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Justice and Compassion |
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What is the family of churches known as The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada doing in the area of justice and compassion? How are local churches reaching out to the disenfranchised and needy in our communities?
Here is a brief listing of some of the activities. As we become aware of others, they will be added. For further information on each individual project or ministry, contact the listed individual.
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Central Canadian District |
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Midland Alliance Church
Midland, ON
Out of the Cold. Every Sunday night from December through March, MAC volunteers man the shelter in the community. Hot suppers and a safe bed are provided along with a breakfast and bag lunch the following day. More than 50 people in the church volunteer to ensure that this program runs efficiently.
Street Outreach Services. Under the direction of Chris Lewis, our children and youth director, the youth went door to door collecting winter clothing for this secular agency that works with the homeless in our community.
Super jail. As a congregation we collected winter clothing to give to inmates being released from our local jail.
Church Benevolent Fund. In 2007 the church was able to spend over $6,000 to help the needy in our community to buy groceries, pay utility bills etc.
Food Bank. As a congregation we collect non-perishable food items throughout the year that are donated to our local Salvation Army food bank
Soup Kitchen. Two months of the year volunteers from MAC provide all the food for a weekly soup kitchen hosted by our local Presbyterian church.
Rev. Robert Bachmann, Ass't Pastor |
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Orangeville Alliance Church
Orangeville, ON
Bags of Blessing. For five years the church has spent the fall months collecting items in order to create ?survival? care kits for distribution to the homeless people of inner city Toronto. In December, vans loaded with people and kits make their way into downtown Toronto where distribution occurs.
Clothing Drive. Clothes, coats and infant care items are collected then given away at an annual clothing giveaway.
Happy Halloween Food Drive. Orangeville Alliance youth trick or treat around the community on Halloween, collecting food for the local food bank.
Roof Raising. The men?s ministry utilizes weekends to use whatever skills and gifts they have to help people in the community. One project that keeps cropping up is roofing. Labour is offered free to those who need their roofs redone.
Rev. Darryl Buckle, Sr. Pastor |
Owen Sound Alliance
Owen Sound, ON
Body Partnership. Rather than reinvent the wheel, the church arranged a meeting with the local Salvation Army to partner with them on various mechanisms for helping the needy in the community. Army representatives spoke at the church one Sunday and shared four major opportunities. Church response was overwhelming, with many of our people serving the poor through the Christmas period including Christmas Day.
Rev. Kendall Schmitke, Sr. Pastor |
Huntsville Alliance
Huntsville, ON
Spring Renewal Day. Members of the church (approx. 80 last year) showed up at a local nursing home to paint parking lot lines, weed flower beds, trim trees, paint benches and clean up debris.
Starfish Families programme. Based upon making a difference one family at a time, the programme provides practical support for families who are ?adopted? and in times of need or transition. Areas of support may include children?s clothing, Christmas gifts, food certificates, hydro electric fees, extracurricular children?s programmes, summer camp fees, eyeglasses and so forth. Funding comes through a ?giving tree? for church members and a potential garage sale this spring.
Fresh Start E Mail initiative. In conjunction with a local women?s shelter, this initiative helps women transition from the shelter to the community with very few resources. As needs are identified, an email circulates through the email network aimed at matching the needs with furniture or other items that can be donated such as dressers, tables, chairs and so on. |
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Redwood Park Alliance
Thunder Bay, ON
Redwood Park Opportunities Centre. Instead of selling their old church building when they moved into new facilities, Redwood Park turned the old building into one that helps the poor, homeless, addicted, the hungry and those needing clothes. Out of this centre, the church runs a food bank which serves several hundred people each month. They also operate a used clothing store selling clothing at very affordable prices. In partnership with the Ontario English Teachers Association, a project called ?Coats for Kids? saw over 600 coats collected by the Thunder Bay Catholic schools and provided free to needy kids through the Opportunity Centre. The Centre provides support ministries for people in recovery and is developing a programme whereby those lacking in job skills can be trained as cashiers. The goal is to move people from simply accepting handouts to providing skills so that people can look after themselves.
Jay Dampier, Pastor Adult Ministries & Opportunities Centre Coordinator |
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Wellesley Alliance
Wellesley, ON
Food bank. The church initiated a community wide door-to-door campaign to collect non-perishable food for a local food bank and collected more than 2000 pounds of food. This enabled the food bank to get through the lean summer months until a region-wide food drive kicked off in the fall.
Rev. Doug Allen, Pastor |
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Paramount Drive Alliance
Stoney Creek (Hamilton), ON
Christmas and Easter hampers. Paramount Church prepared 98 Christmas hampers containing a complete Christmas dinner. These were delivered to needy families in the city. This initiative is repeated annually at Easter.
Clothing drives. Each fall and spring a clothing drive collects over one hundred bags of clothing to be distributed through various mission agencies in the downtown core of Hamilton. The church also collects weekly food items for donation to food banks throughout the city.
Doug Conley, Community Outreach Coordinator |
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To read what's happening in the Canadian Pacific District, click here. -
To read what's happening in the Western Canadian District, click here. -
To read what's happening in the Canadian Midwest District, click here. -
To read what's happening in the Eastern Canadian District, click here. |
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in Canada. All Rights Reserved.
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