Mothers Of Hope

11/05/2025

Polls have closed here in West Michigan.
Follow along with us as we work to bring you the latest results from today's election:
https://wwmt.com/news/election-results

11/04/2025

Did you vote yet? Let us see your stickers/selfies🥰👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽

11/04/2025

11/04/2025

As polls open across the nation, know your rights this Election Day.

11/03/2025

Tomorrow, November 4th, is Election Day!

Make your voice heard at the polls. If you’re not sure where to vote or want to confirm your voter registration, visit UnityCampaign.org for all the details you need before heading out to vote.

11/02/2025

11/02/2025

🎉 Today we’re celebrating the incredible Gwen Lanier, one of the devoted founders of Mothers of Hope! Her compassion, leadership, and tireless commitment continue to uplift our community every day. 💐
Join us in honoring Gwen’s birthday by giving back — every donation helps continue the mission she helped start. 💕
Donate today and celebrate Gwen’s legacy of hope! ✨

10/31/2025

This Halloween remember the best costume is a Michigan voter! 🗳️
Vote on November 4th.
Go to MichiganVoting.org to learn how.

10/30/2025

A letter from Pastor Rachel regarding the impending pause to SNAP benefits

Beloved in the Lord,
The current government shutdown has resulted in a potential pause in SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits here in Michigan beginning Saturday, Nov. 1. This development will have a serious impact on many of our neighbors who rely on these resources to feed their families.

Ten years ago, this pause would have impacted me. Not because my first call congregation didn’t pay me enough, but because Chris and I were foster parents. Every foster child in Michigan receives SNAP benefits. In my personal experience, while those benefits technically covered enough servings of formula (and later solid foods) per month to feed a growing child, they were really only enough to feed the infant we were fostering on those supplies alone for about the first month. After that, we gladly paid out of our own pockets for additional food to keep our child happy and healthy.

Unfortunately, not every family in our community has that option. Their hard-earned dollars are going to cover the rising costs of housing, utilities, and other necessary expenses. SNAP benefits are a vital part of the delicate web of support keeping their families going. And now those benefits are disappearing.

This means that we, the body of Christ and instruments of God’s peace for the sake of the world, have an opportunity and a calling to help. We are called to live into three of our baptismal promises: to proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed; to serve all people, following the example of Jesus; and to strive for justice and peace in all the earth.

Sharing our resources so all people have enough to eat is one of the most basic commitments of our faith. Scripture is full of stories of God providing food for God’s people: manna in the wilderness, a widow’s flour and oil never running out during a drought, five thousand people dining on a little child’s lunch, Jesus breaking bread with his disciples both before and after his death and resurrection. In worship, we share the communion meal in which Christ’s own body and blood are broken and shared, given and shed for us. When we share our bread with the hungry, we are also fulfilling our promises to proclaim good news, serve others, and strive for justice.

In this time of upheaval and uncertainty for so many in our community, our call is clear. People need to be fed and we have been given the resources to help ensure our neighbors have enough to eat. We currently assist with food needs in these ways:
• Twice monthly fresh food distributions (1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month), in partnership with the South Michigan Food Bank
• Maintaining a Blessing Box near the sidewalk by the sign on Milham Ave.
• Collecting food donations for Kalamazoo Loaves & Fishes
• Giving the Jubilee Garden produce to Loaves and Fishes and Mothers Of Hope

In the comments, you will find many ways you can help with these and similar local feeding ministries. Providing a can of soup or a few minutes of your time to fill the blessing box may not seem like much in the face of everything going on in the world, but when it means one of our neighbors doesn’t go to bed hungry today, you have made a big difference. Thank you for your faithfulness, generosity, and love, beloveds. Christ is with us and our neighbors. We will get through this together.

Shalom,
Pastor Rachel

10/24/2025

Mothers of Hope was honored to join the Northside Ministerial Alliance Prayer Breakfast — coming together in faith, unity, and love for our community.