New Providence
Church
Mission at New Providence is exceedingly
important - it is vital. One of things that we have worked more on
since my arrival here at this church is hands on mission. As such, we
have done a fair amount of work that might be of interest to you (several
of these things are activities that had not previously been done at this church).
First of all we are going on a "traditional" mission trip.
We will be returning to Hurricane, WV and will be working to repair homes
of the impoverished or physically challenged (we are anticipating working
with presbyterians from Hurricane, Winstom-Salem, NC and Waverly, NY to improve
6 homes). We will be sending at least 15 folks on this trip.
Many members of New Providence are also very instrumental
in the running of the Kingsway Help Center. This help center provides
food, clothes, books, toys, etc... to people. Many of the clothes for
Kingsway come from our own clothes closet at the church. Also, we have
sent folks to serve a meal at the Valley Mission in Staunton. We have
made plans to do this again. We held a blood drive with the Red Cross
out here at our church this past winter. The Red Cross folks were very
pleased that we had such a high number of donors for a rural church.
Last year our church participated in the Heifer Project
- we raised a little over $8,000 and surpassed our goal to secure an "ark's"
worth of animals. This year we have become very involved with the
Lexington Area Ministerial Association's partnership with Habitat for Humanity.
As a church we have secured over 30 volunteers to work on the building of
this home and have contributed $5,000 to this project. Every year we
send hats, gloves, and socks to the Zaccheous House in D.C. We gather
toiletries for different Shelters during the course of the year. We
participate in the Samaritan's Purse Christmas Shoe Box ministry (generally
providing between 150 - 200 shoe boxes a year).
O.K. that's a lot, but I am leaving some things out (including
our support of a missionary couple in Brazil and in Austria). Our plans
for the future include re-evaluating our global ministry efforts (we want
to see if we can do more). We have been discussing the possibility
of sending some folks on an urban mission trip or possibly on a trip to Haiti
or Mexico. We have also talked some about what we might do in the future
with Habitat for Humanity.
Anyway - thanks for giving me this opportunity to boast in
Christ about the things that God has allowed our little country church to
do in His service.
Yours in Christ,
Christopher Crotwell - New Providence
Timber Ridge Church
Timber
Ridge has shared in several mission initiatives this year.
Our big project was the mission trip to Juarez, Mexico
through the Presbyterian Border Ministry program. We sent 10 people
(youth to seniors) who worked in the Mujer a Mujer shelter for abused women
over the week of March 22-29. This was a great trip, and we look forward
to continuing a relationship with that shelter.
Another mission to which our congregation is particularly
committed is Relay for Life. For the second year, we have fielded two
teams at the Rockbridge County event, and this year we were the #2 Non-Corporate
fundraiser.
We have an ongoing relationship with the Neriah Baptist
Church foodbank. Two Fridays a month our people go down there to work
in the foodbank, and our annual Fall Festival (second Sat. in October) donates
all proceeds to the bank. This is their biggest source of income.
We also received a Moffet grant for a mission initiative
that we developed a couple of years ago. When we learn of people in
the community who need basic repairs done on their homes and are unable to
do the work themselves, we will do the work with the help of the grant.
This has been used the most in conjunction with Rockbridge Area Hospice.
Currently, we are teaming up with a group of concerned area citizens to rebuild
an elderly couple's home that was destroyed in an recent storm.
Finally, we sponsor a Cub Scout pack, supporting it
with people and money. We have an annual Scout Sunday, and we invited
them to help lead worship after their God and Me program was completed.
As far as going out as a church and doing mission,
that's about all that we have done this year. I would be happy to
share more about any of these church mission projects. Thank you for
asking!
Pete Smith
Olivet Church
Back in January of this
year, the first of seven organizational meetings for the Baja 2003 Mission
Trip was held at Olivet Presbyterian Church in Staunton, VA. Several
members from Olivet attended that initial meeting along with our pastor,
Rev. Joe Brandon. After much prayerful consideration, four members
signed up to go on the mission trip, Rhonda Richie, Nina Smiley, Laura Smiley,
and Karen Stevens. This was the first time anyone from Olivet had participated
in such an endeavor. We, including our church family, were all very
excited!
We attended each monthly planning meeting, listening to stories
of past trips, and absorbing all the advice we could from the “seasoned experts”.
With each passing meeting though, anxiety grew! I have to admit I
asked myself many times why did I agree to do this, what did I have to offer,
what kind of conditions would I have to live in…my doubts and reservations
increased. I even thought once to cancel and find someone else to
take my place. But there was something sort of alluring about this
trip…somewhere in the back of my mind I knew I couldn’t pass up an opportunity
like this…that this trip would be like no other! Truly God’s presence
and guiding hand were leading me down this path!
We received so much support from the Olivet membership in
the form of donations, prayers, or just someone saying “Wow, we’re so excited
for you!” The church Session agreed to pay expenses such as airfare
and food/lodging for the week which was a huge boost for us. Additionally,
in June we held a barbeque luncheon after church to raise money which went
to several causes while in Baja. The money raised purchased $250 in
new tools (including 2 sawzalls, 2 skilsaws, blades, and other tools) which
we all got to use on the job site. We took our Baja family shopping
for clothes, kitchen items, baby items, food, and miscellaneous goods.
We left money in the care of the mission to be used to pour a concrete floor
in our family’s kitchen (much better than the bare dirt floor there now).
We gave money to three missionaries there, Bill, Steve, and Brandon for their
work in Baja and beyond. Brandon was finishing his training and raising
money to go to the Fiji Islands for four months of mission work there.
Steve was setting up another mission camp further south in Baja, and Bill,
our gracious host for the week, to purchase supplies, food, pay the rent,
etc.
Our group worked hard on the house, helping out wherever
needed. I think we each had a turn at using the new tools, hammering,
painting, playing with the children, etc. And you just haven’t lived
until you’ve helped tear down a Mexican outhouse! Rhonda and I built
a ring toss game for the children made from materials brought to the site
by Dan Woodworth of First Presbyterian in Waynesboro. Laura and Nina
worked hard on the house, especially the roof, and learned a neat hand slapping
game from the children. Our team stayed ahead of schedule and by Thursday
the job was done! A brand new “little pink house” stood where only
a dirt yard had before (complete with bunk beds, dressers, children’s art
work on the wall, and Nina’s flowers by the window).
Whatever we gave of ourselves during that week in the form
of work, fellowship, compassion, and prayers for our “family”, could never
compare with what we each received; the chance to live, work, and worship
with people of faith, to see smiles on children’s faces when our van pulled
around the corner to start the day’s work (and pass out toys), to see the
look of pride in a Oaxaccan woman’s face when we bought her hand-made woven
goods, or to stand hand-in-hand with team members and our Oaxaccan family
singing Yo Tengo Coza! (and to see that our family singing along too!).
God has truly blessed us through this experience! The
week was absolutely awesome! We’re all looking forward to next year!
Karen Stevens
Olivet Presbyterian Church
Staunton, VA
Shepherdstown Church
My name is Gordon Gay. I am the moderator of the Deacon
Board at Shepherdstown Presby. in Shepherdstown, WV. Although we do
not have any "big" trips scheduled for this year, we will be doing our annual
trip to a homeless shelter in Washington, DC where we help serve the meals
to the homeless. We also send some of our folks to the food bank where
they help organize/store/distrubute food to the needy. Usually, we
stay overnight at Capitol Hill Pres. and our group always includes some of
the youth of the church. This trip is during the month of December after the
church has collected gloves, hats and warm winter coats for the needy.
This is indeed a rewarding experience for everyone and we always come away
with a different perspective on the world.
In past years we have sent groups to the Navajo Reservation
(I was along on this trip) to assist with youth programs and help the Navajos
with repairing/painting/fixing up houses. We also have sent members to the
Texas/Mexico border on work/study mission trips.
We are planning a trip to Northern Ireland for June 2004
and are just beginning the planning for that. We have a very caring
and creative group of people at SPC. I'm sure we will continue to do
God's work in the world by finding new and, it is hoped, better ways to
serve God and humanity. Thanks for your interest.
Gordon V. Gay
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Potomac Highlands
Mission Community
On June 1 after worship at Trinity Lutheran Church in Keyser, West Virginia,
a group of twenty-eight participants from the Potomac Highlands Mission Community
departed for the Stony Point Conference Center in New York. The mission
group included youth and adults from three Lutheran and three Presbyterian
congregations. Two clergy took part, Rev. Sally Bartling (ELCA)and Rev. Jeffrey
Lang (PCUSA).
Prior to leaving for New York City, about a forty-five minute drive from
Stony Point, the participants were led in a joint communion service led by
Rev.'s Bartling and Lang along with assistance from Lutheran Student Pastor,
Ken Miller.
The purpose of the trip was to distribute food, toiletries and clothing
to the homeless of Manhattan with the service group - Midnight Run Mission
which has been working with churches, youth groups, college students and
others delivering help and caring to street people in the City since 1984.
Kimberley Lang, wife of Rev. Lang, led the youth in putting together bag
lunches for both the homeless and the youth themselves to eat in New York
City. The group began a half day tour of New York at the Interchurch
Center with lunch in the cafeteria, taking the subway to Battery Park, viewing
Ground Zero, the Empire State Building and spending some time exploring Macy's
and Times Square.
The evening of Monday, June 1, the group met the Midnight Run Mission
guides and vans back at the Riverside Church where our vehicles and bag
lunches were parked at about 9:30. By 10:30 the youth were distributing not
only food, but compassion and fellowship at several points around Manhattan,
wrapping up about 1am.
Jeffrey Lang
Franklin Church
Since
the majority of the Franklin congregation is over 55, we haven't done a lot
of "leg work" as far as mission trips are concerned. Some of our youth
have gone with the Moorefield Church youth to New York on their various mission
trips. Locally, several ladies volunteer with the Christian Assistance
Network, which was established by our county ministerial association as
a food pantry. They work there 4 days per month, distributing food,
clothing, and other household items to those in need. They are also
responsible for letting church members know what supplies are needed, collecting
them, and taking them to the pantry building.
We formed a visitation committee in the Session a little
over a year ago, to visit new people in the community, and also to visit
not only those who are ill, but those who are lonely.
Two months ago, we started a bi-weekly film night at our
church, showing films with a message for the entire family, as an alternative
entertainment activity in our community. Four committees were formed....film
selection, hospitality, publicity, and technical (for film projection),
which involve approximately 40 members of the church. We've had three
films so far, and have had visitors from outside the church to attend each
one.
A number of our members volunteer at the local nursing home,
visiting residents, reading to them, and taking them for medical appointments.
The adult choir also sponsors Presbyterian Night at the Nursing Home on the
3rd Tuesday of each month, where we have visitation and a singalong with
the residents.
Our church is much more involved in preparing items for those
who do mission in our name.....we send hospital items and toys through the
mission sewing and medical benevolence programs each year, we prepare shoeboxes
at Christmas for Samaritan's Purse, we prepare health kits for disaster areas,
and most recently, we participated in fund-raising for the Heifer International
Project for the first time. Our goal was $500, or one heifer.
We raised well over $1000, so we can purchase 2 heifers and something else....so
we are quite proud of that. All this is in addition to donations to
4 cents a meal, One Great Hour of Sharing, the PW Thank Offering and Birthday
Offering, and the Thanksgiving Offerings for the Presbyterian Children's
Homes.
Kim Kline
Opequon Church
I just returned from a Youth Mission trip. Here is
some information about it. The mission trip was open to 8th graders and
up. I had four respond saying they would go(many others had conflicts, but
4 was good enough for me) I had two other gentlemen help me chaperone the
trip. So, 7 of us went to Calvin Center about 25 miles south of Atlanta,
Georgia July 20-July 25. We stayed in their cabins in the woods.
Our work site each day was a house in Griffin, Georgia.
We joined one of the other mission groups that week to scrap,
prime, and paint the entire exterior of the house. Porch repair work was
also completed as well as a few other minor exterior projects. We got to know
the older woman who owned the house and several of her grandchildren who
our youth played with each day out in the street. We shared a picnic dinner
with the family members on our last evening there.
Our youth were so touched by the children that they asked
to be taken to Walmart so they could buy one of the little boys a new soccer
ball. The only toy we had seen was a flat basketball. We cheered
the kids on with every kick of the ball and sat and ate lunch with them also.
Back at the camp site, we shared in cooperative challenges
out in the woods with another church group and had worship time together.
We all experienced fatique, heat, and MANY bug bites during the week, but
were very satisfied that we were able to reach out in this way. Not
one youth complained about any of it! WE entered the lives of the
family for one week, however, they will stay in our mind and heart for our
lifetime!
Carole Witt
DCE, Opequon Presbyterian Church
Winchester,VA
Parish of the Valleys
The
Wind River Youth Mission Conference (for high school and college students)
was held July 9-18 on the campus of Central Wyoming College and on the Wind
River Indian Reservation, both in Riverton, Wyoming.
Global LOGOS, Inc. was invited to Riverton to have a conference
that focused on building positive relationships between the Riverton town
people (white) and the two Native American tribes that reside on the reservation
(Northern Arapaho and Shoshoni - two tribes that historically have not gotten
along). I am volunteer Conference Director for Global LOGOS, and this was
a challenging task, because all parties are suspect of one another!
Moreover, the task at hand was complicated by the presence
of the World Church of the Creator, the hate group that recently moved its
international headquarters to Riverton. While we didn't experience any obvious
threats from this hate group, we certainly were protective of the youth
and adults who were part of the conference. (We had representation from
VA, WV, Alaska, PA, MD, IL, MI, Nevada, and WY. Three college students attended
from the Parish of the Valleys.)
The majority of the first week of our conference was spent
on the CWC campus, learning about one another's cultures in the context
of the Scriptural mandate to treat one another as the Beloved of Christ
(following the model of Jesus' baptism in the Gospel according to John).
During the second week, we lived in people's homes in town
and on the reservation - a kind of cultural immersion where we put into
practice the norms and expectations we learned during the first week. We
worked with Habitat for Humanity to begin to transform a former slum dwelling
into a day care and safe place for abused mothers and their children. In
four days' time, we scraped, sanded and painted three houses, moved barbed
wire fencing from one side of the property to the other, cleared debris and
wood piles from in front of the houses, and put up a lovely white picket
fence around two of the houses.
We also took one day that week to visit three nursing homes.
We sang for the residents and visited personally with as many of them as
we could. Relationships were begun, and even some addresses exchanged!
A thrilling part of our Wind River Conference was an invitation
to the Northern Arapaho Sun Dance, one of their most sacred religious ceremonies
in which young men and women (at least age 17) spend three days in a large
teepee type lodge discerning their call in the community and offering prayers
on behalf of a sick relative or friend. White people may only attend this
ceremony by invitation from an Arapaho chief or tribal council member. Of
the 7,000 Native Americans present, we were obviously outsiders! No pictures,
videos or tape recorders are allowed, which wouldn't have helped anyway,
since we were there from the late evening (9 pm) on Thursday till 2 am on
Friday morning.
What we discovered at the Wind River Conference is that our
heritage may differ, but our goal is common: to live at peace with one another,
even though we may not understand each other's ways. Living in intentional
Christian community we (Protestants, Catholics, and Native Americans) treated
each other with respect as the Beloved of God. It was an exhausting but totally
rewarding experience. Already we have been invited back for the same experience
next year!
Lisa Wilson
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