Share the Harvest

Bethlehem has been a Share the Harvest partner (see below) for many years. In our first year, church and home gardeners raised over 600 pounds of fresh produce, which was donated to local food pantries and other food ministries. Every year the harvest grows! About twenty home gardeners have committed to being Share the Harvest partners, committing to share a portion of their backyard produce with those who are hungry. The majority of our produce comes from the gardens located on the church property, tended by a dedicated team of volunteers. 


About Share the Harvest:

Share the Harvest, a project of Grace Seeds Ministry, partners with faith communities and other groups to grow vegetables that are then shared with food pantries in our neighborhoods. Our aim: to provide our brothers and sisters who are hungry with healthy, fresh vegetables they would otherwise be unable to afford. Donations from our backyard gardens and from gardens at our growing partner sites combine to make delicious vegetables available at pantries that serve more than 200 families each week. Share the Harvest also seeks to help us grow in our faith as we learn more about hunger and poverty and about God's call to respond with direct action in our own neighborhoods and communities. 

Monthly appeal

Each month the finance committee designates an organization or ministry for a special monthly appeal. You can make a contribution to the appeal through the yellow pew envelopes by making your check out to Bethlehem and noting the name of the appeal in the memo line. Special appeals can also be donated through online giving. 

service and community care

Bethlehem seeks to be a caring community to its own members and beyond. Our card ministry regularly sends cards to those who are in special need of a caring thought. We offer assistance to A New Direction, Beverly-Morgan Park, which offers services to those who are experiencing domestic violence. Once a month we collect food for the Maple/Morgan Park Food Pantry. Our social ministry group organizes drives for toys, coats, and other items needed by people in our surrounding community. Our advocacy group writes letters and makes phone calls. Our monthly appeals provide financial assistance for a variety of not-for-profit groups doing God's work in the world.