365 Church has added a Saturday Food Bank!!!
Café Night at Immanuel’s House—– Soup and Live Music Friday Night, April 28th – free will offering – Soup & Refreshments at 6 p.m. Live Music at 6:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. a “sweet intermission” between sets 1st set – Featuring Will Houston & Barbara Miller 2nd set – Featuring Cindy Evarts & Mary Gunderson King We’re happy to have an eclectic collection of songs for this Café Night, ranging from gospel to alternative music. OUR Co-Op Opportunity Upward Rising The sewing & card group will be selling hand-made aprons, hats, totes, shawls, and cards. Come and enjoy an evening of great food, fellowship, and music! Where: 713 Buxton Street Martinsburg, WV Blessings and peace, Mary
FCCH Meeting 5/2/17 cancelled.
FCCH meeting for 5/2/17 is cancelled. Will let you know when the meeting is rescheduled.
Cold Weather Shelter Meeting
A Message from Pastor Ken Walker at Trinity United Methodist Church
We have been meeting and planning for a Cold Weather Shelter for next year. There is much to learn and consider. Hope you can join us for our next meeting.
Our next meeting will take place on Monday April 3rd at 1:00 p.m. (Trinity UMC). Visiting us will be Rev. Bob Shefner and John Cloyd from the Jefferson County Community Ministries.
Calendar link: https://jccm.us/events/month/
Location link: http://jccm.us/meal-and-shelter-locations/
Living In God’s Hope Today,
Rev. Dr. Ken Walker, Pastor
– Trinity United Methodist Church
– 220 West Martin Street
– Martinsburg, WV 25401
– 304.263.9215 (church)
– 304.620.6262 (cell)
– pastorkenw@comcast.net
Helping Homeless Neighbors in 2016
In 2016, the Faith Community Coalition for the Homeless was able to shelter 84 children and 107 adults for 1-3 days in motels when no other shelter was available or feasible. We were able to do this because of the generosity of our donors, grantors and churches. FCCH became a WV non-profit corporation and received grants from the Eastern WV Community Foundation, Ecolabs and Emergency Food and Shelter program through the United Way. Thank you to our grantors and to everyone who donated so FCCH could help our homeless neighbors.
In addition to emergency shelter, the kind and caring volunteers in our area served meals, provided food, respite care, medical care, warm clothes, sleeping bags and blankets. And some of our homeless neighbors were able to move into permanent shelter. Most important many volunteers in our area gave a little hope to those who need it most. Thank you all for your generosity, sacrifices and kindness. It is heartwarming to know there are so many people helping others when there is so much need all around us.
Let’s pray that 2017 brings peace, hope and housing for our neighbors.
Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week
November 12 – 20, 2016 was national Hunger & Homelessness Awareness week, and the FCCH is very appreciative of Jeff McCoy from the The Journal who ran a series of articles about homelessness in the Eastern Panhandle.
http://www.journal-news.net/news/local-news/2016/10/local-clinic-provides-more-than-medical-aid/
Mary got the care she needed near home
A homeless young man contacted FCCH because he was concerned about an older lady who he knew who was homeless and sleeping in the woods. He took two FCCH representatives to the woods where Mary was and they talked her into joining a worship service and dinner that was being served at Immanuel’s House on Monday evening. With a tear in her eye, Mary joined in the worship service and sang along. She insisted on contributing 2 of the 3 dollars that she had in her pocket to the pastor because she wanted to ” tithe.” Mary also met with a nurse from Shenandoah Health Clinic that evening at Immanuel’s House. Shenandoah staff provide medical service at Immanuel’s House on the 2nd Monday of each month. A FCCH representative arranged for Mary to stay in a motel in Martinsburg that night and Mary was excited to be able to wash her hair. The next morning the FCCH representatives took Mary to Bethany House where she was warm and safe and stayed for a week. Then the FCCH representative arranged to take her to a long- term shelter in Roanoke where she could receive the mental health services she needed too. Mary was originally from Roanoke so she was comfortable with this arrangement. Sometimes God works in quiet and amazing ways through good people and organizations!
Panhandling ? Homeless ?
Homelessness and Panhandling in Martinsburg?
Because homelessness is such a sad but real problem in our country and community, I have to admit I felt proud of my grandchildren as they put their own money in a cup that an older lady was holding as she sat on the sidewalk. At the same time, I know that I’ve passed panhandlers on the street and sidewalks when I didn’t feel safe or comfortable donating. As we focus on the obvious panhandling issue in our community, there are still many homeless individuals and families in our community who are not so obvious. There are ways to help our homeless neighbors.
The Faith Community Coalition for the Homeless (FCCH) will provide temporary emergency shelter when there is no other shelter option available. For example, sometimes the Rescue Mission and Bethany House are full or unable to accept homeless persons for various reasons. With no other option available, FCCH can arrange to pay for a night or two in a motel and help to connect homeless neighbors with services and longer term assistance. There are so many reasons why a family or individual can become homeless: Loss of job, lack of transportation, high rental rates and low salaries, illness, mounting medical bills, wage garnishments are just a few.
FCCH operates solely with volunteers and donations and is tremendously grateful to the Eastern WV Community Foundation for recently providing a matching $5,000 grant to reimburse FCCH and provide children and their families with temporary emergency shelter and hopefully turn their lives around. To learn how you can help the FCCH and help homeless families? Check out our website at https:faithcommunitycoalitionforhomeless.com, call 240-405-6794, email wvfcch@gmail.com or send much needed matching donations to PO Box 523, Martinsburg, WV 25402.
WV Coalition to End Homelessness YES!
On a rainy week-end in June a family with a one year old baby was shocked, but fortunately not hurt, when the roof of their rented trailer fell in. They had nowhere to go. The Faith Community Coalition for the Homeless arranged for a motel room for a few days. Family friends, FCCH volunteers and a representative from the WV Coalition to End Homelessness got a truck and moved the family’s furniture to a shed. And the WV Coalition to End Homelessness was able get the family into a rapid re-housing apartment the next week. Now Mom has full time job too, the family is expecting another baby plus they are in unsubsidized housing. YES! Thank you to our volunteers, our partners at WV Coalition to End Homelessness and to all of you who have helped and contributed to The Faith Community Coalition for the Homeless!
Free Meals in Berkeley County
PLEASE EMAIL ANY ADDITIONS OR CHANGES TO wvfcch@gmail.com
Every Day: (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)
UNION RESCUE MISSION 608 W. King Street
7:00 AM, 11:30 AM, 4:30 PM Sunday breakfast @ 8:00 AM lunch 12:30
304-263-6901
wdannyc@yahoo.com
Monday: (Dinner) 5:30 PM
IMMANUEL’S HOUSE
713 Buxton Street
304-596-1155
Tuesday : (Dinner) 5-5:30 p.m.
HEDGESVILLE BAPTIST CHURCH
St. Joseph’s Catholic Church
Parking Lot 336 S. Queen Street
Tuesday: (Lunch) 11:15 -noon
DESTINY CHURCH
115 N. Raleigh Street
304-267-4489
Jimtiger567@frontier.com
Second and Fourth Tuesday (Dinner) 4:30 – 5:30 PM
CHURCH OF THE BRETHEN
136 E. Moler Ave
304-267-4135 pastoreddy@moleravenue.org
Third Tuesday (Dinner) 5:00-6:15 p.m.
BETHEL ASSEMBLY OF GOD
2010 Tavern Rd.
304-267-8694
Third Wednesday (Lunch) 11:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m.
GERRARDSTOWN UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
110 Dominion Road
Gerrardstown, WVa
Last Wednesday of each month (Dinner) 6:00 -7:00 p.m.
TRINITY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
220 W Martin Street
304-263-9215
umctrinity@comcast.net
Thursday: (Dinner) 5:00-7:00 p.m.
CHRIST REFORM CHURCH
117 E. Burke Street
304-267-8678
2nd Thursday: (Dinner) 5:00-6:30 p.m.
HEDGESVILLE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
201 S. Mary Street, Hedgesville, WV
304-754-8793
http://www.thehedgeumc.org
Friday: (Dinner) 4:00 -5:30 p.m.
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH
315 W. King St.
304-263-5722
firstfamilywv@yahoo.com
2nd Saturday 8-10 a.m.
PIKESVILLE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
25 Payne’s Ford Rd.
304-263-4633
Saturday: (Lunch) 12:00 -12:45 p.m.
CALVARY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
220 W. Burke St.
304-267-4542
calvaryum@frontier.com
4th Saturday only : (LUNCH) 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
ST. JOHN’S LUTHERAN CHURCH
101 W. Martin St.
304-263-9291
ChurchOffice@stjohnsmartinsburg.org
PLEASE EMAIL ANY ADDITIONS OR CHANGES TO wvfcch@gmail.com
Faith Community Coalition for the Homeless 