Guided by the Presbyterian World Mission framework of hands-on, empowered partnership and advocacy, the FPCY mission commission works in partnership within and beyond our church to create mission opportunities for our congregation and the local community. Two major focal areas are addressing hunger and addressing mental health.
We create mission opportunities that are designed not just to help those in need, but also to improve ourselves and deepen our understanding of people, society and the world. To quote Jesuit Priest Father Greg Boyle, “We don’t go to the margins to make a difference. We go to the margins so that the folks at the margins make us different.”
Please visit our volunteering page, and take advantage of this opportunity to be “made different”.
Addressing Hunger
Pantry. Two Saturday mornings per month, our Pantry provides food and other essential supplies to between 150 and 250 families in our area. Many of our clientele work hard, yet do not earn enough to support their families without some assistance. We see the number of families who rely on us as symptoms of a fundamental failure of our society, and are seeking to use our relationships with Feeding Westchester and other pantries in our area to understand underlying causes and pursue potential solutions.
Garden of Hope. We are active participants in the Garden of Hope, an organization that spans many local faith communities and secular organizations. Collectively, the Garden raises several tons of produce annually and donates it to our pantry and others in the area. In 2021, we are moving to a new location granted to us by the town of Yorktown, where we hope to use the garden as a forum for educating the local community about organic gardening practices and good environmental stewardship.
Jan Peek House. On the fourth Saturday of each month, 3 or more families deliver and serve home-cooked meals to 35-40 people at Jan Peek House, a supportive shelter located in Peekskill that is run by CHHOP (Caring for the Hungry & Homeless in Peekskill). This takes 2-3 hours and can be a great opportunity for fellowship with other members of our church community while making an important contribution to our local community. You can sign up here.
Noontime Meal. On the Tuesday before the second Wednesday of each month, we deliver enough food to make lunches for over 100 people at the Peekskill Salvation Army. This takes only an hour to do, and has a big impact. You can sign up here.
Hunger Action Congregation. Under our leadership, representatives from all of our church’s commissions are conducting a comprehensive analysis of our efforts pertaining to hunger and food justice. The purpose is to identify new opportunities to expand our ministry and obtain certification as a Hunger Action Congregation.
Addressing Mental Health
In collaboration with the Deacons, we launched FPCY’s Mental Health & Wellness Team in 2020. Its purpose is to explore the mental health needs of the church and community and develop approaches to strengthen the mental health outreach to our church and neighboring communities. For this purpose, we worked in partnership with Pathways to Promise to develop a mental health survey that was taken by members of our congregation in early 2021 to assess attitudes and needs. Several other congregations in our area took part in our survey as well. The survey results, currently under review, will guide the formation of a plan to enhance our mental health ministry.
In addition, we sponsor one member who provides weekly counseling services to the men in recovery at St. Christopher’s Inn.
Meeting Space for Outside Groups. We open our doors to several self-help community organizations such as:
Other Mission Activities
Green Team. Our church has a strong commitment to being sustainable in all of our activities. Learn more about our Green Team.
Midnight Run. Approximately twice per year, we collect clothing and toiletries and deliver them along with hot food to clientele in New York City.
Mission Trips. Conditions permitting, we organize domestic and international mission trips in alternate years through organizations such as DOOR, Bridges to Community, and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.