We believe the Gospel is incarnational, and so we are called to actively give alongside others—working in the community to offer mercy and make systemic changes for the common good. Our guests, friends, and members serve our community and world in varied and different ways as we are called and moved. In August 2021 NPC became a Matthew 25 Congregation — a movement of the PC(USA) to dismantle structural racism and eradicate systemic poverty and be a vital congregation, however these have been longtime values of our church mission.
Recent NPC Projects:
- Riverside Community Meal at First Presbyterian Church of Ypsilanti (Ongoing — We provide desserts on the 5th Wednesdays during the year.)
- May 2024 we assembled 200 “period packs” or menstrual hygeine kits that Church World Service will distribute in emergency situations; we also learned about period poverty and justice.
- Extending a welcoming and supportive presence at Ypsi Pride and Ann Arbor Pride, handing out hundreds of free Pride Flags and providing people the opportunity to write positive messages on “prayer flags” that we fly are lifting up in our sanctuary.
- In and act of restorative justice, in 2022 the leadership of the congregation (session) voted to voluntarily pay ongoing “royalties” when we sing African American Spirituals (on average once a month). The money we set aside for this project goes to support Living Arts Detroit which is a non-profit working on integrating the arts with a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
We work with our sister congregation, St. Aidan’s Episcopal to address many social justice issues, particularly:
- aiding the hungry and homeless through giving ongoing donations to Food Gatherers including produce from our Faith & Food Garden, and providing bus tokens for shelters;
- As of 2023 We have a Bountiful Pantry in our parking lot! It is like a lending library for food where people can add to it or take from it according to their need. We try and keep it supplied with products like individually portioned foods that require minimal cooking (noodle cups, soup, ravioli, tuna) as well as cereal and menstrual hygine and basic hygine items. If you are adding to the cabinet, please make sure your items are not expired.
- promoting peacemaking including a wide variety of elements: educational events around racism; St. Aidan’s is also particularly adept at organizing events for Silence the Violence and new in 2024 a Gun Buyback/Destruction Event in November in partnership with the Episcopal Diocese, and we host several Twelve Step groups under our roof.
- striving for justice with and for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities, in recent years we have had a “Need a Flag, Take a Flag” response to vandalism by choosing instead to spread visible community support of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Here are some of the organizations we recently supported through action and/or mission-giving:
- Food Gatherers – through donations of produce grown in our Food & Faith Garden in addition to other food drives
- Shelter Association of Washtenaw County—including the Delonis Shelter
- Ozone House
- More Light Presbyterians
- Jim Toy Center
We seek to be faithful to Christ’s ministry to, “bring Good News to the poor . . . to proclaim release to the captives, and receiving of sight to the blind; to set at liberty those who are oppressed; and to proclaim the year of the Jubilee” (Luke 4:18-19).
Images: Pride Prayer Flags from Ypsi Pride in our Sanctuary, Summer 2024.
