Each year at our Annual Meeting, Messiah adopts twelve different organizations to raise money for during the year. Donations towards the Benevolence of the Month can be given online or via check marked “Benevolence of the Month” or by using the name of the organization. If you have an organization you’d like us to support in the future, please contact the church office to let us know.
2025 Benevolences of the Month
January: Lutheran Disaster Response
Lutheran Disaster Response shares God’s hope, healing, and renewal with people whose lives have been disrupted by disasters in the United States and around the world. When the dust settles and the headlines change, we stay to provide ongoing assistance to those in need
February: Center for Food Action
The mission of the Center for Food Action is to “prevent hunger and homelessness and improve the lives of individuals and families living in poverty.”
The Center for Food Action (CFA), founded in 1976, is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that provides emergency services to northern New Jersey’s poorest and most vulnerable residents. CFA provides food, housing, utility, and heating assistance and offers counseling and advocacy services to low-income individuals and families. CFA is headquartered in Englewood and has sites in Hackensack, Mahwah, Ringwood, and Saddle Brook.
CFA improves the lives of low-income families and individuals from over 100 towns in northern NJ. CFA provides a wide range of services including but not limited to:
- Emergency and case management services
- Information, referrals, counseling, assistance in accessing public programs
- Emergency food programs
- Homelessness prevention programs
- Weekend snack pack program
- Smile pack program
- Community garden program
March: His Helping Hands, Inc.
His Helping Hands serves weekly hot food and clothing to people experiencing homelessness and those who are less fortunate in Paterson, NJ. Their motto is “Bringing God’s hope and love to [God’s] children one meal at a time in Paterson, NJ.”
April: ELCA World Hunger
ELCA World Hunger works with and through congregations, global companion churches, the Lutheran World Federation, and other partners like Bread for the World, Church World Service, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services, and Lutheran World Relief. They work to provide immediate relief to those who are hungry, as well as work to meet basic needs and recognize the universal human right to food. They seek to connect people with the resources they need to produce food and gain access to clean water, education, health care, and sources of income, to create long-term sustainable change.
May: Cross Roads Camp and Retreat Center
Cross Roads is a welcoming, ecumenical retreat center and camp of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark and the New Jersey Synod of the ELCA. We are accredited by the American Camp Association. Cross Roads Camp and Retreat Center is a welcoming and inclusive community providing life-changing and sacred adventures for renewal, growth, and joy. Cross Roads strives to facilitate renewal, healing, inspiration, and transformation for the body, mind, and spirit while helping individuals deepen their connection to themselves, others, the world we live in, and God. Children encounter God in nature, in worship, and in relationships during youth camp. Faith formation is strengthened through camp activities, songs, and worship while creating opportunities for lasting friendships and connections.
June: Strengthen Our Sisters
Strengthen Our Sisters is a shelter and supportive service program for women and their dependent children who are experiencing homelessness due to domestic violence. They are the largest shelter organization dedicated to serving the most under-served and vulnerable population in northern New Jersey. Strengthen Our Sisters services include a 24-hour hotline, emergency shelter, individual and group counseling, legal, housing, and social service advocacy, bilingual services, childcare, transportation, employment training and advocacy, parenting classes, support groups, stress management groups, community education, and information & referrals.
July: Seafarer’s International House
Seafarers International House (SIH) is the Lutheran response to the urgent needs of vulnerable seafarers and immigrants.
In 2023, SIH celebrated fifteen decades of uninterrupted services to over 2 million seafarers and immigrants in New York City and beyond! SIH is not a place, but rather a service to people on the way. SIH was founded in 1873 by the Augustana Lutheran Church, initially as a mission to Swedish seafarers in the Port of New York and shortly thereafter as a mission to both Swedish seafarers and Swedish immigrants. Incidental to the consolidation of various Lutheran judicatories in the United States over the years, Seafarers International House became an affiliated mission of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in 1987. It is a tax-exempt, 501 (c) (3) organization, incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation under the laws of New York State.
August: ELCA Global Mission
The core work of ELCA Global Mission is to walk with the more than 80 companion churches in other countries to participate in God’s reconciling mission through proclamation and service. We share our gifts and talents while receiving and learning from the witness of our global siblings in Christ. ELCA Global Mission includes the programs of ELCA Missionaries, ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission, and International Leaders.
Messiah directly supports the work of missionary Pastor Kristin Engstrom (serving in Zambia)
September: Putting Prayers to Action
Putting Prayers to Action is a 501c3 non-profit organization focused on sharing God’s love in the Appalachian Mountains by meeting the physical and spiritual needs of children and their families. They are committed to changing the world, one life at a time, with mercy, love, and grace through Christ Jesus, Our Lord. They serve over 3,200 children and their families throughout the Appalachian regions of Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. God allows them to provide the essentials of shoes, personal care items (shampoo, soap, toothbrushes, etc.), coats, and fuel for transportation while sharing the gospel and our faith. Many of the families served by Putting Prayers to Action have no running water or electricity and many children are sick due to poor nutrition and water conditions.
For more information on knitting or crocheting hat and scarf sets for Putting Prayers to Action, visit the Knitting Ministry Page!
October: Ponds Food Pantry
During the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic, Ponds Reformed Church identified a need in the Oakland Community and started a food bank. Today, the Food Pantry at Ponds serves anyone with an urgent nutritional need. Its hours of operation are Tuesday & Saturday 10:00 – 1:00, and Thursday 3:00 – 7:00. Monetary and in-kind donations for the food pantry can be dropped off at Messiah.
November: Rebuilding Together North Jersey
We believe that a safe, warm, dry, and healthy home is a quality of life that everyone deserves.
But we know that not everyone can afford to properly maintain their home – particularly fixed-income seniors, veterans, those with disabilities, and low-income families. Originally founded by the Junior League of Bergen County in 1998 as Rebuilding Together Bergen County, we are dedicated to providing low-income homeowners with critical repairs and modifications needed to live safely in their homes. In 2016, we expanded to serve high-needs communities in northern New Jersey, beginning with Paterson and Passaic County. We are proud to embrace our new name as Rebuilding Together North Jersey (RTNJ).
December: Global Refuge (formerly: Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services, LIRS)
Global Refuge, formerly Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), is a nonprofit serving newcomers seeking safety, support, and a share in the American dream. For 85 years, they have welcomed those seeking refuge, upholding a legacy of compassion and grace for people in crisis.
They walk alongside individuals, families, and children as they begin their new lives in the United States through our work in refugee resettlement, welcome and respite services for asylum seekers, economic empowerment and employment, and family unification for unaccompanied children. To date, they have served over 750,000 people from around the globe.
January 2026: Lutheran Disaster Response
February 2026: St. Paul’s Community Development Center