Social Justice & Mission Opportunities

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The Social Justice & Mission Team (SJMT) of Session is responsible for overseeing the benevolent giving of our church and the outreach efforts of our congregation.  This is accomplished by providing opportunities for the congregation to give their time, talent and resources to further the church’s mission, locally and throughout the world. SJMT serves as a clearinghouse for information, opportunities and a funding source for several regular mission projects and conducts special mission offerings such as One Great Hour of Sharing and the Christmas Joy offerings.

For 2020 Christmas in July is "Love During COVID-19:
Loving Our Neighbors"

In 1985, the prize-winning novel,  Love in the Time of Cholera, was published. Now, in 2020, the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, is devastating the world. Given the immediacy of the situation, the Social Justice and Mission Team (SJMT) of State College Presbyterian Church is initiating an immediate and novel response. This year, “Christmas in July” will be replaced with “Love During COVID-19.”

The project will assist the same neighborhood agencies that provide shelter (Centre Safe, Housing Transitions, and Centre County Youth Service Bureau) as well as other vital services (State College Food Bank, Centre Volunteers In Medicine). In meeting the issues of social distancing, high unemployment, and food insecurity, all these agencies are facing extraordinary demands on their resources.

Instead of items, SJMT is asking you to make direct monetary donations to the agency of your choice. This will help the agencies immediately in their mission as they need it during this difficult time.

Following are the Contact and giving information for each agency. Check memos should note “Love During COVID-19”.  Envelopes should include “Attention: Staff Person”. Please note, at this time the SC Food Bank does not have access to its bulk buying source, so it is asking for food rather than monetary donations. The Food Bank’s list of current needs and donation times also follows.

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Centre Safe
140 W. Nittany Ave.
State College, PA 16801
ATTN: Amy Rumble
 
Monday–Thursday, 10am–12pm
 Online: https://ccwrc.org/

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Centre County Youth Service Bureau
330 S. Burrowes
State College, PA 16801
ATTN: Vanessa Baronner
 
Monday–Friday, 8am–4pm
Online: https://ccysb.com/ways-to-give/

Housing Transitions
217 E. Nittany Ave.
State College, PA 16801
ATTN: Katie Harpster
 
Friday, 10am–11am
Online: https://housingtransitions.org/donate-volunteer/

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Centre Volunteers In Medicine
2520 Green Tech Drive, Suite D
State College, PA 16803
Attn: Cheryl White
 
Online: https://cvim.net/donate/

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State College Food Bank
1321 S. Atherton St.
State College, PA 16801
 
Donation of Goods:
 Monday, Wednesday, Friday,
9:00 AM - 12:30 PM

Current Food Bank Needs
Laundry detergent
Canned beans
Hand soap
Toothbrushes and toothpaste
Jelly/jam
Peanut butter
Canned fruit
Macaroni and cheese boxes
Rice (1–2 lb. bags or boxes)
Cereal

Spaghetti or other boxed pasta (1 lb.)
100% juice (64 oz. plastic bottles)
Flour (2 lb. or 5 lb. bags)
Sugar (2 lb. or 4 lb. bags)
Vegetable or canola oil
Coffee, regular or decaf
Tea
Hot cocoa
Gluten-free items (pasta, soup,
           baking mixes)
 

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Matthew 19:19 ~ You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

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Creation Care

sus•tain•able (adj.): using natural resources without destroying ecological balance
green (adj.): supporting or promoting protection of the environment

Are we being good stewards of God’s creation? Are we, in our personal lives, attending to the resources we consume? Are we mindful of whether our church’s or our individual actions contribute to a sustainable community rather than consuming resources in a way that is not sustainable? Are we using our church’s financial resources wisely to promote sustainable practices?  What guidance can we find in Scripture about “living green”?
A group of church members representing staff, the Mission Ministry Unit, and the Building and Property Ministry Unit has begun to use such questions to determine what steps, if any, our church might take to help us better conserve resources, learn from other churches’ sustainability efforts, and potentially serve as a model that other churches might follow when seeking ideas for sustainable practices.
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Implementing “green” practices at SCPC is not something new. Did you know that:

• in 2013 SCPC recycled nearly 1¼ tons of recyclables (2014 lbs. of mixed paper, 162 lbs. of mixed plastic, 143 lbs. of metal cans, and 97 lbs. of clear glass);
• recycling of steel, copper, aluminum, and brass from the old organ console in the balcony and the church’s old carillon machine kept approximately ¼ ton of metals out of the trash;
• young people in FISH transport our recyclable cardboard to the appropriate recycling receptacle each week;
• replacing 5 old windows in the church office will achieve additional energy efficiency?

If you would like to be part of this ongoing conversation, contact Liane Roe to learn about upcoming meetings.  All are welcome!

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Food Bank

Every third Sunday of the month is Food Bank Sunday.  Congregation members are encouraged to bring in food donations or grocery store gift cards to Church with them on that Sunday.  Each month the State College Areas Food Bank provides us with a list of items that are most needed, which is then published in the Sunday Bulletin.  Donations can be dropped off at the parking lot entrance (inside the credenza) and the Fraser Street entrance (the blue bins marked Deacons). The Board of Deacons delivers the donations to the Food Bank each month.  Each year, SCPC donates several hundred pounds of food as well as monetary gifts.

The canvas bags that the Deacons provided for shopping are meant to be a way to conserve the amazing resources of our earth by being reusable and share-able.
If you have bags at home, or in your car, please return them to a rack in the entry ways so that others may fill them as well!

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​Angel Tree 

The Angel Tree and accompanying boxes of angels on the bridge arrives in mid-November.  Each year the Social Justice and Mission Team of SCPC  collects “wish lists” from several local agencies including, Youth Service Bureau, Centre County Women’s Resource Center, Park Forest Preschool, Windy Hill, Centre Volunteers in Medicine, and many others.
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We hope you will participate!  Detailed instructions for signing up to provide gifts and how to label them are included in the Sunday Bulletin.
The Angel Tree has been a wonderful mission effort from our church family to the local community for many years.  Please join us and help support our neighbors during this advent season.

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Housing Transitions & Interfaith Human Services

Housing Transitions, Inc. is an extensive program that provides immediate, short term housing for anyone who becomes homeless, and an extensive service of aid and educational programs to prevent the loss of one's home.  Housing Transitions is on the verge of launching a building campaign that will fund an addition to their overflowing shelter, Centre House, located near the corner of Pugh St. and Nittany Ave., for folks who need assisted living.

The historic roots of Interfaith Human Services also extend all the way back to SCPC.  It offers fuel and utility assistance for families in need, money management counseling and services, emergency financial aid, and a wonderful furniture recycling program.

We have SCPC members active on all of these agencies' boards as well as within their programs.
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For more information, contact Mike Ozaki, Associate Pastor for Mission and Youth (238-2422).

Habitat For Humanity

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Centre County, an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, builds simple decent, affordable houses in Centre and Clinton counties in partnership with qualified families and the community.

State College Presbyterian Church is a Habitat partner. Our partnership agreement stipulates that we will:  pray for the Habitat ministry; provide volunteers for construction projects, committees and the office; provide financial support; share the message about the Habitat ministry throughout our community; and support and participate in Housewalk.

Contact:  
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Centre County
1155 Zion Road
Bellefonte, PA 18623
Phone:  814-353-2390, e-mail, or visit their Web site
Office hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30 am-4:30 pm
Church contact: Lam Hood  814-231-0556

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Dinner at Centre House

Would you like to make a difference for some folks who would benefit from your help? Here is a great opportunity for you: on the 2nd Friday of each month, someone (or a group) from SCPC prepares and shares a meal with the residents of Centre House.

Centre House provides shelter and food to folks who are experiencing homelessness or are in crisis, but also guidance to reach a more stable housing future. Residents must be over the age of 18 unless accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, or legally emancipated. The Centre House shelter is located at 217 East Nittany Avenue and open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day and is staffed 24 hours a day. There is no charge to stay at Centre House. 

Volunteers are asked to arrive at around 5 pm on the assigned Friday with all of the makings to prepare a meal. A phone call by the volunteer to Centre House on the day before will provide information about the number of residents to expect as well as any dietary restrictions that may exist. The volunteer(s) will involve the residents (who are required to participate as part of the conditions of their residency) in the food preparation and cooking as well as setting the table, etc. Everyone then sits down and enjoys the meal together. The residents are responsible for cleaning up after the meal. The typical time commitment for volunteers is approximately 2 hours. The kitchen at Centre House is fully stocked with pots, pans, cooking and food prep utensils as well as some basic ingredients like oil, butter, salt and pepper, etc.

If you, you and your family, or you and some group of friends/relatives would like to volunteer to prepare/share a meal, please contact Mike Cullin 814-571-9157.

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Other Mission Opportunities – Various other mission opportunities present themselves throughout the year.  You are encouraged to read and learn more about them as they are presented in the Sunday Bulletins and the monthly PresbyPost Newsletter.

Unique Rental Housing Partnership

In the Gospel of Luke Jesus was clearly intent on a plan for “the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go.”  State College Presbyterian Church has a plan, one with similar intent, and it is going to take a similar partnership of disciples to make it happen.  It is time to get going, “no time to loiter.”  (Luke 10)
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One of the greatest challenges for persons seeking affordable housing is that of being able to meet the burden of getting established in a rental property.  Most require first and last month’s rental payment as well as a security deposit.  This can result in an upfront cost of $1800-3000.00 for an already financially challenged family.

Working in partnership (discipleship) with local banks, the Centre Foundation, area landlords, and supporting social service agencies, SCPC has established the Security Deposit Guarantee Program (SDGP).  The SDGP provides advocacy and serves as a resource for both the client seeking low-cost decent housing and the landlord seeking a reliable tenant.  For agency referred and SDGP clients, participating landlords agree to accept the SDGP’s Funding Group’s limited guarantee as a security deposit in lieu of an escrow payment.  This guarantee is assured by local banks’ community reinvestment commitments.  Funds are held by the Centre Foundation.

A unique partnership has been established to assist those who seek to establish themselves in our neighborhoods and communities through decent safe housing. Seems like something Jesus might have had planned in his great sending out.
Yet the partnership does not end there.  Now you are being called.  As part of the program each client will be partnered with a mentor team: one or two lead persons, and one or two others, who can act as resources.  This mentor team will establish a relationship with the client and walk with them through the journey of housing security.

The SDGP anticipates starting a small pilot program in early 2014.  To do this we need 10-12 individuals willing to participate in the mentoring program.  Mentors will be trained by Jean Collins and others.
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Please prayerfully consider your “going out" by becoming a mentor.
Contact Mitch Kirsch or Mike Ozaki of the Social Justice and Mission Team for more information and/or to get involved.

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