Faith In ActionHow does the First English community put its faith into action? We are support our congregation, our city, and our world in many different ways:
Our congregation
Flower Delivery: After the 11:00 am Sunday service, we take the altar flowers to homebound or ill members. We need volunteers to arrange and/or deliver flowers after the service or early in the following week. We need extra volunteers at Easter and Christmas to deliver Easter lilies and poinsettias. Please contact Esther Bonnet if you would like to help with flower delivery.
Transportation: We provide some of our members rides to church for worship services and special events. Please contact the church office if you would like to be on the list of passengers. Please contact Teal Anderson if you would like to drive passengers to church.
Birthdays: We send birthday cards to members 80 plus and homebound members. Please contact Esther Bonnet if you would like to be involved in this ministry.
Our city
Manna House: Manna House is a soup kitchen with health advocacy and transitional housing. They serve a hot meal Monday through Saturday for 150 to 200 people each day. We support Manna House by collecting non-perishable food on the first Sunday of each month and monetary donations on any Sunday. We provide extra support at Thanksgiving by holding Harvest Sunday, and at Christmas by sending grocery gift certificates and setting up a Giving Tree, for our congregation to select Christmas gifts for the families in transitional housing.
Barclay School: For more than ten years, we have been in partnership with the Barclay School, a pre-K to 8th grade school just a few blocks southeast from us. We designate our grocery store receipts to benefit Barclay School. S u p e r F r e s h , G i a n t , S a f e w a y , a n d T a r g e t all have programs for s u p p o r t i n g s c h o o l s . Please visit the website of your specific grocery to find out how to designate your purchases to benefit Barclay. T h e ID numbers for Barclay are as follows: S u p e r F r e s h 0 0 4 5 4 4 3 7 , G i a n t 0 1 4 3 6 , S a f e w a y 6 4 7 2 5 0 5 and T a r g e t 5 7 4 4 8 . We also collect used printer cartridges, Campbell's Labels for Education, and General Mills Box Tops for Education, which Barclay can redeem for much-needed funding for school supplies. We donate children's books, invite children to Vacation Bible School, donate clothes for special needs, urge state legislators to appropriate adequate funds for schools, and extend this support by participating in the Greater Homewood Interfaith Alliance, which raises funds for each of the seven GHIA church-sponsored schools. Please contact Esther Bonnet if you would like to know more about how to get involved with Barclay School.
Shelter for Women and Children at Christ Lutheran Church, Inner Harbor: We cook and serve dinner on the second Saturday of each month for approximately 40 women and children. Financial support for the dinners is received from the Baetjer Fund. We need volunteers each month to purchase, cook, and/or serve the meal. Please contact Dan Marino if you would like to help in one or more of these ways.
Habitat for Humanity: This is a nonprofit, nondenominational Christian housing organization. First English has supported the two Baltimore chapters through workdays and the choir's benefit concerts. On our last workday, we put up drywall in a living room and replaced a porch ceiling. Beginning this fall, we hope to work with the other Churches of Charles to sponsor a house with the Sandtown chapter. We are looking for a liaison to the Churches of Charles for this project.
Interfaith Good Neighbors: This is a non-medical assistance ministry for people who are aged, ill, frail, or alone. We are members of the coalition for this congregation-community ministry of Diakon Lutheran Social Ministries. We are looking for volunteers to serve as telephone visitors.
Our world
Lutheran World Relief: Lutheran World Relief "works with partners in 50 countries to help people grow food, improve health, strengthen communities, end conflict, build livelihoods, and recover from disasters." We have collaborated with the Sunday School to make health kits, which LWR sends to people who are refugees so that they can "maintain personal hygiene while living in exile." We participate in the LWR Coffee Project (which includes tea and cocoa) and the LWR Chocolate Project. On the first Sunday of each month, we sell these products before and after our worship services and the concert series. The coffee, tea, cocoa, and chocolate are all fair trade products, which means that the farmers who grow them "receive a fair price that covers their cost of production and guarantees them a living wage for their labors." Please contact Em Cole or Michele Burlot if you would like to help with the fair trade sales.
ELCA World Hunger Appeal: The ELCA World Hunger Program "improves the lives of people in need in the United States and around the world" through its relief, development, advocacy, and education efforts. On Superbowl Sunday, we collect donations for the ELCA World Hunger Program by participating in the Souper Bowl of Caring. The youth hold soup pots to collect donations people leave the sanctuary.
Partnership with the Lutheran Church in the Congo: We began a relationship with the Lutheran Church in the Congo through our associate member, Bavon Mupenda. We have exchanged news and prayer requests via email.
These activities that support our congregation, our city, and our world are coordinated by the Social Ministry Mission Team, which meets monthly and communicates as needed via email. Please contact Teal Anderson if you would like to join us in planning our service activities.