents-Ability - Members are
encouraged to save two cents for every meal they have each day, and a
collection is received the first Sunday of every month in the "Big Red
Can" in the Narthex. The money goes through the Presbytery of Chicago
to support local food programs, or to fund monthly local mission projects that provide food for local community members.
B.E.D.S. - (Building Ecumenical Discipleship
through Sheltering) - B.E.D.S. is a ecumenical cooperative that
provides services and night-time shelter to the homeless. Volunteers
are needed on a monthly basis, about four hours a month, to provide
hospitality at a homeless shelter site, to perform office duties, to
do fund-raising, laundry, cooking, or cleaning.
L.A.T.H. (LaGrange Area Transitional Housing) - In
an attempt to help people on limited incomes, LATH provides for up to two years of
temporary, subsidized housing. Volunteers are needed to act as mentors in helping
people maintain budgets, learn new behaviors, and get back on their feet.
Food Pantry Donations - Our church supports
the LaGrange Area Food Pantry at Second Baptist Church. Donations of
non-perishable food and household items are collected each seek in the
East Cloister (to the right of the glass Sanctuary doors). Each month,
the Mission & Outreach Committee posts an "Item of the Month" to meet
special needs. Contact the church office or visit the Mission & Outreach bulletin board for details.
Giving Trees - During Advent, gift tags are
placed on two "Giving Trees" put up in Heartbeat Cafe. Each tag is marked
with the age and gender of a gift recipient, and members are encouraged
to select the tag of their choice, purchase and wrap a gift for delivery
to a needy child in Chicago or a needy Senior Citizen from the LaGrange
area.
School Supplies Drive - Each year in August
as the children are preparing to return to school, our congregation purchases
new school supplies to be given to underprivileged children in our area. During our summer VBS program,
the children sort and bag these supplies and write notes of encouragement.
Your help in always needed in missions - whether it is in the form
of a donation of time, money, physical labor, or a gift.
For contact information regarding any of the Mission projects, call the church office at 708.354.0771.
© 2004 First Presbyterian Church LaGrange
All rights reserved.
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