At Hope Lutheran Church and Student Center, we are involved in a number of activities that serve the needs of our local community.
Hope supports and encourages the work and many ministry projects of Lutheran Campus Ministry at the University of Maryland and donates space and resources for the weekly CARing Project during the school year. The CARing Project is an after-school program for children from Langley Park, MD, who are at risk of falling behind in school because of language and learning difficulties. Hope members and friends donate school supplies, backpacks, and winter coats to the children in Langley Park, as well as collecting Labels for Education for the CARing Project. Hope donates rehearsal and storage space for Joyful Noise, a music group of the Lutheran Student Association.
Hope has long supported the work of CUCE (Congregations United for Compassion and Empowerment), which responds to the needs of people in our community who have fallen on hard times. Proceeds from Hope events such as the 2011 Yard Sale benefit CUCE.
Hope members and friends donate grocery store gift cards that the pastor distributes in response to requests by phone and at the door from people in need of daily basics. We maintain a food collection box that benefits Help by Phone of Prince George’s County, a food bank that provides assistance to low-income residents and families throughout the county. Members and friends also stay overnight with the Safe Haven homeless shelter program and provide meals for Safe Haven.
Hope participates in the Partners in Care program, an initiative of the Maryland National Guard Joint Force Headquarters Chaplains' office. The purpose of this initiative is to coordinate support for Maryland National Guard members and families through partnerships with local faith communities. As a Partners in Care congregation, we have signed a memorandum of understanding that formalizes the relationship and defines the purpose, scope, and nature of the partnership
