If one were to stop for a moment at Grand Central Station, or Times Square, to look at the thousands of individuals that Jesus died for, these words of the Savior would become more real: "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few" (Matthew 9:37). Howerver, Jesus went on to say, "Therefore bessech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest." Many have taken that command to heart. One ministry to the millions in Greater New York that the Lord raised up in answer to prayer is this one, the Van Ministry. Since its inception in 1975, this ministry has touched millions, one at a time, through blood pressure screenings, literature distributuion, disaster relief. Join us and keep us in your prayers.

Health Screening and Seminars

On a daily basis, our vans are offering the service of a free blood pressure screening on crowded New York City streets to help people gain an awareness of the dangers of unhealthy lifestyle choices and to recognize undetected high blood pressure.

Our intake questionnaire points to these simple lifestyle changes as essential for a healthy and long life. Adventist Community Health Services offers free health literature on the blood pressure screening van. We provide Stop Smoking Seminars, Stress Control Clinics, Nutrition Workshops and Vegetarian Cooking Classes to the community.

We advocate the simple exercise of walking and to drink at least 8 glasses of water daily will improve your health, both physically and emotionally. We advise moderation and believe in exercising self-control in the indulgence of appetite and abstinence from alcohol.

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Food and Clothing for the Homeless

Since 1983, Adventist Community Services has been bringing food and clothing to the homeless community in New York City. We like to prepare a special Christmas banquet sharing gifts of warm clothing, blankets and toys. One of our volunteers begins collecting stuffed toys months in advance.

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Disaster Response

In recent years, disasters are among the greatest stressors to individuals and the community. The numbers of people affected by natural disasters and the dangers of terrorism have increased. During the last few years, two types of natural disasters provided an opportunity for Adventist Community Services to assist the community:

A distribution center was set up in the effected area to provide necessities to the community. A total of 2643 persons were served; 14,720 pounds of food dispensed; 900 items of clothing distributed; and 3,000 blankets distributed. A total of 102 volunteers donated 1,608 hours. A Stress Management seminar was provided for the community. We also responded to a request from New York State Governor Pataki, by organizing, manning and coordinating warehouse collection centers at seven National Guard Armories.

Goods that were processed and shipped to the disaster areas included 447,000 pounds of food, water and baby supplies. Five 30' and 40' shipping containers were filled. Our 243 volunteers donated 4,100 hours.