FPCG Hosts IHN Guests
Welcoming Friends from the Northwest Philadelphia Interfaith Hospitality Network
There are wonderful opportunities this month involving the Northwest Philadelphia Interfaith Hospitality Network (NPIHN) and our church.
On April 17 we will begin our three-week hosting period; these generally occur twice a year. NPIHN families are neighbors in need of temporary sheltering. Families selected for the program are sheltered and counseled, and they receive an array of services designed to allow them to remain intact through NPIHN’s holistic approach to rebuild from homelessness and ultimately to achieve independent living.
NPIHN continues to mentor and provide support services to the families for as long as necessary after they have moved from the family shelter.
Please consider pledging a couple of hours or an overnight, if you are able. This is a wonderful opportunity for families to work on mission together, for our children to experience the joy of giving and sharing our human gifts, and for people of all ages to come together to do God’s work. It is also an opportunity for our youth to acquire service hours for their school programs. An overnight stay will provide 10 hours of service.
The three types of opportunities that you can help with during the weeks of service are:
1. Dinner Hosts – 6:00-8:00PM Dinner hosts prepare, serve, and join the families for dinner. If necessary, preparing dinner and serving dinner can be divided into two separate opportunities. Families are responsible for setting the table and cleaning up after dinner.
2. Evening Hosts – 6:00-8:30PM Evening hosts spend the evening with the families. You can bring games, crafts or other activities as well as musical instruments, such as a guitar. Your children, and you might pro vide help with homework, if needed.
3. Overnight Hosts – 8:30PM-7:00AM (9:30AM on weekends). Overnight hosts provide bedtime and wake-up reminders. Each family has its own room; Overnight hosts have a separate room as well.