Service
Links on this page
The people of The South Church are a group of individuals committed to the mission of caring for others. We do this in a variety of ways - from sponsoring refugee families and donating Christmas gifts for orphaned children, to growing vegetables and collecting canned goods for donation to local food pantries, to opening our doors to our homeless neighbors in the northwest suburbs as a PADS site, to mention just a few.
Friends and neighbors are welcome to participate in our missions. We also can provide service opportunities for students and service organizations. Call our church office at office@thesouthchurch.com for details.
PADS
Imagine pulling together a dinner for 30. Now imagine doing it every week. For 30 weeks. Since the early '90s, The South Church has opened our doors to feed and house our homeless neighbors. Working in conjunction with Journeys from PADS to HOPE, the church is honored to host homeless guests on Monday evenings for 30 weeks from October through April. Our guests are welcomed warmly, and receive a hot, home-cooked dinner, a nutritious breakfast, a bag lunch and shelter from the winter storms. It takes a great deal of planning and effort and love to make this program a reality. Our friends and neighbors in the community are welcome to volunteer.
Imagine pulling together a dinner for 30. Now imagine doing it every week. For 30 weeks. Since the early '90s, The South Church has opened our doors to feed and house our homeless neighbors. Working in conjunction with Journeys from PADS to HOPE, the church is honored to host homeless guests on Monday evenings for 30 weeks from October through April. Our guests are welcomed warmly, and receive a hot, home-cooked dinner, a nutritious breakfast, a bag lunch and shelter from the winter storms. It takes a great deal of planning and effort and love to make this program a reality. Our friends and neighbors in the community are welcome to volunteer.
One Hope United
The people of The South Church make Christmas-time a little brighter for more than 100 children in foster care in the Chicagoland area. Each year, we purchase, collect and deliver presents for these children through the charitable organization One Hope United. Our gifts are from the heart, as we support those less fortunate.
The people of The South Church make Christmas-time a little brighter for more than 100 children in foster care in the Chicagoland area. Each year, we purchase, collect and deliver presents for these children through the charitable organization One Hope United. Our gifts are from the heart, as we support those less fortunate.
Pennies for Peace
Extra pennies? No problem! Small gifts like that, when added up, could buy pencils or paper or books for children who otherwise have no school supplies, or even a school! The South Church has raised over $200 to help Greg Mortenson's Pennies for Peace program (under the non-profit Central Asia Institute). Mr. Mortenson, an avid mountaineer, made it his goal to make a positive difference for children in remote areas of Pakistan who lack educational facilities and supplies. The South Church encourages children and adults alike to save their pennies and donate to this worthy cause.
Extra pennies? No problem! Small gifts like that, when added up, could buy pencils or paper or books for children who otherwise have no school supplies, or even a school! The South Church has raised over $200 to help Greg Mortenson's Pennies for Peace program (under the non-profit Central Asia Institute). Mr. Mortenson, an avid mountaineer, made it his goal to make a positive difference for children in remote areas of Pakistan who lack educational facilities and supplies. The South Church encourages children and adults alike to save their pennies and donate to this worthy cause.
Food for the Hungry
We collect canned goods, boxed foodstuffs, and household items for donation to local food pantries in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. Donations can be made at any time and placed in the basket next to the church office. Foods that are high in protein, such as canned meat and fish, are especially needed.
We collect canned goods, boxed foodstuffs, and household items for donation to local food pantries in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. Donations can be made at any time and placed in the basket next to the church office. Foods that are high in protein, such as canned meat and fish, are especially needed.
Vegetable Garden
Spring is always eagerly anticipated at The South Church, for it means planting time is almost here! On our property, with lots of sun and rich mulch, is a much-loved, well-tended, organic vegetable garden. Everything we grow here is donated to CEDA's fresh food pantry. In 2010, a new record was set and The South Church donated over 2,100 pounds of tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, carrots, squash, cucumbers and other healthy vegetables. Many hands work in this garden; last year a dedicated group of young Girl Scouts met weekly to weed the garden. Our members plant and tend the neat, even rows throughout the summer, and fall is harvest time. Our garden has been featured in The Daily Herald for its experimental and environmentally-conscious solar watering system, graciously donated by Green Garden Eco Solutions. If you're out walking in the neighborhood, stop on by to pick some weeds or pick up some friendly gardening conversation!
Spring is always eagerly anticipated at The South Church, for it means planting time is almost here! On our property, with lots of sun and rich mulch, is a much-loved, well-tended, organic vegetable garden. Everything we grow here is donated to CEDA's fresh food pantry. In 2010, a new record was set and The South Church donated over 2,100 pounds of tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, carrots, squash, cucumbers and other healthy vegetables. Many hands work in this garden; last year a dedicated group of young Girl Scouts met weekly to weed the garden. Our members plant and tend the neat, even rows throughout the summer, and fall is harvest time. Our garden has been featured in The Daily Herald for its experimental and environmentally-conscious solar watering system, graciously donated by Green Garden Eco Solutions. If you're out walking in the neighborhood, stop on by to pick some weeds or pick up some friendly gardening conversation!
Peace Walk
The General Assembly of the United Nations passed a resolution in 2001 naming Sept. 21 as International Peace Day. The hope is for "a day of global cease-fire and non-violence, an invitation to all nations and people to honor a cessation of hostilities for the duration of the day." The UN encourages all organizations and individuals to commemorate this day. The South Church in 2009 began hosting a community-wide walk to mark this eternal hope for world peace. The South Church invites all neighboring community groups, as well as churches, to participate in the 2-mile walk. Sporting hand-painted signs and peace t-shirts, we walk from our church to downtown Mount Prospect to raise awareness for the need for global peace. Featured speakers have included Mayor Irvana Wilks and Karen Johnson of the Illinois Peace Alliance. After the walk, there is always a party on the church lawn, with a bouncy house for children, food and drinks, and live music from Voodoo Cadillac. This year's event drew nearly 70 people and featured gifts from the Evanston-based retail fair-trade store 10,000 Villages. At The South Church, we not only talk the talk, we walk the walk!
The General Assembly of the United Nations passed a resolution in 2001 naming Sept. 21 as International Peace Day. The hope is for "a day of global cease-fire and non-violence, an invitation to all nations and people to honor a cessation of hostilities for the duration of the day." The UN encourages all organizations and individuals to commemorate this day. The South Church in 2009 began hosting a community-wide walk to mark this eternal hope for world peace. The South Church invites all neighboring community groups, as well as churches, to participate in the 2-mile walk. Sporting hand-painted signs and peace t-shirts, we walk from our church to downtown Mount Prospect to raise awareness for the need for global peace. Featured speakers have included Mayor Irvana Wilks and Karen Johnson of the Illinois Peace Alliance. After the walk, there is always a party on the church lawn, with a bouncy house for children, food and drinks, and live music from Voodoo Cadillac. This year's event drew nearly 70 people and featured gifts from the Evanston-based retail fair-trade store 10,000 Villages. At The South Church, we not only talk the talk, we walk the walk!
