February’s Social Ministry Activities

Sandwiches will be delivered to Brother Francis Shelter on Tuesday, February14
and the evening meal for Clare House, on Thursday, February16

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It's "Pasta for LSSA" Month

To help fill the shelves at LSSA’s food distribution site and feed the hungry folks who rely on their help, we’ll be collecting PASTA this month—spaghetti and bottled sauce, macaroni and cheese, or other packaged pasta meals that won’t freeze if you leave them in your car before dropping them by the church. Just put your gifts in the specially marked barrel in the corner across from the mailboxes, and we'll deliver them to LSSA several times during the month.

Our gifts do make a huge difference to Lutheran Social Services in responding to the very neediest in our community. The pantry shelves empty rapidly—food goes out almost as fast as it comes in. So every package of spaghetti or jar of sauce that we bring goes toward making a meal for a family—it might be the difference between buying food or paying the heating bill, which is hitting all of us hard this winter.

If you want to learn more about what your Social Ministry Team does throughout the year, you can find out by reading our report in Gloria Dei’s Annual Report, distributed at the congregation meeting on Sunday, February 12. And, as always, Marcia DeVoe, Marge Paulson, or Darla Siver will be happy to answer your questions.

“I was hungry and you gave me something to eat” Matt.25:35

Socks and Valentine Cookies

It’s time for our annual “Socks and Valentines” project to benefit clients of the Brother Francis Shelter, who are primarily homeless men. The Social Ministry Team is hoping to collect between 175 and 200 pairs of new socks to give them. Also, with the help of Sunday School students, we’ll decorate about 15 dozen Valentine (sugar) cookies. Confirmation students will deliver the socks and cookies toward the end of February. We appreciate your help in making this another successful outreach to those in need in our community.

“Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Heb. 13:1-2

Mother Teresa is credited with having said, "If you cannot feed a hundred people, then feed just one."

We strive toward that goal as we are presented with opportunities to help ease the suffering of the homeless and hungry—whether they live on the streets of downtown Anchorage or in countries far from here.

Gloria Dei’s Social Ministry Team is committed to promoting service to humanity through acts of love and justice and to increasing a greater awareness within the Gloria Dei community to the emotional and physical needs of society. Gloria Dei has a long history of support for both local and worldwide outreach programs. Some of the projects that we support are described below:

Brother Francis Shelter provides year-round shelter for the homeless of our community. We deliver sandwiches once a month which are given out as lunches to clients going out on day jobs; they are occasionally used to supplement the evening meal as well—so protein is a plus. No need for individual wrapping or baggies—sandwiches prepared from a loaf of bread may be repacked into the original bread wrap. Sandwiches are picked up from the church kitchen at 6:00 pm on the 2nd Tuesday of each month.

Clare House shelters homeless women and children for up to 30 days. Once a month, we provide a hot meal, complete with milk and dessert, for their evening dinner. A sign-up sheet is posted on the Social Ministry bulletin board with details. Please bring oven-ready food in disposable containers. Our volunteers pick up the food from our church kitchen at 9:00 am on the 3rd Thursday of the month.

Fellowship in Serving Humanity (F.I.S.H.) responds to the needs of the hungry by providing and delivering a three-day supply of food to those who call for assistance. Gloria Dei supplies baby food for the F.I.S.H. pantry.

Bean’s Café plays a vital role in ministering to the very poorest in our community, providing meals to the hungry every day of the year. Annually, we host a Bean-a-Fit to raise funds for the Café.

Lutheran Social Services of Alaska is a valued partner in ministry. We regularly contribute funds and food items to their food pantry and, in November, to the Thanksgiving Blessing project. We make Christmas stockings and Easter baskets that they distribute to their smallest clients, and in late summer, we collect coats and school supplies for kids in the community.

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Other local groups that have benefited from Gloria Dei’s Social Ministry efforts are Anchorage School District’s Children in Transition Program (warm clothing such as socks, sweaters, hats, and gloves placed under the Wooly tree during Advent), Providence Children’s Hospital (quilts given to children under their care), and our own Gloria Dei food pantry.

Special ministries that reach around the globe include Marianne Wieland’s generous hunger print program and the annual CROP Walk, proceeds of which are divided between local and national/international agencies. Gloria Dei’s Piecemakers regularly sew quilts for Lutheran World Relief for distribution to people in third-world countries. Gloria Dei has also been an active participant in several Habitat for Humanity homes constructed in Anchorage.

Thank you to all members and friends of Gloria Dei who continue in their faithful support of these Social Ministry projects.

“Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Heb. 13:1-2