Friendship Churches Forming
Food Sustainability and Aging Study Groups
Photo Cutline:
Pastors Kevin Palmiter, left, of the Followers of the Way - Nile Community Church, and Duane Broadwell of the Friendship Bible Baptist Church confer after weekly community prayer meeting at the Friendship Mission House about development of study groups to address issues of food instability, nutrition, and needs of the elderly throughout the area.
FRIENDSHIP, NY -
A group of Friendship churches is joining together to create community study
groups to make suggestions about how to increase food availability for those in
need, nutrition education, and addressing concerns of aging populations.
The What God is
Doing in Friendship ny alliance of churches is spearheading the initiative,
part of an outreach of its recently-announced Mission House project which is
designed to attempt to serve more individuals and families who experience a
variety of holistic health needs - physical, mental/emotional and spiritual -
which have been identified as being important for overall well-being.
The Mission House
is located at the site of the former St. Andrew's Episcopal Church at 28-32
East Main Street, with the facility currently being enhanced to provide
multiple services.
Church
congregants have been meeting at 8:30AM each Thursday at the former church
rectory for individual and community prayer, followed by a free continental
breakfast, except for the first Thursday of the month when they continue prayer
in front of Friendship Central School at 46 West Main Street for students,
teachers, other staff, the Board of Education, parents and caregivers, and
related matters, with breakfast following at the Bible Baptist Church across
the street.
The Mission House
setting, which includes parking and handicapped access at the rear of the
facility, is able to provide a more homelike atmosphere for group activities.
Pastor Kevin
Palmiter of Followers of the Way - Nile Community Church, said that “with aging
populations, it is important to recognize the needs of older adults and
determine ways to help address them as a community.
“Seniors often
experience a sense of isolation, with many
beset with issues involving lack of nearby family, suitable housing,
health, food and nutrition, and absence of adequate income,” he noted.
Recent Census
data indicates that over 35 percent of the population in the hamlet of
Friendship are 55 years of age or older, with over one out of four being over
60. Some 4.3 percent are at least 80.
Pastor Duane
Broadwell of the Friendship Bible Baptist Church addressed a related issue,
saying that “we in the churches are seeing a greater need for adequate food
supplies for individuals and families throughout the area, with many having
insufficient incomes to obtain enough food for adequate nourishment throughout
a week or month.”
The community
study groups of both church and non-church participants will seek to identify
specific areas of need and then suggest how to address them, both through
churches and other resources.
Both clergy
members agreed that “communities need to come together to find ways to help our
neighbors, not only to improve the health of our seniors and the population as
a whole who are in need, but to aid, in turn, in enhancing the overall health
and vitality of our area.”
The churches
alliance already has identified some potential areas of food expansion, in
addition to the Mission Agape once-a-month food pantry distribution, along with
emergency food availability, through the Church of God in Christ; the 24/7
Blessing Box of donated food at the United Church of Friendship; and the
Americans Helping Americans food distributions through the school.
Development of
raised beds and community gardens, cooking and nutrition classes, a Pop-Up
Pantry site to enable distribution of fresh food products, an enhanced
awareness of food availability, and
other potentials have been discussed by church leaders.
Activities to
help overcome older adult isolation, provide human relations support, encourage
safe exercise, develop home and grounds maintenance assistance, create
communications aids, and help increase awareness of resources which already
exist also have been discussed as they relate to senior citizen, disabled and
other populations.
Individuals interested in obtaining more information or being involved with a study group can contact the alliance at WhatGodisDoing@outlook.com or (585) 664-9989.
