South Philadelphia: Christ Church Reaching One Neighborhood at a Time
Love Christ, love each other, love our city. It is the motto pastor Jeff Boettcher of Christ Church South Philadelphia holds his congregation to. Boettcher’s goal is to get the community excited about the teachings of Jesus Christ. Boettcher has been preaching on 2nd and Moore streets for three years since relocating from New Jersey. Being […]
Northeast: Supermarket Closures Leave Food Pantries Scrambling
It was 8:40 a.m. on a recent sunny, spring-like day. In addition to the birds chirping, chatter could be heard as a line from the front of St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church wrapped around Sackett Street onto Tyson Avenue. Many were gathering and waiting for the Feast of Justice’s Community Cupboard to open. Feast of […]
Frankford: Coming Together to Stop the Violence
Frankford residents take matters into their own hands. At a spring community meeting at St. Mark’s Church on Frankford Avenue, residents discussed the growing epidemic of violence in the neighborhood. According to Philadelphia Inquirer’s Crime in Philadelphia Database, 43 violent crimes occurred in Frankford from March 5th to April 4th, with a majority of them […]
Frankford: Quaker School Prioritizes STEM Education for Students
Students at Frankford Friends School know what it means to be innovative, especially in the subjects of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. These areas of study, coined as STEM, are the new focuses of Frankford Friends’ proposed NEST center, an area on the school’s campus that will allow students to experiment with these subjects through […]
South Kensington: Catholic Worker House Continues Founder’s Mission Of Serving Those In Need
The intersection of Lawrence and Jefferson streets may seem like a regular corner, but between noon and 1 p.m. a line will form in front of a nondescript apartment window. Members of the community will patiently wait outside The Sister Peter Claver Catholic Worker House for the free, hot lunch it provides Monday through Thursday […]
Kensington: Community Center Works to Serve Neighborhood’s Needs
The Community Center at Visitation (CCV) is one of many outreach facilities dedicated to improving the quality of life in Kensington. Led by Sister Betty Scanlon, a Sister of Mercy and director of CCV, the center tries to fill the gaps in services needed by local residents. “We learn so much from the community. This facility is […]
East Oak Lane: Church Leader Creates Kitchen Program to Bring Members Together
Oak Lane Presbyterian Church, located in the East Oak Lane area of the city, offers many programs geared toward creating a tight-knit congregation. The church’s pastor, the Rev. Judith Brackett, had this goal in mind when she created her Tuesdays in the Kitchen with the Pastor program, which allows members of the congregation to spend time with her, […]
Allegheny West: A School’s Hidden Treasure
Tucked away on West Clearfield Street in Allegheny West, the St. James School prospers within a national historic landmark that is arguably one of North Philadelphia’s greatest hidden treasures – the Church of St. James the Less. Constructed in 1846, the Church of St. James the Less once had a thriving congregation in what was then the […]
Allegheny West: Mentorship Program Aims To Empower Youth
Young adults gathered at Berean Baptist Church last month to take part in a mentorship program. What started out with singing “This Little Light of Mine” and general announcements turned into a night of group activities where members worked alongside mentors to create a scrapbook. Program members, ages 6-18, meet on the first and third Friday […]
Allegheny West: A Pastor’s Devotion to Youth Empowerment
Rev. Maria Lewis has devoted her life to the church and her community through youth empowerment, most recently as the pastor of youth and young adults at the Berean Baptist Church in Allegheny West. Her leadership and energy has been instrumental in the empowerment of the Berean congregation and the Allegheny West community. As a minister, […]