Mission and Service
Church of Peace has earned a reputation as a church dedicated to caring for those who are in need. This commitment is both our legacy and our call into the future. From the Saturday morning Food Pantry to the Book Nook at Rock Island Academy, from listening to grade school students read on Wednesday afternoons to collecting baby diapers for those who need them, there are opportunities for volunteers to come and serve others.
Food Pantry
Church of Peace works with several other local churches and organizations to provide a client-choice food pantry every Saturday from 9am to 11am. Each family can choose a variety of food suitable for several days of breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Families can also receive diapers, toilet paper, and other household items when they are available.
PeacePals
PeacePals provides literacy lessons, tutoring, and snacks to children on Wednesday afternoons. Students are identified by their teachers and parents and come to the church each Wednesday after school is dismissed at 2:10pm. Students begin lesson time with a snack. After snack, they read with volunteers for about 40 minutes before moving on to listening to a story as a group. After story time, students participate in word work or comprehension activities based on the story.
Book Nook
The Church of Peace Book Nook sells new children’s books twice a month at the nearby Rock Island Academy school. We sell the books at only $1 each, allowing children to buy their own books! Sales are usually from 11am to 12pm on the first and third Fridays of each month.
Community Caring Conference
In the 1970s, Church of Peace chose to stay in our changing neighborhood instead of relocating to the edges of the city. In 1976, we founded the Community Caring Conference. This organization has taken on projects and issues like crime prevention programs, neighborhood clean ups, street lighting, education, GED preparation, and National Night Out.