Wholistic Ministries

Dorcas Ministries:

Dorcas Ministries was established to bring the gospel to the immigrant Chinese Community in the garment factories of NYC. Grace Mo and Rebecca Lee have given years of leadership to Dorcas Ministries. Our New York Chinese EFC was birthed with new believers out of this ministry.

In 2005, a ministry center was established in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn and currently there are more than 100 immigrants attending ESL classes with a waiting list of another 100! They have ministered to children through a summer VBS ministry and have received several computers to help teach computer literacy.

They are a non-profit ministry under the Eastern District. Grace is the Executive Director who donates her time to the ministry. Rebecca is the Program Director and is supported as a missionary to the Chinese people in NY. As Dorcas grows, there is a need for helping to pay part-time staff to meet the growing ministry needs. Please consider adding Dorcas Ministries to your mission budget or giving a one-time gift. Grace and Rebecca are also available to come to your church to share about the ministry.

Here is the Dorcas Ministries website: www.dorcas-nyc.org
(Currently, the site is only written in Chinese.)

Firm Foundation of PA, Inc.
Harrisburg, PA
www.firmfoundation.org

There is a strong connection between Firm Foundation and the Evangelical Free Church. We are thankful for a ministry like this which seeks to rebuild an urban community and who are unashamedly Christian in their program and outreach. You can check out their website and contact them directly for more info. Here are some of their ministry arms:

The Firm Foundation House provides transitional living services to eight men transitioning from emergency shelter, incarceration or drug and alcohol treatment.
F.A.I.T.H. (Facilitating Assistance in Transition & Healing) provides trained faith-based mentors to those on probation or parole.
FirmWorks is Firm Foundation’s holistic asset-based approach to systemically reintegrate ex-offender fathers currently residing in the Dauphin County Work Release Center by addressing the social, mental, spiritual and emotional spheres.
Proud Dads is a fatherhood initiative for those re-entering the community from the criminal justice system. Fathers work together to strengthen their ties to their families and communities and are provided a FAITH Mentor.
Employment and Career Development Services are provided in partnership with Capitol Region PA CareerLink (Penn Center, 349 Wiconisco St., Harrisburg, PA 17110) for ex-offenders, low-income, and other disadvantaged workers in the Harrisburg area.
Opportunity Builders, Inc. ("OBI") is a for-profit Social Enterprise started by and owned by Firm Foundation. It is a construction company which engages in new home construction, rehab, and remodeling.

Hope for the City - Lebanon
Lebanon, PA

This is an example of one of our churches developing a non-profit ministry arm that will allow it to interact with other non-profits and with social agencies in the public and private sector. An example of this is a growing relationship with Urban Family Council which has obtained contracts to do mentoring and leadership training in the Philadelphia and Harrisburg public schools. Urban Family Council is a 501c3 with a strong faith-based element to its program. The need in the Lebanon urban/Hispanic community is great and Hope for the City - Lebanon may be the central organizer for a program that touches a growing need in the Lebanon School District.

Hope for the City - Lebanon currently runs an after school program in conjunction with the Lebanon Valley Youth for Christ. It is in the second year of operation and ministers to children in 3rd - 5th grade.

A counseling center in partnership with a Christian counseling group is also being considered.