Missions: Local Outreach
Bikes for Tykes, Teens & Adults – Heritage's very own Charles Jones, the "Bike Doctor", ministers to our community with the Bikes for Tykes, Teens & Adults program. In only 4 years, the "Bike Doctor" and his team of bike elves have refurbished and given away over 700, yes 700, to children, teens and adults in our community. Each recipient also received a new helmet. This year bikes were given to students at 2 schools, Hoffman-Boston Elementary in Arlington and Mount Eagle Elementary in the Route 1 corridor; to UCM and to Social Services of Fairfax County.
Back-to-School Supplies Drive – Every year United Community Ministries (UCM) requests help from the community to alleviate the financial strain associated with the back to school time of year. This year Heritage provided 49 backpacks, a carload of additional school supplies and $110 in cash to UCM.
Cents-Ability Offering – Every summer the Mission Committee asks each Heritage member and friend of all ages to collect a few cents at every meal as a small step in the battle against hunger and poverty. In September, we "made a joyful noise unto the Lord" when we received and dedicated the coins the congregation collected for a total of $267.00. 40% or $106.80 was given to United Community Ministries (UCM) to provide food for children and families in need right here in the Mount Vernon area. Another 40% was sent to the Presbyterian Hunger Program. The remaining 20% went to the Hunger Team of the National Capital Presbytery.
CROP Walk – Twelve walkers and their sponsors raised a total of $1,760 for this year's CROP Walk to end hunger.
Eagles' Wings Tutoring Program – The Eagles' Wings Tutoring Program completed its 21st year of tutoring students in grades 3, 4, 5 and 6 from Mount Eagle Elementary School students in May 2010. Eagles' Wings is hosted by Calvary Presbyterian Church every Wednesday night from October to early May. Again this year, Heritage provided the greatest number of volunteers (9 tutors or 30%, four substitute tutors, and the director). The 22nd consecutive year began in October again with Heritage providing nine tutors and the director. Thank you to all the tutors and substitute tutors for their commitment to this outstanding outreach program. They are what makes it work!!!!! Eagles' Wings benefits not only the Mount Eagle students who are among the poorest in Fairfax County but the tutors and entire community.
Families in Transition – Since the summer of 2008, Heritage has been participating in the mentoring of a needy family living in low rent housing under the Families in Transition program provided by the Robert Pierre Johnson (RPJ) Housing Development Corporation. Heritage also has provided a rent subsidy payment every month of $200.. Rich Abbe, Chris Geren, Fran Myers, Christian Reynolds, Bob Trimble and John Kohout worked as a team to mentor the family through its many challenges: the mother's loss of two jobs, the death of the older son in an automobile accident, helping the daughter get a good job, supporting the family's successful efforts to get the younger son through high school, and sticking with them through eviction proceedings. This support came to a close in December when the family moved out of the area.
Good News Jail & Prison Ministry – For over 30 years, Heritage has ministered to the prisoners at the Alexandria City Jail. Heritage's John McLellan, Fred Frederick and Dave Lyons went Thursday evenings to show a Bible movie and lead a discussion of the subject of the movie with the 10 to 30 male prisoners who attended.
Heritage Food Pantry – Heritage supported both UCM and Rising Hope Mission year round by donating food and staples collected in our Food Pantry.
Help the Homeless Mini-Walk – 28 walkers from Heritage and Plymouth Haven Baptist Church raised a total of $1,670 for UCM in this annual event sponsored by Fannie Mae.
Since the summer of 2008, Iglesia Evangelica San Juan 8:32, a small El Salvadoran congregation has been holding its worship services in the Heritage building on a non-interference basis on Saturday evenings, Sunday afternoons and lately on Thursday evenings. They are enormously grateful to be able to worship here, have participated enthusiastically in our work days, and have given us generous free will offerings to offset the costs of keeping the building open. They recently went through a transition from their original pastor Carlos Rosales to their current pastor José Medrano.
Mondloch House – Twice a month, Heritage members supplied fruit juice and coffee to the resident families at Mondloch House. Mondloch House provides hope and hospitality to families struggling with homelessness. It is a 45-bed family shelter. Typically 15 to 17 families are in residence at any given time.
Potomac River Cleanup – Heritage members Carol and Howard Borgstrom again participated in this annual clean-up day in April of the Potomac River.
Rebuilding Together 2010 – On April 24th, 39 members and friends of Heritage including 3 youth definitely made a difference in the life of a 60-year old disabled man and his family. In Heritage's 16 years of participating in Rebuilding Together, this year's project was the most challenging and diverse. The project included: repairing windows/replacing broken panes; rebuilding a deck with stairs; repairing brick stairs; repairing a sliding glass door; installing new down spouts; staining 2 decks; painting 5 rooms; painting 12 windows and 2 doors; replacing light fixtures and outlets; repairing plumbing in bathroom, kitchen and laundry; removing debris/trash then mowing and trimming; and re-paneling kitchen walls. It takes many hands to accomplish such tasks in one day.
Thanksgiving Dinner Food Bags Drive – Annually, the members of Heritage collect food donations that enable our needy neighbors to enjoy a Thanksgiving Dinner. This year 62 full bags of were collected and delivered to UCM.
VIC-HOP – For the fifth consecutive winter, the Heritage congregation made a huge contribution toward manning the shelter at Rising Hope United Methodist Mission Church to protect the lives of our homeless neighbors who would otherwise be sleeping outdoors during the wet and cold winter by participating in the 2009-2010 Ventures in Community Hypothermia Outreach Program (VIC-HOP). The Heritage response of 37 volunteers was enthusiastic enough to cover one night in December, all the Saturday nights in January, and the Friday nights in February and March we had originally committed to cover, plus providing several individuals to help cover several of the snowiest days of an exceptionally harsh winter when Rising Hope couldn't open for its normal ministry and let the homeless stay inside all day. The VIC-HOP winter of 2010-2011 is off to a flying start. Howard Borgstrom is the Heritage coordinator. He collected Christmas presents for guests at the shelter over Christmas and Richard Peterson stayed overnight on Christmas Eve to start our participation for this winter. Heritage will be manning the shelter on Friday nights in February and March. The poor are always with us, so think about joining up for this winter's VIC-HOP.
Women's Group of Mount Vernon – The 40% of the Pentecost Offering and the 25% of the Peacemaking Offering that Heritage retains was given to the Women's Group of Mount Vernon to fight domestic violence in our community.
Additionally, Heritage supports financially the following local missions: UCM, New Hope Housing (Mondloch House), Good Shepherd Housing, Rising Hope Mission Church, Jubilee Housing, Christ House, D.C. Central Kitchen, SOME (So Others May Eat), and Central Union Mission.
Through the years, the Missions Committee and many others in the Heritage congregation, have worked to understand how we can more effectively apply our faith and good will to serving our community by helping to address serious, and seemingly intractable issues such as the chronic lack of affordable housing across northern Virginia. Much of this work has been done in cooperation with other congregations such as those in VIC (Ventures in Community) and in the context of single-issue organizations focused on affordable housing and ending homelessness such as the Virginia Interfaith Center and Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement (VOICE). Our involvement and commitment is an effort to amplify the impact the faith community has across a range of social justice policy issues.
