Church of the Mediator

Each December we adopt 3-4 families. The names are given to us by a local food pantry. We check with a parent from each family as to the total number of family members and ask for the genders, ages, sizes and specific interests of each family member. We put up a Christmas tree poster at church with the tags for each member. There are usually at least 3 tags per child (pets, too!). We also purchase a poinsettia and make Christmas cookies for each family. After all the items are blessed during a Sunday service, we deliver the Christmas presents to the individual families. The children are always very excited and the parents are so appreciative of our generosity in helping to make their Christmas a little more joyous!

Twelve families receive a Thanksgiving Basket of food each year. The names are given to us from a local food pantry. We work with a local grocery store to purchase all the food at a fair price and box it all up. Our baskets include a turkey and all the trimmings—gravy, dressing, potatoes, vegetables, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, whipped cream and milk. Church members donate $40 for a small family (4-5) or $50 for a larger family (6+) indicating their preference on a posted sign-up sheet. After picking up the food, we deliver the baskets to the families.

Each fall, residents of local communities are invited to bring their pets to the Church to be blessed by the Rector.

The Church hosts a Mobile Food pantry at least two to three times each year beginning in May through October. The organization, Feeding America West Michigan, arrives at our church parking lot with a large semi truck on the scheduled day. The truck driver opens both sides of the truck and sets out long tables. Our volunteers (usually 8-10) help spread the food out on the tables for distribution which includes a variety of fresh vegetables/fruits, breads/pastries, drinks/yogurt, etc. Most of our pantries have been funded by a grant from the Pokagon Fund and are restricted to residents of Chikaming, New Buffalo and Three Oaks Townships. However, because the Pokagon grants were reduced this year, our parish approved to fund one pantry for $545 with no residency requirements, thereby, feeding more people. Our future goal is to have one pantry each month from May through October with more pantries funded by our church.

Sacred Ground is dialogue series on race, grounded in faith. Small groups are invited to walk through chapters of America’s history of race, racism, and whiteness while weaving in threads of family story, economic class, and political and regional identity. The 10-part series is built around a powerful online curriculum of documentary films and readings that focus on Indigenous, Black, Latino, and Asian/Pacific American histories as they intersect with European American histories.

Sacred Ground is a resource coming out of Becoming Beloved Community, The Episcopal Church’s long-term commitment to racial healing, reconciliation, and justice in our personal lives, our ministries, and our society. This series is especially designed to help white people talk with other white people, while being open to all racial/ethnic groups. Participants are invited to peel away the layers that have contributed to the challenges and divides of the present day – all while grounded in our call to faith, hope and love.