Outreach We offer outreach to the community in the form of Noah's Ark Day Care Center, on Friday evenings for the homeless and those in need in cooperation with Welcome INN, and collect food and toiletries for the Ministries in Coram and the Greater Port Jefferson Ecumenical Food Pantry, an effort of the churches in Port Jefferson to feed and care for the homeless and needy in our community. As a member of the Shalom Interfaith Project, an ecumenical group of churches and synagogues in the surrounding community, we offer the services of a social worker to all in need. We have expanded our global mission to include trips for youths and adults to Puerto Rico and Cuba and participation in the Midnight Run, providing food and clothing to the homeless in New York City. Closer to home, our Deacons* organize the collection of Christmas gifts of toys and clothing for needy families in the surrounding community.Other areas of mission and outreach that we support include Habitat for Humanity, Protestant Campus Ministries, Church World Service, Seaport Preschool, the Parish Resource Center, Bread for the World, and the Long Island Council of Churches. Annually, we present the Victorian Tea as part of the Port Jefferson Dickens Festival. The tea is an elegant chance for socializing. Tea-goers step back in time as they enter our authentically decorated tea parlor in our Fellowship Hall. For a nominal donation, they dine on tea and crumpets and enjoy the talents of local musicians. Proceeds of the tea go to local charities and our mission programs. Victorian dress is optional!
Mission Trips (click images for more info)
Members of our congregation periodically go on church sponsored 'mission trips.' This has become an integral part of our outreach program. After the trips, members will typically report back in various forms to the congregation about their ventures. The links above highlight some of the trips our church has sponsored in the past. The story links below are from members who have participated on trips and have shared their observations about those trips. Members are always invited and encouraged to develop mission trips, and we are always looking to sponsor worthy suggestions.
Welcome INN is an interfaith group of volunteers serving meals to low-income people across Long Island. Several churches in our area host a weekly dinner. We are responsible for the Friday-evening meals. The umbrella agency is the Interfaith Nutrition Network (hence, INN), located in Hempstead. Welcome INN is a nonprofit, nonsectarian, volunteer-based organization that tries to address the problem of hunger in the local area by providing meals in a safe, clean, caring environment with no questions asked. Our church has served meals as part of Welcome INN for several years. Most of those partaking of a meal are from the Port Jefferson area. Usually 35 to 45 people attend a Friday dinner at our church. Occasionally, as many as 60 people attend, so meals are planned for 60, and the extra plates are served for take-out to family members at home and those unable to attend at church. Of those who attend, a few are homeless, and a few live on a short-term basis in the area. Some have homes and some have income. A few senior citizens attend who live on Social Security and have difficulty with cooking on their own. Others are families having difficulties with the cost of food. In other words, there is a cross-section of people seeking a hot meal. Some volunteers have been sought directly through Welcome INN and have provided our church with the coordination of meals and great cooks. These volunteers arrive each Friday at approximately 4:00 p.m. to prepare the meal. Members of the church as well as local volunteers assist with preparation and serving. The volunteer staff is experienced and a wonderful group to work with. Our church mainly provides the cleanup crews each week, and the hours are 6:00 to 7:15 p.m. We have many volunteers who have been with Welcome INN from the beginning, but volunteers sometimes have to resign owing to many different circumstances, and we need to replace them. If you are interested in volunteering one night a month (just a little more than an hour of your time once a month—and a delicious meal!) or would be willing to be called as a substitute, please contact a deacon.* Thanks very much!! Shalom Interfaith Project The Problem: Program Origins Working Together All pledging religious communities have a voice and vote in Shalom Interfaith Project's monthly administrative meetings, working toward consensus on decisions. Other religious groups are welcome to join the project, and those who work with the project are always happy to advise religious communities in other locations on setting up their own similar programs. Clergy or religious leaders within the communities in the project group refer people in need to a trained social worker who assesses their needs, provides counsel to the religious communities on the best ways to assist, and makes appropriate referrals to governmental and charitable organizations. The social worker works part time throughout the year and sees clients by appointment only at First Presbyterian Church. Because the social worker is assessing the needs of those in our community, the social worker can advise all participating religious communities on the root causes of need in our area. This helps the communities work collectively to address these needs and their underlying concerns. The communities are also developing covenant groups of willing volunteers within each participating religious community to provide services that people in distress need but that are not typically provided by other organizations. Fiscal Structure Shalom Interfaith
Project
Community Events Let it not be said that Presbyterians don't like to have fun! In addition to regularly held events around our church like barbecues, beach picnics, teen parties and the like, we also take great pride in our recurrent hosting of other local events for our community. Click the links below for more information!
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