North Jersey Vineyard - Compassion and Social Justice

compassion and social justice

We at the North Jersey Vineyard Church believe that mercy, compassion and working for justice is an integral part of being a Christian, not just a nice add-on for some generous hearted people.

Isaiah 58:6-7 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter, when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?”

how is the NJVC reaching out to the community?

We have several ongoing and regularly scheduled outreaches to our community.

Inner City Bus Relief- We are partnering with NYC Relief (nycr.org) and each month a group from our church cooks and distributes soup to people in Paterson who are in need. This group also connects people in need with Christian resources that are available in the area. One of the most important goals of this ministry is to provide an avenue for people to forge relationships and to pray for the people who come to get the soup.

Tutoring/Mentoring Kids in Paterson- Every week, people from our church tutor and mentor elementary aged kids from 4pm to 6pm Monday - Thursday at a Christian after school program in Paterson called Crossroads Ministries.

Habitat for Humanity- We send a team to volunteer to help build homes for lower income people around the area about once a month, normally on the second saturday of the month. Habitat provides the supervisor, so no special construction skill is needed, although it is appreciated. For information about Habitat, visit habitat.org.

Seasonal Ministries- At various times in the year, we do special seasonal outreaches, like a Thanksgiving box food collection, a Christmas party for the Shelter Residents, or giving away free water in a local park to show people God loves them.

how is the NJVC working for justice?

Each month, we publish a newsletter focused on justice issues in the world such as child soldiers, modern day slavery, the genocide in Darfur, debt relief for African Countries, and other similar topics. This “Justice Journal“ is available in hard copy at the information desk or here on our website in pdf format. We want to speak up for those who do not have a voice. We want to raise awareness that there are real problems in the world and that we can have a positive impact on them.

Often, we will show a documentary about the monthly focus topic after the Saturday night service and then have a time of discussion and prayer afterwards.

We also have an online forum for discussing action steps we can take as an individual to help affect change in the world. You can find it at
http://groups.google.com/group/njvine_justice

is the church open to other outreaches and service projects?

Absolutely! If you have an idea about how we can better minister to the needs of the community around us and share the love of Jesus, we would love to hear it. It is the NJVC’s job to equip people to use their spiritual gifts for God’s kingdom. If you are willing to invest your time in an outreach idea, we will try to help you to get that ministry up and running.

what are other vineyard churches around the NYC metro area doing?

There are 12 Vineyard Churches around the NYC metro area. On 10/18/08 people from these Vineyards gathered together for a time of worship, teaching, ministry time and learning about how God is working around the NYC metro area.

Click here for a summary of what outreaches churches are doing.

Click here for a resource list of books, dvds, and website relating to community outreach and social justice.

Below is a video that highlighted the many outreaches the NYC vineyards are doing.