We want to see the unification of the body of Christ. We want to see the Church overcoming racial, class, and political barriers that divide and detract from Gospel message of one Kingdom where all men are created in God’s image, and all are beloved children He wishes to reconcile unto himself. All are to be loved as brothers and sisters in Christ, which means that black lives matter. We seek to accomplish this vision by acting as the bridge that brings Churches together in service to humanity, offering the gospel hope to the lost, and caring for the poor while providing them the resources and the knowledge they lack to accomplish this on their own. Our success will be measured by the extent to which the body of Christ is seen as a vibrant and powerful influencer and alternative to worldly culture, it’s seen as Kingdom Culture. CSM’s mission is to partner with the body of Christ providing resources to increase their capacity to serve others and change lives. During this time of considerable uncertainty, CSM has used these resources with the help of hundreds of church partners and donors to fulfill this mission. The Bible calls us to a life of righteousness and justice in balance. We have done this by staying grounded in the word of God, living out our values, and reaching out to expand our ministry throughout our city.
Despite COVID-19, we have been working to continue serving those in need. Since March, we have served 19,589 families with resources valued at $916,530.68 and have received 576,679 pounds of much-needed food and hygiene resources. While maintaining social distancing precautions, we put into service 992 volunteers who made food and other resources available for families in need. We have also provided resources to more than 50 partner churches so that they were able to provide for their communities quickly and as needs were made known. We were also blessed with the opportunity to partner with the USDA and Forestwood Farms to receive excess produce and distribute it to those in need. With these new partnerships, CSM has been able to serve an additional 1,680 families per week. Our years of investment of time, walking together with New Rising Star, Faith Chapel, Greater Shiloh, and other churches and their pastors, is paying off by allowing more significant Kingdom impact with the lives of those being served in their communities. In March, we partnered with New Rising Star and Greater Shiloh, to distribute thousands of personal care products to families in need. And, in April, we partnered with Urban League and 16 partner churches to serve 300 families with $73,000 worth of food resources. Since May, we have partnered with Forestwood Farms to provide more than 5,000 families with produce. In June, we served 300 families at Faith Chapel with $45,000 worth of resources, and at Greater Shiloh, we served more than 1,200 families with food and other supplies valued at $63,000.
During the past quarter, many of our partnership involvements have evolved into transformative behaviors. This development is due in part to the COVID pandemic but primarily due to the worldwide movement to address injustice. We are already working with 35 pastors in this area, and now several others have begun the process. The church has awakened to the fact that it must pay a significant role in addressing the need for justice in today’s world. CSM board member Dr. Selwyn Vickers, along with our board, has helped create a position and platform to move forward in this endeavor along with 80 other community and religious leaders. This last quarter we have seen history in the making with a medical pandemic, and as Dr. Tony Evan’s calls it, a spiritual and cultural pandemic. CSM is strategically positioned to help create oneness within the church. Only through oneness, based on Kingdom values and purpose, will the church be able to influence culture and thereby promote Kingdom values for everyday living. Thank you for your wonderful continuous support during this time.
