Mission & Community Outreach
Bethany is known in the Sacramento community for its commitment to serving those in need. The following is just a small glimpse into the various activities in which Bethany members and friends participate.
HOT CHOCOLATE MINISTRY & FOOD CLOSET VOLUNTEER DAY
Each year, Bethany volunteers wake up bright and early on a day before Thanksgiving or Christmas to serve hot cocoa and baked goods to customers waiting in line for the South Sacramento Interfaith Partnership (SSIP) Food Closet, which is located on the Bethany campus. These are among the busiest days of the year for the food closet. There are tasks for volunteers of all ages. This is an easy “door-opener” to regular volunteer hours at the food closet. See pictures from Bethany’s 2022 Hot Cocoa Ministry.
Volunteer opportunities are available year-round at the SSIP Food Closet. Bethany members and friends work as a volunteer team on every fifth Monday morning.
2024 Food Closet volunteer mornings are:
January 29
April 29
July 29
September 30
December 30
REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT
Led by members of Bethany’s Good Neighbor Team, the church has worked with World Relief to sponsor a refugee family who resettled in Sacramento after fleeing their native Afghanistan.
CREEK CLEAN-UP DAY / EARTH DAY
Each April, Bethany fields a team of volunteers to pick up trash at nearby Florin Creek. Creek Clean-Up Day is held in partnership with the Sacramento Area Creeks Council and Sacramento County Creek Week. There are prizes for the most unusual “junk finds!” All ages are welcome, and participants receive a free t-shirt … which we urge volunteers to wear to church the next day in recognition of Earth Sunday. View photos from Creek Clean-Up Day 2019.
HUNGER AWARENESS WEEK
Each January Bethany devotes a week to raise awareness of hunger. In the neighborhood immediately surrounding Bethany, nearly 1/3 of households live at the poverty level. Church members and friends participate in several ways, including agreeing to live on a subsistence budget, acting as a prayer partner, bringing donations for the SSIP Food Closet housed at Bethany, or volunteering time at the food closet. A special printed devotional is given to all participants with daily e-mails and/or social media updates throughout the week. At the end of the week, participants share their experiences at a worship service. See photos from the 2015 Hunger Awareness Walk held in honor of Bethany’s 100th birthday.
CROP Hunger Walk
The annual CROP Hunger Walk is a community-wide event sponsored by Church World Service and organized by local congregations and groups to raise funds to end hunger at home and around the world. Bethany hosts a walking team each fall with members and friends making “per-mile” pledges to help feed those who are hungry.
OUT & ABOUT IN THE LOCAL & WoRLD COMMUNITY
Bethany’s “Widow’s Mite” collection enables church volunteers to distribute water bottles, gloves, hats and socks to those in the Sacramento community who are homeless. Donations of groceries for the food closet and personal care items for homeless clients of Loaves and Fishes are collected at Bethany on an ongoing basis. Offerings marked for special needs are taken, and Presbyterians in the mission field receive annual contributions.
NEIGHBOR NIGHTS
Bethany periodically hosts community meetings and gatherings to help people understand difficult issues or solve problems. Law Enforcement Chaplain Mindi Russell has been a frequent speaker, presenting valuable tips about safety and security. Bethany welcomes Neighbor Night topics and speakers. Contact the church office with your suggestions!
SPrucing Up in the Pines at Zephyr Point
Twice a year (May and October) Zephyr Point Presbyterian Conference Center (at Lake Tahoe) recruits volunteers to assist in “sprucing up” the buildings and grounds. Bethany’s volunteers have helped with numerous projects, a highlight being refurbishing and maintaining the Crawford Memorial hillside lookout deck. The wooden deck was originally built in 1981 by Bethany’s youth group in memory of two of their high school colleagues who perished in an auto accident with their father. Bethany is honored to continue with upkeep of the memorial and other parts of the Zephyr Point property. You can make a contribution to Zephyr Point earmarked for the Crawford Memorial Fund. Or come along for any of the semi-annual work weekends.
The 2024 Sprucing Up volunteer work weekends are May 10-12 and October 11-13. Registration is required one month in advance.
