Thoughtfulness is …

Posted on March 16, 2018 by thirdchurchrocwp

Bedtime Bag
There are lots of ways to show thoughtfulness – some big – some small. Our own Erin Colaluca prepared these great “bedtime bags” for our RAIHN kids along with some extras – they were age appropriate, and contained items like a huggable rag-type unisex doll, personal toothbrush/paste/soap, a bedtime book, and a toy – for some a container of tiny dinosaurs!

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Be Our Guest

Posted on February 27, 2018 by thirdchurchrocwp

by Ty Albee
DRM mealI headed out for lunch on a cold Saturday morning in January, trying a new-to-me place I’d heard good things about!

Upon my arrival the door was opened for me and I was greeted with a kind hello. As I made my way down the stairs I could smell something good was cooking, leading me by the nose like in those old Looney Tunes cartoons. Continue reading →

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Giving Thanks

Posted on January 23, 2018 by thirdchurchrocwp

smiling face of child
I have a confession to make – 15 years ago I could never have imagined we would be looking ahead to our 52nd RAIHN rotation! Some in our congregation have asked to know more detail about those we have served and how we contributed to their journey back to independent housing. I am here to share.

So many of you gave your time, your energy, your compassion, your continuing pledge money, your YOU to our families who lived here during Thanksgiving week.  And over these past several years, I remain so grateful for Lou Loggi’s Continue reading →

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More than Food

Posted on January 7, 2018 by thirdchurchrocwp

baggie of personal care itemsPeople who have food insecurities, and come to food pantries, have needs in addition to food. Government subsidies do not apply to many daily needs like toilet paper, kleenex, soap, dental care items, etc. Too often these needs are overlooked when we are focused on providing food. Thank goodness for people who step up to fill this gap.

A contribution from Doug Rice in memory of his mother Cile Rice, Continue reading →

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Why Calvary St. Andrews?

Posted on September 25, 2017 by thirdchurchrocwp

By Tracy Walker

CSA in spring

You may have noticed the multiple notices about Calvary St. Andrews in recent Third Church communications and wondered why. The answer is that Third Church has “adopted” Calvary St. Andrews (CSA) during a transition period.

In recent years, CSA experienced a drop in membership and attendance due to multiple Continue reading →

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“You Just Never Know!”

Posted on September 7, 2017 by thirdchurchrocwp

by Lynette Sparks

feed those in needOne Saturday this summer at Dining Room Ministry, a guest came up to me and asked, “Can you tell me who’s in charge here?” Whenever anyone asks me anything like that, my mind goes many directions! You just never know what the next question will be. Will it be a complaint? Is something wrong? What surprise might be waiting that I don’t really want to know about? Or is it something else?

That day was no exception. In the course of a few split seconds, I thought all of those things. Then I replied with a very cautious “How can I help you?”

The man proceeded to tell me he knew what it was like to need food and assistance, because he was once homeless and once in need of assistance. He expressed his profound thanks to God, giving the credit for helping him escape his former plight. He had provided transportation to our Dining Room Ministry for some others who needed a free hot meal this particular day.

Then he put his foot up on a bench, reached into his sock, pulled out a wad of cash, and handed me a $100 bill. It was for our Dining Room Ministry, he said. Could I make sure it got to where it needed to go? He gave thanks for the faithfulness of the church and for all of the volunteers who lovingly serve this meal every Saturday.

He wouldn’t tell me his name, not even his first name. He just wanted to share out of the abundance God had shared with him.

Why Outreach? Because in spite of preconceptions and assumptions about people that we all carry, you just never know when it will actually be Jesus who shows up!

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More Than Just Food – Making a Difference in People’s Lives

Posted on April 25, 2017 by thirdchurchrocwp

Joshua Wilcox, Kay Ramsey, and Andrea Clark

Feeding people who don’t have enough money to buy food is certainly an important ministry, but helping these same people obtain health related services is equally beneficial.

Kay Ramsay, Director of the Food Cupboard ministry at Third Presbyterian Church, organized participation in a University of Rochester, grant-funded project, designed to link people to needed medical services and hopefully, thereby, reduce visits to emergency rooms for medical care.

During the month of April, Health Worker (CHW) Andrea Clarke and Intern Joshua Wilcox, from the Center for Community Health, staffed a health Continue reading →

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Spreading Warmth

Posted on April 1, 2017 by thirdchurchrocwp

by Susan Vaala

Thermometer showing freezing temperatureIt was one of those really cold days at the end of March.  The temperature hovered around 18 degrees when the Food Cupboard opened its doors that morning and guests crowded in, glad for warmth of the room and the hot coffee.  Volunteers had packed bags of food and lined them up for distribution and arranged the display of “choice items.”  We were ready to go!  Thirty-five people would be served that day. Continue reading →

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Wow! 260 Children Fed

Posted on February 26, 2017 by thirdchurchrocwp

Box overflowing with food

On the weekend of December 17th, 2016, 84 families from Third Church delivered meals to 84 families in Rochester’s poorest neighborhoods! Those numbers are impressive, but what do they really mean? They mean that 260 children had a healthy, well-balanced meal at a time of the month when food stamps start to run low. They mean that these families, including 28 headed by single mothers and grandmothers, Continue reading →

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Why We Tutor

Posted on February 4, 2017 by thirdchurchrocwp

Tutoring silhouetteTutoring can be a frustrating undertaking.  Between teachers who do not seem to understand the need to fill a volunteers time slot ASAP or the volunteers will go elsewhere, and tutors who do not follow the plan for the student, flack from the school district about when students are being tutored, sometimes it is very hard to find the motivation to do the job.  Continue reading →

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