Community Ministry

The Good Hope/Zion Lutheran Ministry Community Ministry Committee provides two free meals per month for community members. The meals are prepared by volunteers and supplies are purchased with grant money, donation money, and physical donations of goods. The dinners reach approximately 300 people per meal. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the meals are take-out only at this time. Personal hygiene items and laundry items are also handed out at each of the meals.

We are always looking for people who are willing and available to help with our meal program. We generally need approximately 12-15 people to prepare, serve and clean up each meal. Morning prep is generally 9:30am to noon. Servers gather by 4:00pm and clean-up can start as early as 5:00pm.

On Thanksgiving Day, the CMC provides a full Thanksgiving meal that is delivered to the elderly, shut-in, and home bound members of the community. The meal is able to be prepared every year due to the generosity of volunteer cooks, donations of food, and drivers.

The Community Ministry Committee is reaching out in new and different ways. One way is Loads of Love, in which we perform a random act of kindness by providing quarters to customers at some of our local laundromats. These are distributed to random locations on random dates and times.

If you would like to help with distribution, please contact Joyce Frenz.

We are hosting our local Coffee Break. Join us Thursday mornings from 9:30am to 10:30am, Zion Lutheran Church, 207 State Street, fellowship hall entrance.

Please come for coffee, donuts and great fellowship!! We are looking forward to seeing everyone.

Coffee Break offers a free donut, a hot or cold drink, and an opportunity to relax and chat with your neighbors. It takes place every Thursday between 9:30a.m. and 10:30a.m. at Zion Lutheran Church, downstairs in the fellowship hall. The church is located at 207 State Street in Oil City. Access to the fellowship hall is from the alley between State Street and Wilson Avenue. The weekly gathering is sponsored by the Community Ministry Committee (CMC), part of the Good Hope/Zion Lutheran Ministry of Oil City. All are welcome.

Bags of Love contain raisins, a granola bar, trail mix, snack crackers; and a bottle of water. They are given to groups in the community such as The Pointe and the YWCA girls' club, whose clients might appreciate a small care package of snacks. Bags of Love is funded by a grant through the NWPA Synod and is handed out the last weekend of the month.

The CMC also offers The Soap Shop and The Card Shop during events at Zion such as community dinners and Coffee Break. We accept donations of greeting cards and personal/sample size items. (The list includes things like dental products, laundry soap, deodorant, soap or body wash, and shampoo.)

Every community meal the CMC hands out personal hygiene products or laundry products. We are always in need of donations of toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, bar soap, body wash, and laundry pods. These items can be dropped off at Good Hope Lutheran Church Monday through Thursday, 8:30am to 2:30pm, or you can contact Joyce Frenz, DCM for pickup or other drop off times.

The Northwestern Pennsylvania Synod authorized the formation of a group of volunteers to focus efforts on what it means to be good stewards of God's Creation. This group is known as the NWPA Synod Green Team. The Green Team’s purpose is to “raise awareness of and advocate for the care of creation”. Our mission is to support and encourage creation care ministries, raise awareness, model creation care advocacy consistent with ELCA teachings in our faith communities and public life. We are encouraged by the LAMPa and ELCA priorities which support this ministry effort in PA and nationally.

Bridge Builders Community Foundations is announcing the release of the Community Needs website. This website will serve as a resource to our area while we overcome the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. By coordinating collaboration between community members and nonprofit leaders, the Community Needs website can ensure continuation of the vital services many nonprofit organizations provide to individuals and families in our area.

Please click HERE to be taken directly to their site. Items needed can be found under “Good Hope/Zion Lutheran Ministry.”

In 2019 we received $982 Thrivent Choice Dollars® grants. Additionally, we benefited from personal donations through Thrivent’s online giving platform or through Thrivent Action Teams. With over 40,000 organizations enrolled in Thrivent Choice®. Please click HERE to go to Thrivent’s site for information on Thrivent’s programs and how you can contribute to the Community Ministry Committee.