Conestoga Valley /townlively
DECEMBER 2, 2020
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LVI • NO 51
Recovery Minded: The Potter’s House Of Ruth BY ANN MEAD ASH
Angie Jakubowski, women’s ministry director with The Potter’s House of Ruth Addiction Recovery and Discipleship Ministry, is comfortable talking about her background - her childhood in Wormleysburg, her degrees from Elizabethtown College, and the intervention organizations she founded but Angie’s face lights up when she is asked about the ministry she began leading in March.
Mission Church staff members (from left) Brian Bitler, Tammi Nolt, and Jeremiah Miller have helped to organize the church food pantry, which distributes boxes of food to area residents in need.
Food Pantry Is Part Of Church’s Mission hen Mission Church moved to 651 Lampeter Road, Lancaster, in the spring of 2018, members and staff set a goal. “We wanted to impact the community,” said Brian Bitler, director of operations and strategic advancement for the church. Opening a food pantry was a topic of discussion. “When the pandemic hit, we had two things,” recalled Bitler. “We had the facility … (and we had) people who rose up for that (challenge).” Armed with opportunity, space, and willing workers, Mission Church opened a food pantry that is available to all area residents. Mission Church operations coordinator Tammi Nolt stated that the Mission Food Pantry is generally open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon. “Once a month anyone can come pick up a box of food,” she said, noting that contact information will be requested from recipients but preregistration is not necessary. Each household is
the boxes, but some items, including canned vegetables and dry pastas, have been hard to come by. Some other area churches contribute to the pantry, and donations are accepted during the hours the pantry is open to recipients. Those wishing to donate may visit https://mission -church.com/foodpantry for a list of items the pantry needs. Items that are always priorities include canned vegetables and fruit, canned chicken, beans, rice, and cereal. Currently, Miller and Nolt are doing some of the work to manage the pantry, but most of the effort is overseen by volunteers. Eventually, the church hopes to provide a shopping experience for food pantry recipients. “It will be easier when people are seeing (food items) and choosing them,” said Bitler. During the summer, the pantry was supplemented by the church’s own garden plot located at the back of the building. “We grew tomatoes, peppers, squashes, green beans, and sweet potatoes,” said Miller. Bitler added that organizers plan to double the size of the garden in 2021.
See Recovery Minded pg 4
Angie Jakubowski became the women’s ministry director at The Potter’s House of Ruth Addiction Recovery and Discipleship Ministry in March.
Hybrid Homeschooling Out Of A Mother’s Love Grows Firm Foundations Academy BY ANN MEAD ASH
Several years ago, when Sarah Northrup was homeschooling her children, she discovered her daughter had dyslexia. “(It was) impossible to find help and support,” recalled Northrup. “I felt I was very isolated.” Northrup, who already had a degree in elementary and special education, responded by turning to the National Institute of Learning Development at Virginia University
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given one box of food weighing approximately 50 pounds, but Nolt said that other items are added when they are available. “This summer, we had a lot of produce, meat, and milk,” she said. “It depends on what our stock is.” Jeremiah Miller, director of facility management at the church, said that the box of nonperishable items generally contains cans of vegetables or fruit, canned meat, and a variety of pastas and sauce. He added that sometimes oatmeal or granola bars are included along with coffee, tea, and snacks. “Comfort food is always nice to have,” he said. In its first six months, the food pantry fed 1,000 different families. “We have provided about 2,500 boxes of food since we started,” Nolt said of the drive-through operation. Bitler noted that recipients pull up and are signed in by volunteers before receiving boxes of items. Personal care products and detergents are often available for those who ask. Currently, the church partners with Central Pennsylvania Food Bank and Blessings of Hope to fill
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“We can house seven students, and we accepted our first student in July,” said Angie. “We are a four-phase program, and everything is Christ-centered and biblically based,” she added, noting that the first two phases are structured and focused on recovery, including biblical 12-step meetings and curriculum. Angie holds a bachelors degree in addictions and behavioral counseling and a master’s degree in strategic leadership. She has served as a family interventionist with Restorative Interventions, which she founded in New Cumberland. She was also a mobile crisis counselor for Schuylkill County and with Lebanon Youth Advocacy, and she worked for Teen Challenge. Prior to 2020, Angie and her husband, Joel, who is the men’s ministry director for The Potter’s House, participated with the ministry. In late 2019, Angie was asked to prayerfully consider whether she was being called to work for the program. In early 2020, she accepted the position.