Faith & Grief Ministries Religious / Spiritual

Faith & Grief Ministries provides support gatherings, retreats and workshops for those who have lost a loved one where they can share their stories with others on a similar journey. During the holiday season, their Memorial Arch initiative located in Klyde Warren Park provides a place to remember loved ones by writing their names on ribbons and tying them to the arch with the names of others who we remember. For more information, visit faithandgrief.org.

Northridge was a leader in establishing ELM, the English Language Ministry in 1994 as part of the East Dallas Cooperative Parish. In 2014, ELM merged with a sister organization, Vickery Meadow Learning Center, as a means of expanding the program and impact in the community. Today Literacy Achieves provides quality instruction in English as a second language primarily to adults and their young children. Classes are offered morning, afternoon and evening and include up to seven English proficiency levels, all with classroom and computer instruction. Citizen preparation classes as well as one-on-one tutoring for the naturalization interview are also offered.

By assisting these adult students to become self-sufficient, our hope is to give their young children the advantage of an English-speaking mother and father who can help them through school. In addition to financial assistance, many Northridge members are volunteer tutors at Literacy Achieves east Dallas campus and provide board leadership. For more information, visit literacyachieves.org

International Rescue Committee Refugees

Located in Itasca and Waxahachie, Texas, this agency was begun in 1903 as an orphanage. Today it offers adoption services and serves 130 children in 18 group homes, 70 children in 35 foster homes and 20 independent families with up to 50 children with child and family programs. These children come from situations that threaten family stability such as neglect, domestic violence, substance abuse, abandonment, death, divorce and homelessness. Northridge adults and youth periodically schedule work and fellowship visits to PCHAS facilities. For more information, visit pchas.org

The Stewpot Hunger / Social Services / Shelter

The Stewpot opened in 1975 in the basement of First Presbyterian Church of Dallas. Since then, it has served more than 2.5 million meals to the homeless and at-risk in our community. Meals are now served at The Bridge, a downtown homeless assistance center. In addition to meals, The Stewpot offers basic survival resources, including dental and medical clinics, drug and alcohol counseling and treatment, caseworker assistance, and educational and recreational programs for inner-city children. For more information, visit thestewpot.org.

Hands-On Opportunity: On the third Friday of every month, a group of Northridge members serves dinner at The Bridge from 5:30pm-7:00pm.

White Rock Center of Hope Hunger / Social Services / Shelter

The White Rock Center of Hope is a community coalition of individuals, civic and social organizations where more than 50 Member Churches unite to provide emergency aid and steps toward self-sufficiency to their neighbors. Services include a food pantry, a clothing closet, financial assistance, transportation assistance, Christmas toys and school supplies. For more information, visit whiterockcenterofhope.org.

United to Learn  Education

United to Learn (U2L) is an education non-profit with a vision to accelerate student achievement across Dallas and develop purposeful leaders in the community. With a North Star goal of improving literacy rates, the organization’s unique wrap-around model brings resources into schools, offering social emotional learning, educational tools, training, tutors, campus improvement projects, student experiences, educator wellness touchpoints, and more. United to Learn works closely with Dallas ISD to ensure alignment with district goals, and has plans over the next two years to expand curated support district-wide; ultimately benefiting 165,000 students across 130 schools. To learn more visit their website here: https://www.unitedtolearn.org/

Mount Auburn STEAM Academy Our partner school through United to Learn is Mount Auburn STEAM Academy.

Northridge supports the basic mission of the greater church by providing money for pooling with the entire denomination for local, regional, national and international mission programs. These include evangelism; church development and redevelopment; women’s, youth and racial ethnic ministries; social concerns; theological education and leadership training. A portion is given to Grace Presbytery, the Synod of the Sun and the General Assembly. For more information, visit pcusa.org

We were one of many North Texas churches to join with this ministry to help build schools, clinics and community centers in impoverished colonias near Juarez, Mexico. Although we can no longer travel to Juarez, we continue to support these struggling communities throughout the year in a variety of ways, including through clothing drives, financial assistance and marketing products made by the women of the Juarez Sewing Project. For more information, visit arrowoutreach.org.

Congo Restoration Education

Congo Restoration was founded with the mission to revitalize the Democratic Republic of Congo, one village at a time, by restoring hope and dignity to women and children who have been brutalized by war. What began in 2008 as an effort to save 30 orphans, has grown into a transformative mission to challenge the cycle of poverty in the Eastern Congo. Today, we have five programs — all focused on education. For more information, visit https://congorestoration.org/

Medical Benevolence Foundation International Development

For more than 40 years, this foundation has provided hope and healing to those most in need through support of more than 100 hospitals and clinics throughout the world, including support of St. Croix Hospital in Haiti. Medical Benevolence is funded through Two Pencils. For more information, visit mbfoundation.org.

PCUSA World Mission International Development

In more than 50 countries around the world, PCUSA World Mission partners with local churches and faith communities bound by our fundamental unity in our Lord Jesus, bringing together U.S. congregations and mid-councils with our brother and sisters in Christ around the world. PCUSA World Mission believes that true mission partnership does not focus on giving and getting, but on building relationships, learning from one another and walking together in faith and friendship. For more information, visit presbyterianmission.org/ministries/world-mission.