First Pilgrim United Church

Our Outreach Committee is another vital part of who we are. We’ve invested a lot of time and energy in developing our approach to needy people in this part of the city. We’ve had lay volunteer Outreach Coordinators whose lives are living embodiments of what a faithful Christian presence in the downtown core can accomplish.

We have a partnership with Pilgrim Church in Huambo, Angola (a ministry we began over 50 years ago; that first small congregation has grown to become three thriving ones). You might like to check out the Angola Memorial Scholarship Fund. Angola has for decades been torn by violent conflict and its people have lived in poverty and fear. The AMSF is a way for churches to support the reconstruction of that country by supporting teachers' salaries and students' in ministry, law, engineering, economics, and medicine.

We are strong supporters of Wesley Urban Ministries, including their Christmas Store and “Case for Kids” fundraising event (for which we are a “Pacesetting” congregation); like many other churches, we take a turn at doing Sunday afternoon worship and providing a hot supper at the Wesley Centre. We support a number of other local agencies, including Second Stage Services for women and children escaping domestic violence, and counselling services. We have our own food bank. We’ve collected and distributed winter clothing for children, youth, and adults. We’re hoping to put a volunteer team together to organize a clothing bank. We have a drop-in/outreach ministry for lonely poor and/or homeless people on Tuesdays--a chance for people to come in out of the cold (or heat), be treated with some respect and friendliness, have someone assist them, or provide referrals, have a conversation or a prayer, some coffee, tea, muffins, bagels, or doughnuts and a good hot lunch. We are exploring different kinds of programs to enhance social skills, literacy, and self-esteem. Expansion of our attempts to meet the needs of people in the downtown will depend on our getting additional volunteers (and having our current ones avoid burnout), and contributions of food, clothing, and money. We call the Tuesday ministry “Community Around the Table” or CAT for short. (Rev Jane Wyllie facilitates the Bible study after lunch for up to 20 volunteers and clients.)

As a community partner, First-Pilgrim has initiated relationships with, or agreed to host or sponsor various local groups; for example, six years ago we began an AA group, “Circle of Friends” that meets here Wednesday evenings. After being nurtured here for four years, a Pentecostal church left us 18 months ago to spawn two other congregations. Last year, we agreed to share our building with another brand-new, congregation, the Hamilton African Methodist Episcopal Church. They’ve started their second year with us, meeting on Sunday afternoons. In January 2005 we began two Cocaine Anonymous groups (Sunday afternoon and Monday evening). We host a couple of antipoverty groups that advocate for the rights of poor and disabled people. Hamilton-Wentworth Family Services use our building for their Family Life Program for children at risk, in poverty, or with other special needs (e.g., cognitive, physical, behavioural). The program provides many services to children and parents, but is focussed especially on therapeutic classroom-based interventions for preschoolers. We continue to seek opportunities to serve our community.

Wesley Urban Ministries offer many valuable and much-needed services to people of all ages living in poverty in Hamilton. We are not able, nor do we wish to “compete” with Wesley’s wonderful staff and extensive resources. For a variety of reasons, however, most of our clients do not want to make use of the Wesley Centre. Our setting is different, a family-friendly church, rather than a crowded institution. There’s a “homier” and less “street-hardened” atmosphere here. Many of our clients are struggling to stay away from violence, booze, and drugs, and say they are fearful at the Centre. We need the Wesley Centre’s dedication and leadership, and seek to complement their programs. (To take only one example: the number of people using food banks and meal programs has increased steadily over the last decade. Until our political culture, social policies, and assistance-levels change, the urban poor need not only agencies like Wesley, and the Salvation Army, but places like First-Pilgrim.