BEING MISSIONAL
At Englewood we strive to not only look inside our church walls to care for others, but to also reach outside of ourselves to find those in need. We believe that an essential part of being the hands and feet of Christ in our world means learning to reach out in care.
Hunger Ministry
For over thirty years Englewood has provided a Food Pantry to feed hungry people in the Northland. In 2009 we provided groceries to 209 families consisting of 379 adults and 333 children. Church members provide food to stock the pantry. We work in conjunction with area agencies to identify those in need. We are a member of Harvesters Community Food Network which allows us to purchase deeply discounted food to supplement our Food Pantry.
In the spring of 2009, we were part of a pilot program with Harvesters Community Food Network and North Kansas City School District to provide homeless high school students with nutritious food. School counselors identified 50 students in need of food to take home over the weekend when free lunches are not available. Harvesters delivers food and totes to carry the food to the church where Englewood volunteers assemble the food into the bags, and finally the counselors pick up the bags and deliver them to the students. Currently we are packing 67 totes every week.
We also seek ways to address the root causes of hunger in our community, our country and around the world. We are a Bread for the World covenant church, which allows us to join other churches in advocating for policies that will reduce poverty in America and around the world.
Golden Oaks School Partnership
We began a partnership with Golden Oaks School in October 2005. Through our partnership we are able to be YouthFriends to Golden Oaks' children and teenagers. We have also contributed prizes for behavioral incentives and packed BackSnack backpacks for the students. We sponsor a Holiday Store at Golden Oaks so the students can shop for free for presents for family members. Each fall we collect school supplies for the students and school. We also provide support and encouragement to the faculty and staff. In turn, the students at Golden Oaks have ministered to us by contributing boxes and boxes of food items to stock our food pantry as well as raise money to contribute to the pantry. We are elated to have this wonderful give-and-take partnership with Golden Oaks School.
Englewood was named North Kansas City Schools' 2008 Partner of the Year for our partnership with Golden Oaks Education Center. Rev. Micah Pritchett, Pastor of Englewood Baptist Church in Gladstone, was presented a plaque at the School Board Meeting on April 15, 2008 by Board President Jan Kauk. Here is a portion of the speech that President Jan Kauk made when she presented the award to Pastor Micah Pritchett on behalf of Englewood Baptist Church at the April 15, 2008 meeting. “Englewood Baptist Church is a Partner in Education with Golden Oaks. Volunteers from the church:
- Guide the Backsnack Program
- Provide YouthFriends for students
- Visit weekly with a trained therapy dog
- Give awards to students for positive behavior
- Furnish a holiday gift store that allows students to select gifts for loved ones and have them wrapped
- Provide special lunches for staff
- Provide snacks for the Honor Roll assembly
- Participate on the site council
Englewood Baptist Church is consistently in contact with the site council offering new ideas for ways they can be of service to students and staff – all with the purpose of serving the school and community. The entire congregation makes decisions regarding support for Golden Oaks with input from volunteers and committees who have worked “hands-on” at the school. One Englewood volunteer is a retired NKC Schools librarian who organized, catalogued and shelved the entire school library.”
Monthly Mission Projects
Each month the church participates in a mission project. Recent projects include:
- collecting food for our food pantry.
- collecting diapers, wipes, and kleenexes for Synergy House
- collecting items for residents of the Baptist Home in Chillicothe
- collecting coats and winter clothing for Project Warm Embrace for Lakota Indians in South Dakota
- Kansas City AIDS Walk
- collecting items to fill shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child
- adopting a family for Thanksgiving
- collecting items to run a "Christmas Store" at Golden Oaks School
- children made sacks and treats to be given away in the food pantry
Mission Trip to Bridger, South Dakota from July 31-August 5, 2010
The trip will focus on building relationships and cross-cultural understanding. We will host a rummage sell, organize a play time for the children of the community, and complete projects at the request of the local residents such as painting a porch, hanging a gate, or fixing a bathroom floor. Second Baptist Liberty has been going to Bridger for the last five years and we will build on the work and relationships they have established.
The work in Bridger is part of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s Together for Hope ministry. Launched in 2001, Together for Hope (TFH) is a long-term commitment to working with people in 20 of the nation’s poorest counties in order to affect change and break the cycle of economic disparity. The ministry is about establishing long-term relationship listening, learning, and walking alongside local leaders. The hope is that communities will be transformed as will the churches and individuals who go to serve in these counties.
July 9-12, 2009 Church-wide Intergenerational Kansas City Mission Trip
In the past, Englewood has given great support to mission teams that go to serve God in other places around our country. This year we focused our efforts right here in the Northland. This helped us grow our community involvement and missional partnerships by working with 11 different ministries and organizations. It also gave every Englewooder an opportunity to serve regardless of age or ability.
Over 60 different participants ranged in age from 9 to 89 years old. Englewooders installed installation kits in the homes of senior adults for Shepherds Center of the Northland. Volunteers worked at Hillcrest Thrift Store, Bridging the Gap Recycling Center, and Salvation Army Family Shelter. Children made and distributed cookies to nursing home patients and firefighters. Englewooders made and delivered meals to Synergy Services and Set Free Ministries. Volunteers helped prepare for the Philippine Medical Mission Trip. A group made a variety of items for Rachel House Pregnancy Center and Kendallwood Hospice.
Intergenerational Mission Trip to Helena, Arkansas
In July 2008 a team from Englewood traveled to Helena, Arkansas to work with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship's "Together for Hope Rural Poverty Initiative." Helena is nestled between the Mississippi River and eastern side of Crowley’s Ridge. Once it had a bustling river port and a train depot, but the town has experienced an economic decline that has devastated the town. We left Gladstone knowing that Phillips County had a high percentage of its population living below the poverty line. Still, we were not fully prepared for what we saw. There were many vacant lots dotted with empty, run down buildings not far from beautifully maintained historic mansions. Poverty seemed to be everywhere. Jim asked some of the kids what they did for fun. Their response was "nothing." There is not much to do without so many of the things we take for granted—movie theaters, McDonalds, libraries, etc.
We spent the week working with local churches and other mission teams from around the country. We greatly appreciated the warm and gracious welcome. The local churches and area residents provided wonderful meals and a comfortable place to stay. The weather was hot and the mosquitoes were plentiful. The fire department set up a misting machine to help everyone stay cool. In spite of the weather, we were thankful for the opportunity to see God at work in people.
Activities for the week included swim camp, construction projects, gardening, beautifying projects, and literacy ministry. The area children heard bible stories, sang, and made craft projects—along with receiving smiles and loving hugs.
The construction team started out early to beat the heat. A new pool house had been built by earlier mission teams. We worked hard to finish turning the old enclosed pool house into an open air pavilion.
The gardening team also started early and worked on the two pool house flower beds. We laid down brick, took up old plastic, ripped out grass, laid down soaker hoses and finished planting.
The teams working with the children were very busy. The children were loving, difficult, precious, and challenging. Here are some reflections from Nancy. "Since coming home, I have slept a lot, thought a lot and also spent some time crying. There wasn’t much time to allow everything I was experiencing to soak in while I was in Helena. We stayed busy. I was loving the children, enjoying them, and sometimes getting frustrated with them. It is the children that I can’t get out of my head. I still plainly see smiling faces, sad faces, faces soaking up learning. I didn’t want to leave them. It is hard to think of them being in need, dreams unfulfilled, obvious talents under developed due to a lack of what is needed to help them develop.
We are thankful to know that the love of God flows from unexpected sources and in unexpected ways and to have had an opportunity to spend a wonderful, stimulating and unforgettable week in Helena/West Helena, Arkansas. We are grateful for the chance to join other volunteers in allowing God to work through us. We are filled with admiration for the work being done to give these children and their community a chance for recovery. As Rod said, "To me CBF was just three letters. Now it is at least one hundred and thirty people working together in this community to make a difference in many lives."
For more information go to http://acc2008.wordpress.com/
View a slideshow of our trip to Helena
Intergenerational Mission Trip July 2006
In the summer of 2006, a team from our church traveled to Nada, Kentucky to work with the "Together for Hope" team. Nada is tucked away in the glorious mountains of the Daniel Boone National Forest. Our team enjoyed a week of service and relationship building with the wonderful community of Nada. Our team held a community rummage sale for the Nada Mission Church. They also offered times of fellowship and recreation for the adults and children of Nada. Some of the activities included a Vacation Bible School, Family Movie Night, Community Cookout, and swimming.
