[USA] APPELT PARK KNOTWEED REMOVAL in World Mission Society Church of God

World Mission Society Church of God in USA

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[WMSCOG] 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[WMSCOG] 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[WMSCOG] 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.”

[USA] FORT TRYON CLEANUP in World Mission Society Church of God

World Mission Society Church of God in USA

As the seasons change, the landscape changes accordingly. Most regions in the world have very slight or no change in season, but the Northeastern region of the United States experiences very drastic climatic changes during the year. From freezing subzero winters to sweltering summers, the alternating weather patterns provide for a unique biome. New York City has it all, and maintaining this great city’s delicate ecosystem requires abundant resources and time. New York City depends largely on volunteers to maintain its large tracts of green space, to repair areas that have become fallow requires even greater amounts of resource.

As part of its continuous efforts to address environmental issues in the New York Area, the Church of God[WMSCOG] participated in a Spring Preparation Cleanup at the Fort Tryon Park in Inwood (New York, NY). On March 13, 2011, the volunteer core of the Church of God[WMSCOG] arrived on location early on Sunday morning to perform the cleanup task. In past decades, Fort Tryon, a historic and scenic landmark, fallen into disrepair due to poor funding. The old fort, which dates back to the Revolutionary War, has begun to be restored in recent decades, and the volunteers of the Church of God[WMSCOG] wanted to make the restoration goal more attainable.

In preparation for spring, the volunteers removed weeds to beautify the park, as well as all other kinds of human waste. Due to poor policing, the park had become a niche for a range of illicit activities, all leaving behind their human footprint. Understanding the importance of this historic site and unique ecosystem, the volunteers of the Church of God[WMSCOG] went to work quickly and, despite the small numbers, achieved remarkable success. Like a mother who would want the best for her children, the Church of God[WMSCOG] members, earnestly wanting to emulate Heavenly Mother, wanted to beautify this park area, to help it become the pride of the region and preserve it for posterity.

Through the grace of God the Father and God the Mother, substantial progress has been achieved. Yet, there is still much work to be done in this vast area. The members of the Church of God[WMSCOG] performed this environmental task with joy and gladness. The restoration, preservation and enhancement efforts in this area will continue. Following the example of Heavenly Mother, who is the Good Samaritan, the volunteers are eager to lend a helping hand when needed and are looking forward to participating more frequently in this location.

[USA] 1-MILE RIVER CLEANUP in World Mission Society Church of God

World Mission Society Church of God in USA

Over 100 volunteers from the World Mission Society Church of God gathered to clean up Pennington Park along the Passaic River on July 24, 2011. The members cleaned up a substantial amount of the river surface, the riverbank, and adjacent park areas. For several hours, they worked under the sweltering heat to achieve a result that moved the hearts of the families that frequent the park.

For years, this area along the Passaic River had lain fallow and littered and had not been navigated. But it was once again flowing with watercrafts, as the Church of God[WMSCOG] members jumped into canoes for a more thorough clean of the river. Through unity and dedication, they were able to dispose of seemingly immovable material. A large amount of waste was collected in a centralized location to expedite its removal by the City’s Department of Public Works personnel.

Local residents, bystanders and city workers were moved by the dedication, joy and efficiency of the volunteers. One young woman saw them at work and immediately joined them, being moved to tears. “I’m so glad there’s a group that cares about nature,” she said.

“We make the effort of taking care of our environment and the local communities,” responded Pastor Daniel Lee, overseer of the Church of God[WMSCOG] in Ridgewood, “for this is in par with a Mother’s mind. Mothers want the best and most enriched environment to raise their children because Mother shows pure love to the children. This love is the core of God’s teaching and the guideline for action of the Church of God[WMSCOG].”

Through this event, the Church of God[WMSCOG] earnestly hopes the people of the local community will realize the importance of volunteerism and its positive effect in the community, particularly the youth. We hope that through it they will see the necessity of environmental work and take pride in the natural resources of the region.

[USA] CLEAN WORLD CAMPAIGN AT PLUMB BEACH_ World Mission Society Church of God

World Mission Society Church of God in USA

This spring the World Mission Society Church of God in New York launched its Good Samaritan Movement aimed at changing the world one volunteer service at a time.

Now as part of the Movement and as we prepare for the Passover Feast of God, more than one hundred volunteers united to participate in the Clean World Campaign at Plumb Beach. On the same day, churches of God around the world cleaned up in their regions. That’s more than one thousand locations in over 150 countries cleaning up the whole world at one time.

That Sunday morning, volunteers arrived at Plumb Beach in Brooklyn dressed in bright yellow shirts and green vests. Seeing filth covering a beautiful beach, they knew there was a lot of work to be done. Once a popular beach, Plum is now a site for abandoned boats and garbage that washes up ashore and the sand is littered with broken shells.

One volunteer came across a large wrecked motor boat that he clearly could not move on his own. A loud call for “Brothers” was heard and what seemed impossible for one person to accomplish became possible when about a dozen volunteers worked in unity to remove the boat. Several other boats were removed from the beach in the same fashion.

Other volunteers formed assembly lines to carry piles of heavy garbage off shore. One by one the Church of God volunteers’ efforts became a testament to the power of unity.

Don Riepe, Director of the American Littoral Society, who has witnessed the work of the Church of God for years now, commented, “You all are going to make a believer out of me. We could have never done this without all of you!”

The reality is that volunteers always rely on the power of God to carry out all of our community service efforts – big and small. As we continue to carry out volunteer activities, we hope to follow the example of Christ, who has already come a second time and keep the Teachings of Heavenly Mother so that others will come to realize God.

[USA] MARSH PLANTING IN JAMAICA BAY in World Mission Society Church of God

CHURCH OF GOD[WMSCOG] VOLUNTEERS PLANT SALT MARSHES TO PREVENT FUTURE STORM SURGES IN JAMAICA BAY

World Mission Society Church of God in USA

Superstorm Sandy devastated the Rockaways leaving hundreds of families to piece together their destroyed homes and ruined memories. Volunteers from the World Mission Society Church of God wasted no time and spent more than two weeks helping families drain out flooded basements and salvage as much as possible.

In the spring time, volunteers returned to the area and joined the American Littoral Society to plant salt marshes, which would help prevent future storm surges.

More than 100 volunteers from the Churches in Manhattan, Queens and northern New Jersey were ferried out by boat to a piece of dry land in the middle of Jamaica Bay. In the hot June sun, volunteers worked for hours to plant one marsh.

Industrial development and pollution have destroyed the marshes in the Bay. Salt marshes help the area from storm surges but also provide a habitat for wildlife.

Over the past five years, Church of God[WMSCOG] volunteers have been committed to helping restore Jamaica Bay and protect its habitat by carrying out different kinds of environmental protection events, like beach cleanups. We hope to continue our work in Jamaica Bay and help rebuild the Rockaways.

-World Mission Society Church of God where follow the example of Elohim God; God the Father Ahnsahnghong and God the Mother

[USA] CLEANING SANDY DEBRIS IN JAMAICA BAY_ World Mission Society Church of God

MORE THAN TWO HUNDRED VOLUNTEERS REMOVE SANDY DEBRIS FROM JAMAICA BAY

Removing ten tons of debris is no easy task. But that’s how 200 members from the World Mission Society Church of God in New York spent their Sunday on September 22nd. Volunteers worked with the American Littoral Society to remove the debris that was left on the coastline since Hurricane Sandy’s damage to Broad Channel and the Rockaways last October.

To efficiently pick up planks, trash, boat wreckage, and bottles, among other environmental hazards, volunteers formed an assembly line of about a quarter-mile. In less than 4 hours, they were done with pulling out the waste from the marshland.

“The area was completely flooded by Sandy. [It was] really destroyed,” said Cathy of the American Littoral Society. “It’s great that you guys were able to help us in this area because a lot of debris that you picked up was from Sandy. And here we are, almost a year later and it’s still sitting there.”

“Because we believe in God the Father and God the Mother, we put Their teachings into practice by volunteering in our community through service activities like today’s,” said one of the Church of God volunteers. “Christ came as the Good Samaritan. That’s why we want to help out in any way we can to make the world a better place.”

The Church of God[WMSCOG] has been working with the American Littoral Society over the past five years to help restore Jamaica Bay. This past spring, the volunteers helped plant salt marshes to prevent future floods, like the ones caused by Superstorm Sandy.

The Church of God[WMSCOG] has especially been helping Broad Channel and the Rockaways rebuild after the storm. Fifteen days immediately after Sandy, hundreds of Church of God[WMSCOG] volunteers cleaned out flooded homes for families and, more importantly, helped restore their peace of mind and give them hope for the future.

-World Mission Society Church of God in USA

[USA] Environmental Cleanups_World Mission Society Church of God

As people living together on one planet, using the air, water and resources given by God, the members from the World Mission Society Church of God feel obligated to look after it.  The air affects our breathing, the water affects what we put into our bodies and the trees and plants affect our health.  The world we live in therefore is inextricably related to each of us and the members of the Church of God want to make it a more beautiful environment for everyone to share.

Just as mother’s raise their children in a safe, clean and pure environment so they will grow well, similarly, the love of Heavenly Mother is a motivation to the church members who work globally to clean up the environment for all people. Through vast cleanups of beaches, rivers, oceans and lakes as well as environmental planting efforts, the Church of God is sharing the love of Mother with the world.

-World Mission Society Church of God in USA

[USA] UN HAITI EARTHQUAKE RELIEF _ World Mission Society Church of God

After a deadly earthquake devastated the country of Haiti, taking away not only millions of lives, but also the people’s optimism for the future, 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.

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.

-World Mission Society Church of God in USA

[USA] POMPTON LAKES DISASTER RELIEF_ World Mission Society Church of God

The night before Hurricane Irene struck the town of Pompton Lakes, NJ, families were completely unaware of the damage it would cause and hoped to be able to weather the storm at home. The following morning of August 28, 2011, Irene unleashed her fury on the state of New Jersey, leaving residents with no choice but to evacuate their homes, taking only loved ones and barely escaping with necessities.

Irene particularly devastated the neighborhood of Pompton Lakes leaving it in unprecedented damages—with some houses getting more than 8 feet of water from the swollen Pompton River.

Seeing the damages after returning to their homes, 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 were ruined.

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, a multitude of volunteers from  the World Mission Society Church of God showed up at their doors. Instead of water, now Pompton Lakes became flooded with more than 300 volunteers who went to provide disaster relief over the 2011 Labor Day Weekend.

Members went house to 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.

-World Mission Society Church of God in USA

[USA] HURRICANE SANDY RELIEF EFFORTS_ World Mission Society Church of God

Superstorm Sandy caused great devastation when it slammed the East Coast by surprise on October 29th. The destructive power of Sandy was far beyond imagination. Trees were uprooted, cars and even boats were scattered around the streets. Subway stations and low-lying neighborhoods were flooded. Millions of homes and office buildings were left without power for weeks and dozens of people even lost their lives.

This havoc did not prevent nearly 200 volunteers from the World Mission Society Church of God from taking immediate action. Volunteers took the lead in the restoration efforts, cleaning the streets of Ridgewood and Hoboken in New Jersey, and the severely damaged coastal areas of Breezy Point and Staten Island in New York.

Volunteers patiently went door to door in each community to help families, and especially the elderly. They pumped out flooded basements, cleaned out sewage, and tore down damaged drywalls. They did not hesitate even for a moment to get their hands dirty to recover the little that was left of people’s memories – pictures, trophies, books and the like.

A week after the storm, members from the Church of God in Washington, DC drove eight hours and over 500 members from the churches in the tri-state area headed to Toms River in New Jersey. News12 New Jersey described them as an “army wearing green vests” when seen walking through the town.

Billy Gallagher of the New York City Fire Department was moved by the volunteers’ commitment and said, “Actually, we are the ones who should help people who suffer from something terrible like this, but now we need your help. Heavenly Mother, thank You so much!”

The volunteers also set up tents in Breezy Point to distribute canned foods, personal care products, clothes, and most importantly, the love and concern of Heavenly Mother.

-World Mission Society Church of God in USA

[USA] Disaster relief_ World Mission Society Church of God

When disasters strike, many of us are unprepared and do not know where to go for help or what to do. Sometimes government resources are short and assistance from individuals are limited. At these times, all people become equal. And it is also at these times that nothing is more comforting than knowing that someone is there for us and we have what we need to get through it.

The members of the World Mission Society Church of God understand this and by keeping the teachings of Heavenly Mother to “serve our neighbors as ourselves,” we strive to be an on-call body for communities hit by disaster. The members from the Church of God inspired by the love and direction from Elohim God will gather together, create plans of action and target locations to start serving communities. Expecting nothing in return, the members go out like an army clad in yellow and green vests to put the teachings of God into action.

Until now, hundreds of members have worked to cut down trees during the storm, clean out homes and basements with major flood damage, donate food and supplies and provide emotional support when people need it most. As more unexpected climactic and other disasters occur, we hope communities will continue to call on the Church of God to help!

-World Mission Society Church of God in USA

[USA] BLOOD DRIVE WINTER 2010 _World Mission Society Church of God

December 26, 2010 was not a typical day for the staff of Community Blood Services. Despite sixteen inches of snow falling in the midst of one of the biggest blizzards of the winter, the World Mission Society Church of God carried out its now semi-annual blood drive in partnership with Community Blood Services. With over 500 registered donors now, this third blood drive was an extraordinary effort that would not only benefit patients at local hospitals, but also bring together the hearts of those who participated.

As the snow fell steadily outside, more and more volunteers showed up from all of the Churches of God in the New York Metropolitan Area for the opportunity  to share Heavenly Mother’s love with those in need. Studies have shown that one blood donation can save up to three lives. Through the kindness and love of the volunteers of the Church of God who donated blood during this event, approximately 1,500 lives were saved! Patrice Foresman, Director of Donor Recruitment, stated that this was one of the best blood drives they held all year.

Additionally, Community Blood Services presented Pastor Daniel Lee and the World Mission Society Church of God with a Certificate of Appreciation for their continuous effort to alleviate the shortage of blood in New Jersey. 

Without Heavenly Mother New Jerusalem’s teachings of love and Her continuous example as the Good Samaritan in this age, this would not have been possible. Although Community Blood Services called the Church of God donors heros, the ultimate Hero is Heavenly Mother, who grants the true gift of life: eternal life.

-World Mission Society Church of God in USA