Lancaster/Northumberland Interfaith Service Council board president Edna Mason recently spoke to the Rebekah Circle of Bethany UMC in Reedville.
She said the Interfaith Service Council is a charitable corporation that was started in 1982. The first meeting was attended by representatives from six churches. Its mission was to help those who needed assistance but were unable to have those needs met by public assistance, such as Social Services, said Mason. The Interfaith Council has never been intended to duplicate services that are already being provided by other organizations, and as those organizations have changed, so have the programs offered by Interfaith.
Today, the all-volunteer staff help needy individuals with home repairs, accessibility ramp building, emergency financial assistance for utilities, rent or mortgages, and temporary housing when those needs cannot be supplied immediately via other public assistance organizations. All recipients are screened before…
