Serving . . .

. . . and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.
— Micah 6: 8

Food Ministries

— Lunches for the homeless —
Brown bag lunches, assembled by church members, are distributed from First Presbyterian Church's Good Samaritan Wing from 11:00 AM until Noon (as long as supplies last) Monday through Thursday.

— Deacons' Food Pantry —
Non-perishable food, is distributed from First Presbyterian Church's Good Samaritan Wing, four days a week. We can always use chili, peanut butter, spaghetti with meat balls, ravioli, macaroni & cheese, and Spam. Together we can feed many hungry people. Deacons' Food Pantry Ministry reports can be found on our home page, right hand column.

— Meals on Wheels
Volunteers deliver meals two weeks each year. Each route takes approximately 1 1/2 hours to cover (from the food pick up at Memorial Hospital at 11:15 AM to the return of the ovens to the Red Cross). Please call about the next opportunity. Contact person: Mary Patton (217.546.4645).


Caregiving Ministries

— Caregiver Interfaith Volunteer Services (CIVS)
Managed by St. John’s Third Age Living, its purpose is to help the elderly who can no longer drive to stay in their homes. Many area churches have a chapter with a coordinator and volunteers. First Presbyterian Church volunteers are Lou VonBehren, Bruce Fenimore, Don Ecklund, Roy and JoAnn Wehrle. Tom DeLay was one of the first volunteers; he participated faithfully until his recent illness. Joan Kroll is the coordinator.

Services provided by CIVS include transportation for doctor's visits, grocery shopping, beauty parlor appointments, and funerals. Minor home repair and caregiver relief are also available. Volunteers are screened by St. John's Third Age Living, and there is always a need for willing souls. Contact Joan Kroll at 217.546.0805 to become a caregiver or to request assistance.

— Good Samaritan Ministries: Counseling and special assistance through the First Presbyterian Church's Social Compassion Fund. Trained workers offer assistance with paperwork, transportation tokens and vouchers, financial counseling, referrals and advocacy.



Housing Ministries

— SOS Shelter —
After a homeless man's hypothermia death in 2005, First Church member-volunteers helped develop the Springfield Overflow Shelter (SOS), an emergency shelter that operates during the hypothermia season (November - March). We continue to prepare meals and assist shelter personnel afer providing an initial $5,000 in financial assistance to institute a professional staff position.

— Habitat for Humanity — Members of all ages regularly participate in local Habitat for Humanity building projects, working with other churches and members of the community. Several youth members participated in the recent 12th Youth Build partnership. Don Ecklund (217.787.7810) is contact for this ministry.

— Helping Hands — is a crisis shelter for homeless men and women in Springfield.  For the past seven years, First Presbyterian Church has provided a meal on the first Tuesday of the month.  These meals are greatly appreciated by the residents and the staff who never fail to say “thank you” each time we are there. More than eighteen people have helped with this mission. 

Ecumenical Relief Ministries

First Presbyterian Church gave $10,000 to the Salvation Army for Hurricane Relief in 2006. The Salvation Army continues to receive offerings from our events: two upcoming are the Goosebumps Organ Concert on October 31, 2009 and the 1850s Community Carol Sing on December 5, 2009.

First Presbyterian Church has given thousands of dollars for Darfur relief, and we have adopted a commitment to offer a regular U2 Eucharist worship experience in which we will raise funds to alleviate extreme poverty and population plagues globally. Please visit our U2 Eucharist page.

Four special offerings, designated by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to provide congregations direct ways of supporting specific causes that help those in need, are collected each year: the Joy Offering, the Peacemaking Offering, the Pentecost Offering, and One Great Hour of Sharing.

Broader ecumenical programs include the annual Crop Walk, with funds going to help those in developing countries; the Mitten Tree for FPC's Good Samaritan Ministries, Angel Tree Christmas, Central Illinois Community Blood Center, The Displaced Homemakers Program at Lincoln Land Community College.


International Ministries

First Church's sister parish is Sancti Spiritus Presbyterian Church in Cuba. We have made several trips to share in ministry through the exchange of faith stories and the forging of a partnership of cultures that has opened a new door of understanding and spiritual growth for us. In 2008, we hosted three Cubans from Sancti Spiritus. Please visit our Cuba Partnership page.


"The Central Illinois Organizing Project (CIOP) is an ecumenical, faith-based community organization. It encompasses 12 counties in central Illinois and includes the communities of Springfield Bloomington-Normal, Decatur, Champaign-Urbana, Danville, Peoria, and rural Logan county." — from the site's home page.

In the spring of 2007, CIOP helped to organize HUC - Homeless United for Change. See State Journal-Register (SJ-R) Opinion about Springfield's homeless.

From Don Carlson, Executive Director Central Illinois Organizing Project (CIOP) on 9/24/2008 (Regional Office: 510 E. Washington St. Suite 309 Bloomington, IL 61701 voice: 309-827-9627 fax: 309-828-4340 www.ciop.org) ——