Mission First Community Picnic

While feeding hungry and unhoused neighbors almost daily in various loving and creative ways, Mission First also provides clothing, an outdoor phone-charging station, access to onsite medical services, “Lockers of Love” for needed storage, its “Laundry Love” service at a laundromat across the street, and a “Library of Love” collection of books for the taking.

There’s also rent assistance for those living temporarily in hotel rooms, household items for others transitioning to new homes, and so much more. Mission First staff find out the needs of their neighbors—who soon become friends—and then they find ways to fill those needs.

The new hope that starts here was started about four years ago, when the 180-year-old First Church had shrunk to about 30 worshiping members (plus a dozen mission volunteers) and admitted that it needed to close.

“The Lord doesn’t want us to stay in this building for another decade and just be here until the money runs out,” members said, according to Clare Schilling, missions chairperson and a member for about 12 years. They had plenty of meetings to get everyone on board and finally decided to look for a partner church to welcome their members and agree to adopt their large, old, brownstone, multi-room facility as a mission center.