Mission Partners
Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he declared to his disciples, “…You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samara, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8)
APC believes that this pattern of local and international mission should guide us as we work for the reconciliation of the world in Jesus Christ. We accomplish this by partnering with ministries already doing this in their own contexts.
It is the goal of the Mission Awareness Committee to inform and encourage the congregation that the faith doesn’t end on Sunday. We should be acting in compassion, service and evangelism every day.
Mission Partners:
Ardmore Food Pantry (AFP)
Beth Tiewater, Manager
A loving presence in Ardmore since 2009, the AFP is open each Monday from 11 a.m. to Noon and from 5:30 p.m. until 7 p.m. Housed at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, 36 Ardmore Avenue, anyone can receive food during these hours. In October 2023 alone, AFP served 652 people, and the need is only increasing. AFP has recently started offering classes to their guests, and an atmosphere of mutual respect, understanding and warm hospitality is always a priority.
You can support the AFP directly by donating to their GoFundMe account. Mail a check to: Ardmore Food Pantry, 36 Ardmore Ave, Ardmore, PA 19003, donate $25 gift cards for Acme, Giant, or Trader Joe’s, or donate food by dropping off nonperishable food in the AFP cabinet, located outside the Parish Hall. PLEASE, no opened or expired food.
Click here for more information.
Family Promise of the Main Line
(formerly Interfaith Hospitality Network)
Family Promise’s mission is to help families experiencing homelessness and low-income families achieve sustainable independence through a community-based response. Part of this response to homelessness, is a program where families experiencing homelessness stay in houses of worship while they work on goals that help them achieve permanent housing. APC partners (as a support congregation) with host congregation St. Mary’s Episcopal Church of Ardmore. Five times per year, families stay at St. Mary’s for one week. On the Saturday of these weeks, volunteers from APC provide dinner and stay to eat and fellowship with the families until about 8:30 pm when the overnight volunteers arrive.
Read more about Family Promise of the Main Line here.
Maternity Care Coalition (MCC) of Southeastern Pennsylvania
Marianne A. Fray, President and CEO
MCC has as its goal “to improve the health and well-being of pregnant women and parenting families and to enhance school readiness for children 0 – 3 years.” MCC focuses on neighborhoods with poverty, infant mortality, health disparities and changing immigrant patterns. APC also shares space with MCC allowing them to store infant and children’s clothing in our Parish House basement for the use of their social workers for families in need. Each Christmas our Mitten Tree holds hats, mittens, scarves, baby blankets (and other hand-knit and purchased items) that are delivered to MCC for their clients.
Click here to learn more about the Maternity Care Coalition.
Athena Pre-Med Hospice Program
Rev. Graham Robinson, Director
Through a grant from the Athena Institute for Women’s Wellness, the Athena Pre-Med Hospice Volunteer Program was founded to promote hospice care and develop a new generation of health professionals aware of the blessings possible for individuals and families at the end of life. During the academic year, students are trained and supported as they care for patients diagnosed to die within six months. Please pray that the Hospice patients will be treated with kindness, intelligence, warmth and grace and that the students will learn how to go through the process of care and loss in a way that deepens their compassion and understanding.
Teachers’ Teammates
Raelyn Harman, Founder
The mission of Teachers’ Teammates is to ensure that all K-12 teachers and students in Delaware County have the tools they need to succeed in the classroom. We want to demonstrate our encouragement, support, and gratitude for the work of our teachers. Working with former APC Church Administrator Raelyn Harman, our Mission Committee and individuals are helping to supply classrooms in Delaware County. Teachers’ Teammates is launching an online store that will offer free school supplies to all teachers in Delaware County starting in the most under-resourced school districts.
Click here to learn more about Teachers’ Teammates.
The Welcome Church & The Well Women’s Shelter
Rev. Schaunel Steinnagel – Philadelphia
THE WELCOME CHURCH is a church without walls that proclaims the hope and love of a gracious God to all people, especially those experiencing homelessness.
THE WELL WOMEN’S SHELTER grew out of the needs expressed within the community. This ministry was initiated when it became evident that there were women who did not feel safe going to large and co-ed overnight shelters.
SANCTUARY VILLAGE is a new program where newly constructed “Tiny Houses” will become available for homeless persons who are able to transition to independent living.
Click here to learn more about The Welcome Church.
Welcoming the Stranger
Educational Outreach to Immigrants and Refugees
Patricia Lorenz, Acting Executive Director
Welcoming the Stranger (WTS), inspired by the Biblical passage, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me,” from Matthew 25:35, is an educational non-profit that offers free classes in English as a Second Language (ESL), Computer Skills, and US Citizenship Exam Preparation to adult immigrants and refugees in the Philadelphia metro area. WTS was founded in 1999 by Rev. Sturgis Poorman, and has met the need of nearly 4,936 students from over 100 countries. Financial support comes from individuals, places of worship, and local businesses, as well as grants from area foundations, which allows all programs to be free of charge. APC has helped support WTS since its inception. Currently all classes (three 12-week terms) are virtual, using a few paid teachers and about 100 volunteers each term.
With new generations of newcomers come new challenges and needs. WTS strives to always adapt to the changes by listening to and responding to our students’ needs. This includes creating strong collaborative partnerships with other area organizations, offering workshops in a variety of areas, and providing community building support through friendships, activities, and connections.
Click here for more information about Welcoming the Stranger.
West Kensington Ministry (WKM)
Rev. Adan Mairena
WKM seeks to move people’s faith into action through worship, discipleship and transformation. They also serve creatively and faithfully by providing space for concerts and programing for youth which allows them to have a safe space to mature and grow. Some of the opportunities are learning to operate recording equipment and working in ceramic and silk-screen studios as well as engaging with issues relating to poverty, immigration reform and advocacy for changes within the criminal justice system.
Click here for more information about West Kensington Ministry.
International Mission Partners:
Caring Hands Ministry: Rescue – Love – Educate
(Arun, Shobha and Melissa Massey – India)
Arun and Shobha Massey continue to be committed to the ministry of rescuing children from temple prostitution. Caring Hands staff hold camps in various towns where the children from the Children’s Home are now living. Caring Hands staff members now live in each of these towns and they monitor, nurture, and interact regularly with the children—the ministry continues, but in a new way. Ten girls are currently living at home with Arun and Shobha—of the ten, six of the girls are in school and one is in college.
Kuwadzana Presbyterian Church (KPC) Hunger Relief Ministry
(Pastor Simbarashe Nota – Zimbabwe)
For many years, APC has helped provide support for the Hunger Relief Ministry overseen by the leadership of the Kuwadzana Presbyterian Church, located in a high-density community outside of Harare, Zimbabwe. Feeding one’s family is incredibly difficult in this area, due to high unemployment, drought, constant power outages, no standard currency, water shortages, etc. All of these factors have made living conditions for ordinary persons extremely challenging. To help those in the greatest need, food packets are put together with staple items such as mealie meal, sugar, rice, flour, cooking oil and vegetable protein. The families who receive these packets are chosen by the elders to be the most in need from the area around the church. Also provided by the church is a water tap at the front gate where area residents can get water from the church’s borehole. These “gifts” have been lifesaving and are seen as gifts from God.
Medical Benevolence Foundation (MBF)
MBF is charged with spreading the Gospel and serving the most vulnerable through quality patient care in the developing world. What makes MBF unique is that they don’t “ride in and do the work for the churches in the developing world but instead MBF mobilizes churches in the USA to equip local churches abroad with skills and resources for medical ministry.” APC’s ongoing partnership is with Darbonne Maternal and Child Health Clinic in Haiti. The annual gift from APC’s Benevolence Budget helped to “save the lives of 25,000 newborns as both pre-and post-natal care was given so they have a chance at living past the age of 5 years old, despite the high infant mortality rates.”