Mary's Place: Operates five family shelters where fathers, mothers and children can stay together. Many support services are provided for homeless and low income people, including a day room, children’s activities, and job training and placement services. One service, Popsicle Pete, offers a safe place for children with special needs and chronic health issues.
Everett Gospel Mission: Provides shelter, job training, addiction counseling, and help getting employment and permanent housing. Those who want to can hear the gospel message of God’s love and salvation. There are separate shelters for women and children and another for men. Cares for about 145 men and 70 women and children each night.
New Horizons: Provides help for homeless youth, including live-in shelter, day room, job training, and Bible Study and Christian discussion time for interested youth.
Pregnancy Resource Center: Provides pregnancy tests and ultrasounds for women who want them. Gives baby clothes and supplies, maternity clothes, classes for expectant parents, new mothers’ groups, and a chance to hear God’s message of salvation for those who want to hear it.
Cocoon House: Provides shelter a d other services for youth from high school age to age 24. Works to improve relationships with parents, helps people overcome addictions, provides a safe place to study and help older youth to obtain jobs and permanent housing.
Matthew House: Provides services to prisoners families while their loved ones are incarcerated. During the pandemic they have been delivering food,, clothing, and other necessities to needy families because there is not enough space for safe distancing. They do have rooms where people can come to pray. Their goal is to meet the spiritual and practical needs of the families during a difficult time. It is often hard for children to understand why their fathers can not be with them.
Vision House: Provides private apartments for people who are homeless and are getting ready to transition into permanent housing. Sometimes their need comes from job loss or medical costs. Gives child care while parents attend school or work. Gives furniture and household items to families getting ready to move into permanent housing.
Concern For Neighbors Food Bank: During COVID, the food bank is open for business, but is carrying packaged groceries to cars instead of letting clients enter facility to choose some items. This is the Mountlake Terrace Food Bank.
Habitat For Humanity, Snohomish County: Stores are now open again, which provides some income to finance their construction or repair of housing for those willing to work to obtain their own home. They are building new houses on a site in Gold Bar with room for 12 new houses, two are built and occupied. They are also planning to build six four-plexes on a site in Everett. Each family puts in 500 hours of work toward finishing and owning their new home.
Operation Nightwtch: Dinners are still being prepared for pick-up rather than being eaten on the premises. Overnight shelter is found for as many people as possible. If too few beds are found for the homeless they are given a warm waterproof blanket to make sleeping outside a little easier. They have a street ministry that provides water, clean socks, food and blankets to people staying outside. Those who want to, have a chance to hear the gospel message of God’s love and gift of salvation.
Support 7, International Chaplain’s Ministry: Their website hasn’t been updated, but when I spoke to a volunteer at the Chamber of Commerce in January who is a part of the support ministry, he said their work of supporting firefighters is continuing even though Ken G, the founder, passed away. The new director lives in Lynnwood. They still provide spiritual and emotional support to people facing tragedies and emergencies such as fires or accidents or other difficult situations. Accident victims can find a place to obtain water or snacks or quiet rest in the Support 7 Vehicle.
Jan Griffith-our home grown missionary to Sweden: Jan grew up in our church where her parents, Bob and Marian were very active in our congregation. Jan has been working with the minister in a church which operates a Christian School. Some of the families attending the school are immigrants. Jan has also been active in ecumenical outdoor Passion Plays and in spiritual development classes. For several months Jan has been suffering from exhaustion syndrome. She has to rest a lot and would like prayers for her recovery.
World Concern: World Concern was founded by a former member of our congregation. The foundation strives to improve living conditions primarily for people in Africa living in difficult circumstances. They provide wells and clean water in some areas such as a village in South Sudan. They work to prevent malnutrition and sex trafficking. They teach improved farming techniques and work to provide tools and livestock and seeds to people to grow their own food and help lift themselves out of poverty. Their goal is to provide impoverished people a means to earn a sustainable income.
Our Women’s Association collected nearly $600 last month and voted to take funds from our treasury so we can pay each of these mission projects $75 in support of their operations.
Prayers for Kathryn G., Kathy M., Linda R., Marcia P. and Jerry G. that they will continue to heal and gain strength, and also for our members who are unable to attend meetings.
Our next meeting will be on September 8, 2021 at our church where the officers will provide a picnic lunch and we will make plans for the coming year. What a joy it will be to see each other face to face again!
Margaret S, Moderator