FAITH IN ACTION
OUR MINISTRIES
Help Syria's Kids: the Hudson-Ketermaya Connection - Our very own Danette Gorman leads this ministry to refugee children in a camp in Ketermaya, Lebanon. These children have been ripped from their homes and lives through no fault of their own. These children of war, fled their Syrian homeland walking 370 km to a dusty mountain top in Ketermaya. They live a new life in a makeshift camp and they begin each day with hope, courage and the belief that through their own determination, one day they will rebuild their lives and return to the country they love. First Presbyterian Church provides supplies and financial support, and fiscal sponsorship to this important effort to enrich the children's lives with education, recreational programming, and a penpal program with local kids at the Hudson City School District. To donate or get involved visit: https://www.helpsyriaskids.org/
Annual Thanksgiving Dinner- For over 30 years, the First Presbyterian Church has offered a delicious Thanksgiving meal on the day of the holiday free to anyone in the community who would like one. This effort involves fundraising and coordination of volunteers from throughout Columbia County and we could not do it without the support of our friends and neighbors in Hudson and beyond. Is truly rewarding to see our community come together each year for this common cause and our most recent meal was our best success yet: we delivered over 200 meals to the homebound and served another 85 individuals for a sit-down meal.
The New Leaf Garden at First Presbyterian Church - The New Leaf Garden consists of 14 raised garden beds that are available at no cost to the community. It is currently used by a handful of individuals in addition to our friends at Camphill Hudson and the Greater Hudson Promise Neighborhood. Produce raised by church members is donated to the Salvation Army kitchen at 3rd and Union. To reserve a bed call us at: 518-828-4275.
One Great Hour of Sharing - Each Lent through Easter, members of First Presbyterian Church take up collections for this offering which benefits three important ministries of our denomination: The Presbyterian Hunger Program, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance and the Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People. To read more about the work of these ministries go to presbyterianmission.org.
What Service Means
At First Presbyterian Church of Hudson, we believe the meaning of service extends beyond simple charity. We believe that all Christians are called to service by giving of their time and energy to ministries of compassion, peace, and justice. Service calls us out of our comfort zone and involves building relationships beyond our own circle, as Christ’s radical love breaks all barriers. We believe in listening to the diverse voices in our community and hearing their expression of needs on their own terms. We believe that service truly empowers; it should be transformative to all parties involved. Lastly, we believe that true service is oriented towards justice which means not just alleviating the symptoms of a social problem, but addressing its root causes. Through education, focus groups, mission studies, and prayer, we are in conversation as to how we can best live into this vision.
Community Partnerships
We're proud of our many friendships in the city of Hudson. A large part of our ministry to the community involves opening our doors to groups who need space to do good things for the city we love. We also have several organizations in Hudson which we partner with to serve our neighbors. We are proud to be the home of WGXC 90.7 Community Radio and the Greater Hudson Promise Neighborhood. We are regular contributors to the food pantry at our neighbor congregation Christ Church Episcopal. We are also a member site of the Columbia County Sanctuary Movement, and are affiliated with More Light Presbyterians and the Labor-Religion Coalition of New York State.