On Oct. 25, Pacific House, a leader in ending homelessness in Fairfield County, will recognize Round Hill Community Church as the 2019 Community Honoree at their 18th Annual Pacific House Gala.
The church, which is located on Round Hill Road in Greenwich, has volunteered with Pacific House since 2008. That service began with a single parishioner, Roland Kistler, who served meals with his family at Stamford’s Pacific House emergency shelter to upwards of 100 homeless men. They were struck by the impact of the experience, and soon other church members began participating. Since then, the church has officially served one meal each month for over eleven years.
“Outreach is in our DNA,” explained Kistler. “We’re here to be a force for good in the greater community and in the greater world. Everyone at Pacific House is so kind and working towards a goal of service to others; it is beautiful.”
Round Hill Community Church is an ever growing congregation with diverse backgrounds. The community comes together to pursue spiritual growth in a welcoming environment, believing that they are called to be a force for good and that every person has a role to play in creating the church it was meant to be.
Over the years, the relationship between Round Hill Community Church and Pacific House has deepened. During the holidays, church members decorate affordable supportive housing units owned and operated by Pacific House. More recently, the church entered into a formal mission covenant with the organization to strengthen the partnership, committing to financial assistance and providing hands-on volunteer hours. In return, Pacific House provides progress updates and visits with the Outreach Committee regularly.
“We are deeply indebted to Round Hill Community Church for their ongoing support of the work that we do,” said Rafael Pagan, Jr., Executive Director of Pacific House. “As we have transitioned from solely an emergency shelter to now providing more and more deeply affordable housing for homeless individuals, they have taken that journey with us, and are continuing to do so. It will be a pleasure to recognize them at the gala as our 2019 Community Honoree.”
The18th Annual Pacific House Gala will take place on Friday, Oct. 25, raising funds for the work of the organization to end homelessness in our area. This inspirational evening begins at 6 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Greenwich in Old Greenwich and tickets are on sale, beginning at $250. To purchase tickets, visit pacifichousegala.org
