Happy New Year friends of LCCM!


On Christmas morning I woke up and was presented with the thought of Jesus’ sacrifice. I thought at the time it was a weird thought to have on the celebration of his birth.

In the last newsletter I wrote about the “current” state we were in. As a reminder: we were without a Commonwealth of PA State Budget – resulting in no State Food Purchase Program Dollars; we were in the midst of a Federal Government Shutdown – which resulted in a threat of no SNAP (food stamp assistance) benefits and the delay of the Low Income Heating Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) program launch from a start of beginning of November to the beginning of December.

We shared that our board of directors had committed $350,000 of crisis reserve funds to sustain our program and fill the gap of the LIHEAP program.
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LCCM spent $5,368 on all utilities (electric, water and heating oil) in November 2024. In November 2025, that number was $27,856. LCCM spent just $885 on heating oil assistance in November 2024. In November 2025, that number skyrocketed to $21,169!
I want to publicly recognize our team and volunteers, who stepped up to be the church and fill the gap. Our phones rang, appointments happened, utility payments were made, and our community was assisted. We felt the anxiety of our guests who were coming to the Market on 7th for food assistance and those coming to receive assistance with heating oil so their homes could stay livable.

I also want to thank you – because you stepped up to help support this work with financial support. Oh, how blessed we are to live in a community where we care for each other, just like Jesus cared for us. Oh, the sacrifices our community makes – and we thank Jesus for the sacrifice he made. He lived, so he could die! He died, so we could live!