Archives for January 2025

The Refugee Welcome Network is currently actively working with ten families and still offering some support for others who are struggling this month with reduced hours at Amazon and FedEx. Some of the families have babies and can’t afford diapers, formula, and other supplies. We’ve connected them to all community resources available, but it’s not quite enough. Donations of gift cards from Walmart, Target, or another source of baby supplies are wanted to help lighten the load of these new Americans as they work hard to build a life here. If you can give a gift card, please email director@harccoalition.org. Monetary donations are also a blessing to help with various needs.

Saturday, February 22 4-7 pm
Hagerstown Community College (HCC) ARCC Building
20175 Scholar Drive, Hagerstown
Got a big-hearted business, workplace, group, church, or community or just want to walk for a cause? Step up and join the Coldest Night of the Year (CNOY) challenge in support of Reach and to “walk a mile” in the shoes of someone who’s homeless. Reach’s mission is to support and strengthen the community by preventing and resolving homelessness in Washington County. They empower individuals and families to move toward independence and stability through compassion, education, advocacy and resources. Learn more and register.

HARC grieves the loss of long-time member, volunteer and advocate Rev. Ed Poling, who passed away last week following a long journey with cancer. He is a loss to HARC and the community, but his spirit and impact will be felt indefinitely.

Ed was part of the team that started the Interfaith Coalition (now HARC Interfaith Team) in 2002, building relationships and understanding among faith groups.  Through this, he helped start the Interfaith Community Thanksgiving Service which is held each year; this year Ed was the featured speaker.  Ed also started the Good Friday Cross Walk (now Unity Walk), bringing Christians of all denominations together for this holy day; he led the planning for this event for many years and continued to participate through 2024.

While he was a gentle and kind soul, Ed also had great energy and drive. With his love of running and hiking and devotion to HARC’s purpose and vision, Ed started the HARC Hike in 2012 when he hiked the 42 miles of

the Appalachian Trail in Maryland all in one day to raise funds for HARC. It was his leadership and logistical skills that helped us make this into a real fundraiser for HARC, Micah’s Backpack, and now the Refugee Welcome Network, growing each year and raising more than $240,000 over the last twelve years. Ed personally raised more than $45,000 with this hike, most of which was while leading the 20-mile Challenge Hike on the AT, while still coordinating the main hike on the C&O Canal Towpath.

Because of his great contributions to HARC and because HARC wouldn’t have the HARC Hike for Hunger & Hope without his gifts and dedication, we have decided to rename the event the Ed Poling Memorial Hike for Hunger & Hope in his honor.

Ed was an incredible blessing to HARC to the community, and to many of us personally. We will all miss him greatly, but we know that he is whole and at peace, living his next life with the Lord our God to the fullest.

A memorial service for Ed Poling will be held on February 1, 2024 at 11:00 am at the Hagerstown Church of the Brethren. It will be preceded by a visitation at the church at 10:00. Following the service there will be a meal and a time for sharing memories.  Here is a link to his obituary.

Here is a Remembering Ed Poling tribute in pictures from HARC’s Annual Meeting January 14.  You can also view the recording of the 11/19/24 Interfaith Community Thanksgiving Service to see Ed speak about gratitude amid his battle with cancer. We’re so grateful he was able to be part of this service.

As we enter a new year with divisions in our society, now is a good time to ground or re-ground ourselves and our community in a mindset and skills for non-violence and peacemaking. What better time than during the international celebration of the Season for Non-Violence, which begins by marking the anniversary of the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi on January 30 and ends on the April 4 anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Between are 64 days of practice of the principles of Gandhi, King, and others to bring about peace and nonviolence in our world today. (Note: non-violence is about quelling verbal violence as well as physical violence.) HARC encourages you to participate in this season of practice, and offers a number of resources to do so on our website. If you have articles and/or additional resources, please share them with us! Send to Kathy at director@harccoalition.org.

Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NOVA) is a faith-based non-profit organization that works with congregations across Maryland to save energy, go green, and respond to climate change. If your faith community is interested in creation care, sustainability, or environmental justice, Interfaith Power & Light would love to support your congregation in whichever way possible. IPL-DMV has helped dozens of congregations go solar and has helped communities transition to cleaner and healthier energy sources. Learn more about how faith communities can care for our shared common home at http://ipldmv.org

If you are interested in Going Solar go to http://ipldmv.org/solar to learn more!

To Inquire about establishing a green team, environmental justice concerns, or request a speaker; Reach out to IPL-DMV congregational organizer Joshua Long. joshua@ipldmv.org.

First Christian Church is excited to share news about wonderful guest preachers who will
grace their pulpit during their 150th year of ministry as a congregation!  They hope that you can be in attendance to experience these amazing preachers. Attached is the current list of guest preachers for 2025.
Please feel free to share.