New Journey Lutheran Church (NJLC) in Fountain Hills recently celebrated the annual ELCA “God’s Work-Our Hands” Sunday where church members helped pack the final 200 lunches for the 2024 project Sunday, Sept. 8.

The project has collaboratively increased this year from 600 New Journey lunches annually to over 2,600 Northeast Valley Consortium’s NEVC lunches. Congregants also provided seven pallets of bottled water and accompanying electrolyte powder for Grace Lutheran Church, First United Church of Christ and Wesley United Methodist heat respite centers.

This year marked the NEVC’s 13th heat respite lunch pack for Arizona Faith Network sites in central and south Phoenix.

A grant from Ascension Lutheran Church (Paradise Valley) and partnership from individual donors and from Christ the Lord (Carefree), New Covenant and Living Water (Scottsdale) congregations fostered the project’s success.

The Sept. 8 NJLC worship service also included preparation of “kindness kits” for CircletheCity, which provides healthcare support to persons experiencing homelessness across Maricopa County.

The kits, funded in part by a Thrivent grant, included toiletries, water and new socks that clients can take with them following appointments to help sustain their better health.

In addition, members of New Journey joined other Fountain Hills neighbors to bring non-perishable food items for the Islamic Speakers Bureau of Arizona 9/11 Memorial food drive with donations going to Extended Hands Food Bank in Fountain Hills.

“The power of consortial work is that together we can accomplish much more than any one of our congregation can accomplish alone,” said New Journey Pastor Elizabeth Gallen. “As heat rises and extends in the Phoenix area, we know that we need to be a part of saving lives of the most vulnerable among us…to put our hands to God’s work of love and care for neighbors.”