V1 Church Gave Back Big in 2020. Here’s How.
The year that just ended has given new meaning to the saying, “it’s just one thing after another.” And not in a good way.
Yes, 2020 has been a year of hardship unprecedented in recent times. It has also provided countless examples of the fundamental goodness and generosity of the human spirit. For those willing and able to see those examples, at least.
This optimistic outlook lay at the heart of the faith journey of V1 Church pastor Mike Signorelli and now infuses the congregation itself. It’s why generosity is a core value of V1 Church, and a non-negotiable one at that.
It’s why V1 Church’s members have stepped up again and again and again in this most difficult of years.
We’d like to honor those efforts, if you’d indulge us. Below, you’ll find a short list of the charitable projects we’re most proud of in 2020, some of which we expect to repeat and expand in the year to come. We invite you to join us as you’re able.
We Donated Christmas Gifts to More Than 300 Families and 600 Kids in the New York City Area
For far too many New Yorkers, the 2020 holiday season was the most difficult in memory. That’s why we took it upon ourselves to bring Christmas joy to as many deserving New York families as we could. In the end, we were able to donate Christmas gifts to more than 600 children in 300 families throughout New York City and beyond:
- 86 parents and 115 kids in Brooklyn
- 20 parents and 60 kids in the Bronx
- 214 parents and 498 kids across Long Island
These gifts alone can’t ease the pain of a lost relative, restart a furloughed job, or guarantee that next year will be better than 2020. But they can temporarily make the room brighter for the children, parents, and grandparents that make our community so special. Whatever challenges 2021 brings, we’ll be ready to meet them — with more Christmas gifts and holiday tidings for all.
We Sent Christmas Gifts to About 2,000 Families in Central America and the Caribbean
Our neighbors weren’t the only ones to receive some extra joy this holiday season from the V1 Church community. Late last year, our members banded together to collect enough funds to send Christmas gifts to about 2,000 families in Central America and the Caribbean: in El Salvador, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic.
These families needed the support more than ever. On top of the immediate peril of the coronavirus pandemic, they were already experiencing hardship that most Americans can scarcely imagine: extreme poverty, severe weather events that made their homes and villages uninhabitable, constant threats of violence. Making sure they had the resources to celebrate a proper Christmas was the least we could do. Next year, we hope to build upon our ministries in person.
We Donated $6,000 to Hurricane Relief Efforts in Honduras Through HOC Justice Project
Our brothers and sisters in Central America faced an especially challenging autumn as back-to-back hurricanes ravaged the Caribbean coast and nearby highlands. This unprecedented weather event hit hardest in Honduras, where mountainous terrain and poor infrastructure make residents vulnerable to weather-related disruptions.
It will most likely take years to rebuild Honduras after these two storms. Knowing that the road ahead would be a difficult one, our members banded together with HOC Justice Project and raised $6,000 in direct aid. Although this is just a fraction of the sum needed to restore power, roads, and homes in the region, we view it as a down payment on further relief efforts — efforts we know our members will support and lead.
We Helped Provide Warm Meals and Hygiene Kits When COVID Hit This Spring
Closer to home, the pandemic hit our own communities hard this spring. As our home state locked down and our church made the difficult decision to go virtual, our members ventured out into the streets to help those most vulnerable to the disease and its economic consequences. One of our most visible efforts was a partnership with New York City Relief, a mobile care unit that handed out warm meals, hygiene kits, and free resources for New Yorkers from all walks of life this spring, helping hundreds. While we hope and pray that the pandemic passes soon, we look forward to continuing these efforts in more normal times.
2020 Wasn’t Our First Rodeo
This has been a year unlike any other in our church’s short history. We’re fortunate that we’ve already had quite a bit of experience when it comes to stepping up in times of crisis and giving back to the less fortunate.
Actually, that’s an understatement. Over the past three years, our modest congregation has given back in a really big way. V1 Church members have donated gifts worth about $300,000 to New York City-based homeless shelters since 2017.
These donations “help us be grateful for what we have and help others who are less fortunate,” Pastor Mike told VENTS magazine in an interview last year. They’re part of a deeply rooted spirit of generosity — a core value, really — that unites V1 Church members and strengthens our community. We believe that charitable good works shouldn’t be saved up for a “special” time of year but rather given out freely, abundantly, whenever the need arises.
Here’s to a Brighter 2021
The past year has been difficult for all of us. Although we’ve been blessed to have a strong, faith-driven community to draw upon during these trying times, we know that not everyone is so lucky. Even as we hope and pray that 2021 is a brighter, more hopeful year than 2020, we have no illusions that the world’s problems will fade as soon as the calendar turns.
Whatever the coming year brings, we’ll be ready to meet its challenge. We’ve learned that we’re capable of just about anything when we allow our faith to guide us, and we look forward to continuing our tradition of service to the communities we call home — near and far.
