God calls us to seek the shalom of our communities. There is work for us to do. Right here. Right now.
At Pennington Presbyterian Church, we believe that every Jesus follower is called to partner with God in bringing about the fullness of God’s reign for all people and all of creation. Regardless of where you are at in your spiritual journey, God’s Spirit has given you unique gifts, abilities, passions, influence, and resources to serve others and partner with God and the community in bringing wholeness for everyone. Together, we will see lives changed in extraordinary ways as ordinary folks roll up their sleeves and serve!
To find out more about you can get involved in local outreach, fill out a Serve Form or check out some of our ministry partners below.
Being a Matthew 25 Church
In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus calls us to serve with and for “the least of these” as people who are deeply loved by Jesus. In Fall 2020, Pennington Presbyterian Church accepted the invitation to become a Matthew 25 congregation. This means we have committed to two areas of focus from PC(USA):
- Eradicating systemic poverty by acting on our beliefs and working to change laws, policies, plans and structures in our society that perpetuate economic exploitation of people who are poor.
- Dismantling structural racism by fearlessly applying our faith to advocate and break down the systems, practices and thinking that underlie discrimination, bias, prejudice and oppression of people of color.
We aim for Matthew 25 to become foundational, shaping and guiding everything we do. There is a place and a role for everyone at Pennington Presbyterian under the banner of Matthew 25. We continue to support our many local and global ministry partners. In addition, we will challenge ourselves to deepen our existing work and seek ways to change the underlying structures of poverty and racism.
Panel Presentation from 3 Mercer County Non-Profits
On February 25, 2022, the Older Adult Ministry team of Pennington Presbyterian Church sponsored a forum with a panel of three CEOs of Mercer County non-profit organizations dedicated to helping some of the most marginalized in our community. Each panelist shared about their organization’s focus, current needs, and how they have been adapting since the COVID pandemic.
The panel included:
Connie Mercer, CEO of HomeFront, which helps homeless families break the cycle of poverty by providing access to safe and secure housing.
Bernie Flynn, CEO of Mercer Street Friends, which nourishes minds and bodies by providing a wide range of integrated services, including a food bank, literacy education, and tutoring for children.
Joyce Campbell, Executive Director of the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, which provides meals to Trenton area residents, plus counseling and tutoring services.
Homefront
HomeFront’s mission is helping families without homes gain their footing and advance their livelihoods vocationally and economically. Our support of HomeFront includes support of Hutchet House, a residence for mothers and infants, equipping children with school supplies and participation in special activity at holidays. In the past year, HomeFront has experienced a severe need for diapers, as they are needed so parents can leave their children in daycare when they go to work or go on job interviews. PPC has been running a highly successful diaper drive for the past year for this vital support.
Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK)
TASK is a vital operation in Trenton providing nourishing meals to those in need–with the number of people being served continuing to climb at an alarming pace. PPC continues to collect canned and boxed food for TASK in support of their mission.
Rescue Mission of Trenton
This organization serves the neediest citizens of the City of Trenton with a clear mission: Working Together to Rebuild Lives. Aiming to foster self-sufficiency, programs are offered in areas such as substance-abuse counseling, job training, and a homeless shelter. Our church holds seasonal clothing drives to support the work of this very necessary effort.
Arm in Arm of Princeton and Trenton
Our “Red Wagon” offering, the first Sunday of each month, goes to the Crisis Ministry’s hunger prevention, homelessness prevention, and workforce development programs. This Ministry’s pro-active approach emphasizes assistance systems designed to address practical, critical individual and family circumstances before they reach crisis levels to avoid welfare dependency. We also support Arm in Arm’s utilities program through our special offerings program. This funding is used to support those who cannot pay their monthly utility bills.
Other Local Outreach
Pen Pal Prison Ministry
The Pen Pal Prison Team at PPC began in 2021 as one concrete way to live into our Matthew 25 commitment, which means we are focused on eradicating systemic poverty and dismantling structural racism. The Pen Pal Prison Team is comprised of four generations of women in our church who correspond, through a pen pal program, with incarcerated women in a local correctional facility. The ministry is also one of support and friendship as we seek to build this ministry, educate ourselves, share newspaper articles, pray for our efforts and those we are seeking to serve, and discern if our team should expand to include advocacy.
Family Ministries Group
Gleaning at Rolling Harvest Fields at Gravity Hill Farm.
Trenton Book Drive
Working with Senator Turner of New Jersey to collect books reflecting topics of social justice and diversity to be distributed to needy children in the Trenton area.
Local Food Drive
Food collection for local food pantries including the Hopewell Valley Mobile Food Pantry in Pennington.
Fall Block Party & Silent Auction Fundraiser for Urban Promise Trenton’s College Scholarship Fund
Providing financial support and working with Urban Promise in their efforts to provide leadership training to students in Trenton.