Mission Activities

Community Church of Glen Rock 

Katrina relief mission trip to Pass Christian Mississippi

 

Mission activities, our ministries to the wider community and beyond, are foundational to who we are as Christians and as members of Community Church.  We support others through the gifts of basic goods, time and financial resources.

 

Basic Goods

• Nonperishable foods items are collected monthly to assist the Center for Food Action in providing food to pantries and kitchens serving poor and hungry persons of Bergen County.
• Working with other churches and the Girl Scouts, shoes that we no longer need have been shared with shoeless persons around the world.
• Linens are gathered to be used by animal shelters.
• The Discovery Circle supports Baby Basics by holding an annual “Reverse Baby Shower” in which infant clothing and supplies are purchased to help new moms who are not able to buy what they need for their babies.
• The Women’s Guild and many other church and affiliated small groups (see more under “Fellowship”) engage in outreach projects.  

Time

Church members give of their time and energy in Mission:                             

•  The CROP Walk is an annual activity engaging many of our congregation.  Funds are raised to support the work of Church World Service of which the Reformed Church in America is one of many supporting denominations.
• Each year during the winter months CCGR joins other area churches in providing food and shelter for homeless persons.  CCGR members serve the meal and spend the night with these guests.
• Over the past three years since Hurricane Katrina members, young and old, have gone to Pass Christian, MS (see picture above) working with members of that community to rebuild homes in this town that was completely devastated by the storm.
• Youth provide services to seniors and others who may need assistance in raking leaves or small repairs.  Others have worked with Habitat for Humanity in Paterson, NJ.  For the past four years, the Confirmation Class has worked with the directors and residents of two shelters for homeless teenagers in Paterson and Passaic at holiday times, helping to provide special supplies and gifts that the shelters’ budgets do not cover. 

Money

Financial support is given to a variety of mission outreach programs local, national and international.  The money comes primarily from the church’s annual budget (supported primarily through member pledges) and through special offerings.

Annual Budget:  A third of the Mission Ministry budget goes to the various national and international programs of the RCA including:

• Support for Missionaries in Bahrain (Paul and Rebecca Armerding), Honduras (Drs. Gerard Rudy and Norvella Goff-Rudy), Taiwan (Judy Estelle) and Hungary (Dick and Carolyn Otterness). 
• Other programs supported include the RCA retirement Home, New Brunswick Seminary, the Warwick Conference Center and a grant to an inner-city church in need of a helping hand.
• A number of local agencies and programs are supported.  These include the Martin Luther King Jr. annual service, Hope for Ex-Offenders, the Religious Committee of Glen Rock, CROP, Patterson Habitat and West Bergen Child/Youth Counseling services.
• Additional programs are supported through the budget through undesignated programs (those determined annually).  In 2007 these included Madison Ave. Crossroads, Eva’s Village, Christmas gifts for homeless people, Bessie Green Community Center and a variety of other programs.

Special Offerings   These are taken once a month for a designated program.  Some programs are repeated recipients and others are for just one year.  These have included:

• “Friends to Friends” which empowers specially-abled persons,
• “St Paul’s Community Development Corp.” a multi-faceted Patterson program,
• “Valley Hospital Chaplaincy” provides program funds for Ridgewood’s Valley Hospital,
• “Shelter Our Sisters” which assists women and children who are victims of domestic violence,
• “Spiral Arts” works with marginalized persons reach their creative potential and to touch their souls,
• “Community Meals” which provides nutritional meals to those who are homebound a number of church members are volunteers in this program.