Resurrection Lutheran Church of Franklin Park

Resurrection Lutheran Church (RLC) of Franklin Park, IL has been around for the last 80 years serving the greater Leyden Township and surrounding areas in Illinois. RLC ministries have been a constant presence and stability for many folks in the community. But we now need your help! Our income has dropped over the last few years due to the pandemic and has not fully recovered. We own our building free and clear but are unable to use the equity in our building to support our ministries. If funds do not increase in the next 18 months, we may have to consider closing our building and stopping our ministries.

Our ministries include:

- A Food Pantry and Giving Closet that helps feed and clothe the needy. When we have more perishable food than we can give out, we invite all residents to take items that are nearing the end of their shelf life or donate to other local food pantries.

- A Share the Gift Program that returns gifted funds back into the community or to those experiencing natural disasters, both local and across the U.S. Our members sometimes match these donations to double the impact. The program also helps people with one-time short-term bill payments, including paying rent, utilities, car repairs, and temporary overnight lodging.

- Supporting the American Legion Stand Down Event for veterans in need. This is accomplished through member donations and matching funds from our Share the Gift Program.

- Supporting our local police and firefighters with donations of water and our extra food donations.

- Hosting a free community-wide BBQ every year. Local businesses help support this event.

- Participating in Franklin Park’s “Trick or Treat at the Park,” where we host a table and pass out candy.

- Participating in Franklin Park’s Fall Fest Parade, walking and riding the route while passing out free gifts.

- Organizing an evening of craft projects for children at the local Denny’s.

- Holding a Rummage Sale at our RLC building.

- A Care Team that visits our homebound members. The hope is to expand this to cover more folks in the local community.

- A weekly Bible Study on Wednesday at 2:00 pm that is open to everyone.

- Worship services on Sunday morning at 9:30 am and Wednesday at 1:00 pm and 7:30 pm that are open to everyone. We also hold an annual Jazz Service that invites musicians from outside our church to participate. All our services are streamed online.

Here are a few facts about our food pantry (Outreach Ministry):

· Various groups, organizations, businesses, and churches support this ministry by providing food donations or conducting food or clothing drives.

· RLC’s Food Pantry serves approximately three hundred guests per month, a three-fold increase since the pandemic.

- RLC’s Food Pantry and Clothing Closet is open on Mondays, including most holidays, from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm at 9777 Grand Avenue in Franklin Park, IL 60131. Anyone in need is welcome to visit us once a month.

We need your help to keep these vital community ministries going! Several food pantries in the area have closed in the last few years, and we have seen our number of guests almost double in the last two years. We would hate to see another food pantry in the area close. More than ever, we need your support to help these ministries continue now and into the future. Please consider helping us out with a donation. Your donations will help keep these ministries going by helping pay for our building’s utilities, maintenance, and upkeep. Plus, we will soon need to replace one large commercial refrigerator. All our helpers in these ministries are volunteers; none of the donations raised through this GoFundMe will be used to pay salaries.

For those who want to learn more about how you can help, feel free to visit our website at www.rlcfp.org or simply stop by on any Monday, Wednesday, or Sunday. Our members and volunteers will have their hands extended to welcome you!

Thank you for your support and helping us with our mission of “Serving our Neighbors by Sharing our Blessings.”

God Bless You!