Social Ministry and Community Outreach
Social ministry projects are done to share Jesus' love with people in need through practical and relevant help. Messiah Lutheran Church supports the following organizations with regular contributions, service events, drives and special gifts. Messiah supports other projects and efforts, as they are identified to us.
Feel free to join us as a volunteer on any of our upcoming service projects. Contact the Church at 781-334-4111 or our Social Ministry Chairperson.
Click here to see photos of Christmas donations made by Messiah members.
Bethany Christian Services is an organization that helps with pregnancy counseling, adoption services, infertility counseling and foster care. Messiah has provided diapers, blankets and other necessary items for infants.
BridgeHouse is a shelter in Lynn, MA that serves homeless families in crisis. Messiah members have provided clothing, baby equipment and toys for the residents. Special projects have included new slippers for the children, Easter baskets and a Mother's Day dinner.
Christian Children's Fund works to improve the conditions for children, one child at a time. The Sunday School children have sponsored Cesar Lopes, a boy in Brazil, for several years. The Church has sponsored Kouta Diop, a young girl in Senegal, for several years.
Christian Community Service is a cooperative effort of six local churches which works to help needy families in the area. CCS runs a food pantry, distributes Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets, provide some financial support with fuel and utility bills and sponsors an Easter Sunrise Service. Messiah participates in ongoing food collections and has two representatives that attend CCS meetings and events.
Greentree Home for Girls is run by Lutheran Social Services of New England, in Brockton MA. The home serves teenage girls. Messiah has provided personal items for the residents there.
Lazarus House is a Christian homeless shelter in Lawrence MA that provides shelter, food and clothing to men, women and families with children. Each year, Messiah purchases and delivers approximately 70 Christmas gifts for the children at Lazarus House.
LCMS World Relief is the international relief agency of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. It is active in countries all over the world. LCMS World Relief works to meet the emergency needs and strives to provide better futures for people in the US and around the world. Messiah holds special fund raising events to support LCMS World Relief projects most recently to bring food to Iraq and to help earthquake victims in India.
Lutheran Social Services of New England shares the love of Christ with people in need in New England. LSSNE is part of the Lutheran Service Association, the largest social service organization in the US, larger that the American Red Cross, Catholic Charities and the Salvation Army. LSSNE is located at 17 West Central Street, Natick MA 01760
Mission of Deeds is a local non-profit organization that provides assistance, in the form of furniture and household items, for people restarting their lives after having been homeless. Messiah holds collections of furniture and other items for this group.
My Brother's Table is a social service agency and food kitchen in Lynn MA that provides meals for about 300 people daily. Messiah volunteers provide home cooked meals and assist with preparation and serving several nights during the year. Usually 20 or so people are needed to prepare and serve this meal.
Prison Fellowship Ministry provides outreach to persons incarcerated, and their families. Messiah collects and donates Bibles and devotional materials, clothing, and reading materials.
Project Nehemiah is a program designed to help low income families buy their own homes. The project recently came to Boston and hopes to build up to 1,500 housing units in the Greater Boston area. In New York City alone, more than 5,000 housing units have been built through this project.
Project Nehemiah is unlike programs where volunteers donate labor to build small numbers of houses. Simply stated, Project Nehemiah develops a cash fund to buy land. Project Nehemiah then works with suppliers and contractors and the economies of scale to build large numbers of quality housing units economically. Project Nehemiah also works with local banks to develop low-rate mortgage programs for qualified buyers. The buyer pays Project Nehemiah for the house, and the money is "recycled" to build another unit.
Messiah has pledged to provide funding to assist Project Nehemiah in Boston.
Walking with the Navajo is a "children helping children" mission project. The children and families of Messiah create school supply boxes and send them to children on Navajo reservations.