Rockhill members serve locally and abroad

Amanda Moser Arkans
aarkans@rockhillmennonites.org

In 1539, Menno Simons said: “True evangelical faith cannot lie dormant, it clothes the naked, it feeds the hungry, it comforts the sorrowful, it shelters the destitute, it serves those that harm it, it binds up that which is wounded, it has become all things to all men.”

At Rockhill Mennonite Community we attempt to express true evangelical faith as the residents in all levels of care are encouraged to live these words of Menno Simons.

Residents in the Healthcare Center may require 24 hour nursing care, but that does not stop them from exercising this kind of faith. Each month, the residents run a “Cookie Monster Sale” making homemade cookies and selling them to staff and their fellow residents. This money is then given to their Resident Council that decides how the money is divided.In the past, monies have been given to Mennonite Central Committee for use in disaster relief. Locally, the Resident Council supports the Sellersville Fire Department. They also provides bikes and helmets to Pennridge FISH (Fellowship In Serving Humanity), a non-profit organization that serves the needs of the low income families in the Pennridge School District, during the Christmas season.

But the Healthcare resident committee does not stop there. They also support their own, providing electric door openers to different areas of Rockhill to make all areas more accessible to the residents. In addition, they are sure to thank those that support them, by making handmade thank-you gifts for their caregivers during National Nursing Home Week. The Healthcare unit is active in many other areas of service that keep everyone’s evangelical faith from growing dormant while at Rockhill.

Our Healthcare residents are not the only ones who are busy living out this faith. Independent Living residents run a convenience store on-site, called Josey’s Store. Josey’s not only gives the residents the convenience of grocery shopping within the community but the profits from the store are used to support service projects at Rockhill and around the world. Many Independent Living residents are pending their retirement as volunteers with local organizations like the Care and Share in Souderton and Grand View Hospital. And not to be forgotten, the Assisted Living residents recently raised money for the Pennridge FISH “Bear” project.

Even the participants in the Adult Day Care Center express this faith by celebrating Christmas twice each year. Adult Day Services holds two food and dried goods drives for Indian Valley Opportunity Center, one in December and one as part of a Christmas in July celebration. They also make bookmarks a few times a year for patients at Grandview Hospital.

Sunday morning worship brings together residents from the entire community. The first Sunday of every month an offering is taken for a different charity. For instance, in February the offering went to support the Global Family Program of MCC. In a setting like this it is possible for our world to become rather small. These opportunities to support ministries near and far help expand our horizons and push us to keep in focus a world bigger than RMC.

Rockhill Mennonite Community relies on the aid of volunteers acting on these words of Menno Simons. Without the help of volunteers, Rockhill would not be able to continue to offer the broad spectrum of activities and events that its residents enjoy. Anyone interested in volunteering is urged to call Mary Bleakly at (215) 257-2751.