Every Friday morning since mid-1998 hundreds of less-fortunate families visit our Fellowship Hall to receive food and other necessities and, if they desire, to visit with our Pastor. The Food Pantry is supported enthusiastically by the congregation and volunteers gather, stock and distribute the food. The number of families we serve has steadily grown. The most current report shows the numbers for the last three years:
In 2006 we served In 2007 we served In 2008 we served
2,619 Families 2,399 Families 2,284 Families
7,879 Total People 8,157 Total People 6,919 Total People
710 New Families 664 New Families 565 New Families
Note: Numbers for 2008 are down because the Food Pantry was closed for 7 weeks after a tornado damaged the church.
Because the Pantry was growing so much, at the beginning of 2002 we had to limit those served to people living in the Little Rock area only. Our Pantry was not set up as an entitlement program. It was established to assist families in an emergency situation by providing them with food. The Food Pantry is open every Friday from 10:30 a.m. until noon or until everyone has been served.
The people who come to the Food Pantry are interviewed in order to ascertain their financial situation. They are entitled to come as many as four times a year. If they continue to come to the Pantry more than their allotted times they are counseled and referred to other agencies. For the past two years the Pantry has been totally financed by donations. We have been joined by two neighboring congregations .. the Faith Lutheran Church; the New Life Ministry Church; and Pulaski Heights Baptist Church. We receive financial assistance and volunteer help from them. Currently 35 volunteers are involved in this outreach. Families of the children enrolled in our Pre-School also support the Food Pantry.
Donations are regularly received from Starbucks and The Old Mill.
Music is an important part of our worship experience. We are blessed with an abundance of talent among a broad spectrum of age groups in our congregation.
The Chancel Choir lifts their voices each Sunday morning at our 10:45 traditional worship. They lead the worship with a call to worship, an anthem, special offertory music, and close with a choral benediction response.
The Praise Band leads our Sunday morning contemporary worship. They feature upbeat songs of praise to lead a less formal style of worship with drums, electric guitar, bass, keyboards, and special guest musicians!
The Glorias Women’s Chorus, a group of loyal women of our church, some with many years of experience, combines their voices to offer special music for many of our worship services and on other special occasions.
The Handbell Choir frequently rings their bells to open our morning worship and present special music to create an atmosphere of meditation. They also play in other churches in the area.
To compliment the music ministry, we have several soloists and duets that contribute to worship services along with a group of instrumentalists who add accompaniment as well as solo and ensemble performances.
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