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The Heart of Mission
October 13, 2020
Mission is more than volunteerism. It is more than raising money. It is where the world’s greatest need intersects with our greatest gladness. You’ve heard that phrase before from Fredrick Buechner in his book Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC (1973). He said it about vocation, “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”
Check out
https://www.frederickbuechner.com/quote-of-the-day/2017/7/18/vocation
This is what mission is – following God’s call to reach out into the world with the good news of Jesus Christ using our hands and feet to proclaim, “God loves the world.” As creatures made in the image of God, when we find ourselves restless and longing, serving others often will connect that spiritual force with whoever is in need of God’s care.
So, although it was not a church event, church people got out and served this past week by Walking to End Alzheimer’s. Some of you supported them. Thank you. These are people whose lives been touched by dementia and Alzheimer’s because a loved one has it or has died with it. See if you recognize them. There are so many opportunities to extend love like this in our community. I enjoy hearing about it and thanking God for your witness of faith.
Salt & Light is another ministry that our members serve by shopping and giving. In a recent email, Executive Director Nathan Montgomery thanks us for our support. They are having their Fall fund drive from now until December 2. Their goal is to raise $80,000. Here is a video with Nathan describing the work of Salt & Light. You will have to cut and paste it into your browser. https://vimeo.com/465567640
Read below about how our PC(USA) mission coworkers are serving. So many ways! Such a big world!
Peace,
Rachel Matthews, Temporary Mission Coordinator
Our Mission Agency Announcements:
Mission Team – TODAY! 4:30pm, October 13, zoom
Wednesday Night Gathering 7pm – October 14, Mission focus – Cuba
World Mission – 4:30pm, October 20, zoom
Community Mission Deacons – 4:30pm, October 27, zoom.
Canteen Run – Needs:
toothpaste
razors
Men’ briefs-all sizes
men’s long sleeved shirts-all sizes
men’s gloves
men’s light-weight jackets-all sizes
men’s winter coats-all sizes
comb and/or brushes
men’s socks
drivers and coordinators, drivers you need to go to https://app.betterimpact.com/login/volunteer?fbclid=IwAR0sd231L4YmKVA9OAv95dsXvSWNXVuvIapUgY_G3lt0fA3VE7c3exdK9Jw
Someone to make 60 sandwiches on October 13th (This need will happen again. Just let them know you are willing to do it and they can email you directly when they need it.)
You can check Canteen Run out on Facebook, and twitter canteenrun@CanteenRun. Donations can be taken to Salvation Army on Marketplace Drive. Let them know who it is for and they will direct you to the drop off point.
CU at Home: Rick Williams, Ministry Development Assistant sent the following summary of their work,
Two years ago last month (September 14, 2018), C-U at Home and our Phoenix Daytime Drop-in Center made the move from 34 E. Green St. to our current location at 70 E. Washington St. During the past year in particularly, the Phoenix continues to be a haven for our friends without an address during these challenging times.
The Phoenix Daytime Drop-In Center is open from noon-5pm, every Tuesday-Friday, with additional hours during extreme heat and cold weather. Additional, during the early months of COVID, this resource was open 68 hours/week including evenings and weekends! As many as 70 people come through our doors on an average afternoon! The Phoenix offers an opportunity for our friends to get in out of the weather and have personal needs met. Some 200 showers are taken and about the same number of loads of laundry are done here every month!
Generous friends in the community offer free services to our friends as well. Rachel Wilson and others stop in to provide haircuts each month. Joy George comes by every Friday afternoon for an hour to provide notary services. In anticipation of the upcoming election, Jenny Paul has been helping friends who wish to register to vote. Check out our Facebook page for a look at what’s been going on today!
A couple of weeks ago, volunteers from area churches served up a fried chicken dinner along with all the fixings. Dozens of people gathered to share food and fellowship, with lots of leftovers for takeout! Several local restaurants, food service firms, and volunteers regularly stop by with snacks, sandwiches, and sweets to share with the Phoenix folks.
The Phoenix Center also serves as a place where mail can be picked up and documents can be delivered. Important support organizations such as the local Townships, the U. S. Census Bureau, and the Regional Planning Commission regularly provide services on-site as well.
Miranda Jazdyk, our new Phoenix Coordinator, has been busy organizing and planning for the future. Almost two years ago, Miranda volunteered at the Phoenix. “Since then all I could think of was getting back here,” she related. “Now, lo and behold, here I am!”
A full profile of Miranda, along with other new staff, will be featured an upcoming newsletter. Your generous support makes all we do here, including professional staffing and services, possible. We greatly appreciate your gifts and prayers!
CYF – STILL LOOKING! Have you ever considered teaching middle schoolers or high schoolers with our own Children, Youth and Families? See Mindy@firstpres.church if you would like to help our educational mission!
Environmental Stewardship Committee Adopt-a-Highway – October 6 at 9am. Bring your own gloves and sign a waiver and release form prior to coming. Rachel can email you a copy. We pick up trash up and down State Street and Westside Park.
Friends of PEB – This the time for their scholarship drive. They have raised 536 scholarships so far and have 461 to go.
Also, October 13 and 14 are Prime Day with Amazon Smile. There are many charities listed that participate in Amazon Smile and you should look for your favorite one to highlight. However, Friends of PEB has reminded us that they are listed and that you can raise money for Friends of PEB without even changing how much you spend or what your are shopping for if you go through smile.amazon.com.
Here is how it works:
An Easy Free Way to Support your Favorite Cause
AmazonSmile is a way for customers to support their favorite charitable organization every time they shop with Amazon.
Signing up is easy!
Here’s how to sign up for AmazonSmile
1. Visit smile.amazon.com
2. Sign in with your Amazon.com credentials
3. Choose a charitable organization to receive donations, or search for the charity of your choice
4. Select your charity
4. Start shopping!
Just Choose Friends of PEB as YOUR Charity on Amazon Smile.
Faith in Place – Faith in Place is a huge support to our Environmental Stewardship Committee. They are the organization that gave our ESC the Green Team Award for Central Illinois recently. You can find the award on Patty’s desk if you want to see it. Recently, Rev. Cindy Shepherd sent a thank you:
Last month, over 1,100 people from across the world joined Faith in Place for our first-ever virtual Green Team Summit! By hosting the Summit online, we were able to welcome attendees from 49 states and 25 different countries. Rather than one busload of participants from Central Illinois, close to 200 of us were able to join the workshops.
Over five days, fifteen speakers with expertise ranging from cell biology to youth empowerment explored the complex issues of climate change, racism, and COVID-19. Breakout rooms in each workshop created space for connection as attendees explored solutions to the crises our communities face.
DJ Antonio Cesar also kicked of each Summit session with mixes from across the world as well as sounds from youth in our Eco-Ambassador program. Check out his playlist here.
To each of you who joined us – thank you! You can access the workshop recordings to each session and the presentations on our Event Website. Simply fill out the form and you will be e-mailed a password to access all the recordings and presentations. Please don’t hesitate to also share this form with friends who didn’t get a chance to participate so that they can get further connected to us and join in watching the workshops as well.
Thank you for making the Green Team Summit 2020 an inspiring success as we each work in our community to create a healthier and more just tomorrow.
Presbyterian Women – The PW books are in! You should be getting one soon if you ordered it. If you did not and want a copy, Rachel did order extra and you can let her know if you would like one.
PC(USA) Mission Co Workers:
From Bob and Kristi Rice – Bob is teaching 2 classes online through WhatsApp at the Nile Theological School in South Sudan!
About Mark Adams and Frontera de Cristo who was in the news Sept. 27 speaking at Save Asylum Prayer Gathering in Douglas, AZ Here is the link:
https://www.myheraldreview.com/news/douglas/community-gathering-recognizes-those-seeking-asylum/article_341c288e-07f0-11eb-8a70-0b46b28df121.html?fbclid=IwAR059Is1UlsAHa5bozBHoT7rTBRfSF6tW1QIJMPUvCPDw_AqKNRpZFfZ9x4
Let us keep all our mission partners in our prayers, those who are waiting to go back to their place of ministry and those who are able to work where they are. Listen for God’s call to you in their ministry.
Our PC(USA) Mission CoWorkers:
Mark Adams and Miriam Maidonado Escobar (Mexico)
Farsijanna Adeney-Risakotta (Indonesia)
Jeff and Christi Boyd (Central Africa)
Jo Ella Holman (Caribbean and Cuba) – And, for the mission coworker you are preparing to take her place upon her retirement this month.
Bob and Kristi Rice (South Sudan)
Our regional and global mission partners:
Kemmerer Village (and Camp Carew)
Lifeline Pilots
Marion Medical Mission
Mission Aviation Fellowship
Opportunity International
Friends of Presbyterian Education Board in Pakistan Presbyterian Cuba Partnership
Special Offerings of the PC(USA)
Theological Education Fund
Young Adult Volunteers
Here in Champaign – Urbana:
CU at Home
CANAAN S.A.F.E. HOUSE
CANTEEN RUN
COURAGE CONNECTION
DREAAM
eMPTY TOMB, INC
FAITH IN ACTION
JESUS IS THE WAY PRISON MINISTRY
THE REFUGEE CENTER
RESTORATION URBAN MINISTRY
SALT & LIGHT
Here at First Presbyterian Church
FPCC Amateur Preachers
FPCC Environmental Committee working with Faith in Place
FPCC Presbyterian Women
FPCC ESL
FPCC Children, Youth and Families
FPCC Mission Possible/Go and Serve
302 W. Church Street
Champaign, IL 61820
217-356-7238
info@firstpres.church
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