Enacted Ministries

Enacted Ministries

Branching Out to Serve

What some people refer to as Mission Outreach, or Evangelism, we just think of as our Enacted Ministries. These are some of the places where we answer Jesus’ command to live out our faith and not hide it under a bushel. While many of our members participate in their own activities, as People of the Way, we collectively engage in the following.

With our roots firmly planted in Christ’s love and our structural behind-the-scenes needs met by staff and volunteers, we are able to provide our Hands-On Worship, or what we consider our Enacted Ministry.

The Mission Team

We continue to look for ways to cultivate our gifts and listen for God’s call to mission. Our mission grows from our passions and gifts as a congregation.

IPC Mission Core Team: Norma Carter, Diane Hanna, Carol Herring

IPC Session accepted the invitation from PCUSA to be a Matthew 25 church. What does that mean? “We are striving to be a church of action, where God’s love, justice and mercy shine forth and are contagious.”

Mission Project Teams of IPC
are volunteers who provide intentional focus on developing personal relationships & strengthening partnerships with targeted community partners.

Please follow the embedded links to learn about our TEAMS, our PARTNERS, and their offerings.

Our Community Food Cupboard of Rochester (RCFC) Team  (led by Jim T) has continued to serve those in our community who are food insecure throughout the year.

  • IPC volunteers serve on the RCFC board.
  • IPC volunteers work in Emergency food packaging & distribution.
  • IPC volunteers donate financial support, food products, and essential personal care items.
  • IPC volunteers assist clients from developmental disability agencies learning work related soft skills at RCFC.
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Our Cameron Community Ministries (CCM) Team (led by Laurie S and Diane H) has continued to support the good work this urban outreach community center does in the Lyell-Otis neighborhood.

  • IPC collected a special Easter offering to support programs provided by Cameron Community Ministries.
  • IPC volunteers, under the direction of Head Chef Laurie, prepared meals in our IPC kitchen that could be served in theCameron hot lunch ‘to go’ program.
  • IPC volunteers organized a school supply donation drive to support children in the Cameron community returning to school in September.
  • IPC volunteers (joined by our South Church partners) participated in the Family Donations drive making Christmas wishes come true for 10 families/26 children in the Cameron community.

Our Mission Project Team supporting Creative Beginnings Childcare Center (CBCC)  includes IPC volunteers who serve on the CBCC Board (Ron M and Bob M) and our Property & Maintenance crew (Joe T, Zeke H, Herb S, and Greg R to name a few). Jim T is our Session liaison to CBCC.

This non-profit childcare center has resided at IPC since 2014 and we are working to maintain & strengthen our relationship. We hope to offer families and children in our community this much needed and valuable resource for years to come.

  • CBCC has continued its collaborative relationship with RCSD and offers an approved Preschool program for 3- and 4-year-old children residing in the city school district.
  • The lifting of COVID restrictions has enabled CBCC to increase program enrollment to former levels.
  • IPC volunteers continue to serve on the CBCC Board.
  • Our IPC P&M crew continue to maintain our building to standards required for CBCC tooperate as an approved childcare center and preschool program.
  • During the summer, the CBCC playground area received a new surface thanks to the work ofour P&M crew and CBCC family volunteers. The funds for the new surface were secured byCBCC through a grant from NY Quality Star (NY’s quality rating & improvement system).
  • In August, IPC and CBCC signed another 3-year Shared Use & Occupancy Agreement.
  • In October, Andrea Coventry assumed the role of Executive Director for CBCC.

In addition to our three Mission Teams, we have individual projects and programs that also exemplify our Enacted Ministries.

Kirkhaven Senior Living

Our Deacons, led by Steve B, responded to a call for support from Kirkhaven Senior Living Community at the beginning of the Christmas
holiday season. Recognizing that Christmas time may bring increased challenges for seniors who do not have family in the area to celebrate with, IPC Deacons organized a donation drive to collect gifts for residents. We hope our donations remind residents that they are cared for and not alone, especially during the holiday season.

Guest Speakers

Our Mission Core Team is committed to providing educational learning opportunities so our congregation can learn about specific issues of social justice and human need in our community.

In September, we welcomed Olivia Kassoum-Amadou, Executive Director at Cameron Community Ministries (CCM) to join us for worship. Olivia talked about the needs of folks living in the Lyell-Otis community and how CCM is working to address those needs. Olivia brought along with her six of the ‘Cam Kids” to talk with us about their experiences at Cameron.

In October, we welcomed Sister Chris Wagner, former Executive Director at St. Joseph Neighborhood Center (SJNC) to join us for worship. We learned about the comprehensive health care, counseling, and social work services this organization provides to individuals and families in our community who lack access to health insurance.

We welcome anyone to suggest a speaker you would like to invite to speak to our congregation.

East Avenue Grocery Run

IPC participated again this year in the East Avenue Grocery Run. This is a fundraising event to support our local food cupboards. Thank you, team captain Carol Herring and co-captain Jim Tappon, for organizing and guiding our small but mighty IPC team on a walk in Durand Park.

Special Offerings

Our Mission Core Team has guided the planning and execution of special offerings at IPC. Thanks to your generous contributions, IPC has provided financial donations to a number of community agencies, including:

We have continued our tradition of supporting PC(USA)’s churchwide Special Offerings to help share Christ’s love with millions of people around the world, including:

  • One Great Hour of Sharing – $1720 (directed to PCUSA Mission Agency)
     
  • Pentecost Offering – $740 (60% directed to PCUSA, 40% directed to local mission)
  • Peace & Global Witness – $735 (50% directed to PCUSA, 25% directed to Synod of NE, 25% directed to local mission)

Presbyterians do mission in partnership to broaden our awareness of how interconnectional God’s mission is at the local, national, and global level. This year, IPC contributed to general mission work:

IPC continues to consider how to…

  • Shift our outreach from one of charity to a stronger personal relationship with those served in our community.
  • Shift our missional planning to a process focused on outcomes for the people served.
  • Support all who are interested in proposing and leading missional work at IPC.

If you have ideas or suggestions about how we might better accomplish these three goals, please let one of us know. Or better yet – consider joining us on the Mission Core Team!

Thank you to all our IPC volunteers who have led and supported missional projects throughout this year. We celebrate all who have volunteered their service, donated goods and contributed financially. Our collective work has made a positive impact. Together, we can and DO make a difference.

~ Diane Hanna

 

Please contact Diane H. through the CONTACT tab (above) for more information, to become a partner with us, to coordinate efforts with another agency, or to join us in any of these Enacted Ministries.