Mission and Social Justice

Local, National, and World Mission Efforts

Throughout the year we are involved in ongoing efforts to support the lives of those in need locally and around the world. Mission is at the heart of most everything we do.

Locally we support Sister Jeans Kitchen, GLSEN of Southern New Jersey, PFLAG Egg Harbor Township, The Leadership Studio of Atlantic City, The Food Bank of South Jersey. We also have one of the highest producing Equal Exchange Fair Trade Product ministries in the nation designed to support small farmers around the world. These are a few of the mission efforts we are involved with. 

Nationally and Internationally we support More Light Presbyterians, The Mustard Seed Academy/Uganda and the national missions of the Presbyterian Church (USA) 

NEWS OF THE WEEK:

Ocean Heights Presbyterian Church
Mission/Social Justice Committee

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

On Tuesday, November 16, 2021 at 4:30 pm, Stockton University is presenting the Pappas Visiting Scholar Series Featuring
Ta-Nehisi Coates, who is an author, journalist, screenwriter, executive producer and professor.  He is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller, Between the World and Me, and the winner of the 2015 National Book Award for Nonfiction. His works have been chosen by Stockton’s faulty as the shared reading for incoming students as part of their first-year seminar course.  

For information about this free virtual event, please visit:    http://stockton.edu/pappas
For questions, please contact Nikki Strothers: nikki.strothers@stockton.edu or 609-652-4470

SUPPORT FOR AFGHAN REFUGEES

We are now only able to accept monetary donations for the refugees until September 19th.  We can no longer accept clothing or other items.




Carolyn Finney: Black Faces, White Spaces
Drawing from her book, Black Faces, White Spaces, her relationships "in the field" and her lived experience, Dr. Finney explores the complexities and contradictions of our past, the realities of our present and the possibilities of our future as it relates to green space, race, and the power to shape the places we live in our own image. By engaging in "green" conversations with Black people from around the country, she considers the power of resistance and resilience in the emergence of creative responses to environmental and social challenges in our cities and beyond.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzOzzpNap14&t=1727s (1 hour 24 min talk for the NY Botanical Garden)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i58ayzQf4wc (18 minute TED Talk)

2021 Taking Nature Black Conference - Archived Video Highlights
Sponsor: Audubon Naturalist Society, Maryland
The Taking Nature Black Conference celebrates and seeks to expand the role that African Americans have played in protecting the environment.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nik3Y9CmppU

High on the Hog
The Mission/Social Justice Committee is recommending a great Netflix four-part series documentary called “High on the Hog”.  The series show cases how African slave food changed the landscape of American history and the food scene.  Go to: the below link for more information:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/17/dining/osayi-endolyn-high-on-the-hog.html

Ocean Heights Presbyterian Church is Certified as a PC(USA) Earth Care Congregation

 

To become an Earth Care Congregation, this congregation affirmed an Earth Care Pledge to integrate environmental practices and thinking into their worship, education, facilities, and outreach.

The Earth Care Congregation certification is designed to recognize churches that make the commitment to take seriously God’s charge to “till and keep” the garden.

Started in 2010 by the PC(USA), the goal of this program is to inspire churches to care for God’s earth in a holistic way, through integrating earth care into all aspects of their church life.  The Earth Care Congregation certification honors churches that make that commitment and encourages others to follow their example.

 “It is exciting that Ocean Heights Presbyterian Church is one of the 276 churches that chose to dedicate themselves to intentional care of God’s earth this year. Particularly in a time of much uncertainty and worry about the future, this congregation’s activities and commitment even in the midst of navigating limitations brought about by COVID-19 brings hope to their community. We believe that Ocean Heights Presbyterian Church will inspire others to respond intentionally to God’s call to care for the earth,” says Jessica Maudlin, Associate for Sustainable Living and Earth Care Concerns for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
For more information about Ocean Heights Presbyterian Church’s earth care program contact Sharon Cresse at gdcsgc@verizon.net  or (609) 641-5004 to see what the Environmental Stewardship Guidelines are click this link 

https://www.ohchurch.org/Guidelines-Environmental-Stewardship

 

 


For more information on the Earth Care Congregations program visit www.pcusa.org/earthcarecongregations.

Our Church Rain Garden

 

In August, the Earth Care Task Force submitted a proposal to Session for the creation of a rain garden at the back of the
church parking lot. It was approved, along with a budget of $5000. VanSant Environmental was hired to excavate the area,
create a culvert to control rain water flow and create an additional storm water storage area adjoining the current
detention basin. Work on this project began on September 8 and will soon be ready for initial seeding.

If you would like to discuss this project further or volunteer to help, you may contact Wendy Walsh, Diane Falk or Sharon Cresse.

 If you would like to make a donation for the seeds and plants that will be used, make the check out to OHPC and write “rain garden” in the memo.  To view the entire proposal, click the link below. Thank you for your support! 
https://www.ohchurch.org/habitat-enhancement-proposal
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