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Serving God means serving one's neighbor. Reformation offers many opportunities for meaningful involvement in the community - on Capitol Hill, in DC, and around the world. The ministries and working groups of Reformation are organized by volunteers, both members and non-members; to get involved, just contact the church office, or the organizers listed below.

Food Pantry

The Food Pantry has seen unprecedented demand in 2007. Due to rising prices and grain shortages, the year 2008 will see even more need. Each food run costs about $2,500 for ~160 bags of food. We distribute all of this food in less than a month, or at a rate of 50-60 bags a week. Please contribute to the Food Pantry so that we can continue to "feed the people". Please don't let our shelves go empty so that we have to turn people in need away.

We distributed almost 2,200 bags of food and fed over 4,000 people — a 10% increase from last year!

Year	Bags	Households	People
2007	2,193	1,602	4,030
2006	2,030	1,451	3,856
2005	1,574	1,112	2,950
2004	1,487	891	3,085
2003	887	559	2,066
2002	570	364	1,223
2001	336	219	744

Each bag of food feeds a family of 4 for 2 days. Each bag costs $14.00. How many families can you help feed this month? It is an expensive ministry, but it is worth it! Thank you for your continued support of our food pantry. Want to get involved? Contact Karen Carlson.

Tutoring Program

Reformation tutoring has worked with local at-risk children and adolescents since 1988. The program was started by Ms. Constance Smallwood, a member of Reformation and a resident of the Arthur Capper community in Southeast DC, across from the Navy Yard.

We meet each Wednesday evening during the school year. Students and their tutors meet one-on-one, to do schoolwork, to talk, and to be together. Students come to our tutoring program from all parts of the city, but most live in Southeast DC. Tutors, who come from all faiths and backgrounds, become role models for their students. They offer sources of stability in the chaotic lives of our students. They take an active interest in how their students are doing in school, which often involves visits with teachers or counselors. They praise, reward, and encourage their students to do well.

The student/tutor relationship often extends beyond tutoring sessions to special outings to movies or restaurants, visits to each other’s homes and attendance at school events. Many tutors get to know their students’ families. Together, student and tutor decide what shape the mentoring relationship will take.

However much tutors give, they generally feel they receive far more from their students.

If you are interested in participating in this program contact the Church office.

Rebuilding Together / Christmas in April

Mark your calendar for Saturday, April 26, 2008 for a fun day of service and fellowship. Each year members and friends of Reformation join together with Rebuilding Together (formerly Christmas in April) to make needed improvements in the home of one of our lower income neighbors.

This year we will be working at the home of Ms. Gussie Ball. Gussie is a very sweet senior citizen on a fixed income and she needs us to help her make her house safe. Plan to leave the church at 8:00am or meet the house at 8:30am.

Volunteers with all skills are needed. We will be deep cleaning, replacing a water damaged ceiling, removing large amounts of trash, demolition and clean up of water damaged paneling and installing grab bars and hand rails. It's a great way to get to know people while helping a neighbor keep their property up. Please also consider making a financial contribution to this project. We raise $3000 to support our project and also to support other projects in the city. Just mark your check "Rebuilding Together" and put it in the offering or send it to the church.

Note to Parents: Unfortunately, this year's house doesn't have any jobs for children under the age of 14. It would better for the children to pass on this project. We are considering having an activity at the church for the children on that day so that parents can work at the house and not worry about their kids getting into trouble. Talk to Parry or Del if you are interested in helping with child care.

Extra Work Day Opportunities this year. We do need several individual's with tools and skills to work on some serious masonry repair, demolition and carpentry jobs. We will be making several work trips out to the house before April 26th and could use some extra help and advise on some critical repair items. Please talk to Parry or Del to head up one of these very important projects. Please let Parry Carlson or Del Voss know if you cam come and what supplies and or tools you can bring. Come for the whole day or just a few hours. Just let us know and we will schedule a project for you.

Reformation participates in Rebuilding Together, which brings volunteers and communities together to improve the homes and lives of low-income homeowners by providing free repair services for those with the greatest need. To participate, contact Del Voss.

Global Mission Working Group

Looking for a way to become engaged with the global church? The Global Mission Working Group is a doorway for members of Church of the Reformation to get involved in global relationships such as our sister congregation involvements in Windhoek, Namibia; Geneva, Switzerland; and London, England; our Metro Washington DC Synod relationships with Lutheran church bodies in Namibia, El Salvador, and Slovakia; mission support in Madagascar and Mexico; and learning and advocacy through activities such as Gifts of Hope, Global Mission Events, and annual Ecumenical Advocacy Days. Contact Kathryn Tobias for more information.