Page 29 - Presbyterian Connection

Connection
MISSION & OUTREACH
Walk to Jerusalem
presbyterian.ca
SUMMER 2021
By Carol Rigler, Forbes Presbyterian Church in Grande Prairie, Alta.
Eighty-three congregants at Forbes Presbyterian Church in Grande Prai- rie, Alta., made the commitment to take part, in spirit, in a Lenten journey to Jerusalem. This journey called for the time, effort and spirit- ual reflection that might be involved in such a pilgrimage. Instead of giv- ing up something for Lent, we gave our time. Our time was measured in physical, mental and spiritual miles.
Every 20 minutes of participation equaled one mile. A coordinator tracked the miles on a spreadsheet and sent weekly updates to the par- ticipants.
The theme was: “We are pilgrims on a journey. We are travellers on the road.” Par ticipants logged miles through a variety of activities, in- cluding: walking, exercising, study- ing, helping others, reading, pray- ing, playing an instrument, singing, chatting with friends, going to church, writing, journaling, working
on projects, knitting, sewing, danc- ing and whatever got people off the couch!
The Lenten journey has helped us to enjoy the world and those around us—physically, spiritually and emotionally—and in spite of the pandemic.
Together, we travelled to Jerusa- lem and back—a total of 20,922 miles. We travelled for seven weeks.
This was a most amazing journey. God’s love has given us new life and hope. By love, for love, He has risen.
Participants in the Walk to Jerusalem at Forbes Presbyterian Church in Grande Prairie, Alta.
PRESBYTERIAN
29
Food Hamper Program in Medicine Hat
The hampers, ready to go.
By the Rev. Jeff Lackie and Linda Chapman, St. John’s Congregational Life and Mission Committee,
St. John’s Presbyterian Church
in Medicine Hat, Alta.
St. John’s Presbyterian Church in Medicine Hat, Alta., has a long his- tory of community outreach. One of our longest lasting outreach projects centres on food security for those in our community who are most vulner- able: those who are unemployed or unable to work, and veterans with
very limited resources.
In the early years of the program, St.
John’s par tnered with other churches and organizations to purchase and distribute grocery cards and transit tickets to folks who were struggling. Our sponsoring organization required careful stewardship of the distribu- tion of grocery cards, and folks could only apply every three months. As the program developed, we star ted to supplement the grocery cards with the occasional bag of groceries— par ticularly when there were families involved. Despite the limits, the initial program was greatly appreciated and we served many people.
Times and social outreach condi- tions were changing, however, and in 2018 our outside funding was no longer available. The generosity of our members took the lead. Appeals to the congregation had always brought non-perishable food items and cash donations to supplement the grocery card program. These donations be- gan to carry the whole weight of the program, which served, on average, six families per week—all by appoint- ment.
Linda Chapman and Helen Snortland at the distribution table.
and all—no registrations, no ques- tions asked.
From October to December, we provided hampers for 155 individuals and families. This was comparable to the usual demand of the program for an entire year. So far, job well done. But the need continues and so does the program.
As of March 2021, volunteers have distributed 320 hampers. The program is entirely dependent on donations from the congregation and continues to be well supported; but, starting April 13, 2021, we will be of- fering the program twice a month.
This ministry is made possible due to the generous contributions from the good people of St. John’s. Their continuing support is what makes this program successful. We are also grateful to South Country Co-op which has, for a number of years, donated reusable grocery bags, and The Mustard Seed, a local outreach ministry that offers us excess bread and baked goods when they are available.
Read more about the activities tak- ing place in Medicine Hat on page 18.
Through 2019, the program shifted to providing food hampers only, as we tried to identify the most urgent needs and think up new ways to meet them. Then COVID-19 brought the program to a halt in March 2020.
After more than half a year in lim- bo, one of our elders, Helen Snort- land, raised the question of reviving the program. After ensuring we could distribute our hampers safely and in
accordance with public health guide- lines, Helen and Linda Chapman started to re-imagine this outreach.
Helen and Linda organized shop- ping teams and recruited people to fill bags with non-perishable items and help with distribution days. In Oc- tober, the program began again but with a difference: for two hours each Tuesday, we would open the church doors and offer a food hamper to any