Social Ministry

Advent Lutheran Church

Orange Park, FL

Social Ministry News:

Remember The Sharing Place The Sharing Place Thrift Store is in need of selected items, which will assist refugees that are being resettled into our community through the Lutheran Social Services Refugee & Immigration Program. In most cases refugees arrive in the United States with few possessions. Most have been forced to leave their native countries due to political or religious persecution, famine, war, natural disasters or other instability. They arrive in foreign countries seeking a new life and a new start. LSS helps them acclimate to their new surroundings by providing life skills training, English classes, job placement opportunities and support services for family and youth. LSS also helps them to establish a home with basic furnishings to begin their journey. The most needed items include couches, living room chairs, twin beds & mattresses, and kitchen tables and chairs. For more information on how to donate or schedule a pickup, call 904-448-5995 or e-mail Linda Hale at lhale@lssjax.org.

Help Needed to Pack Family Boxes to Feed the Hungry First Coast Lutherans have an opportunity to help feed hungry people by volunteering to pack Family Boxes at the Food Bank. The Second Harvest Food Bank of North Florida is distributing 3,000 Family Boxes at no cost to its member agencies over the next two months through a $110,000 grant provided by the Community Safety Net Fund. Second Harvest has seen a 32 percent increase in demand over the past year – providing more than 7 million pounds of food to those in need in 2008. In addition, the 24th Annual Empty Bowls Luncheon – an event designed to place a focus on and raise funds to fight hunger in our community – saw record returns with 1,200 attendees generating more than $76,000 in proceeds. Volunteers are needed 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Thursday, and Second Saturdays at Second Harvest, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. each month. Contact Rev. Larry Riley, volunteer coordinator at 904-353-3553, ext 223, or lriley@wenourishhpe.org to volunteer.

Other Items Needed Canned meats (not tuna), cereals, dry milk (1 qt packages), pasta sauce, pasta, soups, jelly, paper grocery bags, clean plastic containers with tight fitting lids (any plastics from small pill bottle sizes to cool whip size). Must have lids. Diapers in sizes larger than newborn. Please check your cupboards, or while shopping, please add an extra can of something to add to the red cart outside the Sanctuary. We are the arms and legs of our Lord. The need is great and growing in our county and country.

Volunteer Opportunities The Lutheran Refugee and Immigration Services, part of Lutheran Social Services has volunteer opportunities to help new legal immigrants get settled in their new home and country. These include: greeting people at the airport, providing transportation as necessary, helping with apartment set up and helping with the administration and paperwork.
If you are interested, contact the Church office.

Advent Scouts Need Your Old Newspapers As we immerse ourselves in the gift giving season, here’s a suggestion for the best kind of gift. It costs nothing, no carbon footprint, appropriate all year. The attractive red and green dumpster at the OPCC end of the parking lot stands ready to accept your old newspapers, which then avoid the landfill. The small income derived from the scrap helps support our Boy Scout troop. Your scrap newsprint is always appreciated.

Attention all High School Graduates, College and Post College Youth! Advent now has a group just for you! It is a group where you can feel free to come and go as you please, but still feel like you are a part of the church when you do return. This group has a blog site where we can maintain contact with one another when we are away. It will be a way to find out what is going on with the group and a way for the group to know what is going on with you. When you are at Advent we want you to feel as though you are a part of this church when you are home. We want all of you to feel welcome here. The blog site is: http://www.mychurch.org/AdventLutheranOPYoungAdultsGroup

Feed the Sheep From time to time donations for this worthwhile program have included canned foods, etc, with expired expiration dates. Donations should be good food items, not ones with past expiration dates. Thanks to all who donate.

JOIN US FOR SECOND SATURDAYS!

On the second Saturday of each month, the Food Bank is open for volunteers from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Volunteers are currently needed to stock shelves, sort food and provide administrative assistance such as greeting guests and answering phones. Volunteers are also welcome at the Food Bank Monday through Thursday.

For more information on volunteering, contact Jennifer Loesch at 904-353-3663 ext. 223 or visit www.lssjax.org.

FOOD BANK HOURS OF OPERATION:

Monday – Thursday: 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Friday: by scheduled appointment only

Second Saturday: 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Global Health Ministries Global Health Ministries provides a gift of life – both physical and spiritual – through Lutheran health care work across the world by providing project financial support, locating and shipping urgently needed medical supplies, recruiting health care personnel, and funding training of national health care givers. Your gift to GHM touches the lives of people in developing countries and brings them toward better health and greater productivity.

Thank you for witnessing to God’s love in you by sharing with those in need.