North Congregational Church has a legacy of serving the community and addressing its needs. One of our many contributions is our support of Crossroads of Michigan. Twice a year a group of volunteers makes a trip to Crossroads, a Detroit soup kitchen, to provide meals to the homeless and those struggling to find a means to feeding themselves. Two teams of volunteers serve 500-700 clients of Crossroads. The first team makes hundreds of sandwiches and gets the soup boiling. The second team serves the clients. But before the big day members of North Church are busy baking hundreds of cookies, collecting toiletries for hygiene kits and gathering clothing.
Many members and friends participate in the annual CROP Walk soliciting pledges to support the programs of Church World Services, internationally, nationally and locally. CROP Hunger Walks are community-wide events sponsored by Church World Service and organized by local volunteers to raise funds to end hunger. In our community churches and synagogues, as well as other organizations from Farmington, Farmington Hills and West Bloomfield work together. About 200 walkers from twenty organizations raise over $26,000 each year, with one-quarter of that amount staying in our local community. The CROP Walk is always held on first Sunday in May.
One week in the summer North Congregational hosts South Oakland Shelter, in coordination with the Muslim Community Mosque, St. Gerald Catholic Church and Trinity in the Woods Episcopal Church, providing housing and meals to homeless families and individuals from the area.
North Church hosts the annual “Thanksforgiving Dinner,” serving a Thanksgiving meal for some of our community’s less fortunate. This dinner is sponsored by S.O.U.L., “Source of Universal Love” located in downtown Farmington. In addition to this holiday meal, S.O.U.L. provides emergency assistance to individuals and families and has a resale shop.
The Samaritan Counseling Center utilizes North Church offices as a satellite location for counseling sessions.
Click here for a complete list of the local, national, and international organizations which are supported by North Church through our Diaconate benevolence budget and/or volunteer efforts.