Vallejo Berea Church strives to be a shining light in its community.
One way they fulfill this purpose is through the Project Light Ministry. Every 4th Sabbath, the ministry team pre-cooks meals in the church kitchen and then serves them at a local unhoused encampment.
Ministry team members serve the food and often pray with receptive persons. The group sings songs during the meals, and many beautiful voices from the community join in; members of the unhoused are usually open about taking the lead in singing.
There is plenty of food, and often, servings reach the 120-meal mark. Everybody is welcome to take extra meals back for friends. On many weekends, leftover meals are taken to other camps in the area, spreading God’s blessings.
Wanetta Daniel, outreach coordinator, exclaimed, “Since the pandemic the old way of doing church has passed. We are bringing the church to the community. We give out sleeping bags, tents, tarps, personal hygiene products, and food because that is the need. We’re even discussing taking pet food; because a dog or cat is often the only companion the unhoused have.”
Roger Williams, head pastor, stated, “Project Light Ministry is how we change the paradigm of what church is. Our focus is, who will we be in the community?”
Featured in Northern Lights, February 23, 2023
