A group of eight adults and teens from the First Presbyterian Churches of Windber and Johnstown, PA, traveled to New York City in July to work at the Bowery Mission. The mission has two broad areas of concentration.
The first area of mission work is to provide meals and church services to the needy of New York City. Three hot meals per day are served at the mission provided through donations. Church services are provided three times per day along with special events. A van loaded with groceries and hot food from the Mission visits local parks in the city four times per week.
The second area of mission work is the
in-house program that is on-going. Members of this program are committed to a six to nine-month program. The program consists of religious education, GED completion, medical services, computer training, psychological counseling, and job searching. Each member is assigned a job throughout his stay. The members stay within the confines of the building unless working on a mission project in the city. Upon completion of the program, they will seek employment and remain at the mission rent free for a period of one year. Hopefully they can regain 
entry into society with some financial assets.
Our group worked on various projects, such as, painting, assisting in the computer lab, cooking, cleaning and helping to distribute food in a city park. The constant flow of people in and out of the mission made it necessary for the group to flexible and prioritize our chores.
The testimonies from many of the in-house members were quite inspiring. Members from all walks of life were well represented, each with a unique story to be told. Many have felt that they have been born again and given a second chance to get their feet on the ground and to serve the Lord. These stories really made an impression on the group.
If you are interested in visiting the Bowery Mission, you can visit www.bowery.org.
