A-HOME senior residence, with volunteers from several local congregations
Saint John and Saint. Mary’s Parish is part of the Chappaqua Interfaith Council, which meets monthly at one of the eight congregations comprising the council. It promotes a variety of worthwhile local events and activities:
• Sponsors the annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service & Dinner for the community. On November 19, 2006, the service was held at St. John and St. Mary's with participants from all congregations. Non-perishable foods were collected for Food Patch and money donated to UNICEF to assist children in our global community.
• Visited Neighbor’s Link (programs and services for the Latino community; job hiring site) and My Second Home (an inter-generational, multi-cultural daycare setup in Mt. Kisco) – and shared information with the church council and parish. For information on Neighbor’s Link, call 914-666-3410 or visit: www.neighborslink.org/ My Second Home: 914-241-0770 or www.mysecondhome.org/
• Organized an “adoption” of the living room and kitchen of the newly refurbished A-HOME residence for three disabled seniors on Mill River Road, across from the Greeley Statue. This became a “Family Lenten Project” at St. John and St. Mary’s in 2006. For info on A-HOME, contact 914-666-0740 or www.a-homehousing.org/
• Held “Getting to Know Our Neighbors,” a series of eight open-house visits, including one at St. John and St. Mary’s, for the public to increase understanding of the faiths our neighbors, in 2005 - 2006. The council also promoted a 9/11 Memorial Service with readings on the theme of peace and reconciliation.
• Co-sponsors speakers with the Chappaqua Library. In the fall of 2005, Kenneth Feinberg spoke about his book, What is Life Worth: The Unprecedented Effort to Compensate the Victims of 9/11. Feinberg was appointed by Attorney General John Ashcroft to administer the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund.
Current initiatives: Become CERT-ified. Would you like to learn more about CERT, our Community Emergency Response Team? Your help can make a difference. To learn more, visit the CERT website (Click “CERT” on the New Castle website: www.town.new-castle.ny.us) or call 238-4738.
Interfaith religious organizations involved in the Chappaqua Interfaith Council are: Beth El Temple, Chappaqua Friends Meeting, St. John and St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, The Bahai’s, The Episcopal Church of St. Mary the Virgin, The First Congregational Church United Church of Christ, The Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer, and The Upper Westchester Muslin Society.