The Association is governed by a 16 member Board of Directors, elected by delegates from the member churches at the Annual Meeting. The Board of Directors meet monthly and its meetings are open to the public.
The Association is financed by contributions from member churches, individuals, non-member churches, businesses, fund raisers and grants from CWEB and other Foundations.
The Association is registered as a non-profit corporation with the State of Michigan and has Section 501(c)(3) status with the Internal Revenue Service. Contributions may be made to the Association or to any specific ministry. Checks should be made payable to the Berrien County Association of Churches.
Benton Harbor Street Ministry - to learn more click here
Benton Harbor Street Ministry vision is to provide hope and encouragement, empowering people to recognize their full potential through multi-cultural, networking, education and support services with respect for every individual. BHSM has started a GED Program to assist community residents in securing a foundation for success through education. Lake Michigan College is currently offering an Academic Skills program at BHSM to assist students testing at 4th to 8th grade. This program helps build reading, writing, and math skills. BHSM also offers After School Tutoring for students K-12 on Monday through Thursday from 4 to 6 pm. Snacks are provided. Cooking classes are also offered to all students that attend. Pastors Pray every Wednesday at 8:30 am until 10 pm and Women’s Prayer meets every Tuesday at 10 am. Volunteers are needed for both programs, the GED and After School Tutoring Program.
Anyone interested, please contact Elder Hester at 269-925-4333.
Referrals are made to Community Agencies to assist in meeting the needs of clients.
BHSM provides emergency food, prayer, counseling support with clients and Holiday Baskets. The ministry operates at 200 E. Empire Avenue. The mailing address is
P.O. Box 1081 Benton Harbor, MI 49023-1081.
Information Minisries
The Association publishes a monthly newsletter which is distributed widely in the county and maintains a web site at www.berrienchurches.org.
A county-wide Directory of Churches and Congregations is published annually listing contact information for approximately 300 churches in the county.
A summer Worship Opportunities brochure is published listing service times for churches in the tourist areas of the county. It is distributed to welcome centers, chambers of commerce, information centers, motels and state parks, etc.
The Association sponsors the “Insights” column in the Herald-Palladium newspaper. This religious column is written by area pastors.
The Association holds occasional meetings for the public on subjects of interest in the area of poverty, education, training and health care.
The Association sponsors the annual Blossomland CROP Walk in St. Joseph and Benton Harbor to raise community awareness of world hunger problems.
The Association sponsors county-wide Vacation Bible Schools.
Financial Ministries
The Association maintains the Camp Warren Endowment Fund (CWEB) which makes grants available to ministries that align with the purpose of the Association. More information on CWEB grants can be found by calling the office.
CROP Walk - to learn more click here
When CROP began in 1947 (under the wing of Church World Service, which was founded in 1946), the name was an acronym for the Christian Rural Overseas Program; its primary mission was to help Midwest farm families to share their grain with hungry neighbors in post-World War II Europe and Asia. Reflective of a program that for several decades has been both urban and rural, CROP is no longer an acronym; it is the name given to community, interfaith hunger education and fundraising events sponsored by Church World Service and organized by 22 CWS/CROP regional offices across the U.S.
