14 April 2022
Simon Temple AME Zion Church
5760 Yadkin Road
910-867-1182
Simontemple.com
Simon Temple AME Zion Church,
with a membership of more than
3,000, works to feed the homeless
every Saturday in a few locations in
Fayetteville, including under the Person
Street bridge where the homeless have
formed a tent city.
Its Good Samaritan ministry begins
on Friday night with prep work and
continues at 4 a.m. on Saturdays when
members begin cooking for their
hot meal deliveries. The church vans
leave the church around 9 a.m. to feed
those underserved in the area. It takes
around 25 members every weekend to
complete the service, which combines
feeding with witnessing and prayer.
Simon Temple also has delivered
Meals on Wheels for more than 30
years to seniors and those housebound.
Members deliver a breakfast-type
meal Monday through Friday. They also
provided over 300 meals at three sites
at Thanksgiving and Christmas through
an outreach ministry.
Church members have also received
training to go into prison to help with a
Teaching all Nations ministry. The prison
ministry begins with training through
the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office.
Those ministers can then visit the prison
to help inmates with resources that will
help them transition back into society
when they are released. The program
has not been as active since COVID -19
restrictions were put in place.
A food bank and clothing closet operate
behind the church on Tuesdays and
Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The church
works with donations and the Second
Harvest Food Bank for the program.
Photo
contributed
