St. Paul’s United Church of Christ in Oakville recently reached out to Bethesda Southgate wanting to recognize front-line senior caregivers during the Covid-19 pandemic. The church donated $20 gift cards to 100 employees in addition to sponsoring a local food truck for employees to enjoy a free hot dog or bratwurst.

The donation resulted from a campaign at St. Paul’s asking members who did not necessarily need their stimulus checks to consider paying it forward to those upon whom the pandemic has had a direct impact. When the church mission committee sat down to discuss how to distribute the funds, Bethesda quickly came to mind.

St. Paul’s Pastor Mike Roth explained, “While considering several other worthy organizations to help with food insecurity and rent assistance, we also wanted to help and recognize those caring for our vulnerable seniors. We know they are doing the cleaning and really the heavy-lifting in their caregiving to keep seniors safe. So, who better to recognize than those right up the street?”

Many Bethesda Southgate residents have a connection to St. Paul’s, whether as a member themselves or having family members who attend the church. Additionally, many more at St. Paul’s can talk of having had a loved one at the nursing home through the years. St. Paul’s is marking 176 years in Oakville, while Bethesda is 131-years-old.

Still another piece of the Bethesda-St. Paul’s relationship lies with Bethesda Chaplain Doug Kaufman, who was once Associate Pastor at St. Paul’s. Which is why it made perfect sense to invite Kaufman to speak at the church’s drive-in worship June 28 and at the Yo Dawg food cart take took place July 17 at Bethesda Southgate.

Bethesda Foundation