Outreach & Mission

Our church provides many opportunities to assist those in need. In addition to ad hoc opportunities offered throughout the year, the following is a list of the programs, activities and offerings that would benefit from your hands-on participation. Your time and efforts would be appreciated by the many people served and all would be richly blessed.

  • Providing meeting space for community events, such as recent Essex County symposium on the Opioid Crisis. 
  • Making the sanctuary available to the community in times of extraordinary need
  • Providing meeting space for self-help groups like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
  • Participating in the Glen Ridge annual arts festival

Some of the organizations we support through our mission and outreach efforts are listed below.

Integrity House

Integrity House is a substance abuse recovery program started in 1968 by David Kerr, a member of our congregation. With locations in Newark and Secaucus, the program continues to grow and change with the needs of its members.

 

Integrity, Inc., fondly referred to as Integrity House, is a carefully managed, highly effective Therapeutic Community (TC). Their long-term residential and outpatient treatment programs are licensed by the State of New Jersey to serve those with substance abuse problems and pre-release inmates.

Integrity has two locations in New Jersey—Newark and Secaucus. Their programs primarily serve poor and criminal justice involved individuals from Essex, Hudson and Union counties. At any one time, Integrity is actively treating 550 individuals and supporting hundreds more through outreach efforts, mentorship, and alumni activities.

 

Integrity works hard to educate the community on the realities of addiction and the true human and financial costs by working with the Division of Addiction Services, criminal justice system, conducting symposiums, and collaborating with local community leaders.

 

Integrity is the lead agency for the United Way’s Bridge to Recovery, a consortium effort of over 200 agencies dedicated to help those with addiction problems. Integrity strives to continually improve itself and the continuum of care for the benefit of the client.

 

Visit the Integrity House website:  www.integrityhouse.org

Meeting Essential Needs with Dignity (M.E.N.D.)

MEND is an interfaith anti-hunger network that has been providing emergency food and essential supplies, nutritional education and other support to individuals and families in crisis since 1980 through a network of 17 food pantries in Essex County. Food collected at our church is delivered directly to the Bloomfield Presbyterian Church on the Green food pantry.

 

In addition to the weekly food donations and periodic contributions of money and other essential supplies, our congregation supports MEND’s Help-A-Family program at Christmas by purchasing hundreds of gifts for local families identified by MEND.

 

For more information on this organization and the many volunteer opportunities available, please visit https://mendnj.org

Gracefully Green Garden

Located on the South Lawn of the church, along Ridgewood Ave, our Gracefully Green Garden supplies St. Peter's Haven in Clifton with fresh vegetables and herbs for their food pantry throughout the summer and fall months.  Each year, we harvest several hundred pounds of fresh produce for the pantry. The garden is managed members of our congregation, with the ongoing community support of local Scout Troops, the Glen Ridge Girl's Club and the Glen Ridge HS Garden Club. All are welcome to assist in the care, harvesting, and delivery of the garden’s bounty. If you are interested in volunteer opportunities, please reach out to Susan Hughes at snphughes@gmail.com.

Special Mission Offerings

Special offerings collected during the year include One Great Hour of Sharing, Strengthen the Church (distributed by the National Office of the United Church of Christ) and the Christmas Eve Offering (distributed primarily among local benevolences).