Dear friends in the Lord,

I am exceedingly thankful to the Lord, Fourth Church, the Communication Department, and volunteers for their gift of time and love to make our annual All-Church Serve Day a remarkable success. May God bless you all! I share with you a few comments from our ministry partners and volunteers.

Drive-Through Collection and Food Drive
The food and collections drive was attended by many volunteers and lots of donations came in. The energy of those serving was electric as they received donations of food and household items that were then packed and distributed to those in need. Church partners such as Rockville Women’s Center, YoungLives, Shari and Jose Cuesta (missionaries in Baltimore), and individuals in our community all received provisions that will help bridge the gap they are experiencing from food and job insecurity. What a beautiful opportunity to love our neighbors.

DC 127
Chrissy Weeks, the Executive Director of DC 127, wrote, “…and still grateful, today, that you all came to serve with us yesterday. We had many caregivers tell us yesterday and today that they had a great time, especially the kids. The Lord’s blessings to you all as we head into a new week.”

Comments by Fourth members:

• “It was a joy to witness DC127 support so many children and families who are a part of the foster care system. We got to be a part of their Fall Fest, setting up pumpkin bowling, serving lunch, painting faces and more! A beautiful day.”
• “DC 127 is a family-friendly ministry. We should serve there more often.”
• “DC127 is a step to more participation in our community, a great place for children and families to serve together!”

Central Union Mission
Joseph Mettimano, President and CEO of Central Union Mission, wrote: “Thank you for being such a vital partner in this work. We are deeply grateful for Fourth Presbyterian Church’s friendship, volunteer service, faithful support, and shared vision to see lives transformed and hope received. Thanks again and may God bless you!”

Rockville Women’s Center (RWC)
The RWC Fall Festival was a wonderful event. Volunteers got to connect with the community that RWC serves, and the children had a great time at the festival—the bounce house was a big hit! After the event, RWC let us know that the event had been “a blessing.”

Christ House
The Volunteer Manager of Christ House wrote, “Thank you so much for your presence and your service this past weekend. It was a joy to welcome Fourth Presbyterian to Christ House. I hope you enjoyed getting to work with our kitchen staff, spending time with patients, and learning more about who we are and what we do! I would love to coordinate something else in the future, so please keep me posted about other opportunities for partnership in the future.”

Comments by Fourth Members:

• “This is a unique opportunity to embody Christ’s love!”
• “Thank you for helping to strengthen and grow my faith.”

I hope that you will continue to pray for our ministry partners and those they serve and seek ways to serve in our community. We look forward to another opportunity to be the “salt and light” in our community.