COMMUNITY MINISTRIES
ANNUAL REPORT 2023
COMMUNITY MINISTRIES IN 2023
Began our new program with PEER Inc/East Lake Market to serve neighborhoods around Birmingham with Free Mobile Pop-Up Markets of fresh produce
Mission Journey team traveled to Mwandi Mission, Zambia
Weekend Buddy Bag Program grew to serve 320 students per month at Hayes K-8
Continued our long tradition of serving dinner at First Light Shelter for Homeless Women and Children
Mission Journey team traveled to Chiapas, Mexico
Partnered with Bread for the World to host a Racial Wealth Gap Simulation
AL Back Belt Mission Journey team traveled to Wilcox County
Hosted the Summer Learning Program at the Children’s Fresh Air Farm
Gleaned at Pepper Place Market with Society of St. Andrews
Mission Journey team traveled to Kigali, Rwanda
Joined in the Habitat for Humanity Presbytery build in Pleasant Grove Hosted a successful 3rd annual Crop Drop and collected 285 Harvest for Hunger bags
Launched STAIR 3.0 pilot program and Angel Tree at Hayes K-8 School
2,120
7,200
1,000
DISCERNMENT COMMITTEE UPDATES
All three participants in the Family Wraparound Support Services Job Training graduated their programs with the support of IPC’s Social Services.
Mobility Mentoring at i3 Academy began with 12 families in the program, led by Ebone Kimber. IPC members are involved as family partners and mentors.
Hayes K-8 School Community Connector, Daphne Huff, began her work in April and has implemented mentoring programs, encouraged a new PTA, coordinated mobile health and eye clinics and referred families to additional services.
The Children’s Fresh Air Farm Summer Learning Program was able to employ six alumni as interns throughout the summer in classrooms, PE and lifeguarding. Summer Learning Scholars achieved a six month gain in Math, and they avoided the summer slide in Reading.
I N D I V I D U A L V O L U N T E E R S I N 2 0 2 3 F R O M T H E I P C C O M M U N I T Y 410 F A M I L I E S R E C E I V E D F R E S H F O O D T H R O U G H O U R F R E E M O B I L E P O P - U P M A R K E T S
P O I N T S O F E N G A G E M E N T W I T H T H E C O N G R E G A T I O N
C U B I C F E E T O F P L A S T I C R E C Y C L E D F O R C O M M U N I T Y O N T H E R I S E
COMMUNITY
BY
MINISTRIES
THE NUMBERS
SUB-COMMITTEES OF THE
Selected a new director of The Children’s Fresh Air Farm, Becky Wright, who started in August.
Piloted a new program in partnership with STAIR of Birmingham, to tutor third graders in reading at Hayes K-8 School.
Graduated 103 scholars from the Summer Learning Program.
Celebrated the centennial of The Children’s Fresh Air Farm all year long with speakers, festivals, reunions, new gardens and pool house.
E a r t h C a r e
Earth Care e-recycling and document shredding responsibly recycled 856 lbs. electronics and 1,300 lbs. paper.
In partnership with Community on the Rise, 1,000 cubic feet of #5 plastics was saved from landfills and women survivors of homelessness were empowered through living wage jobs and safe housing.
Provided financial assistance to 240 individual families in crisis. 48% of the assistance was to prevent eviction.
115 bus passes were provided to neighbors. Received referrals from over 20 community organizations.
Maintained contact with 118 STAIR and Summer Learning Program families.
C h i l d r e n ' s F r e s h A i r F a r m F a m i l y S t a b i l i t y a n d O p p o r t u n i t y
COMMUNITY MINISTRIES TEAM
H o m e l e s s n e s s a n d
H o u s i n g
Continued longtime partnership with First Light and provided five full weeks of meals to the women and children there. Helped to build and fund a Habitat for Humanity house in Pleasant Grove.
H u n g e r a n d F o o d
I n s e c u r i t y
In partnership with PEER Inc. our FREE Mobile Pop-Up Produce Markets reached approximately 600 households each month.
Distributed 2,720 Weekend Buddy Bags to students at Hayes K-8.
Crop Drop volunteers bagged 33,000 lbs. sweet potatoes shared with more than 15,000 households via 30 organizations and churches in North Central AL. Saved 1,155 lbs. of produce from landfills by gleaning at Pepper Place Market during the summer with Society of St. Andrew.
G l o b a l M i s s i o n s
Sent Mission Teams to Mwandi Mission, Zambia, Chiapas, Mexico, Alabama Black Belt, and Kigali, Rwanda.
Hosted a Global Missions Celebration in September with storytelling and pictures of all mission journeys.
FINANCES 2 0 2 3 Food $82,162.04 Utilities $70,830.23 Housing $39,102.95 Transportation $31,345.11 OtherExpenses* $20,976.89 Total Social Service Expenses: $244,417.72 GiftsandMemorials* $173,476.49 FoodMinistryGifts* $60,515.72 IPCFoundation $53,030.34 BlessingProject* $8,720.00
Gifts to Social Services: $295,742.55 *Medical, Clothing, Funeral Costs, Bank Fees, Etc *Designated gifts
Total
SERVE WITH IPC
Ongoing Opportunities
Weekend Buddy Bag packing and delivery
Blessing Box filling and restocking
Meals on Wheels driving STAIR 3 0 tutoring Tuesdays or Wednesdays during the school year
Recycling #5 plastics/Delivering Super Sack
Preparing and serving dinner at First Light
Women's Shelter
Summer Learning Program Tutors
Gleaning at Pepper Place Market
Mobility Mentoring with i3 Families
Special Events
Ukrainian Freedom Festival: August 24th
Habitat Presbytery Build: Begins September 12th
Crop Drop: October 20th
Harvest for Hunger: October 20th-November 24th
Summer Learning Program Angel Tree- Month of December
Staff Members
Rev. Melissa Self Patrick
Director of Community Ministries mpatrick@ipc-usa org 205-933-3709
Evelyn Puckett Social Services Coordinator
epuckett@ipc-usa.org 205-933-3726
Sarah Scruggs
Community Ministries Coordinator sscruggs@ipc-usa.org 205-933-3725
CFAF
Becky Wright
Director of CFAF
bwright@ipc-usa.org 205-623-2187
COMMUNITY MINISTRIES LEADERSHIP
Community Ministries Team
Chair: David Woodruff, dwoodruff@att.net
Vice Chair: Kate Mather, katemather@gmail.com
Children's Fresh Air Farm
Committee Chair: Ivy Spencer, tomivy@bellsouth net
Vice Chair: Jan Posey, poseyjackson@gmail com
Family Stability and Opportunity
Committee Chair: David Woodruff, dwoodruf@att net
Co-Chair: Margaret Shepherd, magtshep@icloud com
Earth Care
Committee Chair: Janet Ort, ortdruid@gmail.com
Global Missions
Committee Chair: Tommy Thomson tommythomson101@icloud.com
Homelessness and Housing
Committee Chair: Elise Warren, coolelise@yahoo com
Hunger and Food Insecurity
Committee Co-Chairs:
Pat Forman, mccforman@gmail.com
Sissy Austin, sissy@sissyaustin.com
Partners in the Community and Around the World
Hayes K-8 School i3 Academy
City of Birmingham
PEER, Inc./East Lake Market
Birmingham Education Foundation
One Roof
Rev Fred Ankai-Taylor Church of the Risen Christ, Vinnytsia, Ukraine
Society of St. Andrews Alabama Gleaning Network
Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind
Helping Families Initiative
Jefferson County DA’s Office
Archbishop Laurent Mbanda East African Christian University, Kigali, Rwanda
Birmingham MOMs
UAB Hospital
Lakeview AA and Al-Anon
Summer Adventures in Learning (SAIL)
Housing Authority
Birmingham District
Salvador and Irma de la Torre Chipas, Mexico and Nkhoma Hospital, Malawi
STAIR of Birmingham
Community on the Rise
Veteran’s Affairs Supportive Housing Program Veteran’s Affairs
Hope Inspired Ministries
Ida and Keith Waddell
Mwandi Mission and Hospital, Zambia
Jefferson Blount St Clair Mental Health Authority
Rev. Chris Ndei
Kirimara West Presbytery, Nairobi, Kenya
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Birmingham
Rev. James Ephraim United Presbyterians of Wilcox County
Rick Wiater
Meeting God in Missions, Dominican Republic
Jeremiah's Hope
Salvation Army My Home Program