On Wednesday, March 18, 2020, the Mount Olivet Seventh-day Adventist Church (MOSDAC), answered the call to provide care packages for the senior members of the church as well as anyone in the community who were in need of food, toiletries, or supplies.
Celia Archie (Deaconess), Sharmaine Edwards (Community Service), and George Jenkins (Deacon) from MOSDAC were joined by several volunteers who helped prepare, bag, and distribute the items to the community.
Sharmaine/Community Services and volunteers preparing and bagging items for distribution
Sharmaine and her team regularly distributes food to the community every Wednesday and every second and fourth Thursday. However the distribution on Wednesday was different.
Because of the Covid-19 crisis, it was determined that there was a need to serve a targeted group of seniors, single parents, and single members of the church as well as the broader community. That is when Celia Archie and her team of deaconesses got to work making phone calls to find out who in this targeted group needed food and personal items.
Celia acquired toiletries and teamed up with Community Services, Sharmaine Edwards to prepare care packages. They enlisted help from Deacon George Jenkins, who didn’t hesitate to lend a helping hand. He loaded the church van with food and supplies and delivered care packages to everyone that was on the targeted list.
Even though the number of people who are being affected by the pandemic increases daily, Sharmaine is still determined to provide food to the community for as long as possible. She says that the “feeling of doing something good for the community and the sense of accomplishment to be there for our seniors and community in their time of need,” is a good feeling as a Christian.
According to George, the challenges they faced with “orderly distribution and the language barrier” within the community were minor in light of the gratification they experienced in doing “something good for someone else” and putting the needs of others before their own. About 100 care packages were prepared for distribution to the community, not including all the care packages that were prepared and delivered to the targeted group of seniors, and singles with or without children. MOSDAC is heeding the call in this time of need. “As a deaconess, we are called to do this as part of the job”, said Celia.” “This is not a one-time thing. God has called us to look out for one another.”
MOSDAC was also able to assist the Williamstown Seventh-day Adventist church by providing enough food to fill two trucks which enabled them to service their community.
With a community that is scared and filled with fear, MOSDAC is answering the call and is reaching out to fulfill a need and to provide hope by making that fear a little more bearable.
Celia points to Psalm 91 as encouragement to deal with fear…….. There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling…….. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him……
All three described the collaboration as a success. The need is great, and Mount Olivet is answering the call.
Written by Marie Lloyd – MOSDAC Media