This committee organizes several activities throughout the year to support social causes in our community and around the world. There are also several service groups outside the committee. Participants are most members of Immanuel and several non-members too. The main regular activities are:

Hospitality Center for the Homeless in Evanston.

We have occasional drives to collect healthy snacks for the EEAC Hospitality Center. We provide juice and other beverages, crackers and spreads several times a year.

The Night Ministry in Chicago.

The Night Ministry is a group in Chicago that serves people of all ages on the streets of Chicago. When needed, we send a group to the First Saturday service day. The group joins other volunteers to pack cookies or assemble health kits for the outreach bus. We also respond to emergency shortages of cookie packs or health kits by sending a group to help out mid-week.

Lutheran World Relief.

We support Lutheran World Relief throughout the year, but mostly in late summer and early Fall when we gather supplies for LWR kits. These may be school kits, health kits, or sewing kits. In 2007, we assembled 90 school kits. We also collect money to help pay for the delivery of items to the people served by LWR.

Evening Quilters (Quilt Showcase)

From January through October, the one Friday (usually the fourth) of the month is for Evening Quilters. We assemble quilts and comforters for Lutheran World Relief. Several members make quilt tops at home. Others are created at church. Most are batted and tied. In September, the quilts are displayed throughout the church before being boxed and shipped. In 2007, we supplied over 50 quilts to LWR.

Mad Hatters.

January through November, the second Friday of the month the Mad Hatters meet to sew, knit, or crochet hats for newborns at the PCC Community Wellness Center. The babies need head covering, and we provide them with stylish hand made hats.

Sewing Group.

A group gathers the first Thursday of the month for sewing related projects and lunch. They also contribute the work of Evening Quilters and Mad Hatters.

Today's date is Wednesday Aug 20, 2008.

In December the Sunday schoolers stuffed 36 holiday stockings with toys and treats provided by church members. Five volunteers delivered them to the Night Ministry on December 15 and stayed to wrap presents and assemble health kits.

Earlier in the month the Social Ministry Committee cooked gallons of chili. The home schoolers who use our facilities on Fridays prepared cornbread to go with it. The high school youth group and their advisors took this food to one of the stops of the Night Ministry Outreach bus where they served it to the clients who showed up for the services of the Night Ministry.

The green paragraph:

Do you know what a locavore is? It is the New Oxford American Dictionary 2007 word of the year, and it's a green thing to be. A locavore is a person who only eats foods produced within 100 miles of where they consume it. That is a bit difficult for us Midwesterners in the middle of winter, but we can still buy Michigan grown apples that are sweet and crisp and mushrooms can be grown just about anywhere. You probably already eat Wisconsin cheeses. Have you tried an Illinois wine? As Spring develops, there are more opportunities especially at the Farmer's Markets. In this era of reading the labels for nutrition and trans fats, also look to see where the food comes from and choose local when you can.

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