Local Missions at FPCF
CARRIAGE TOWN MINISTRIES
Carriage Town Ministries (CTM) mission is to provide help, hope and the Good News to our community through the skills and means of God’s people and the transforming power of Christ’s love.
CTM is a homeless shelter and emergency services provider in the historic Carriage Town neighborhood. The range of services and opportunities available make them so much more than “just” a homeless shelter. AT CTM residents find a haven of safety and acceptance, learning and responsibility, structure and productivity. A place to find a new birth, a sense of purpose for today and hope for tomorrow.
Three schedules are available for a person coming to CTM for help
Emergency Shelter – 5:00 pm to 9:00 am. Two meals and a bed are provided each day. In addition, mentoring for housing and employment is offered. There is not a limit on how many days someone can stay.
Day Time – 9:00 am to 5:00 pm – An opportunity to take part in training and services offered during the day.
Personal Success Plan – Individuals commit to a faith-based training plan during the day and shelter at night.
Computer courses are offered to all residents. An early Head Start program is housed at CTM. Blueline Donuts provides job-skills training and income to residence. The Donation Center receives clothing and household furnishings for residents and other local non-profits.
CTM also has a free Health Screening Clinic that provides access to medical, dental, and optometry services at “street level” for Carriage Town residents, non-homeless but extremely poor men, women, and children, and walk-up access for those living on the streets. During Covid CTM stayed open 24 hours every day. They also offered individuals with Covid a safe place to quarantine, and health care. CTM partnered with Shelter of Flint (SOF) as needed. The women with Covid were housed at SOF and men were housed at CTM.
This year our church contributed funds to help continue the work of Carriage Town Ministries. There are numerous ways you can serve at CTM. Please contact Volunteer Coordinator Tamela Rigg at 810-233-8787 at trigg@carriagetown.org or call (810) 233-8787 ext. 12 for more information.
For more information go to www.carriagetown.org
CROSSOVER OUTREACH MINISTRIES
Crossover Outreach mission is to share the love of Christ by feeding, clothing, and providing services and programs to those in need, restoring hope and rebuilding lives. Crossover Outreach envisions a community where basic needs are met; hope is restored, and lives are rebuilt.
First Presbyterian was one of the three downtown churches that founded Crossover in 1991. The churches united to provide a convenient, centrally located, service center to help meet the needs of the less fortunate and offer programs designed to help persons become more self-sufficient . . . to “cross over” to a better life.
Crossover’s goal is to help families, children, and the homeless with free emergency food, clothing, personal hygiene products, cleaning supplies, household items, and other miscellaneous items. Clients who come into Crossover are screened and referred by area agencies including our church. Programs are offered to improve the quality of life and self-sufficiency of clients via youth programs and on-the-job experience.
During most of the Covid Pandemic Crossover served clients from the backdoor. They continued to serve our neighbors in need in many ways despite the changes to normal operations. Emphasis is on giving hope with love, dignity, and respect.
Crossover will break ground on a new building in June of 2022. The new building will allow for additional services to their clients and the community.
First Presbyterian has supported Crossover since it was established. There are many opportunities for scheduled volunteer opportunities. They also accept donations of food, clothing, and hygiene items. Contact Denise Diller at Crossover for more information at (810.234.2479).
More information about Crossover is available at crossoveroutreach.org
CRU – Rob and Deidre Eberly
Cru’s mission is to help students know Jesus, grow in their faith and go into the world to tell others.
Rob and Deirdre Eberly serve on the campus of Michigan State University. Rob grew up at our church and attended Michigan State where he met his wife, Deirdre. Deirdre’s parents were deeply involved with Cru and passed on their passion to Deirdre. Together Rob and Deirdre decided to join the Cru team at MSU. They have been serving since they graduated. Our church has supported Rob and Deirdre since they joined Cru.
Cru provides opportunities for students to join bible studies, attend large group gatherings, share the gospel on campus and around the world.
For more information go to www.cru.org
Flint 6k
Flint 6K is a family-friendly race impacting local and global water initiatives. Each race registration provides clean drinking water for one person in the developing world through World Vision plus a donation to the Flint Kids Fund through sponsors.
The fourth annual Flint 6K Run is on Saturday, May 21, 2022. The $50 entry fee for Flint’s Run goes directly to World Vision to provide water for one person for life. Sponsor donations go to the Flint Kids Fund at the Community Foundation of Flint.
This year our church was a sponsor of the 6K run.
For additional information go to www.flint6k.run
THE FOOD BANK OF EASTERN MICHIGAN (FBEM)
Since 1981, the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan has vigorously pursued the mission to eradicate hunger within the community.
Last year, the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan distributed over 51 million pounds of food to a network of 700 partner agencies, schools, and community organizations in 22 Michigan counties. Yearly an average of 331,000 people are provided with food. Over half the food distributed is fresh: 17 million pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables, 6.2 million pounds of meat and protein and 7 million pounds of dairy products.
Our church has supported the Backpack program for several years. The Backpack program attempts to reduce child hunger, educate students and families on proper nutrition, and promote healthy lifestyles. It is designed to provide extra support on weekends for children who receive free or reduced-priced lunches at school. The program provides a backpack full of nutritious and easy-to-prepare foods for children to take home on the weekends when school meals are not available. For many of these children, this backpack is their only source of food when school is not in session.
In addition, we have supported the Senior Grocery Box for several years. This program provides supplemental food boxes to senior citizens on fixed incomes. The boxes contain 55-60 pounds of food each month including seasonal fresh food.
If you would like to volunteer at FBEM contact Keri Brack at kbrack@fbem.us or 810-396-0210.
For more information go to www.fbem.org
Forge Flint
Founded in 2012, Forge Flint exists to celebrate the Kingdom of God, through holistic community development. We believe everyone is invited to participate in forging a more beautiful and just world, through creativity and service.
Forge currently is engaged in projects centered around access to transportation and community beautification. During the height of the Flint Water Crisis, Forge was active in providing access to safe water for families affected.
The Forge Garage serves low-income households by providing car repairs that would otherwise be cost prohibitive. The long-term vision is for the garage to serve as a center for mechanic apprenticeship and mentoring The Forge Garage works closely with dozens of community organizational partners to receive referrals of families who are in need of auto repairs. Our church is one of the referring partners.
Forge Flint Service Camps are tentatively planned for the week of June 26th to July 1, 2022. Our church will be providing housing for the camps. The camps join with other community partners to work towards neighborhood development, beautification, and renewal through a variety of meaningful projects, including blight removal, painting, landscaping, and basic home repairs.
To donate, volunteer or for more information go to www.forgeflint.org
THE GENESEE COUNTY FREE MEDICAL CLINIC
Genesee County Free Medical Clinic’s mission is to provide quality health care, excluding emergency care and obstetrics, to the employed uninsured without regard to race, creed and ethnicity, in a safe environment and a respectful manner.
The Genesee County Free Medical Clinic (GCFMC) provides health care for uninsured Genesee County residents and for patients waiting for Medicaid approval. They partner with organizations throughout the community. Annually 3,400 to 4,000 uninsured patients call the Free Clinic their medical home.
The Clinic partners with the three area hospitals, the Nursing Department of U of M, Flint, Genesee Health Plan, and other area medical facilities in the community. Patients benefit from the services of volunteer doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other professionals. There are four paid employees. All services (including prescribed medications) are on-site or by referrals and are free of charge to eligible patients. The clinic is recognized as an integral part of Genesee County’s safety net.
More information can be found at https://www.gcfmc.org
INTERVARSITY - CHAD SCHLOSSER
Chad Schlosser has been leading Intervarsity (IV) on the campus of the University of Michigan Flint since 2010. In 2018 he took a 6-month sabbatical focusing on personal growth and development.
Chad grew up in the upper peninsula and attended Michigan State where he graduated with a degree in accounting. He lives in Mott Park with his wife and three young children. Chad has a heart for ministry and specifically for college age students. He is quite passionate about faith formation and is also committed to the city of Flint.
Chad emphasis is on the importance of building relationships with the students by meeting with individuals as often as possible. He said his favorite days are when he is on campus meeting with students individually and greeting and interacting with other students. He acknowledged that this generation of students entering college are presenting a new set of challenges that he is navigating.
Intervarsity emphasizes small groups in their campus ministries. These create opportunities for students to process faith, be invited into community and for spiritual growth. Currently there are 5 small groups meeting on campus. Chad’s job is at U of M – Flint but if time allows, he makes connections Mott Community College and Kettering University.
Please pray for Chad and his family as he serves the college students in our area.
Motherly Intercession
Motherly Intercession’s vision is for children of incarcerated parents to realize their parents’ destiny does not have to be their destiny and start to chart a successful career path for themselves.
There are approximately 45,000 children in Genesee County with a mother or father who currently is or has been incarcerated in the past. Children lose much of the stability of their lives when they are shuffled from one caregiver to another, foster care, separated from other siblings, and/or have no means of visiting their incarcerated parent. These children are at risk for many things, including failure/dropout, delinquency, substance use and abuse, and the possibility of future incarceration.
Motherly Intercession has an emphasis on helping the whole family during and after incarceration. For children ages 5 to 17 after school homework assistance, tutoring in reading, writing and math, and summer day camp opportunities are provided. For the youth job and life skills training are also available, including resume building, communication skills and interpersonal skills. Meals and van transportation are provided with all programs.
Classes for mothers are provided on parenting while incarcerated. For fathers there are workshops that help them develop a set of behaviors that will help them become the best fathers possible. Support groups are also available after parents are released from jail.
Motherly Intercession has 4 full-time employees, 1 part-time paid intern, 3 part-time peer mentors and a part-time van driver.
More information can be found at www.unlocktheirfuture.org
Cathy Chang and Juan Lopez
Cathy Change and her husband Juan Lopez have been mission co-workers in Manila, Philippians since 2015. Their work involves helping global partners address issues of migration and human trafficking. While human trafficking is a worldwide problem, countries in Asia are increasingly vulnerable. Cathy and Juan work with Asian churches and non-governmental organizations to help coordinate efforts related to the scourge of modern-day slavery.
Cathy and Juan are the parents of a daughter Aurelie Chang Lopez born in 2012. Our church began supporting their work in February of 2022.
For additional information on their mission work go to https://www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/missionconnections/rev-cathy-chang-and-juan-lopez/
REACH THE FORGOTTEN JAIL MINISTRY
The mission of Reach the Forgotten is to provide Christ-centered hope and healing through biblically based, chaplain led, volunteer jail ministries. Our vision is for every incarcerated person to experience new life in Christ and develop healthy family, church, and community relationships.
In Michigan, every county has a jail that is operated by the local sheriff’s department correctional staff. Inmates stay in a jail until they processed, sentenced, and moved on. Typically, inmates are there for less than a year but occasionally they are there for as long 3 to 5 years. Inmates in jail face a lot of uncertainty as they wait for their legal process to unfold. This uncertainty often leads to an openness to God and some inmates appreciate an opportunity to speak with a chaplain, volunteers or to join a bible study.
Covid limitations has change the way RTF has engaged with inmates. However, they have continually stayed open and have found new and creative ways to reach out and minister to the inmates. Bible studies have continued with reduced capacity, one on one mentoring has increased, bibles are being distributed and the book cart ministry has recently begun again as well as Friday night worship services.
Several members of our congregation volunteer at the jail. If you are interested in volunteering, donating or want to learn more go to www.jailministry.org
Urban Renaissance Center
The mission of Urban Renaissance Center is to support the socioeconomic empowerment, civic engagement, and holistic wellness of urban children, youth, and families. Their purpose is to develop, foster, and administer strategic social services to residents of the Civic Park neighborhood and surrounding communities that empower individuals, strengthen families, and secure communities.
The Urban Renaissance Center (URC)is a faith-based nonprofit established by Joy Tabernacle Church to provide social and community development services specifically designed and administered as a direct response to the high level of need within the Civic Park community. They provide critical supports to help the community meet basic needs. Joy Tabernacle was formally Community Presbyterian Church and was a member of the Lake Huron Presbytery.
The past 2 years have been the most challenging to the Civic Park community, due to the pandemic. The neighborhood was hit very hard by the pandemic. There are a number of services and outreach offered to the neighborhood.
Rebounding Force is a work readiness program for at risk young men. It provides temporary employment while preparing and training young men to prepare them for gainful employment.
The Shout Out is a podcast that allows the community to share stories and conversations.
Creative Fridays provides opportunities for creative drama and music.
V2xV Studio is a specialized facility for sound recording, mixing and audio and visual production. The studio offers opportunities for both training and continued development of local talent in recording and engineering.
Civic Park Health and Wellness Initiative provides health activities and education for all.
Partnership with University of Michigan-Flint - Through community-based research activities and engaged learning opportunities for students, the URC and University of Michigan-Flint’s relationship has helped to reshape campus and community partnerships.
Community lead entrepreneurial program.
Groundwork Civic Park is an agricultural project aimed at improving access to fresh and healthy produce by empowering and educating residents on how to grow their own fresh produce in community-based gardens.
To volunteer, donate or learn more contact URC at www.urcflint.org
VOICES FOR CHILDREN
The mission of Voices for Children Advocacy Center is dedicated to serving the child victims and families of child abuse in Genesee County and enhancing the lives of all children through treatment, education and by increasing community awareness. Their vision is to shine a light, so all children are empowered, and all families are thriving.
Voices for Children (VFC) is a child-friendly place that serves children, ages 2 to 17, who are the victims of abuse or neglect. At the Voices for Children Center these children receive a forensic-child-focused interview, undergo medical evaluations, receive therapy services, and receive support, advocacy, and resources. Children who have been abused or trafficked do not have to retell their traumatic story of abuse multiple times and do not have to walk through this process alone.
VFC serves as the “hub” for a Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) made up of various professional that work together in the investigation, treatment, management, and prosecution of child abuse cases. The MDT includes members of many organizations including law enforcement, social services, prosecution, mental health, medical and victim advocacy personnel. The work of the MDT allows a child to begin healing from the trauma of abuse and allows for an effective prosecution of the offender.
The center also services as an advocate and voice for children in Genesee County to ensure children have their basic needs met. All services are completely free to the victims and their families.
If you would like to volunteer, donate, or learn more about the Voices for Children Advocacy Center go to www.voicesforcac.org
YWCA
The mission of the YWCA is eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.
The YWCA Greater Flint has been a place of hope, healing, and renewal for over 100 years. They have provided comprehensive programs, outspoken leadership, and professional expertise on the pressing issues of our times. Created by women for women, the YWCA has a proud and pioneering history and continues to be dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.
As a multi-cultural women’s organization, the YWCA is committed to the elimination of racism in our communities. Several workshops are offered to raise awareness via programs and social media about the negative impact of institutional and structural racism in our communities.
The YWCA SafeHouse provides safe emergency shelter and supportive services to survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual assault and their minor children. In addition, they provide safe and secure shelter for victims of human trafficking. They are a part of the SART (Sexual Assault Response Team of Genesee County) which provides a coordinated response to sexual assault in our community. They focus on meeting the needs of sexual assault survivors and more effectively holding offenders accountable.
The Women Empowerment Center is a new project of the YWCA. Renovation of an existing space has begun, and a grand opening is scheduled for late spring. Leadership programs for middle school girls will begin this summer. Information on the curriculum is being sent to Genesee County schools. A curriculum for high school girls will begin next fall. This will be presented in the schools and addresses self-esteem, life goals, leadership, and risky behaviors.
We provided funding to the Domestic violence and Sexual Assault Programs last year. If you would like to volunteer, donate, or learn more about the YWCA go to www.ywcaflint.org