40 Days of Giving
As members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), we believe that God’s love in Jesus is a gift. ELCA Good Gifts is just one way you can share that love with others.
Our community is specifically looking to support three projects; Food for orphans and vulnerable children, Support a refugee family, and Stock a backpack with food.
Faith in Action
How can we love and serve God and our neighbors? The Social Ministry Committee coordinates a variety of opportunities to serve. Want to be part of a project or activity? Contact the church office at 781-749-5533.
St. Patrick's Day Habitat Build in Duxbury
Habitat for Humanity
Members and friends hammer, drill, saw and paint during occasional workdays at nearby Habitat builds. We can also provide lunch or snacks for a work crew. For information about workdays, contact Kathleen Almand at [email protected].
House of Prayer members have worked on Habitat builds in Hawaii, Guatemala, and Slovakia.
Ascentria
Ruth House in Brockton gives young women and their babies opportunities to learn, grow, and flourish. Many of the mothers have been homeless or remanded to Ruth House by the court, and members of House of Prayer want them to know that we care about them and about their children. Handmade baby blankets from members of In Stitches will go along with each new crib mattress, assuring these moms and babies that they matter to us!
Take a tag, bring a gift, share some love! Late each November, a tabletop Christmas tree is decorated with tags identifying gifts desired for children and youth in foster care through Ascentria (formerly Lutheran Social Services). Gift cards are often requested, but, last year, when a child asked for a dollhouse, a youth at House of Prayer refurbished the one her grandfather had made but she had outgrown. It became a precious gift with a story to go with it that touched the giver, the recipient, and all who knew about it. For more information, contact Kristin Olsen at [email protected].
As part of a synod-wide appeal in 2017, we collected backpacks for children, youth, teen moms and refugees served by Ascentria.
House of Prayer member Victoria Warneck is the liaison between House of Prayer and Ruth House in Brockton. She coordinates the process when moms and their children are ready to move out into independent living.
God’s Work / Our Hands
Each spring, HOP members of all ages participate in a special project that assists those in need in the area. Teams have raked leaves for elders, made toiletry bags for Fr. Bill's/MainSpring and this year, provided "meals in a bag" for clients of the Weymouth Food Pantry. A shorter worship service ends with commissioning us to go out and service our neighbors. Bright yellow shirts with the tagline "God's Work/Our Hands" are worn by participants to the special Sunday morning service. When all the work is done, we enjoy brunch and one another's company. As Carla Hill puts it, "God's Work/Our Hands is just part of who we are!" For more information when spring arrives, contact Carla ([email protected]) or Ernie Hill ([email protected]).
Souper Bowl of Caring
We enjoyed delicious soup and bread at the Souper Bowl of Caring and raised $736.85 to help end world hunger!
Honduras Mission Trip
Due to uncertainty because of the political situation in Honduras, the February trip has been cancelled, but we'll continue to keep our Honduran sisters and brothers in faith in our prayers.
Wellspring Multi-Service Center
Along with providing non-perishable food items on a regular basis, individuals or groups prepare Christmas and Easter dinner boxes for Wellspring clients.
A copy-paper box with its top and bottom wrapped separately in colorful paper holds all the fixings for a festive dinner.
Click here for the list of items for the Christmas and Easter boxes.
For more information or to help, contact Cathy Martin at [email protected].
Please wrap your copy paper box festively like you would wrap a gift (wrap the lid separate from the box.)
Items for the Boxes
1 – 3 lb. ham or 3 – 1 lb. hams (must not require refrigeration)*
1 – 16 oz. can pineapple or 2 small cans
2 cans of vegetables
1 box or bag of granulated sugar
1 box hot cocoa (bulk or single pack)
nuts and/or hard candy
1 package cookies (home made or store bought)
Boxes are due in December and April.
*Hams can often be found at Rite Aid, Walgreens, CVS, BJ’s or the canned meat aisle of your supermarket.
In addition to the items listed above, please fill the box with other non-perishable items such as pasta, sauce, tuna or canned chicken, soups, peanut butter, canned fruit, etc. Toothpaste, soap and other toiletries are also much needed items (including travel/sample size).
Father Bill’s & Mainspring
Now and then, 100 guests at Father Bill’s enjoy a hot dinner prepared by some of House of Prayer’s excellent cooks. Cheeseburger tater tot casserole is the favorite of residents at this shelter for men and women in Quincy and for other guests who are living on the streets.
Bag lunches – sometimes packed in brown bags decorated by the Sunday School children – assure that 100 others who come seeking shelter after meals are served will still have a sandwich, apple, potato chips, cookies and bottle of water. For more information or to help, contact Ann Rasmussen at [email protected].
Each January, new twin sheet sets, blankets, and bath towels are gathered in for people staying at the shelter and those transitioning to permanent housing. Some of us watch for bargains during the January white sales or throughout the year. New pillows are welcomed, too. Drop off your donations throughout January in the bins in the hallway.
Hingham Food Pantry
In the 1980’s the Hingham Food Pantry (originally the Interfaith Food Pantry) was established by a group of volunteers from 10 churches and the synagogue, and representatives of the community at large. Its mission is to benefit any Hingham resident whose limited income leaves him/her unable to purchase an adequate supply of food.
Senior Center Luncheon
Each year around Halloween, members prepare a delicious meal, decorate the tables for the season, and serve a luncheon at the Hingham Senior Center. Sign-up sheets and recipes make it easy to serve at this eagerly-anticipated luncheon.
Anderson House: Hingham Veterans’ Home
Once a month (or more), teams of three prepare dinner for several veterans who now live in permanent housing in Hingham. For more information or to form a new team, contact Millie Hill at [email protected].
Community Vegetable Garden Project
For many years, House of Prayer member Rae Hall showed up on Sunday mornings with produce from his organic gardens in Braintree. The fruits of his labors included: cucumbers, tomatoes, Swiss chard and squash, along with parsley, thyme, chives, rosemary and more. Carrying on the tradition, other gardeners bring their produce, too, and members shop at this mini Farmer's Market, making donations that fund a community garden through the ELCA Good gifts program each summer.
Other Good Gifts projects have included funding 25 pigs and a goat in 2015, and a yearly Buck-a-Chick opportunity to give when Easter comes.
In Stitches
For many years, a group of women has been meeting one Tuesday afternoon a month for “In Stitches” – a time for catching up on one another’s lives and for creating handmade items like chemo caps and lap robes for nursing home residents or those in hospice care. Some people bring their projects to work on; others knit a row or two but mostly enjoy each other’s company; and still others just come to chat. For more information, contact Ingrid Lancaster at [email protected].
