At Hope Lutheran Church and Student Center, we are involved in a number of activities that servethe needs of our local community.
Hope supports and encourages the work and many ministry projects of The Humble Walk (LCM @ UMD) and donates space and resources for the weekly CARing Project during the school year. The CARing Project is an after-school program for children from Langley Park, MD, who are at risk of falling behind in school because of language and learning difficulties. Hope members and friends donate school supplies, backpacks, and winter coats to the children in Langley Park. Hope donates rehearsal and storage space for Joyful Noise, a music group of The Humble Walk. Hope members and friends prepare "finals kits" for students, filled with snacks for late-night study sessions.
Hope members and friends donate grocery store gift cards that the pastor distributes in response to requests by phone and at the door from people in need of daily basics. We maintain a food collection box that benefits the College Park Food Bank at the Church of the Nazarene.
We also support the PG Plaza Day Center, a place for our neighbors in need, coordinated by Congregations United for Change and Empowerment. We have collected socks, underwear, and warm clothing, and we provide a mid-day meal once a month.
Beginning in 2019, Hope offered the Moms in Community support group for pregnant women, new mothers, and breastfeeding mothers and their babies. A professional lactation consultant (IBCLC) was present to answer any questions and offer additional support. The program transitioned successfully to Zoom in the spring of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A pilot program in Spanish was planned to begin in 2020 but was canceled due to the pandemic.
The past four years, we have provided an Advent petting zoo on a Saturday in December in partnership with Living Water SDA. This event, free and open to the community, reminds us that Jesus was born among the animals.
