REN CARES MINISTRIES

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Galatians 6:10

Mission of Ren Cares: Empowering Renaissance Church to use our time, talents, and treasures to care for the needs of people within our church and our community and around the world.

Need more information about our ministries or wish to volunteer?
Contact us at rencares@renchurch.com or use the email addresses listed below for specific ministries.

COVID-19 RESPONSE

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At Renaissance Church, we want to continue showing love and care for those around us and to realize that you have talents or resources that could help others. We encourage you to recognize when you need help and do not be afraid to ask for it. If you are in need of help, know someone who needs assistance, or would like to serve with Ren Cares, please email us.

Ren Cares has been supporting our partners and initiatives in response to the Coronavirus pandemic with accelerated financial support. Since early March, more than $32,000 has gone to support:

• our Renaissance Church family with special benevolence funds
• grocery store gift cards to Summit elementary school children and their families who are food insecure
• grocery store gift cards to families being served by the Union County Division of Child Protection and Permanency
• the emergency fund of The Bowery Mission, helping the homeless in New York City
• the emergency fund of New York City Relief to reach the hungry and homeless in New York City and Patterson and Newark, New Jersey
• the Samaritan’s Purse Emergency Medicine fund to help their front-line disaster relief specialists and emergency field hospitals in New York City and Italy
• the World Vision Coronavirus Emergency Response to help provide U.S. Family Emergency Kits
• funds for 1,000 of the most vulnerable babies, children, and older adults under the care of Hope of Life International in Guatemala

(We encourage making personal donations to these activities through the respective websites for The Bowery Mission, New York City Relief, Samaritan’s Purse, World Vision, and Hope of Life, or contact Ren Cares for the other programs. With all giving to Renaissance Church, a percentage is given to Ren Cares in order to show the love of Jesus to others.)

In addition, Ren Cares:

• established a COVID-19 Response Serving Team whose members have offered to provide direct financial support and services such as grocery shopping, meal gift cards, virtual visits, and outreach to our Renaissance Church family. (Contact rencares@renchurch.com to join the team or request assistance.)
• established virtual prayer meetings to replace monthly in-person meetings
• received and re-donated 250 masks to SAGE Eldercare in Summit for their team of volunteers reaching vulnerable seniors through the Meals on Wheels program
• continues support of Mastermedia International, which provides spiritual support, encouragement, and counseling to media leaders and influencers
• continues support of Hanna and Evan Thomas and their seven orphans on the Hope of Life campus in Guatemala

In addition to the above support, Ren Cares encourages and coordinates many activities that serve or involve the Renaissance Church family such as:

• continuing the Rays of Hope support group, pastoral care, and remote contact.
• completed the DivorceCare and GriefShare support groups with virtual sessions and started the planning for the next cycles, as well planning of the Single & Parenting Support Group
• started the runner signups for our Team World Vision October race so that runners have an opportunity to get matched funds, helping U.S. and global water, sanitation, and hygiene efforts (to contribute to the match, support a runner or support the World Vision U.S. efforts)
• continued the prayer ministry by encouraging us to submit prayer requests to our ePrayer team of more than 70 people
• began planning for the 2021 mission trips with Hope of Life
•  working with the contacts at The Bowery Mission and New York City Relief to define our involvement with these two organizations once the current Coronavirus-related restrictions are lifted.

INTERNAL MINISTRIES

Prayer
Prayer is an integral part of our lives as followers of Jesus. Members of the Prayer Team lift up to God the needs of the Renaissance Church family. If you have a prayer request for yourself or for someone you love, fill out our confidential prayer form. Your privacy is important to us, so there is an option to keep your request anonymous. If you would like to pray during Sunday services, meet for regular prayer meetings, or be involved in our prayer ministry, contact us at prayer@renchurch.com.

Pastoral Care
Our pastors and other qualified individuals are available to provide spiritual guidance to the Renaissance Church family and visitation to those who are in the hospital or confined to home. This ministry team can also help connect you with appropriate resources for personal, marital, family, or bereavement counseling. Please contact rencares@renchurch.com.

Life Events
This ministry provides non-counseling support for baby dedications, birth celebrations, weddings at church, and funerals. Please contact rencares@renchurch.com.

Meals
Caring volunteers meet short-term needs and develop relationships by providing meals for Renaissance Church families with newborns or people recovering from illness or injury. Contact us at meals@renchurch.com for assistance or to help by providing meals.

Service
The Service Team works alongside people in the Renaissance Church family who have needs beyond their current physical or financial capabilities (e.g., a house move, painting, housekeeping chores, etc.). Please contact rencares@renchurch.com.

Special Benevolence
Ren Cares provides confidential financial assistance to people in the Renaissance Church family. Please contact rencares@renchurch.com.

Support Groups
Groups offer help through difficult times: for those facing the death of a loved one (GriefShare), for those going through a divorce or separation (DivorceCare), for single parents (Single & Parenting), and for families with substance addiction (Rays of Hope). For more information and group dates, visit Support Groups.

LOCAL MINISTRIES

Christmas for Kids (Union County)
Ren Cares collects gifts from Renaissance Church for about 300 local children under the care of the county’s Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCP&P) as part of their child abuse prevention program. The DCP&P distributes these gifts, as well as Christmas cards from our Ren Kids. Solicitation of volunteers to work the event occurs in November each year. For a glimpse into Christmas for Kids, check out this video. Please contact christmasforkids@renchurch.com to help with this ministry.

Food for Kids
Ren Cares provides breakfast and snacks to hungry elementary school children. We work with the Summit public school nurses. Please contact rencares@renchurch.com to help with this ministry.

Ministries to the Homeless
City Relief (Patterson, Newark, and New York)
City Relief is a “boots on the ground” organization working in the poverty-stricken areas of New Jersey and New York City. They lead 7,000 volunteers to take on poverty, addiction, and despair. Their objective is not to just give a handout, but to give a hand up by connecting the suffering to vital resources that can turn their lives around. Shelter, medical care, addiction recovery, and job training are lifelines to many who are sinking. The City Relief strategy is compassion; the mission is life transformation. Ren Cares serving opportunities in Patterson and Newark are scheduled to start in September 2021. Sign up here or contact us with any questions at cityrelief@renchurch.com 

Goodwill Rescue Mission and The Bowery Mission. To effectively combat the epidemic of homelessness affecting nearly 80,000 people in New York City and to meet the needs of our neighbors across the New York metro area, New York City Rescue Mission and Goodwill Rescue Mission (Newark) have joined forces with The Bowery Mission. Goodwill Rescue Mission is currently closed pending redevelopment of its property in Newark. Although individuals can choose to serve in NYC at The Bowery, Ren Cares will focus on serving opportunities with City Relief.

NATIONAL MINISTRIES

Mastermedia International (NYC)
Mastermedia provides spiritual support, encouragement, and counseling to media leaders and influencers. The Seven Prayers for Hollywood and more information about this Ren Cares-supported initiative can be found here or by contacting mmi@renchurch.com. For more information about the organization, visit the Mastermedia International website.

Disaster Response
Ren Cares was formed in 2012 to help those impacted by Hurricane Sandy. We continue to consider both financial and volunteer-based support in the aftermath of natural disasters and other tragic events occurring in our national or global communities. For more information on volunteer opportunities, please contact our Disaster Response Team at rencares@renchurch.com.

GLOBAL MINISTRIES

Hope of Life (Guatemala)
Hope of Life serves the people of Guatemala by rescuing children from malnutrition, providing clean water, building schools and hospitals, and sharing the love of Jesus. We participated in several projects as part of the Total Village Transformation of Santa Rosalía de Mármol in Zacapa, Guatemala. This village is also the site of Ray of Hope Drug Rehabilitation project sponsored in part by Renaissance Church. Visit the Hope of Life page for more information on 2022 projects or contact the Ren Cares Hope of Life Team at hol@renchurch.com.

Family-Style Orphan Care (Guatemala)
Ren Cares provides financial, material, and spiritual support to Hanna and Evan Thomas as they provide family-style orphan care for 7 to 12 children on the Hope of Life campus in eastern Guatemala. These children come from the most ridiculously traumatic backgrounds imaginable. However, with the love, support, discipline, and life experiences that come from having a normal family, these kids have the chance to make great strides in growth. The goal is to help heal the wounds (break the chains of abuse, neglect, hurt, and abandonment) and offer Jesus’ love to these kids so that they can walk in a new light, full of belief and love for Jesus. Meet the Thomas family in this video. Contact us at orphancare@renchurch.com for more information about this ministry.

World Vision (Africa and Central America)

About World Vision

World Vision is an international partnership of Christians whose mission is to follow our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in working with the poor and oppressed to promote human transformation, seek justice, and bear witness to the good news of the Kingdom of God.

At Renaissance Church, we partner with World Vision in two ways:

1. Team World Vision Endurance (Half Marathons for Clean Water)
2. Child Sponsorship

Team World Vision Endurance: Since 2007, Renaissance Church, along with more than 500 churches nationally, have provided 3.4 million people with access to clean water through the ministry of Team World Vision – helping children live into the fullness of life God intends for them. Our running and walking, alongside our fundraising, help end the walk to water for thousands of children every year. If you’d like to learn more, contact twv@renchurch.com for more information or visit the Team World Vision website.

Child Sponsorship: World Vision child sponsorship is built upon a simple truth—we are created for relationships with God and our “neighbor.” Through our partnership with World Vision, we can give and receive the love of God through the gift of sponsorship and further deepen the impact and sustainability of our Team World Vision ministry efforts. World Vision’s Christ-centered, child-focused, and community-based sponsorship program enables four children to benefit from every child sponsored. Through sponsorship, World Vision and Renaissance Church can help more children around the world get access not only to water but also food, education, health, and protection. To learn more about World Vision Child Sponsorship, click here.

 

Need more information about our ministries or wish to volunteer?
Contact us at rencares@renchurch.com or use the email addresses listed above for specific ministries.

Please be aware that participation on some teams may require training and/or qualifications.