Giving Thanks By Serving Others 

How do you show God that you are thankful? Many of us this Thanksgiving season will gather as families to share time and food together. We look forward to time off and some relaxation. Many Ekklesia volunteers will also have a great opportunity to serve the least of our neighbors who are in need of food and some encouragement this time of year. South Kitsap Helpline Food Bank's annual Thanksgiving food distribution at the National Guard Armory will take place Monday and Tuesday of next week, Nov. 21st and 22nd from 9:30am till 6:30pm. The food bank would like to schedule volunteers for three shifts in order to have adequate coverage throughout the day. The first shift will be 9:30am - 12:30pm, the second shift- 12:30pm until 3:30pm and the last will be 3:30pm until 6:30pm. Everyone interested in working with the Thanksgiving food distribution needs to be signed up as a volunteer. All applicants may fill out the volunteer app on-line on the food bank's web site- www.skhelpline.org.

Ekklesia youth serving at last year's Thanksgiving Food Distribution

Last year the food bank distributed Thanksgiving food to over 1,200 family units which added up to over 5,000 people! This service to our community is very important and would be a project that Jesus would participate in. Let's serve the hungry and help the needy. This is our spiritual worship!

Thanksgiving Connections Next Week

1. Food Bank Set Up- Nov. 20th 8-11am 

Ekklesia to Develop a new Severe Weather Shelter for the Homeless

Over the next several weeks Ekklesia volunteers will be partnering with several other local churches and the Kitsap County Department of Emergency Management (DEM) to develop our own South Kitsap Severe Weather Shelter. There are presently four locations in other places in the county that open up Severe Weather Shelters whenever the DEM determines the weather conditions warrant such a mobilization. There has not been a Shelter location for South Kitsap in several years. So, at a community meeting at City Hall two weeks ago, Port Orchard Mayor Putannsuu asked for faith community leaders to develop such a shelter. Tim Blair with Ekklesia Church and Chris Nolte of Elam Lutheran agreed to head up the project. We are hoping to secure a site within a few weeks and then develop a corp of volunteers from many churches that would staff the shelter. Last year the DEM mobilized the shelters for only 18 nights. So, this ministry would not require constant work throughout the winter months but only on those nights when the DEM mobilizes our crews. Let us pray for this opportunity to serve the most needy in our community!