Our Local Missions
Family Promise
West Side is hosting this week and volunteers will be working on January 1, 2, 6, and 7. Christ Church will be providing volunteers on January 3, and ones from St. Elizabeth's will be helping out on Wednesday and Thursday, January 4 and 5.
Paterson Habitat Work Day Opportunity
The next work day is scheduled for Saturday, January 7th. Please bring your willingness to make a difference, connect with a group of West Siders, and have fun doing good. We will meet at the church parking lot at 7:30 a.m. and caravan to Paterson, returning between 2:30 and 3:00 p.m. You can either bring your lunch or get something to eat at one of the good sandwich shops near the work sites. For more information, please contact Marc Oehler, marc@westside.org, or Bob Tyndall, robert.tyndall@united.com. To sign up, contact Carol Walton, carol@westside.org. All volunteers must be at least 16 years old.
Jail Ministry
This Christmas season 17 West Siders participated in the meals and social times shared with the men and women in the Drug Rehabilitation Center at the Bergen County Jail. The Feisty Ladies contributed packets of Christmas cards for each of them. These positive interactions mean a great deal to all of the participants. The women sent us a beautifully drawn card thanking us for our "generosity, compassion, and kindness." (The card is displayed on the kiosk.) Both men and women commented that it is uplifting to know that people care enough to take time from their busy lives to share with them. It is our ministry's hope and prayer that these inmates might overcome their addition so that they and their families find stability and happiness.
New Orleans Mission Trip
Please keep this group in prayer as they prepare for their trip, January 14-21: Jef Berg, Richard Chase, Beth Forbes, Jack Gardner, Susan Gardner, Dwayne Hare-Bey, Rob Holloway, Ed Kopf, Lynn Molinaro, Fred Moss, Jim Neujahr, Marc Oehler, Don Reeder, Bruce Runceman, Diane Snedeker, Elizabeth Snedeker, Peter Van Maur, Bill Wurtzell, and Linda Wurtzell.
"Mission Trip Lite" to the Dominican Republic
For the seventh consecutive year, West Side members are coordinating a goodwill construction project and youth baseball tournament in the Dominican Republic. West Siders are invited to join the construction work project portion of the trip at a school for the deaf in San Pedro de Macoris. This short-duration trip is an ideal way to "get your feet wet" on mission trips and to experience the joy of service. For more information or to join, please contact Tyler Welence at twelence@yahoo.com.
Sponsor a Dominican or Haitian Student's Elementary Education
Tyler Welence, a West Side missionary who works in the Dominican Republic and Haiti with the non-profit Foundation for Peace, is home with us for the holidays. The Foundation for Peace offers programs to sponsor Dominican and Haitian students. Tyler is currently teaching English to schoolchildren and adults in the impoverished village of La Javilla, DR. This school currently has no sponsorships and is struggling to keep its doors open. If you are interested in sponsoring a student, please find the brochures in the narthex or access information at www.foundationforpeace.org. Questions or information? Contact Tyler Welence at twelence@yahoo.com.
ESL Class
Do you or someone you know need a little help with speaking English? All non-native speakers of English are invited to English as a Second Language (ESL) classes here at West Side. Each Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. in Room 307 a communicative skills class will focus on speaking/listening, vocabulary, and some grammar. Cultural information and basic coping skills for living in another country are part of the classes. At 1:00 p.m. on Tuesdays in Room 308, there will be a reading group discussing current literature chosen by the group. On Fridays, an ESL Bible Study will be held at 1:00 p.m. in Room 308, where participants read and discuss passages from the Bible. The leader of the classes is Kathy Koop, who has a graduate degree in teaching ESL and has been helping people improve their English language skills for more than 20 years. The 90-minute classes are open to the public, and there is no charge. For more information or to register, please contact the church office.
Community Thrift Shop
Donating your gently used items and clothing to the Community Thrift Shop in Midland Park is a meaningful way to help West Side. The Thrift Shop needs clothing (in style, gently used, clean, neatly folded), books, toys, jewelry, china, bric-a-brac, small furniture, and electrical appliances in good working order. A percentage of the proceeds from the sale of donations goes to West Side. (Be sure to mark your bags with #94, West Side's ID number.) The Shop is located at 85 Godwin Avenue, Midland Park, on the rear lower level of the Midland Park Shopping Center. Receiving times are every Monday, 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., and the first Saturday of the month, 10:100 a.m.-2:00 p.m. For information, call the Community Thrift Shop at 201-652-7661.
Youth Self-Development (YSD)
Both of our schools are undergoing basic changes which probably will not affect our tutoring program, but have delayed our start. We are happy to report a new English tutor will join us, and we hope there is another math tutor out there thinking about it! For more information, contact Mary-Elizabeth Collins (mecharp@earthlink.net) or Kathy Koop.
Job Connection
West Side Connections is a program that matches West Side members and participants looking for work with those needing work done. In the first three months of this ministry, from 24 postings we have made 15 connections.
The Process: Those seeking work will be matched with those needing work done on a first emailed/first connected basis. When there is a match, we will email the job-seeker with the name and preferred contact information of the "work-needed," so the job-seeker can follow up directly. The work to be done, timing, and payment will be agreed to between the two parties involved. We will update the job list in the weekly bulletin with additional items that members offer or need. There is lots of talent and experience within West Side, just as there are countless tasks and projects to be done. This is an opportunity to benefit one another by matching the two within the West Side family.
Who to Contact: Whether you are seeking work or have a job you need help with, please contact our coordinator, Mark Babunovic at babunovic@yahoo.com with your information.
Job seekers: Please include your name, phone number(s), and email address(es), along with how you prefer to be contacted. List the services you are offering and whether you have the tools, supplies, or equipment necessary. Include dates when you are available--e.g., "from now through the end of August" or "any time." When a match is made, we will email you with the name and preferred email or phone number of the person needing help, so that you can contact them. We will also send your name and contact to the person hiring so that they know to expect your call. Let us know if you are looking for full-time work or professional opportunities.
Help needed: Please include your name, phone number(s), and email address(es) and how you prefer to be contacted. List the services you need done and whether you have the tools, equipment, or supplies necessary. Include dates during which you would like the service(s) performed--e.g., "the next two weeks before we are away on vacation." When a match is made, we will send your name and contact to the job seeker and email you with his/her contact information. The job seeker will be asked to contact you. For professional opportunities please include a brief job description. Please email Mark Babunovic (babunovic@yahoo.com) with any questions, suggestions, or additions to the list.
Paterson Habitat for Humanity–Hurricane Irene Response
There's an immediate service opportunity in Paterson. Many of the Habitat homeowners suffered major damage from Hurricane Irene. Here are five ways you can help:
• Donate cleaning supplies. Drop off disinfectants, Clorox wipes, sponges, gloves, cleaning pails, and kitchen towels in the box in the narthex.
• Donate laundry supplies. Drop off laundry baskets, detergent, bleach, and dryer sheets in the narthex.
• Deliver frozen meals packaged in aluminum or disposable trays no larger than 9"x12" to the West Side freezer.
• Deliver supermarket gift cards to Carol Walton in the church office.
• Volunteer to drop off supplies and food to the Paterson Habitat Office.
For more information or to volunteer to be the point person for the drop-off, please contact
Rev. Oehler, marc@westside.org, this week.
Pack-a-Sack
We continue to collect non-perishable food items for the Center for Food Action, Passaic Presbyterian Church, and Social Services of Ridgewood. Bring bags (or individual items) to the bins by the Reception Desk any time the building is open. Our local pantries are struggling more than ever to provide food during the summer months. Thank you for your generosity.
Jail Ministry
The Bergen County Jail houses a drug rehabilitation unit with which West Siders have been affiliated since its opening in 1995. Each Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, we deliver a holiday meal to the participants of this program.
West Side Mission Projects
Baby Basics
Contact: Erilyn Riley
This is a West Side initiative to provide diapers and
formula to the working poor, ineligible for welfare in Bergen County. The
program was adopted by the Red Cross, but continues to be run by a Board of
Directors from West Side.
Bergen County Jail Ministry
Contacts: Bill and Beverly Cassidy
West Siders share holiday meals and worship, deliver
Christmas gifts to inmates' children, and participate in a tutoring skills
workshop for inmates at the Bergen county Jail. Read more.
CAMP/Northside Forces/Chop 'n Chat
Contacts: Lou Petersen and Joe Wiltsee
This Paterson-based project provides after-school and
childcare programs for Paterson children. West Side provides funding and
holiday parties for the children. In 2001, a $25,000 donation was made for a
new building. West Side also contributes monthly to a soup kitchen located
nearby.
Pack-A-Sack of Food for the Hungry
Benefitting: Center for Food Action (CFA) and Social Services of
Ridgewood
Contact: Mary Stuart Gephart
West Side donates more than 1,000 grocery bags of food,
split between CFA and Ridgewood Social Services each year, and provides money
to support this Bergen County program for hunger relief.
Habitat for Humanity
Contact: Beth Cruz
Typically at least one Saturday each month, West Side volunteers
work with the Paterson branch of Habitat. West Side contributes funding and
many volunteer hours every year. Through the efforts of West Side and many other volunteers, over the years Paterson Habitat has completed dozens of homes for low-income residents. Potential opportunities for volunteers include construction, fundraising, etc.
Safe Space
Contact: Lucy Ianacone
This is a five-week summer camp program held at the
United Presbyterian Church of Paterson. Approximately 125 children attend this
program, and West Side provides both funds and volunteers each year.
Thrift Shop
Contact: Hervey Blumers
This shop is run by a consortium of churches. It accepts
clothing, small appliances, small pieces of furniture, toys, and books. All of
it must be in good condition. Items that are donated may be earmarked for
credit for West Side.
United Presbyterian Theological Fund
This fund provides support to theological schools for the
education of ministers. West Side gives annually to support this important mission.
Youth Self-Development
Contact: Tom Bugel, Mary Elizabeth Collins, Kathy Koop
A West Side-initiated program that offers educational mentoring for select high school youth in
Paterson with support for college to students who complete the program. English and math tutors are especially needed.
Support for National Efforts
Katrina Relief Trips
Contact: Rev. Craig Rule, The Presbyterian Church at Tenafly, 201-567-0111, or Alan Diekjobst, 201-567-2952, or Jack and Susan Gardner of West Side
This is another opportunity to help people in one of America's biggest disasters. Volunteers fly to New Orlean to help with clean-up and construction of damaged churches.
North Carolina Youth Mission Trip
Contact: Rev. Kent Smith
Every other year, the youth of West Side travel to Asheville, NC,to provide hands-on mission work in the form of construction projects and other efforts.
Presbyterian Minority Education
Each Christmas West Side collects a Christmas offering of which a portion is committed in support of minority education at American Indian Presbyterian schools.
Rebuilding Aid
Money is donated to help churches, temples, or families in rebuilding after fires or damager incurred from storms.
Retired Church Workers Fund
Part of the annual Christmas offering goes to a fund created by the Presbyterian Church (USA) to provide at least a minimum level of support for retired church workers.
United Presbyterian General Assembly, Synod, and Presbytery Mission Work
West Side donates annually to the Presbyterian Church (USA) in support of ongoing national and international missions (churches, seminaries, hospitals), as well as disaster relief.
International Support
CROP Walk
Contact: Rev. Kent Smith
Each fall West Side participates in a fundraising walk called the CROP Walk, the funds of which go for hunger relief around the world. West Side youth also participate in this important project.
Haiti
The Hope House in Les Cayes, Haiti, is an orphanage for boys founded by a Catholic priest, Father Marc. Father Marc left the Navy to found this orphanage after witnessing the extreme poverty of Haiti. His sister and brother-in-law were West Side members who have become fundraisers for the orphanage. West Side continues to be its largest contributor, and in addition to its usual support and occasional visits, contributed funds for the purchase of a truck to transport the children. The orphanage has expanded exponentially as the needs are overwhelming, but Father Marc continues to hold it all together, maintaining the motivation needed to overcome the hardships of work in Haiti.
Mexico
Each year West Side sends a group of church members to Reynosa, Mexico, as part of a mission trip. The youth travel to Mexico every other year (when they do not visit North Carolina), and the adults travel during the other years. The main focus of the mission effort has been home building. Both the youth and adult trips have offered medical and dental work in the local clinics by physicians and dentists from West Side. In 2002 as part of the Building in Faith campaign mission component, West Side donated $20,000 to establish a midwife program at a clinic and to pay the annual salary of a local Presbyterian pastor.
Armenia
Contact: Lucy Janjigian
West Side has also sent donations to support children in Armenia and Ngorno Kharabagh. The money goes to support summer camps that are biblically-oriented, sponsored by the Armenian Missionary Association of America. About 10,000 children attend these camps and daily Vacation Bible Schools in both Armenia and Ngorno Kharabagh. At Christmas time, we support Christmas joy packages. Nativity and Christmas programs take place in about 65 towns and villages. About 16,000 children attend and are given a small gift from Santa. Contact: Lucy Janjigian