Just Neighbors 

Just Neighbors is our all-church program where we examine issues regarding poverty and homelessness. It is an opportunity for education, advocacy, social action, fellowship and mentoring. Consider helping with one or more activities around Just Neighbors taking place! Check the website, the Just Neighbors bulletin board or future orders of service for details!  Other programs may be developed during the year—give us your ideas!

Please contact the Just Neighbors Steering Committee Chair, Carla Campbell, at 215-885-6408 or at campbellc@pol.net for more information, to volunteer, or if you have some ideas for us.

Here are examples of the types of projects we do:

Education

• Rev. Kent Matthies and Religious Education Director Jude Henzy have held a Just Neighbors class. Rev. Matthies held a post-volunteer session for theological reflection for everyone who had participated in the hosting component (below) of the Just Neighbors project.
• A talented group of USG actors dramatized part of Barbara Ehrenreich’s book, “Nickel and Dimed”, which documents Barbara’s struggle with living while working jobs at minimum wage pay. The play demonstrated the importance of earning a “living wage” to survive in America, and was followed by a discussion of poverty and housing issues.
• “Just Neighbors” presented Liz Hersh, Director of the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania, speaking about housing and homelessness concerns in the Philadelphia region. 
• “How Can We Become Just Neighbors?” was a four-session class about poverty and homelessness in our community and what we can do to combat these societal problems.

Our Children

• The Coming of Age class (7th and 8th graders) has explored the Just Neighbors curriculum.
• Our USG children packed toiletry kits (donated by USG folks) to give to children in area shelters. 
• Similar social action activities include collecting school supplies, collecting coats and preparing meals for people in need.

Service

• Our church community provides summer hosting for NPIHN guests with dozens of USG volunteers making this happen.  NPIHN is a network of approximately 10-15 local (Northwest Philadelphia) congregations, churches and synagogues, that are united around a goal of providing temporary housing and hospitality for a short period  (usually 3-6 months) to homeless people and families. USG has been a member for almost 15 years.
• Each Christmas, through the Adopt-A-Family Drive, the USG community provides holiday gifts for 2 families in the NPIHN program. 
• We help keep Philadelphia a little warmer, with the donation of hats, gloves, mittens and scarves during the Christmas Eve Services. Coats are collected to be sent to needy folks in the area.  
• Donations at our Christmas Eve service are shared with NIPHN.
• Martin Luther King Day of Action events are related to poverty and homelessness themes. Volunteers have created shelving for the NPIHN office and others sorted donated baby clothes. A team of teens have visited kids in the Stenton Family Manor shelter and entertained them with games, arts and crafts, songs and books. Lunches for 1,000 people were assembled in our church kitchen, which were taken to a number of area homeless shelters.
• Several USG congregants volunteered to be mentors to NPIHN families.  We will continue to look for USG members and friends interested in providing mentoring for NPIHN families.