Outreach Programs
OPEN TABLE
Since the mid-1980¹s, Church of the Pilgrims has offered lunch to the Dupont Circle area homeless and poor on Sunday afternoons. From 1:00 till 1:30 PM, we offer a meal to 40-50 people most of whom are men. Our lunch comprises a sack lunch (sandwich, snack and a piece of fruit) and a cup of soup in the winter and typically cold pasta salad in the summer along with juice and coffee. We offer hygiene sundries at least once a month. Typically, we have more visitors when the weather is warm and people are less likely to be in shelters. In the winter, our number of visitors can drop significantly. In recent years, more women have come seeking food. Occasionally, older persons and full families will visit for lunch too. We are financially supported by Church of the Pilgrims and some other outside sources including Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place (CCH/FP) www.cchfp.org Our volunteer cooks and servers are a blend of members of the church and non-members. The Friends Meeting House provides food the first Sundays of the month and when the weather is nice, they give free haircuts too. The youth of their meetinghouse assist with sandwich making during the month, as do the young children of Church of the Pilgrims. Our cores of Pilgrim servers are a mix of new and old members‹all of whom are enthusiastic to help those in need! It is truly a community-oriented event. A team of four volunteers serve each week. Scheduling is typically done one month in advance. Please contact DeLania Hardy at lania_hardy@yahoo.com if you are interested in joining this eager team of volunteers.
Vigil for Darfur
Church of the Pilgrims feels called to express outrage over the policy of genocide being carried out in Darfur by the Government of Sudan. Every third Sunday every month, Pilgrims joins together with The Peacemaking Team and the Social Justice Team of National Capital Presbytery to join in a “Presbyterian demonstration of protest. We assemble at the Church of the Pilgrims, 2201 P Street, NW at 1:00 p.m. and then walk together for one block to the Embassy of Sudan where we stand united in protest, 1:15 – until NLT 2:15 PM. Placards and signs are available, but you may bring your own sign and/or banners. All are welcome; no reservations necessary. Come as an individual or church mission group whenever you can, rain or shine.
Habitat for Humanity
Throughout the year, Pilgrims participates in Saturday morning “builds” with DC Habitat for Humanity. The mission of DC Habitat for Humanity is to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness in the nation's capital by building affordable, energy- and resource-efficient homes for God's people in need. Since its founding in 1988, DC Habitat has completed over 100 homes and renovated 75 low-income cooperative units in the District of Columbia. Pilgrims is part of the 4,000 volunteers a year who have contributed toward the construction of these affordable homes.
