OUTREACH / SERVICE
"Christ came not to be served, but to serve" (Matthew 20:28)
One of the defining characteristics of a Christian’s life is serving others. At Smith Memorial Presbyterian Church we try to foster an atmosphere where we don't just attend worship to feel good about ourselves, we go to church to respond to the love of God, equip ourselves to care for God's world, and actually reach out to those in need. We do not worship God by just sitting in the pews, our worship is not complete without actively caring for others. Below are some of the many ministries in which we have been involved:
East County Food Pantry - The East County Food Pantry at Smith Memorial Presbyterian Church is a group of volunteers and public servants dedicated to providing free food resources to anyone in need while building positive relationships among the community in such a way that fosters collaboration, health, dignity, and love. The food pantry is open on Saturdays from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm for clients to shop for the food they need to feed their families. We partner with Oregon Food Bank and sister organizations such as Clackamas Service Center and businesses to ensure we have a lasting supply of food for the people we serve. For more information please contact the food pantry via email at eastcountyfp@gmail.com or call the church office.
Zarephath Kitchen - Zarephath Ministries is a community outreach program housed in Gresham OR providing food for low-income families and the homeless in the Gresham OR area. The two ways Zarephath Ministries provides food to people in need is through the Zarephath Kitchen and their Pantry. These services are completely run by a volunteer-based Board and dedicated community volunteers.
Fairview Elementary Grade School - This school is right across the street from Smith Memorial Presbyterian Church. The original land was given to it by the Smith family, who were also the benefactors of our congregation. Smith Memorial Presbyterian Church has had continuous involvement in volunteering at Fairview Elementary School since its beginning.
Deacon Fund - Smith Memorial Presbyterian Church has a small fund to help people in our community who are in need and have a Fairview address.
Millar Scholarship - This scholarship is given to students from Reynolds High School who have shown desire and ability, but lack the financial means to attend a university. Representatives from Smith Memorial Presbyterian Church and the appropriate staff of the high school decide the awards.
Human Solutions - The mission of Human Solutions is to help low-income and homeless families and individuals gain self-sufficiency by providing affordable housing, family support services, job readiness training and economic development opportunities.
The Hunger Site - every day you click on their site, you give the equivalent of 1 cup of food to the hungry around the world.
One Great Hour of Sharing - enables the church to share God’s love with our neighbors-in-need around the world by providing relief to those affected by natural disasters, provide food to the hungry, and helping to empower the poor and oppressed.
Pentecost Offering - helps the church encourage, develop, and support its young people, and also address the needs of at-risk children throughout the world
Peace & Global Witness Offering - enables the church to promote the Peace of Christ by addressing systems of injustice across the world.
Christmas Joy Offering - helps provide financial assistance to current and former church workers and their families and also enables deserving students to attend Presbyterian-related racial ethnic colleges and schools.
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance - The Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) is the worldwide emergency and refugee program of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. It focuses on the long term recovery of disaster impacted communities - such as earthquakes, fires, flooding, war, and famine.
Presbyterian Missionaries - Presbyterian missionaries are teachers, church planters, doctors, public health specialists, chaplains and human rights advocates. They teach theology, church history, Greek, Hebrew and English. They preach and evangelize. They organize and host mission teams from the United States. They accompany, they listen, they work in partnership with the Body of Christ in 71 countries.