Rising Hope Virtual 5K

Rising Hope was established with the mission of bringing the “power of Christ” and the “support of the church” to the community living in poverty south of Alexandria, VA along the Route 1 Corridor of Fairfax County. Founded in 1996, Rising Hope organizes our ministries around the pain in our community. 

As part of our 25th Anniversary year, we are hosting a Virtual 5K for supporters around the country.  Join us in an online community to train, learn about Rising Hope, and celebrate 25 years of providing food, shelter, support and fellowship along the Rt 1 Corridor. 

For your $25 registration fee, you'll get great Rising Hope swag and an invitation to join our online Facebook group, receive regular communications about best practices in training, and hear directly from Rising Hope leaders on how your support affects the greater mission.  Plus, on June 27, 2020, you can join us and your friends around the country in running or walking 3.1 miles!  It's an opportunity to be socially distant but directly connected to an amazing mission. 

Rising Hope is experiencing much uncertainty and lack of funding as we all experience this pandemic. More than 300 families depend on Rising Hope’s food pantry each week- that’s more than 200,000 meals provided each year. Our food from retail stores, area food banks, and organizational food drives are down. As people continue to lose their jobs, the need for food help grows. Your fundraising efforts help us take care of our neighbors.

Click Here to Donate or Participate

UPDATED April 26th, 2020

As disciples, it is central to our lives to be helpers and to proclaim Jesus’ Good News and life in practical ways. In this challenging time it can be easy to feel so overwhelmed that we don’t know how to make a difference. We are seeing a great increase in need among those already vulnerable, and those now finding themselves out of work and safety. We are blessed to live in a city with great non-profits and so many ways to help people in need. We are trying to make it easier for our congregation and community by gathering the opportunities to give and putting them all in one place. We hope this shows you that in a few simple steps, we can all make a huge difference in the lives of our neighbors, especially those most vulnerable during a time like this. Most importantly, please continue to pray for all in our community, our world, and those working at the forefront battling this crisis.

Alive!

Please support Alive’s food program by donating money or their requested items from below! We have seen increased numbers of families in need of good in light if the Pandemic.

Please note our most wanted and needed foods include ALIVE! Most Needed Food. This list changes frequently, so please check back for updates.

Donated shelf-stable food may be brought to the Alexandria Food Center between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. weekdays, located at 801 South Payne Street, Alexandria, VA 22314. Please email or call ahead to ensure someone is at the warehouse to receive your donation.

Community Lodgings 

• Amazon Wish List

  • Our Amazon Wish List allows donors to purchase items for homeless and low-income families and children, and have them sent directly to Community Lodgings. Click here if you would like to donate from our Amazon Wish List.

• Click here for information on donation drives

• Need ideas on what to donate? Click here!

• Click here to see items you probably didn’t know you could donate!

• Donation Drop-Offs

  • Community Lodgings will accept approved in-kind donation items Monday-Friday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM at 3912 Elbert Ave. Suite #108, Alexandria, VA 22305. Donors must contact us in advance via email or donation form to make arrangements.

Casa Chirilagua

Here's how you can support Casa Chirilagua families:

• PURCHASE items from our Amazon wishlist and have them delivered to Casa Chirilagua: 
  4109 Mt. Vernon Ave. Alexandria, VA 22305.
  These items will directly support families in need (We will also soon be announcing a tax-deductible Wal-Mart wish list so stay tuned).

• DROP OFF food items from this grocery list at CasaChirilagua Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4pm-5pm.

UPDATED March 28th, 2020

What do we do now? (UPDATE)

As you all have probably heard, our governor has asked that we extend our cancellation of public gatherings for another 30 days. Our bishop has instructed us to follow that guidance and not hold in-person worship at least through April 23. We will continue providing online engagement and worship for the time period and its likely continuation into May. We are working to create a take-home worship pack to help you engage during our Easter service, and will continue to provide opportunities to connect on Zoom and through other fun virtual activities.

I invite you to join our daily devotions and prayer at noon on Facebook, which includes music by Steve Honley on Saturdays, and Sunday worship at 10:00AM. We also have weekly fellowship hour via Zoom video calls on Sundays at 11:00AM, and will post children's video stories and messages each Sunday.

Our building will remain closed for all activities, worship, and preschool, although we may become a food distribution site for Alexandria city public schools during spring break for children who rely on school meals to eat. We have also coordinated with Casa Chirilagua and Community Lodgings to continue supporting our neighbors most in need. We have learned that 85% of our neighbors in the Chirilagua/Arlandia community have already lost their employment, and many cannot get unemployment benefits. While our city leaders have taken steps to ensure folks are not evicted or lose their utilities, they still need to pay rent and avoid getting so far behind they cannot catch up. Also, there are extra costs with ensuring the ability for children to access online learning resources for school. We will be working with these organizations to help as we can, and to provide financial assistance as needed from our discretionary funds for families referred from Casa Chiriliagua.

We are also looking at various grant opportunities to help care for our community and the families that are being devastated by the crisis of the economy and the COVID-19 virus. Please consider giving to the Pastor's Discretionary Fund to help support these many needs. We also ask you to prayerfully consider giving your stimulus income check to the Discretionary Fund to enable us to help families that are in dire need, if it is within your means to do so.

We are so grateful for your continued support, both prayerfully and financially, as we navigate ministry together in this new and challenging time. We are in crisis in our community, but together we will be able to support each other and those most in need, as Jesus did in his ministry in life. As a church, we can proclaim hope and support our community in very powerful ways in this time.

Additional opportunities to give: 

• If you are able to sew, please consider making some masks that can be donated and used by medical workers. You can drop these off at Pastor Deborah's house on the front porch and we will deliver them. Click here for instructions.
   

• Grace Episcopal's Food Pantry, ALIVE, and Rising Hope UMC all need extra food donations as they are seeing increased need and lower availability from USDA. Many staples are not available at grocery stores to supply those needs. 
   

• You can purchase items from Carpenter's Shelter's Amazon Wishlist  and send directly to them

A message from Rev. Keary Kincannon at Rising Hope UMC, the church for the homeless:

"Rising Hope is facing a crisis during this COVID-19 Pandemic.  

Food donations are way down Expenses are upMOST IMPORTANT: WE NEED VOLUNTEERS

Our food pantry has gone from 30 regular volunteers to 6. Most of our volunteers are in the elderly and vulnerable category, so their absence is understandable. Still, we feed nearly 300 families a week.  This is getting to the point that it many be impossible to continue. These families depend upon our supplements and will go hungry if we cannot provide.  

We need folks to bag food, pick up food and deliver food to shut-ins. Staff will hand bags of food to those coming to the back door. Volunteers need not come into contact with the public receiving food.

Food donations are way down. CAFB, Food for Others have all said the run on food at the grocery stores has limited what they receive from retail businesses. Whole Foods has canceled its "Gleaning Program" nation-wide. We are receiving less from our contacts, as well.  

The extra cleaning hours required of our custodial staff are just one way our expenses are being driven up. Please help by sending donations to Rising Hope, 8220 Russell Road, Alexandria, VA 22309 or www.risinghopeumc.org/donate."

UPDATED March 17th, 2020

What do we do now?

The current situation with COVID-19 has shaken our communities with unprecedented changes and restrictions. We now know that we will not be meeting together until April, possibly even longer. Many are asking what do we do now? How can we help others in need? How can we stay engaged as a community from afar? The church is working around the clock to ensure we are doing all we can in these trying times. We've compiled answers to some of these questions here:

How to help those in need

1. Many people in our community will be living without pay or with reduced pay during this time. As a result of shut downs, there will be a need to help pay for groceries, utilities, rent, medical bills, etc. We expect to see an increase in requests for assistance through the church in the coming days and weeks. The Pastor's Discretionary Fund is in place to meet these needs. You can donate to this fund so we are able to extend God's love to those who need it most. Click here to donate online.
    

2. Community Lodgings has let us know that several families need assistance in getting food. Many of these families do not have transportation or must work during the hours food is available for pick up. If you are not in a high-risk category and can assist with food drop-off for families who cannot pick up in person, contact Pastor Deborah via email.
    

3. Carpenter’s Shelter has an increased need for food due to school closings. They will be consistently feeding 55-60 people daily and have 10 children currently living on site. If are not in a high risk category, and you can assist with Carpenter’s shelter front desk volunteering sign up by clicking here.
   Carpenter’s Shelter is also in need of supplies and meals. They are only accepting donations from their Amazon wishlist or in-kind wishlist. For questions or to sign up via phone, please contact Jamila at (703) 548-7500.

How to stay connected

1. While so many are spending time alone at home, we encourage you to take advantage of the various ways to connect online. We'll be posting a variety of activities, lessons, and fun things on our Facebook page as well as our Instagram page. Be sure to follow both and join in the fun by commenting and sharing!You can also join our Facebook Prayer Group to interact with each other during this time away. Pastor Deborah will be post video devotions there as well.
    

2. You can still view our Virtual Worship Service from last Sunday here. We'll continue to send these out at our regular Sunday Worship time. This is also a great time to share with friends who you've wanted to invite to church!
    

3. We've created playlists you can stream in place of The Hill on Tuesdays. We'll periodically update these with songs we have sung at The Hill, will sing, or just think are good for you to hear! These playlists are on Apple Music or Spotify. Plus, they are available along with a short Lenten Devotional on our website.
    

4. Above all, check on each other, talk to each other, and pray for each other. Below is a prayer from the UK Methodist Church. If you are in need, whether spritually, physically, or emotionally, we are here for you!

God of all hope we call on you today.
We pray for those who are living in fear:
Fear of illness, fear for loved ones, fear of other’s reactions to them.
May your Spirit give us a sense of calmness and peace.

We pray for your church in this time of uncertainty.
For those people who are worried about attending worship.
For those needing to make decisions in order to care for other
For those who will feel more isolated by not being able to attend.
Grant us your wisdom.

Holy God, we remember that you have promised that
Nothing will separate us from your love – demonstrated to us in Jesus Christ.
Help us turn our eyes, hearts and minds to you.

Amen

UPDATED March 13th, 2020

As you know, we have been monitoring the recommendations and situation in our community around COVID-19 (coronavirus).

Today, all Virginia UMCs received a direction from Bishop Sharma Lewis to close the church for two weeks, encompassing worship and all other events, public gatherings and preschool. Thus, there will be no Sunday school or worship services March 15th or 22nd. All weekday events, including The Hill, will be cancelled as well until further notice.

Please look for our sermon and prayer recording on Sunday. Since it is expected that Facebook live streaming may have strain due to high volume, we will record and post on Facebook and the website, and send it out via email.

I encourage you to continue to engage from a distance as a community as much as possible during this time. Be sure to follow our church Facebook page here and join one of our groups to share prayer concerns, lift each other up, and talk through feelings you may be experiencing.

We hope to begin holding worship again on March 29, but will re-evaluate that timing as time goes on. (Alexandria public schools are closing on Monday, and will remain closed until after spring break/Easter Monday.)

Please remember that you can contribute to our church’s offering and any outreach needs via online giving.

In the meantime, please continue to check on one another, and follow the guidelines of your doctor and recommendations from the CDC and health department.

Those precautions are crucial not only for you and your family, but to safeguard the health of those must vulnerable to the virus in our community. We are not sure how many folks are already infected with the virus, so we need to do everything we can to avoid spreading it any further.

Please consider donating to local school programs to provide food for the children who depend on those meals to eat. You can donate to provide grocery gift cards to Charles E. Barrett Elementary here or to George Washington Middle School here. We will communicate any further guidance we obtain via our website and Facebook.

Please pray for our health care workers and public servants; all people financially burdened by this situation—especially hourly and tipped professionals—all persons experiencing homelessness; at-risk children and families; and those suffering from medical issues that make them more susceptible to this virus. Pray for all of our community, and when able, advocate for those in need and most vulnerable. 

As growing concerns about the Coronavirus cause us to worry about our loved ones and community members, we want to reassure everyone that we are taking steps in accordance with recommendations from local and national health and public safety organizations. Our priority is to provide safe environments and gatherings, reduce anxiety levels, and assist in advocating and educating our community on concerns like Coronovirus

At this time, we are not in an area where we need to avoid gathering for worship or other planned community events. So, we will continue to offer Holy Communion weekly, but will add hand sanitizer stations; in addition, the servers will wash their hands with a basin and soap, as is the recommended safest practice. We will also remind everyone that if you do not wish to partake of the bread and juice, it is perfectly acceptable to only have the bread or to receive a blessing.  

We will also be modifying our passing of the peace/greeting time to include safer methods of greeting one another. This Sunday we will introduce them with a fun children's message; I hope you can join us for that! 

Please be attentive to the fact that we have folks in our congregation who are immunocompromised or are at a higher risk of contracting or being significantly affected by this virus. Just as at the height of flu season, it is important to remember that we must care for one another, as well as ourselves. Our faith calls us to be especially attentive to those who are most vulnerable. 

With that in mind, please do not come to church if you are sick and wait 24 hours after having a fever. We love you and will miss you, but we want you and everyone to stay well!

Remember that we have live streaming of our sermons weekly on Facebook, as well as recordings of our services available on the website. 

We will stay apprised of any changes in our community situation and keep you informed of changes or recommendations as we go forward. In the meantime, please reach out to me if you have concerns for yourself or your family.

Other tips include:

1. Wash your hands frequently. Use soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

2. Maintain social distancing. Keep 3 feet or 1 meter between yourself and anyone who is sneezing and coughing.

3. Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth. Viruses can live on surfaces, where your hands may touch. Once on your hands, the virus may enter your body.

4. Practice respiratory hygiene. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your bent elbow when coughing or sneezing. Dispose of used tissue immediately.

5. If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical care early. Call ahead for an appointment to limit your exposure to others.

6. Stay informed and follow advice given by your healthcare provider. Stay up-to-date on Coronavirus by checking reliable sources, such as the WHO, National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control, and Global Health Tracker.

Please click here if you would like more info from our fellow UMCs who are in the heart of the current outbreaks in the U.S. 

Also, as with all disasters and communal needs, UMCOR is on the ground assisting with this as well as the recent tornadoes in Tennessee. Please visit www.umcor.org to contribute to these relief efforts.

Blessings, 

Pastor Deborah