Social Action Ministry

Chamber of Commerce
The Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to providing its members with the resources necessary to build successful businesses while honoring ethical and spiritual business practices. Throughout the year, over fifty businesses and professionals are engaged in the development and delivery of a wide variety of informative, exciting activities that promote the goals of the businesses, educate businesses and consumers, and encourage prudent, ethical business growth, stability, and community development.

General Activities (including):

• Annual network kickoff
• Entrepreneurship workshop
• Trade fair
• Scholarship award
• Quarterly professional membership publication
• Co-sponsorship of activities with other church ministries

Community Action
Community Action fosters political and social awareness, information, understanding, and action in reference to issues and concerns that impact the social-political well-being of members of the church and the community. Throughout the year, Community Action volunteers coordinate and conduct political and social forums that address issues of importance to the community, the individual, and the church. Volunteers provide information and activities that enhance voter registration and social-political prudence.

General Activities (including):

• Political candidate forums
• Regional political education forums
• Voter registration and education
• Participation in Leadership Montgomery
• Attendance at various political dinners and events

Friends in Action
Friends in Action provides financial and volunteer support to Montgomery County needy families in an effort to improve their health and psychosocial well-being. Annually, Friends in Action supports a Montgomery County-identified needy family in the acquisition of life skills that enhance self-sufficiency, family stability, financial independence, personal strengths, and spiritual enrichment.

General Activities (including):

• Mentoring
• Financial support
• Life-skills training
• Budgeting
• Financial management

Generation I
Generation 1 is devoted to the implementation of programs that enhance the quality of services provided to retirees and senior adults within The People’s Community Baptist Church and the surrounding community. Generation 1 is an established weekly program that provides luncheon-activity sessions, diverse group activities, and ongoing spiritual enhancement sessions (e.g., Bible studies) for senior adults. Generation 1 members also participate in community volunteerism and provide support to community programs for senior adults, retirees, youth, and others within the church and the surrounding community in need.

General Activities (including):

• Weekly Bible study
• Wednesday fellowship
• Holiday giving and celebrations
• Group trips
• Ministry to nursing home residents
• Intergenerational activities
• Design of lapp robes for seniors
• Arts and crafts for sick children
• Tutoring to schoolchildren
• Assistance with church activities
• Participation in numerous other exciting social and charitable initiatives

One Church, One Child
One Church, One Child seeks to increase adoption opportunities for children of Montgomery County and to provide group support and information exchange for adoptive and prospective adoptive parents who reside in Montgomery County. Adoptive and prospective adoptive parents have the opportunity to meet and support one another on a monthly basis in an accessible and confidential location. A professional, experienced group leader facilitates participants’ discussions of concerns and issues.

General Activities (including):

• Group facilitation
• Information exchange
• Presentations by community and government speakers
• Fellowship

The Preventive Medicine/Health Committee
The Preventive Medicine/Health Committee seeks to improve the health status of the parishioners of The People’s Community Baptist Church and the surrounding community through health education and promotion forums, risk reduction strategies, preventive medicine interventions and a variety of health screening projects. Throughout the year, health professionals, lay persons, and community health providers volunteer time, energy, and expertise in the delivery of exciting health-education forums, health promotions, and a variety of health and health-related activities that seek to reduce ethnic and minority health disparities of the parishioners and the surrounding community.

General Activities (including):

• Monthly health awareness spotlights
• Health concern workshops
• Biennial health fair
• First aid services
• Safe Sitter training and certification
• Comprehensive health and wellness screening projects
• Nutrition and diet workshops
• HIV/AIDS awareness and risk-reduction projects
• Numerous other health-related programs

The Prison Ministry
The Prison Ministry is committed to presenting the Word of God to incarcerated individuals and their families within the framework provided by the local municipal penal system and through community outreach and support to families of incarcerated individuals. The Prison Ministry is a long-existing program of The People’s Community Baptist Church that helps to ensure that residents of the Montgomery County Detention Center as well as residents of the Pre-Release Center and their families receive supportive services and spiritual support that are critical to family reunification and community re-entry as productive citizens who understand their relationship to God as they seek and implement behavioral changes.

General Activities (including):

• Montgomery County Detention Center Vespers Services on the second Sunday of each month per quarter
• Annual clothing drive for Pre-Release Center
• Back-to-school party for children of incarcerated individuals
• Holiday basket parties for families of incarcerated individuals
• Distribution of religious information to prison residents
• Spiritual enrichment and self-esteem building programs for prisoners and their families

Seasonal Giving
Seasonal Giving ensures that eligible needy families, adults and disabled senior adults of the parish and the zip code area of The People’s Community Baptist Church receive quality food and gift baskets during the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays. In collaboration with Montgomery County, The People’s Community Baptist Church volunteers join together to assemble mailing lists and collect foods, vouchers, and toys for distribution to needy County residents and parishioners. A Christmas Toy Store and a Giving Tree are provided to ensure that every needy child receives age-appropriate, new toys for Christmas.

General Activities (including):

• Montgomery County seasonal giving meeting participation
• Recipient data base development
• Collecting, sorting, packaging, and distributing food baskets and toys

SHARE
SHARE is a food for community service program designed to promote volunteerism and generate wide distribution of wholesome, nutritional, affordable foods for Montgomery County residents. SHARE does not conduct routine meetings; however, SHARE packages are distributed on a monthly basis—fourth or fifth Saturday; third Saturday in November and December.

Program Description:
Committed volunteers from The People’s Community Baptist Church and the surrounding community load, pack, and distribute nutritional SHARE food packages to parishioners and community residents. SHARE is not an income-based program. Anyone who is willing to provide 2 hours of community service per month may participate in the program of purchased packages for friends and families.

General Activities:

• Loading food trucks
• Sorting foods
• Packaging foods
• Distributing foods to recipients

Substance Abuse Prevention and Education
In a spiritually motivated atmosphere that enhances the needs of the parish and the community, the Substance Abuse Prevention and Education Program is committed to reducing problems related to alcohol, tobacco and other addictions. Weekly Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous group meetings are conducted in a safe, confidential location within The People’s Community Baptist Church.

General Activities (including):

• Support group facilitation
• Conference participation
• Support group member sponsorship
• Other supportive initiatives