We’ve had quite an industrious time lately!
Space in a Dunkirk Warehouse has been donated for storing donations of appliances and larger items for the Hispanic Mission led by Pastor Jose’ Gonzalez at the Dunkirk UMC. We are talking & praying about working together on a space for a Samaritan House Mission there in Dunkirk. For the past year we’ve helped them with donations going to North County to help the families in need who they minister to. It would be great to have a facility closer for them to get to.
This is an exciting time for the Body of Christ to find their place in ministry!
David and I attended an informational dinner meeting presented by LOVE INC (Love in the name of Christ) whose mission is pooling churches’ resources for the poor and needy. The dinner meeting was held at St. Susan’s Kitchen at the Gateway Center in Jamestown.
Dale Peterson, Director of Helping Hands, also at the Gateway Center, shared the vision and mission of our ministries helping the poor. An illustration he used to bring out the importance the Lord puts on helping the poor was this: If you cut out all the passages in the Bible about helping the poor, it would be a tattered mess almost unreadable! What with there being over 2,000 passages concerning the poor.
We are looking forward to working with LOVE INC, as their mission fits hand in hand with ours. Their networking churches together will expand our mission to help the poor on a face to face basis. Some folks don’t even realize they have a gift or talent that could be shared in our ministries of helping others. This network will help expand our borders by addressing these talents and gifts that are needed to reach out and be a helping hand!
Our ‘Give a Dollar for the Poor’ campaign has had a great beginning! SH Board members, Scott & Vanessa Dibble, have begun to talk to other churches about the campaign, and share how they started the campaign at their church, Cassadaga Baptist, calling it their ‘Kingdom Assignment’ for the month chosen by the church. I did a presentation at their church at the end of January. It was a great time of sharing the mission of Samaritan House, with many responses inquiring as to how they could be a helping hand. We are looking forward to the monthly fellowship group coming to spend some time volunteering at SH.
Cassadaga Baptist Church picked February as their giving month. Offerings being collected each week will be given to Samaritan House at the end of the month.
Scott & Vanessa took the giving campaign one step further into their local business, Sinclairville Superette. The staff has rallied at the checkout counter, sharing what the Samaritan House Mission is, and customers have been heard giving testimonies at the counter as to how they’ve been helped by Samaritan House as well! People have been very generously giving offerings.
These offerings will be the seed to begin our benevolence funds used to help families in need.
Presentations coming up are at New Life City Church, Westfield Baptist Church, and Findley Lake UMC. I am looking forward to sharing beyond our borders with these churches.
Keep us in your prayers as we await funding for maintenance of the building. We know that God is our provision for this mission, and in His timing we shall receive!
Needs List:
Dehumidifiers
Vacuum Cleaners
Volunteers: Sorters, Cleaners, Dishwashers, Carpenters, Painters, Electricians, Plumbers, Greeters, Mentors, Movers, Delivery truck & crew.
God Bless you as we work together on His Kingdom Assignment!
Samaritan House 716-962-2246
Maureen Schafer, Director
