Zion Reformed United Church of Christ is having a strategic planning visioning event April 5 from 5:30-9:30 pm and April 6 from 8:45-3 pm. They want all of their members engaged in this process and are seeking caregivers from other houses of worship to care for the children during this process. Caregivers will be paid for their service. If interested, contact Pastor Scott Winnette at pastorwinnette@gmail.com or call the church office at (301) 739-7244.
Celebrate Recovery is moving back Downtown
The Celebrate Recovery program is moving back downtown to Trinity Lutheran Church starting the first Friday in April. The program meets every Friday night from 7-9 pm and all are welcome. Celebrate Recovery is a nation-wide Christ-centered recovery program based on the Beatitudes, and Celebrate Recovery Hagerstown is a ministry of Celebration Ministries. The purposes of Celebrate Recovery are to fellowship and celebrate God’s healing power in our lives through the 12 Steps and 8 Recovery Principles. This experience allows us to “be changed.” Learn more here.
Discovering a Path toward Greater Spiritual Understanding
Discovering a path toward greater spiritual understanding
Rabbi Mark Perman
The Interfaith Roundtable
Rabbi Mark speaks with Matthew Thiessesn PhD., biblical scholar and teacher, about Jesus’ Jewish roots and he welcomes Pastor James Brooks, who is a new minister in Hagerstown, MD at First Christian Church. Listen to the podcast
Pastors in a Post-Pandemic World – Free Webcast
In 2017, Barna released a comprehensive, whole-life assessment of U.S. pastors to see how they were faring in key areas of life. The results were insightful and led to numerous practical takeaways, but much has changed since 2017…So we decided to take another in-depth look at pastors in our post-pandemic world.
On March 6th, we’re hosting a free webcast where we’ll share some of our findings and learn from a panel of guest experts.
- Our goal for this event is to:
- Give voice to pastors
- Encourage them to lead flourishing lives
- Equip them to form thriving churches
It’s a rare opportunity to understand how church leaders are doing and how congregations can come alongside them in this challenging season of ministry.
Click Here to Join Us on March 6th
God’s Grace Fund pledges matching donation for 2024 HARC Hike
This year’s HARC Hike for Hunger & Hope will get an extra boost – a matching pledge from the God’s Grace Fund.
This is an exciting opportunity to participants fundraising and individuals making a donation to support the HARC Hike for Hunger & Hope. HARC Hike participants who raise funds beyond their $200 suggested fundraising goal will see any additional amounts raised matched 2-1. That means with the match, donations can have triple the impact for HARC and the Micah’s Backpack program! What a blessing at a time when the need for our services is ever greater!
Please consider participating, fundraising and or donating to support the HARC Hike and help us make the most of this amazing opportunity! With the help of God’s Grace Fund and YOU, our goal is to double the proceeds of last year’s event – for more than $74,000.
Learn more Flyer
Refugee Welcome Network seeks financial assistance, volunteers.
The Refugee Welcome Network (RWN), under the umbrella of HARC, continues to experience growth. For several months, we have been actively working with 8 Afghan families/individuals and one Haitian family. One family just received work permits and obtained a job – praise God! Several others still need our help with rent payments and other basics as they await their work permits and/or employment. Additionally, another two new families and an individual have reached out for assistance within the last week. RWN’s funds are low and more volunteers are needed to continue assisting current families, and especially to add the new ones. Can you donate or volunteer to help? Donations can be made on the HARC website (please add a designation note for “refugees”). Volunteers are also needed in the following capacities: Family Ally (work directly with a family), Procurement of furniture and goods (help coordinate setting up a home), Legal Team (help with asylum applications and other legal documents – with training!!), Welcome Team (first contact with refugees), Fundraising, and more. To learn more about volunteering, contact Kathy at director@harccoalition.org or 301-842-4272.
HARC 2023 Impact Report
HARC is pleased to share our 2023 Impact Report with members and the public. Download your copy here to learn about the work we did TOGETHER last year and plans for 2024. Please share with your congregations and friends. If you would like a printed copy, please contact Kathy at director@harccoalition.org or 301-842-4272.
HARC’s Annual Meeting blessed with new board members and Dr. Sovine of WCPS
HARC’s Annual Meeting was held Tuesday, January 23 at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Hagerstown. More than 50 people attended the meeting, including representatives of 20 member houses of worship. Part of the business portion of the meeting included voting in four new board members (see video). Following the business, a short presentation was given on the Faces of HARC (see video, including pictures displayed). HARC also welcomed, Dr. David T. Sovine, Superintendent of Washington County Public Schools, who blessed us with faith story, professional background, and challenges he sees for children in our schools (see video). And our hosts shared about their faith tradition (see video). The meeting was a great way to kick off 2024!
HARC welcomes new Board members
The Hagerstown Area Religious Council (HARC) has elected four new members to its Board of Directors:
Rev. Dionne Hall of Grace United Methodist Church (UMC) in Hagerstown. Rev. Hall has lived in Washington County for more than 15 years. In 2017, she transitioned from her career as a school teacher to part-time, licensed local pastor and full-time seminary student at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. She was officially ordained in 2022. Rev. Hall has served as pastor at Grace Church since July 2021 and became the full-time pastor there in July 2023.
Ashlee Harris of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Ms. Harris has lived in Hagerstown since 2012. She currently serves as Communications Outreach Director for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and is also the Hagerstown area coordinator of Just Serve, an online volunteer database. She is the owner and president of Blinds by Ash, a blinds and window coverings company.
Pastor Suzanne Jones is the pastor of two churches in southern Washington County: Benevola United Methodist Church in Boonsboro, and Salem United Methodist Church in Keedysville. Pastor Jones holds a Master of Arts in Humanities: Drama and Literature Studies from Hood College in Frederick, Md., and a Master of Divinity from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Sohrab Shahab is the president of the Islamic Society of Western Maryland. A resident of Washington County since 2009, Dr. Shahab moved to Hagerstown after finishing his residency training as an ear, nose, and throat surgeon. His medical practice is in Martinsburg, W.Va
Free Home Repairs
The Baltimore Work Camp is looking for local residents in need of home repairs. Worksites are needed so high school teens from across the Archdiocese of Baltimore can participate in a week-long service mission designed to help the young people put their faith into action. The work at each home will be completed by 3-5 teens supervised by adult leaders. All volunteer labor and materials are FREE to qualifying households. To learn how your home might be included, please complete this confidential application.
RSVP March 1
Download a flyer/application here
Contact Information/ Questions/RSVP: St. Anthony Shrine / Baltimore WorkCamp, 16150 St. Anthony Road, Emmitsburg, MD 21727 (301) 447-2367
Website: https://www.baltimoreworkcamp.com/
