"Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?" Jesus answered, "Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these, my children, you did it to me." Matthew 25:37-40

Service and Outreach - Love of God and Love of Neighbor

When asked which commandment in the law was the greatest, Jesus replied: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second one is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Mat 22:37-39) Love of God and love of neighbor are central to our life in faith – we are called through the gift of faith to love both God and our neighbor with all of our heart, soul and mind. We do so when “we offer with joy and thanksgiving…our selves, our time and our possessions,” which themselves are signs of God’s love for us (Lutheran Book of Worship, p. 67).

Service and Outreach Committee

The mission of the Service and Outreach Committee is to help provide the members of Our Shepherd opportunities to serve our neighbors – whether they are local or far away. We serve in a number of ways – supporting SPAN, sheltering and feeding the homeless, bringing meals to the homebound, making quilts to warm the cold, sending shoeboxes with gifts to those who might otherwise have nothing…and there is more that is done and that can be done. All are welcome to serve on the Committee. We normally meet at the Church on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM.

Service and Outreach Opportunities

Although we are all called to serve, how each of us serves varies based on our own gifts. The activities and programs described on the following pages are just some of the ways you can “let your light shine.” The order in which they are listed does not reflect their importance – each is as important as the next. Please contact either the Chair of the Service and Outreach Committee, if you would like to know more about any of these opportunities.

Bello Machre Home Outreach: Bello Machre is a progressive, non-profit organization that provides loving care and creates opportunities for children and adults with developmental disabilities to live and work as independently as possible. Residents from Bello Machre often worship at OSLC on Sundays and Festival Days.
How you can help:

• Provide transportation
  
• Provide fellowship with residents
  
• Assist residents who would like to learn to read
  Contact:
         Al Petruccy at the church.

CROP Walk
Sponsored by Church World Services, the CROP Walk supports long-term development, assists in disasters and famines, and shares moneys annually to support local hunger fighting efforts across the U.S. and right here in Severna Park by donating a portion of CROP Walk funds to the Severna Park Assistance Network (SPAN). The CROP Walk is held in October.
How you can help:

• Sponsor a walker
  
• Walk
  
• Serve as OSLC’s CROP Walk representative
  Contact:
        Julee Legnard at the church.

Disaster Relief /Lutheran World Relief
Working in coordination with appropriate agencies, we hope to inform OSLC members of ways to assist in special times of need. Clothing drives or special offerings are but two examples of ways to assist others facing disasters.

How you can help:

• Look for appeals for assistance in the bulletin and the newsletter
  
• Subscribe to Lutheran World Relief’s electronic mailing list. An average of two news releases are sent each month. You can subscribe online at: "http://www.lwr.org/news/newsline.html

Feed My Sheep
This ongoing program in our congregation receives food gifts as part of the offering on the second Sunday of each month. FEED MY SHEEP Sunday donations are transported to SPAN for distribution.

How you can help:

• Mark the second Sunday of each month on your calendar.
  
• Bring non-perishable food items.
  
• Watch the bulletins and newsletters for special needs.
  Contact:
        Kathy Hikes at church or SPAN at 410-647-0889

Habitat for Humanity Arundel Habitat for Humanity is a volunteer Christian ministry which works in partnership with people from all walks of life to provide, through new construction or renovation, simple, decent and affordable housing for needy families of Anne Arundel County. Our Shepherd Lutheran Church is a Covenant Congregation with Arundel Habitat.

How you can help:

• Swing a hammer, use a saw, paint, etc. No special skills or experience is necessary.
  
• Volunteer at the Arundel Habitat office
  
• Provide financial support
  

Homeless Shelter
As a participant in Winter Relief For The Homeless, Our Shepherd Lutheran Church hosts the rotating men's shelter for one week each winter. We provide the men with a warm place to sleep, hot dinners, breakfasts, sack lunches, hot showers, clean clothes, and fellowship. In addition, the Men’s Group is volunteering at the Fouse Center, which is a permanent shelter sponsored by the North Arundel Area Ministries.


How you can help:

• Lend a helping hand to support the rotating winter relief shelter (sign-up sheets are posted in advance)
  
• Volunteer at the Fouse Center
  Contact:
      Dave Newell at the church.
  

Meals on Wheels
Members of OSLC volunteer to help deliver meals to shut-ins in the greater Severna Park area. This is approximately a 2-hour commitment every 2nd or 3rd week. .

How you can help:

• Transport meals on Thursdays between 11 am and 1 pm.
  Contact:
     Doris Dunker at church.
  

Nursing Home Outreach
OSLC members visit various area nursing homes, including Knollwood Manor and Genesis House to share fellowship with the residents. They also hold birthday and bingo parties.


How you can help:

• Bake or deliver cookies
  
• Visit nursing home residents
  
• Help out with the monthly birthday / bingo parties
  Contact:
     Janet Clauson or Joan Cunningham at the church
  

Severna Park Assistance Network (SPAN)
SPAN provides help to families in our community needing food or emergency financial assistance for eviction prevention, utility cut-offs and prescription costs. SPAN is supported by congregations throughout Severna Park and is located in the OSLC Parish House.


How you can help:

• Volunteer at SPAN by organizing donated food in the pantry or interviewing clients to determine the type and level of assistance they may receive
  
• Make food offerings on Feed My Sheep Sundays
  
• Keep an eye on the bulletin and the newsletter for special holiday projects
  Contact:
     Kathy Hikes at church or SPAN Office at 410-647-0889



“…let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
(Matthew 5:16)