Plumb Beach Cleanup

Plumb Beach in Brooklyn, New York

In keeping with the footsteps of the Good Samaritan, Heavenly Mother New Jerusalem, the volunteers of The World Mission Society Church of God have dedicated themselves to improving communities across the globe through different environmental cleanups. As the planet becomes more and more polluted by the irreversible damage caused by human footprint, these volunteers have hope that by participating in cleanups in communities in every pocket of the globe where Church of God members are found, the planet will become a better place to live. On June 14, 2009, the members of the World Mission Society Church of God in New York joined with the Jamaica Bay Guardian and the American Littoral Society to hold a beach cleanup of Plumb Beach in Brooklyn, NY.

Plumb Beach is located along the north shore of Rockaway Inlet in Brooklyn. Its name was given because of the beach plums that grow wild in the area. Because the beach is not clean enough it is not safe enough for recreational swimming. It is often subjected to heavy beach erosion and many small boats are often abandoned in the area.

On this day, over 100 volunteers gathered to clean up Plumb Beach with the intent of improving the environment in the area and provide its ecosystem a clean place to live. The volunteers picked up old tires, big pieces of lumber, cans and bottles, and different kinds of debris that covered this shoreline. All kinds of waste had washed ashore and the volunteers removed these with bright smiles knowing that their work would make a difference in the world.

Volunteers from the Church of God removing debris from the shoreline at Plum Beach

As Barabra Cohen, the NY State Coordinator for the International Coastal Cleanup, stated, “Never in any of our cleanups did we ever have as large a group as this group from Church of God and as enthusiastic a group, exciting young people who are involved in the environment and doing a fantastic job today at Plumb Beach in Brooklyn. The amount of debris they picked up from this beach that had been really littered with all kinds of debris – cigarette buds, plastic bags, water bottles, and cans of soda – is now relatively perfect and we’re very grateful for that.”

In no time, the volunteers of the Church of God cleaned up the beach and collected dozens of bags ensuring that they were later properly disposed. Don Riepe, Jamaica Bay Guardian of the American Littoral Society also commended the volunteers for their great job of cleaning up the beach.

Clean World Movement

Clean World Movement 2011

 

Nowadays, most people pay very little attention to the impact our modern society has on the earth. Once pristine, the earth now features broken ecosystems, landfills, and garbage-strewn waterways. In order to mitigate the effects of our ever-increasing pollution of the environment, worldwide members of the World Mission Society Church of God work in congruence to reduce the human footprint. Following the example of the Good Samaritan, the members of the Church of God actively participate in volunteer events to make our world a better and cleaner place to live.

The Clean World Movement, which has been carried out every year since 2000, is an event that takes place in preparation to the Passover celebration. It is the Church of God’s version of spring cleaning, on a global scale! As a son manages and operates his parent’s business with utmost diligence, the members of the Church of God work hard to take care of planet Earth, which God created and entrusted to us to look after. Every member of the Church of God, from the youngest to the eldest, partakes in this event to beautify our world and shine the light of Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother.

Blood Drive Winter 2011

"The gift of blood is the gift of life…"

On Sunday, December 11, 2011, the World Mission Society Church of God hosted its Winter 2011 Blood Drive in Ridgewood, NJ in partnership with Community Blood Services. The turnout of the drive came as no surprise to the Recruitment Director at Community Blood Services, Patrice Foresman, and to the returning staff who were involved with the Church of God’s previous drives. Among the 230 donating registrants, 180 units were collected. From this amazing drive, up to 540 lives could be saved.

Joseph McHale, a Community Blood Services volunteer, described the drive at the Church of God in Ridgewood as “huge” and “terrific.” Community Blood Services conventionally holds drives at high schools and corporations, normally obtaining around 100 or even just 50 units, respectively. McHale was shocked, impressed, and enthused by the magnificent turnout and the amount of new donors at the Church of God.

Volunteers completing applications to become blood donors

Kamil, now a veteran worker at the Church of God blood drives, mentioned that he likes coming here, taking notice of the calm and organized atmosphere of the members and participants despite the hundreds of blood contributors that Community Blood Services personnel had to register. The blood donating process takes roughly an hour, including: completing the application, getting tested for capability to donate, then finally donating itself. Undeterred by the lengthy process, which increased due to the limited amount of donating beds, Camille, a Community Blood Services worker, commented that “some people get very frustrated, but [Church of God donors] were not complaining about the wait.”

So what motivates Church of God members to continuously participate in these blood drives? It is their burning desire to serve others and follow in the footsteps of Heavenly Father Christ Ahnsahnghong and Heavenly Mother New Jerusalem. As Kamal Monges, first time donor and member of the Church of God in Philadelphia, expressed, “Father and Mother did it…with a lot more pain and a lot more suffering. This is a very small sacrifice. It was a pleasure to do this for those in need.” Even first time visitors to the Church enjoyed the warm and welcoming atmosphere as well as the beautiful deed of saving lives. It was Karen Roman’s first time at the Church of God and although she donated in the past, she appreciated the members’ attentiveness in helping her through the process to make her more comfortable and more at ease. When asked if she would come back to another Church of God Blood Drive, she responded, “Of course! And [I'd] bring some friends too!”

Donors and Staff at the Winter 2011 Blood Drive

The event proved so successful that New Song Radio featured it on one of its segments. During an aired interview with Patrice, she described her feelings on the drive. “Every single time we have done a blood drive at the World Mission Society Church of God in Ridgewood, it has been an overwhelming feeling of happiness. People are very, very glad to be a part of the process – I’m talking about our employees with Community Blood Services… and also the donors themselves. It just seems like everybody has the same reason to be there and that is to help make certain we have an adequate blood supply for the 20+ hospitals that we serve in the community and the three trauma centers…” An unexpected victory also occurred at the Church of God Drive: ten people registered to donate bone marrow, “which is an amazing result for our first time,” acknowledged Patrice.

Community Blood Services also nominated the World Mission Society Church of God to receive a special Award of Excellence through the America’s Blood Centers Organization. Patrice spoke about why she nominated the Church of God for this award: “It’s a national award. It is something I felt very deeply about because of the commitment that the Church of God has made to us. Essentially, it is an award for the most productive blood drive… I can’t think of an organization that is more deserving of this kind of recognition. [The Church of God's] mission to assist [their] fellow man is relevant and important and is one that Community Blood Services shares… it resonates to the actual gift of life.”

The World Mission Society Church of God looks forward to continuing its efforts of conducting blood drives during the winter and summer months when blood supply levels are at its lowest.

Appelt Park Knotweed Removal

On Sunday, July, 18, 2010, over 140 members of the World Mission Society Church of God in Ridgewood, NJ drove to the neighboring township of Riverdale to volunteer their time to uproot the invasive Japanese Knotweed from the banks of the Pequannock River. This project aligns with the World Mission Society Church of God’s continuous global effort to restore the planet’s natural environment. After the removal, native trees and shrubs will be planted, allowing native flora to thrive.

Japanese Knotweed, regarded as one of the world’s 100 most invasive species, flourishes in thick colonies under a wide range of conditions. It chokes out native plants, disrupts the ecosystem, damages structures and even reduces natural flood defenses. The dense mass of roots and bamboo-like stalks, capable of reaching over 12-feet high, makes the Japanese Knotweed especially difficult to remove. Executive board members of the Pequannock River Coalition (PRC) recruit groups of volunteers to undertake the immense task of uprooting the weeds multiple times a year. However, when the Church of God members arrived, Barbara Kushner, wife of Ross Kushner, Executive Director of the PRC, exclaimed, “I was told 100 people were coming [to volunteer]. I didn’t think that was possible, but here you all are!”

Church of God volunteers joined together in unity using pitchforks, shovels, and their gloved hands to dig up the stubborn growths under the sweltering heat and threat of poison ivy. Regardless of these circumstances, cheers of triumph and bursts of laughter echoed from the group. Church of God members completed “double the work in half the time,” as expressed by Laurence Bair, Chief Executive of the PRC. In an interview with NorthJersey.com, Ross Kushner shared, “The results speak for themselves. Most of the park is now free of knotweed. These folks deserve a big round of applause.”

Peru Earthquake

On August 15, 2007, an 8.0 M earthquake hit the southern central coast of Peru—one of the most populated areas in the country— triggering tsunami warnings throughout the South American Pacific coast that extended even as far as Hawaii. The earthquake resulted in severe damage of several buildings and even complete destruction of others. The loss of human life was horrendous. Many people lost their homes and livelihood overnight; even churches and hospitals were not spared.

Although Peru is located in a tectonic fault and small tremors are very common, the general population, and the government infrastructure, in particular, were completely unprepared for this terrible disaster, which came suddenly. The Peruvian government declared a state of emergency and many organizations, both domestic and international, were willing to make donations after seeing images of the devastation.

However, due to damaged transportation links and bureaucratic loopholes, help was slow to come. With little to no outside aid, the victims of the disaster began to fall into despair, particularly in the Ica Region. The members of the World Mission Society Church of God in Lima and Huancayo were quick to lend a hand to their neighbors. Following the teaching and example of Heavenly Mother New Jerusalem, who is the Good Samaritan in these last days, the members of the Church of God are always more than willing to devote their time and put their effort to help those in greatest need.

Since many victims lost their homes, many international organizations and the Peruvian government sent tents for temporary living. The hot southern Peruvian weather made living in these tents uncomfortable, especially for children. So, the Church of God members decided to provide the victims with more adequate housing.

The volunteer members went primarily to the Tambo de Mora district in the Chincha province, one of the most affected districts in the south. When they arrived, they worked in unison to clear out the rubble of the destroyed homes. Earnestly wanting to understand the suffering of the victims, the volunteers began constructing suitable temporary shelters with all their heart, as if they were building a house of their own. With tender words and cries of “We Love You!”, the volunteers filled the victims with hope and helped alleviate their pain.

Although many of the members of the  Churches of God in Peru are not affluent, they set up two bazaars to raise funds for the victims. Several members willingly gave up their valuables and other belongings to be sold off at the bazaars. Detached from worldly possessions, they gladly donated their time and valuables in order to serve their neighbors, according to the teaching of Heavenly Mother. Hearing about the willing and pure mind of the members of the Church of God in Peru, the Head Office of the Church of God in South Korea sent more funds to increase the positive effect of the volunteer core. Now, the Church of God volunteers planned to build temporary classrooms, infirmaries and other amenities to restore a feel of normalcy in the desolate areas.

The hard work of the Church of God volunteers earned them praise from the residents as well as the regional government and other relief effort organizers. By the hand of God the Mother, whose leadership guarantees the success of the volunteers, a Peruvian news network took notice of the Church of God’s work. TV Peru broadcasted an interview with Pastor Kim Jin-guk of one of the Churches of God in Lima, to comment on the earthquake relief efforts. “A mother can only think of the welfare of her children in times of disaster,” said Pastor Kim, “we want to understand and let others understand how much Heavenly Mother grieves for Her children who are in peril because of great disasters.”

Through the fundraising efforts and the volunteer work of the Churches of God in Peru, many ailing people were relieved and have been given the opportunity to start anew. These beautiful deeds are an amazing fragrance of Christ, through which the members of the Church of God worldwide can have a deeper understanding of the love and teachings of Heavenly Mother. Through kind acts, in line with the teaching of God, the volunteers of the Church of God serve as a refreshing rain shower that gives hope for a better future to the afflicted as well as encouragement for people to help others in need for the goodness of all.

Breezy Point Beach

The marshlands and beach areas around the New York Harbor have, for decades, been overlooked and neglected. The New York City coastline abounds with fauna that typify this intertidal marine system. Contamination of this ecosystem, lack of environmental protection and government mismanagement had left many of these areas, once the pride of the region, fallow. Only in recent years, with the creation of the National Park Service Gateway Recreation Area, the area had begun to recover from the effect of anthropogenic waste and contamination. However, many areas of the Long Island shoreline still remain strewn with waste and debris, a footprint of human occupation.

Seeing the decaying condition of this area, the members of the World Mission Society Church of God were more than willing and swift to lend a hand in the environmental efforts. Following the teachings and the example of Heavenly Mother, who cares for the people and global issues like a loving mother cares for her household, the members of the Church of God are more than willing to invest their time to bring forth good results in the global village and give glory to Elohim God.

On March 20, 2011, a large volunteer core from the Church of God went to the littoral areas (marshes and beaches) that were still affected by human waste. The volunteer core, comprising over 300 members, worked in unity and with enthusiasm. The original target comprised only of the area around Breezy Point, Jamaica, NY. However, due to the unexpectedly high volunteer turnout, park officials decided to send a unit of the Church of God volunteer core to cover the area around Plum Beach, Brooklyn, NY.

As a mother loves when her children live in harmony, the members of the Church of God understand that God is pleased to see the children of God working in unity to achieve a greater goal. The volunteers gathered around large wooden beams and removed them with ease. Moving them was an awesome feat of cooperation. In all this, the volunteers seemed neither undeterred nor fatigued.

“Spartans, what is your profession?” “AH-HU, AH-HU, AH-HU!!!”

With the discipline of a Spartan and the unity of a phalanx, they quickly broke down into groups and started to work right away. There were many things that littered this once beautiful area, from household waste and recyclables to boat wreckage. The volunteers worked with joy and speed to bring out awesome results. Feeling their passion and energy, many of the outside organization observers were astonished to see their efficiency and unity.

One of the observers from the American Littoral Society was very pleased with the progress the members were making and compared the volunteer core with a working ant colony. He was particularly impressed with the volunteers’ determination, as they quickly dispatched seemingly immovable debris. Despite being told they were not required to move such large pieces, the volunteers replied with cries of “God is with us. We can do anything!”, constantly smiling and giving glory to God the Father and God the Mother.

Another observer was quick to note the majority of volunteers from the Church of God were young adult members. He was very touched at the sight of young people working to relieve the ailing ecosystem. “Many kids spend their time on themselves, doing bad things. It’s good to see young people caring about others, kids who are willing to make a difference,” he stated, “if all the kids were like these Church of God kids, we’d have no problems in this world.”

Unity was, like in all Church of God volunteer events, the main theme and the key to success. Through the cooperation of the members and the hand of God, whose stewardship guarantees our success, the volunteer core made remarkable progress in this environmental task in a short period of time. As Heavenly Mother is pleased when the children serve others, the members of the Church of God are not satisfied, despite many successes, and are looking forward to many other volunteer events where they can put their talents to good use, help others and shine the glory of Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother in the United States and the world.

Click to view the Breezy Point Clean World Movement 2011 Gallery.

UN Haiti Donation

On January 12, 2010, at 4:53 PM (ET), a tragic earthquake struck the small nation of Haiti. With a population of 10 million, Haiti was hard hit by this catastrophe, which injured one third of its citizens and caused 90 percent of buildings to collapse. Despite that, the seed of hope was sown through the love of God and the devotion of the members of the World Mission Society Church of God.

With a burning desire to help those in need, General Pastor Kim Joo-cheol and other members of the Church of God in New York visited the United Nations Headquarters and met with Amir Dossal, Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Partnerships (UNOP). On behalf of the World Mission Society Church of God, General Pastor Kim delivered a donation to aid Haiti earthquake victims. This was “the largest donation made by a faith-based organization to the [UN Central Emergency Relief Fund] in history,” as reported on the UN website. The funds would be used to purchase medicine, medical supplies, and equipment to help restore the Haitian communities.

Although this was the church’s first time meeting with the United Nations, UN representatives recognized that the two organizations shared similar goals in terms of helping the global community. Mr. Dossal complimented World Mission Society Church of God’s environmental work and its commitment to serve society by stating: “We saw potentiality that the world can change if the Church of God that delivers Mother’s love will take the lead. We hope that the Church of God and the UN will work together from now on.”

The funds were collected through cooperation with auxiliary organizations. The Messiah Orchestra, an auxiliary organization of the World Mission Society Church of God, held the “Charity Concert to Help Earthquake Victims in Haiti,” twice in the month of February, shortly after the earthquake. The Messiah Orchestra is comprised of 120 gifted Church of God members who use their talents to glorify God Elohim. During this event, the orchestra performed several musical pieces ranging from Western Classical to Korean traditional, as well as New Songs, beautiful hymns that musically express the love and sacrifice of Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother.

The event was held at the KBS Busan Hall (Busan, South Korea), and attracted the attention of over 7,000 guests. Several prominent officials, including Hur Nam-sik, the Mayor of Busan, and Kim Hyong-Oh, the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, were among those in attendance. Those who could not attend sent generous donations to help this noble cause. The Messiah Orchestra shared beautiful melodies crossing the borders of language and culture, and conveying the message of love and comfort to the victims of this dreadful disaster.

Pompton Lakes

On August 28, 2011, Hurricane Irene devastated the neighborhood of Pompton Lakes, NJ, resulting in unprecedented damages—with some houses receiving over 8-feet of water from the swollen Pompton River. The night before the storm, families were unaware of the dangers around them and remained in their neighborhoods with hopes of waiting out the storm. Early morning, however, when Irene unleashed her fury on the state of New Jersey, the residents had no choice but evacuate their homes, taking only loved ones and barely escaping with necessities.

Upon returning to the community, families were  overwhelmed by the amount of damage the storm did to their property: floors had to be ripped up, walls needed to to be knocked down, homes had to be abandoned and mementos of precious childhoods and family vacations had to be discarded amongst it all. Homeowners worried where they would get the manpower to clean up and restore what was their once pristine homes. Although residents suffered physical and emotional pains in the aftermath of the hurricane, no help was in sight to alleviate the mounting struggles of this catastrophe.

Finally, to the residents’ consolation, over 300 volunteers of the World Mission Society Church of God arrived over the 2011 Labor Day Weekend to provide disaster relief. Members went house by house encouraging distraught residents with smiles and coaxing them to take a rest while they took care of the intense labor necessary to gut entire houses. Residents said they were not able to genuinely laugh since the tragedy, but with the help of the Church of God members, they could now feel a sense of hope for the future.

Pompton Lakes’ Mayor, Kathleen Cole, even shed tears of gratitude and appreciation as she thanked the volunteers for their time and hard work. Pompton Lakes resident, Frank Alosevic, wrote to the Church of God, “With you, I felt like a human being again… I saw over 100 young and strong come together to help people like us and never ask for anything: young faces, different faces, beautiful faces, all with smiles. I saw what I never imagine existed anymore, people of all walks of life working together in a brotherly and sisterly fashion… let your loved ones know you are changing other people’s lives for the better.”

Volunteers from the Church of God worked arduously for three days to help families with work that, as many described, would have taken them weeks and even months to finish on their own. When the time to depart arrived, residents thanked the volunteer group from the bottom of their hearts—genuinely appreciating the assistance they never thought they would have received.

View the Pompton Lakes Disaster Relief Gallery

[Mexico]World Mission Society Church of God…for Passover…on May 2013

Newspaper: EL INFOMATIVO

 

On April 28, more than 250 members of the World Mission Society Church of God gathered in the streets with brooms in their hands to carry out a “Clean-up Campaign” for the Passover 2013. Starting from Zócalo Public Square, they cleaned up Avenue Indpendencia, Avenue M. Avila Camachoy and the district of Chapulapa. They collected 1.5 tons of trash through this campaign.

“Thank you for cooperating and supporting the City of Atlixco for last 3 years. If all people participate in clean-up campaigns like things you do, all problems which occur due to wastes will reduced,” said Carlos Gamez, Chief Manager of the Department of Environmental Affairs of Atlixco as a representative of the City.

Jose Cruz, Secretary of the Department of Environmental Affairs, expressed his gratitude, saying “I express my thanks to you on behalf Mayor. Public policies cannot be successful without citizen participation. You played an important role in protecting and preserving the environment.”

This activity became a good opportunity to increase environmental awareness of the citizens who marveled at the parade of the World Mission Society Church of God members who happily cleaned up the streets.

The clean-up campaign was held simultaneously by the members of the World Mission Society Church of God in 150 countries where 2,200 churches are located around the world. The campaign was prepared as one of the events to commemorate the grace and sacrifice of God the Father and God the Mother who came as the Spirit and the Bride to save mankind in this age (Revelation 22:17.)

The World Mission Society Church of God believes in God the Mother as well as God the Father by following the words of the prophecies of the Bible, and has been conducting various community services such as blood drives and natural disaster recovery activities. The World Mission Society Church of God practices the teachings of Heavenly Mother and shares “Love your neighbor” not only with words but with deeds, which brings warmth to people’s mind. It is the third clean-up campaign conducted by the World Mission Society Church of God in Atlixco.

Clean-up Campaign at Monopteros

http://wmscog.org/

http://wmscog.org/index.php/about-wmscog/heavenly-mother/jerusalem-mother/

http://news.watv.org/press/content.asp?gub=n&sec=%C7%D8%BF%DC&articleid=n20130424789&page=1






Schwabing, Munich.
Beer and bottles, bottle caps, cigarette butts, paper waste and broken glass: The clean-up activity of the members of the “World Mission Society Church of God” was worth it. The environmental clean-up campaign was carried out simultaneously in more than 150 countries. The event was held in preparation of the Passover feast, which is celebrated by the Church on April 24 around the world.