SOCIAL EVENTS OUTREACH MINISTRY (S.E.O.M) OF M.O.C
Motto: ..”IT IS MORE BLESSED TO GIVE THAN TO RECEIVE.” ACTS 20:35b
Background: It was back in 1999 while volunteering at school with Habitat for Humanity - a nonprofit housing organization that God placed it on my heart to do something for the church community through serving a hot meal for those in need. The church executive committee did not refute the idea of providing this service. As result, the first Thanksgiving Dinner was served on Thursday, November 27, 2000. The following year we decided to change the date to the Saturday following Thanksgiving. Since that time we have served thousands of hot meals through, Orange, East Orange and in the Newark area. |
The mission of the Social Events Outreach Committee under the leadership of Mount Olives Church of God is to minister to the spiritual, intellectual, physical and emotional, and environmental needs of all people by spreading Christ's liberating gospel through word and deed. Furthermore, our mission is, to seek out and save the lost, and serve the needy through a continuing program of (1) preaching the gospel, (2) feeding the hungry, (3) clothing the naked and giving back to our community. We took it upon ourselves to offer these people a home cooked meal on the last Saturday in November following Thanksgiving Day. We plan to expand this program further by providing daily, weekly and/or monthly hot meals and related services.
The world of the homeless is not very far from ours. We have seen our own people victimize by it in our country Haiti. In a nutshell it is quite near. For any of us, the loss of a job, the death of a spouse or child, a severe physical or emotional disability, or family problems could be the route to total despair. These are some of the tragedies that have happened to many homeless people. If you have never witnessed the despair of the homeless first hand, it is easy to ignore their plight and abandon them. It is very simple to assume that homeless people are all abandoned, mentally ill; drug addicts, people beyond help, people who do not deserve or get any assistance, people who have chosen to live their lives this way. You could not have been farther from the truth. The truth is these people have lost their homes and been deserted by the families and friends they once had.
Therefore, in the spirit of Thanksgiving: The Social Events Outreach Ministry (S.E.O.M), leaders, and members of the church would like to serve the community by promoting unity and love through Christ by organizing this event. The dinner is served to people who are in need of a home cooked meal. The program includes a great variety of food and music, in addition, a distribution of coats, shoes, sweaters, blankets and hygienic products. There is also another part where we do an outreach to people who are homebound such as Senior Citizens complexes and various shelters in the area.
Sister Ketsia Jean-Baptiste
Founder and Coordinator
Ketsia15@aol.com
The world of the homeless is not very far from ours. We have seen our own people victimize by it in our country Haiti. In a nutshell it is quite near. For any of us, the loss of a job, the death of a spouse or child, a severe physical or emotional disability, or family problems could be the route to total despair. These are some of the tragedies that have happened to many homeless people. If you have never witnessed the despair of the homeless first hand, it is easy to ignore their plight and abandon them. It is very simple to assume that homeless people are all abandoned, mentally ill; drug addicts, people beyond help, people who do not deserve or get any assistance, people who have chosen to live their lives this way. You could not have been farther from the truth. The truth is these people have lost their homes and been deserted by the families and friends they once had.
Therefore, in the spirit of Thanksgiving: The Social Events Outreach Ministry (S.E.O.M), leaders, and members of the church would like to serve the community by promoting unity and love through Christ by organizing this event. The dinner is served to people who are in need of a home cooked meal. The program includes a great variety of food and music, in addition, a distribution of coats, shoes, sweaters, blankets and hygienic products. There is also another part where we do an outreach to people who are homebound such as Senior Citizens complexes and various shelters in the area.
Sister Ketsia Jean-Baptiste
Founder and Coordinator
Ketsia15@aol.com
The Committee
Ketsia Jean-Baptiste, Coordinator
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Geralda Charles, Delegate
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Kettelie Joseph, Member
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