Mizpah Adventist Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Runs Food Pantry for More Than 30 Years and Offers Community Meals

Mizpah Seventh-day Adventist Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, places community service at the center of its work to spread Christian values. Vernessa Wilson, the church’s community services leader, said the focus comes from the last words of Jesus, “to go and make disciples,” and that the church should be “outward focused instead of inward focused.”

The church is located among working-class families and reaches out to halfway houses, people who are hungry, and people who want to better their lives. Its ministry visits nursing homes and the sick and shut in, and it coordinates block cleanings in the neighborhood.

Mizpah’s food pantry has operated for more than 30 years and has fed many people over that time. The church also distributes clothing, provides a monthly box of food for individuals 60 and older, serves a community breakfast every Saturday and a community dinner on the second Sunday, and hosts annual Mother’s Day and Thanksgiving dinners. Feeding neighbors through these regular meals reflects the practice of charity and hospitality (Hebrews 13:16).

Senior pastor Donald C. McKinnie, Jr., who came to Mizpah three years ago, described the purpose of the work. “By being able to serve the community, we are able to meet the needs that are physical and ultimately . . . a blessing to their spiritual need as well,” he said. “God has blessed us to have leaders who care for people and show respect to individuals in community that may be under-resourced.”

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