Last Sunday, Pastor Janine Johnson—Zion’s Director of Outreach for 16 years—announced her departure from Zion’s staff. She will be taking a full-time position as interim pastor of St. Mark Lutheran Church in Davenport. Her final Sunday will be August 11.

Before Pastor Janine worked at Zion, she was a Zion member. She’s been at Zion for 37 years. Zion people were witnesses of her calling and journey into pastoral ministry. With her, Zion people created the food pantry and loved our neighbors. We will miss her!

Last week, I shared that Pastor Janine transformed Zion’s outreach ministries in the last few years. Now, as a way of expressing gratitude for her leadership, I want to say more about what these ministries have become.

Zion’s Outreach has three pillars.

1. Feeding Ministries
2. Housing Justice Ministry
3. Capacity-Building Work

Here they are in detail.

Feeding

Zion feeds neighbors through the food pantry and the weekday free meal. Zion people serve pantry shoppers, buy food, stock shelves, and keep records, giving of their time and their money. The food pantry is a core Zion ministry, close to the heart of many Zion people. Coming back from COVID, Pastor Janine inspired pantry leaders to make a change—from a set box of food to a customer-choice model. This has cut down on food waste and given shoppers the dignity of choice.

Zion people serve at the free meal six times a year, and the rest of the over 200 annual weekday meals are provided by other churches and community organizations. Churches United of the Quad Cities coordinates the meal and staffs it. Zion provides the space, and has for almost seven years, since the Salvation Army building was sold. Pastor Janine has served on Churches United’s board and been the point person for communicating with their staff.

Housing Justice

Through 2023, Pastor Janine administered Zion’s Community Assistance Fund, which she distributed monthly to people in need of rent or utility assistance. But after the Davenport apartment collapse and the first Quad Cities Tenant Alliance (QCTA) Town Hall for Housing Justice, Pastor Janine was convicted these resources could do more good than lining the pockets of some of Davenport’s worst landlords.

So she invited Zion’s council and congregation to budget $10,000 for housing justice work in 2024, instead of for rent and utility charity. Zion makes that investment in Quad Cities Interfaith, which trains and supports the QCTA.

Zion and the QCTA believe the people closest to the problem should have a voice in the solution —creating more safe, decent, and affordable housing in the Quad Cities.

The QCTA is currently working with Davenport City Council to craft a Rent Abatement Ordinance, which would allow the inspections department to temporarily relieve tenants of the duty to pay rent when the condition of the building poses a threat to life and safety.

Capacity-Building

This means fundraising, specifically for the food pantry. While Zion people are generous, the need and the cost of groceries keeps rising. Our vision for ministry exceeds our current capacity, but rather than giving up on that vision, we’re getting creative. Some say “innovative.”

Pastor Janine has led Zion in developing individual donors, seeking grants, and participating in Birdies for Charity. In 2023, this bore roughly $18,000 worth of fruit. All of it invested in serving neighbors.

Passing the Baton

In these final weeks, Pastor Janine is passing the baton to Zion leaders to carry on these gospel ministries. In these weeks, we get to share with Pastor Janine a big thank you! And thanks be to God for her!

Pastor Clark Olson-Smith