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Are you a caregiver? Full time, part time, or sometimes? Is your loved one nearby or faraway? It doesn’t matter. Come join us for fellowship, support, sharing and prayer. Our caregiver support group meets once a month at the home of Richard and Ann Cook to share our journey and find refreshment and comfort in the challenges and blessings of care giving. We meet on the second Sunday of the month, usually after church for a meal, fellowship and prayer. Our next meeting is Sunday, April 28. If you have questions or would like to join us, please email Ann or Richard Cook

Join other Christians for the National Day of Prayer on Thursday, May 2, 2024, to pray for God to provide His unity and peace in America, Maryland, and Montgomery County. As Christ’s ambassadors in Montgomery County, we pray for the power of God’s Spirit to bring renewal and flourishing of Christ’s Kingdom into our homes, workplaces, and communities. Together we’ll pray for the work of the Holy Spirit in the people, systems and institutions that give shape to our communities. This event will be held at the Inter-Denominational Church of God (19201 Woodfield Rd, Gaithersburg). Doors open at 6:45am for breakfast. Program will start at 6:55am and conclude at 8:15am.

A team of women is teaching a class called “Finding our True Identity in Christ” using Tim Keller’s book, The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness and The Gospel Coalition’s book, Identity Theft: Reclaiming the Truth of Who We are in Christ.

Pastor Baile, Chris Kinsinger, and Gene Sohn are teaching Isaiah 40-55 in room 10/11, Please join us as we explore the beautiful promises and greatness of God on display in these incredible chapters that often are overlooked.

The deacons will designate all giving during May to the food distribution ministry of Porttowns church. Porttowns started out as a PCA church plant in Bladensburg, MD with a relatively small congregation, but a big vision to serve needs in the surrounding community.  There are former and current Shady Grove members that serve and volunteer for this ministry, providing physical and spiritual nourishment to those whom it serves. More than 60% of residents of Bladensburg report not having enough food to meet basic needs. Porttowns partners with the Capital Area Foodbank. Every $1 we spend enables us to buy more than $7 worth of groceries from the foodbank. Since March 2023 we have distributed almost 50,000 pounds of food, 70 families a month, on average. All money given to the Deacons Fund in May will go to support this ministry.

We thank the Shady Grove congregation for its prayers and support. There was a great response to our Super Bowl food drive in February. However, this past year was tough. We provided food to 6,200 households (1,400 more than 2022). Those groceries fed 28,000 people (6,700 more than 2022). We provided formula for 1,200 infants (499 more than 2022) and diapers for 3,052 infants (970 more than 2022). In addition, we provided rides for 880 seniors to medical appointments (210 more than 2022). HELP ended the year with a $41,000 deficit. There were adequate funds in our savings account to cover the deficit, but we cannot keep spending our savings like this. HELP made significant changes in its 2024 budget to reduce its expenses. We ended our diaper program to reduce expenses by $25,000. We confirmed that other organizations providing diapers could take our referrals before we ended the program. Baby food and formula will still be available in the pantry. We also cut support for rent and utility assistance, reducing expenses by another $24,000. In addition to cuts, we are working to contact more businesses and other organizations to request donations. These actions appear to be helping. Our cash flow showed a surplus for the first two months of this year. Please pray that our finances will remain stable, and that God will raise up new volunteers to fill our open positions. Most of our clients are Spanish speaking so bilingual volunteers are critical to serving our neighbors. If you or someone you know would be willing to volunteer a few hours each month, please complete a volunteer application. If you have any questions about Gaithersburg HELP, please email Kevin Ramsey.

Please note: The Micah Cart is now located by the church office next to the Check Deposit Slot.