Photo courtesy of Angelique Labadie
Rev. Victoria Rebeck, Director of Connecting Ministries
A room full of Williamsport neighbors slogged through torrential rain on September 22 to the warm home of Sojourner Truth Ministries. They came to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of this United Methodist ministry that serves the area’s most vulnerable.
While the mission, which meets in a former church building, offers a breadth of opportunities to the neighbors, it may be best known for its community lunch, offered six days a week. Food for the body—a hot meal, served family style—is served along with food for the soul, a time of prayer and an uplifting message.
“Our guests can have a special meal with their families,” says Pat Bole, a long-time supporter of the ministry. “This is home for many people.”
Rev. Angelique Labadie-Cihanowyz, a Nazarene clergywoman, oversees the ministry in her role as executive director. An energetic, visionary leader, she is well known for her compassion. Children of all ages ran up to talk to her during the celebration.
“My takeaway from working here is that poverty is complex, with multifaceted barriers,” Rev. Labadie-Cihanowyz says. “And I have the honor and responsibility to find a way to connect with every single person who comes to us, to show the love of Christ and preach the Good News through actions and words.”
In addition to the weekday meals, Sojourner Truth offers a number of compassionate and empowering ministries.
After-School Kids (ASK) meets twice a week to provide a safe place for children to receive nurturing, homework help, one-on-one attention, Bible lessons, and a meal. More programming is offered to children in the summer. Neighbors can stop by for emergency food packages, hygiene items, socks, gloves, hats, and blankets. A sewing group that met in the building created a large quilt depicting Noah’s ark, which now graces a wall at the center. A Bible study meets on Tuesday mornings.
Dinner Church gathers on Saturdays for an abbreviated worship service and a meal.
“The goal is to make it feel like Thanksgiving dinner,” Rev. Labadie-Cihanowyz says. Visitors from other churches sit down at the table with the guests, engaging in conversation and getting to know each other. Building relationships and recognizing the guests’ dignity is as important as the meal.
“You can rely on these people,” says Paul, a regular luncheon guest whose story is featured on the organization’s website. Like many people, he needs to rely on the center to provide a meal every day, not just once or twice a month. “These are real people, real church,” he says. According to the website, Paul “came in for food, but received acceptance, help, love, and is being transformed by Jesus.”
Twenty years ago, a group of United Methodist clergy and laypeople felt called to start a meaningful ministry in Williamsport. They spent time walking around the city and praying. One of the walkers had a vision wheel with a center hub with spokes radiating out from it.
Sojourner Truth Ministries became that hub, and churches in the area became the spokes that assist the ministries. STM united the churches in shared ministry; together they were able to offer more than they would have individually.
On occasion they engage Hillside Catering, which hires some folks in the STM community.
“We’re not afraid to try new things,” Bole says. The board is dreaming of future ministries such as literacy classes for adults, rooms on Friday nights for Twelve Step groups, and perhaps serving as hub for gathering materials for Mission Central, the Mechanicsburg-based warehouse for medical supplies, flood recovery kits, and other missions materials.
Soon, House of Hope will open. This will provide a short-term, communal home for women coming out of homelessness. The women will also learn practical skills in budgeting to work toward sustainability
As a United Methodist Ministry, STM welcomes donations and volunteer help. Visit the website stmwilliamsport.org, Facebook page www.facebook.com/stmwilliamsport or email sojournertruthministries@gmail.com to learn more about how you can be a part of this life-saving, relationship-building Beloved Community.
