Church Plant Update February 1, 2021
Back in December, we gave out 50 meals for a family of four. One woman, came and she was very happy to receive the meal because she was only working two days a week, but this was not the only reason she was happy. As it turns out, that day was her birthday. It was a blessing to help her during these times of need, but also on this special occasion. I wished her a happy birthday and prayed for her.
As you know the food pantry is still active, but not in the traditional way. We are focusing our efforts on those who are truly in need in the community. We are providing diapers twice a month for about 30 families in the community. Once a month we give out 50 meals for a family of four, and we distribute Shoprite gift cards to about 160 families. One of our recent efforts is to buy groceries for families that have Covid-19 or are quarantining in order to not spread the virus. We provide groceries for 3-4 weeks, and we serve about 10 families weekly. In addition to all this, with the resources that we raised, we are able to help many families with rent or mortgage and utility assistance.
Another family reached out to me in early January because they were infected with Covid. We immediately sent a volunteer to deliver groceries since they were quarantining. A few weeks later, she called me again saying that her son was now infected with Covid and that the whole family needed to quarantine again. We continued to help her until they received negative results and were able to go back to work.
The need continues to be great in our neighborhood as people only work 2 days a week and the seasonal work is over. It is a privilege to continue to support our community and help the underserved. If you can, please continue to donate online. Also, you can contact me if you would like to volunteer or help in other ways.
Camino de Fe church re-opened back in October and we have been gathering for Sunday worship in Raritan and Bernardsville. We will now start our weekly small groups which is the heart of our mission – to make disciples that will in turn make other disciples. Our online presence will continue: English Livestream Worship at 8:30 am and Spanish Livestream Worship at 8:30 pm.
In other news, Pastor Beth of St. Bernard’s Episcopal Church and myself have been appointed by Bernardsville’s Borough Council to serve as Police Chaplains at the request of Police Chief Kevin Valentine.
In this role, I will continue to build on the work that we’ve done in Bernardsville this past year through the Pop-Up Food Pantry in partnership with the Office of Emergency Management, of which Chief Valentine is the Coordinator.
Chief Valentine writes, “In addition to being available to our members and community during times of crisis, it is our intention to utilize [the police chaplains] to continue to build a bridge and foster positive relations between the Police and members of our underserved community.”
Finally, our last bit of news is that Camino de Fe Lutheran Church will be received as a congregation into the LCMS membership! This will take place at our NJ District convention on May 21, 2021. We are working on the details with President Steinbronn and I will keep you informed of the details.
All the work that Camino de Fe Church is doing would not be possible without your prayers, encouragement, and financial support! Continue to donate to our efforts.
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Pastor Dan Fenco
Cell Phone number: (908) 605-6030
Email: pastordan@caminodefe.church
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