God's Word tells us that we are to feed the hungry and clothe the naked. Those two commands are not suggestions; this is what He expects of His children. Here at Oregon City Nazarene we have taken these instructions to heart and have worked very hard to put His words into action. On Monday nights at 6:30 we see two ministries doing exactly what He has told us. Feeding the hungry is the ministry of H.O.P.E. and sharing clothing is the ministry of the Clothesline. They are separate ministries, but share the same space on Monday night. The H.O.P.E. ministry is an outreach program of a group of five Oregon City churches. Part of the food we give out is made available by the government. Because of this, there are certain rules which we must abide by. The Clothesline ministry is totally an Oregon City Nazarene Church ministry. We set our own procedures. We'd like to show you some of the people who make it all work on Monday evenings.

Nancy Spicer, director of the
H.O.P.E program at our church.
Carole King, director of the Clothesline 
 program at our church.

Mark rounds up all the grocery baskets and takes them downstairs where the grocery boxes originate.

Michelle helps organize the perishables that will be added to the grocery boxes when they are brought upstairs.
Fresh fruit and vegetables are organized in the kitchen.
Coy worked at this station tonight.
Baked goods, milk and juices are available. Cathy is unpacking cylinders of biscuits which can then be baked at home.
Mark checks the cooler where refrigerated items are at the ready.
Dan and Michelle organize the necessary paper work.
Evelyn delivers the necessary materials
to the various work stations .
Janet and Al, who is standing off camera, provide activities for young children who have accompanied their parents.
Downstairs there are several rooms of  staples, non-food items and frozen food.
Boxes are prepacked according to family size and will have other items added on Monday evening.
Joy and Kevin add items to the pre-packed boxes.
Boxes, filled according to family size, are put in grocery carts and taken upstairs. An empty box is kept in the bottom of each cart to facilitate the ease of lifting filled boxes in and out of the cart.
Each week, signs are set up outside.
When all is in readiness, the two leaders, Carole and Nancy, call for the praise and prayer cirlce.
Everyone who wishes to particpate is invited to the praise and prayer circle just before the doors are opened for the evening.

Step one begins with Dan. You can reference his face elsewhere on this page. By showing you his back we are also showing you his heart. The sentence on his back speaks for the desire of each one of our OC Naz Church H.O.P.E. workers. The doors open at 6:30 p.m.; folks have lined up and enter one at a time so that  Dan can give each one a numbered application

Each family fills out a numbered application and then gives it to Val. He calls the number on the application when it is their turn at the interview table. While they are waiting, Val has an opportunity to visit with them and offers to pray with them if they wish.

Val visits with Carole before the process begins.

Evelyn, Shirley, and Jean interview each client to check for any special needs.  The clients are also offered clothing if they need it. The clothing is not a part of the H.O.P.E. program. The ladies fill out a yellow slip noting the number of family members and any special needs. These yellow slips are taken downstairs by young helpers to the order fillers.

Two of our "walkers" who deliver the yellow slips downstairs.
The applications are brought to the check out station where yellow slips are also made out for the order fillers who work out of the kitchen.
The items that are kept upstairs are put in plastic bags and are tagged with the number coinciding with the number on the application. When the orders  from downstairs are brought upstairs, the bags are added to the appropriate basket.

Sergio brings up an order from downstairs. The bags of food from upstairs will be added to the cart. Dan then calls the first name of the person who will receive the food. They sign the form confirming they have received the food.

Randy, Ralph and David work as take out helpers. They push the loaded baskets to the loading zone where individuals drive their cars to receive their groceries.

Compassionate Ministries is always looking for help with all these jobs. If you would be interested in volunteering, let Nancy Spicer or Carole King know of your interest.

CLOTHESLINE

While all the preparations are being made for the food program, preparations are also being made for the Clothesline. In addition to being open on Thursdays from 9 - 11:30 a.m., clothing is also made available for selection during  H.O.P.E. hours. Just like the preparations for the food distribution, there is a lot of preparation for the clothing distribution.

Sergio and Jean bring racks of clothing  up from downstairs where the Clothesline is usually located. Some clothing is displayed on the racks and other items are brought up in plastic bins and are displayed on tables.
This is the sorting room downstairs where some of the racks are stored.
This is one of the rooms where clothing is made available on Thursdays.
The Clothesline has a wide variety of clothing in many sizes. It is open to anyone who would like to make a selection. I personally have found several items over the years and have enjoyed wearing them.
COMPASSIONATE MINISTRIES

H.O.P.E.

Updated 12-28-2011