But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; By pureness, by knowledge, by long suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned—2 Corinthians 2:5 (KJV). 

Pilgrim Covenant Church has an active, vital community service program. The list below includes some of our current activities:

• Springfield Rescue Mission—Hope Totes (collection of hygiene items), collections of warm clothes, coats, blankets, food, printer cartridges.
• In March, Missions and Outreach will again be encouraging donations of hygiene items to the Springfield Rescue Mission’s Hope Totes program.  Purple collection bags will be passed out in early March along with details about what items to put in the bags. These bags are passed out to Springfield’s homeless around Eastertime, to help them “clean up on the outside to feel better on the inside.”  We pray that the needy people that we touch are nourished in body and spirit, and that God will multiply the blessings in their lives.
• Food Pantries—Granby, CT and Southwick and Westfield, MA—year-round food collections, monthly donations. If you are able, please put an extra item or two in your shopping cart so that we can help to feed the hungry in our own “backyard”. The collection box is by the coat racks at church.
• Westfield Soup Kitchen: 69 hungry people were fed by PCC at the Westfield Soup Kitchen on Monday October 17th. This is about 25% higher than the usual number of about 55. Maybe it’s the colder weather, maybe it’s our reputation for delicious homemade lasagnas and mac n’ cheeses! We continued our new practice of taking written prayer requests. Only 4 were received, but likely many of the other 65 people had unexpressed prayer concerns. Please remember these folks, who are down on their luck, in your prayers.
• Covenant Compassion in Action (CCIA)—ministry of compassionate works for people in the community, performed as the need arises (several per year).
• Sunday School Children’s Service Project, HOPE4KIDS:  For the past several years our Sunday School offering has helped children in other countries through the annual Covenant World Relief project for children. This year, the Children’s Service Project will join with other Covenant Kids (Department of World Mission) and their national partners in Sudan, Columbia, India and Congo to provide children with school supplies, uniforms, Bibles, benches, whiteboards, markers and recreational equipment in order to help children to break out of the cycle of poverty and prepare for a brighter future. Children throughout the Covenant denomination have reflected Christ’s love to others and have made a signnificant life-altering difference through their giving and prayers.
• The Big Day of Serving:  On October 1th, 2001 our Senior High Youth participated in a one-day mission in Danbury, CT with many other youth groups to help completely transform a neighborhood.
• Children’s Home Of Cromwell (CHOC)—every year we collect donations at Christmas for gifts.
• Coffee House—a fundraising activity funding Pilgrim Covenant Church missions and other community service, held in Jackson Hall with entertainment by the Pilgrim Covenant Church House Band.
• International Feast Potluck—each year, host a special dinner with a speaker to talk about mission work.
• KICY—Evangelical Covenant Church Radio in Nome, Alaska—each year, collect and send Valentine and Christmas treats. This radio station broadcasts into Russia and the far reaches of Alaska.
• Crisis Pregnancy Center (CPC)—Unionville, CT—yearly “baby bottle” fund raiser.
• Covenant World Mission (CWM)—Pilgrim Covenant Church collects soup cans full of monetary donations each November, to be distributed to missionaries around the world.
• Operation Christmas Child (OCC)—each year, our congregation sends shoeboxes filled with gifts to children (a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse).Red Cross Blood Drive—held once per year in April at Jackson Hall.
• TurkeyDay Food—Gifts of food baskets, grocery cards or gift cards to the needy at holidays.