The Emmanuel-Brinklow Partnership

Emmanuel-Brinklow Seventh-day Adventist Church in Ashton, Maryland, takes its name seriously. We want our friends to know that God is with us, and with them as we minister together in the city. The partnerships of service we forge provide a multifaceted approach to ministry. Areas of our city ministry include:

• Monthly Breakfast: Church members partner with other Adventist churches to provide a Sunday breakfast to those who are homeless with the Fourth Street Adventist Church in Washington, D.C. Service features food, fellowship, and inspirational messages.

• Monthly Chapel Service: More than 130 years old, Central Union Mission, based in Washington, D.C., is one of the oldest homeless shelters in North America. For the past six years, Brinklow church members have provided a monthly chapel service at its men’s shelter that houses more than 100 residents. Meetings include a sermon by a pastor or other speakers, as well as music from Adventist musicians in the area.

• Holiday Sharing: Starting in November, the church provides a total of 2,000 pounds of food to two social programs, viz., D.C. Central Kitchen, an initiative to fight hunger, and the Community for Creative Non-Violence, a shelter that houses more than 800 residents. Church members also distribute Thanksgiving food baskets.

Other Services:

• Donations: more than 500 pieces of clothing, also soup and hot chocolate, to homeless persons on the streets of D.C.

• Tutoring: through a partnership forged with the Montgomery County, Maryland, Housing Opportunities Commission (HOC), Brinklow provides a tutoring in selected schools, mentoring for middle and high school females, and back-to-school supplies for 50 students.

• Church-sponsored Seminars: through HOC, Brinklow seminars in health and finances have been incorporated into the county’s educational initiative for disadvantaged families.

• Health Fair: in warm-weather months the church, in coordination with the county, has sponsored a health fair that provides free screenings, examinations, and vegetarian food demonstrations to hundreds of residents.

• Community Giveaway: advertised as a yard sale, this program provides clothes, furniture, small appliances, and household goods to more than 200 residents.

• Community Garden: an Emmanuel-Brinklow church community garden provides plots for area residents to grow their own food.

• Family Sponsorships: members and ministries adopt families, providing food and gifts for Christmas.

By countless hours and innumerable volunteers dedicated to living Christ’s mission to the world, Emmanuel-Brinklow continues to bring God with us to our city, our county, and their citizens.

Carlos Medley, a member of Emmanuel-Brinklow Seventh-day Adventists Church, recently retired as online editor of Adventist Review.