THE 2020 ADVENT OFFERING
 
Christmas is the season of Advent. What love, joy and redemption we have in the birth of our Savior! And so, it is with thankfulness that each year at this time we have our annual Advent Offering. This year-2020- the year that is like none other we have experienced, your World Missions Committee is asking that our Advent giving go to 2 organizations that will help many people. The first organization is our own Presbyterian Disaster Assistance that is comprised of 2 components: National Relief and International Relief.
 
Several months ago, as fires were raging across the west and Pacific coast areas, your World Missions Committee was able to send $1500 to PDA and earmark if for U.S. fire relief aid.

If you Google “ Presbyterian Disaster Assistance”, you will see how aid is distributed to United States and to international countries that are in crisis situations. Each entity has vital needs that are being addressed by PDA. We are very thankful that our denomination is able to help alleviate pain and suffering in so many places and in so many lives through your generous donations. 2/3 of your Advent giving this year will go to PDA.
 
The 2nd component of our giving will go to our own sister church, Luyano in Cuba. This is a year of isolation between our 2 churches due, among other things, to COVID19. None of us is allowed to travel between our countries this year. We are not able to carry supplies to them nor can we send money directly to them. The Luyano church is in dire need of help. We are able to aid them through PCUSA and our own church’s Cuba Committee is requesting this help. It is in gratitude to our relationship with our sister church that 1/3 of our Advent offering will be earmarked for our Luyano brothers and sisters.
 
We know this has been a tough year for each of us. However, we also acknowledge that God has continued to be our source of strength in these times. May we also be a source of strength to those who need to rely on us.
 
In Hope, Peace, Joy and Love,
 
The First Presbyterian Church World Mission Committee

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IN ADDITION…
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Today is also Giving Tuesday according to the secular seasonal giving calendar. I am not sure who decided this day was THE nonprofit giving day but I am glad our nation is able to focus our generous spirits in a show of unity for all those agencies that help people. Praise God for this general revelation of goodness in our human spirit. First Presbyterian supports several agencies now and throughout the year that benefit from such a day.  If I haven’t highlighted them below, I am sure you can search online for their website and they will be glad you remembered them. Think especially about the hungry this time of year. Everywhere in the United States food lines at food banks are unusually long right now. Your Community Mission Committee will be talking about this tonight. Canteen Run, Empty Tomb, Restoration Urban Ministry and Salt & Light are mission agencies we support right now which participate in alleviating hunger locally in Champaign-Urbana. Also, you might want to look into the Eastern Illinois Food Bank which helps  several other ministries we support, especially our immigrant communities.
 
Peace,
Rachel Matthews, Mission Coordinator
 
Mission Announcements including Giving Tuesday requests:
 
Community Mission Deacons: Dec.1, 4:30pm zoom, (combined Nov/Dec meeting)
 
Lifeline Pilots: LifeLine Pilots has had record months of flying passengers and PPE during the pandemic. They have set a Giving Tuesday goal to raise $3,000. Your donation will help us continue to make our services possible for passengers throughout our 10 state region. https://www.facebook.com/donate/181119180309432/
Also, their annual report can be found at https://lifelinepilots.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/FY2019_LIFELINE_PILOTS_ANNUAL_REPORT.pdf
 
 
Angel Tree: The Community Mission Deacons hosts an Angel Tree every year for our community mission agencies. Although we will not have an actual tree for you to take an angel tag off of and replace with a gift, we are going to collect $25 gift cards from Salt & Light, Target or Walmart for our mission agencies. You can identify which you would like your gift card to go to. Bring your gift cards or items to the church office Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday mornings before December 15 so we can deliver them to the agencies before Christmas.
 
Our agencies are
CU at HOME
CANAAN S.A.F.E. HOUSE
COURAGE CONNECTION
DREAAM
eMPTY TOMB, INC
FAITH IN ACTION
JESUS IS THE WAY PRISON MINISTRY
THE REFUGEE CENTER
RESTORATION URBAN MINISTRY
SALT & LIGHT (for their staff)
Also for CANTEEN RUN we will be collecting gift cards or in kind items: large to 3x-l winter shirts, GLOVES, socks, LARGE-2 X-L MEN’S UNDERWEAR, coats, hats.
 
ESL Café Time 
 
What? We miss seeing you and catching up like we did in person! This will be a monthly café time on Zoom for us to see our friends and tutors from other classes. We will be split into small groups so that we can discuss and catch up. This is a great opportunity to practice speaking in English. Bring your favorite hot drink and a snack to café time. 
 
When? Second Thursday of every month at 10 am. The first one is December 10^th at 10am. The next café times are: 

• January 14^th at 10am
• February 11^th at 10am 
• March 11^th at 10am 
• April 8^th at 10am 
• May 13^th at 10am 

Zoom Information:
Please email jeanette@firstpres.church for the Zoom meeting information. 

Faith in Place: Just a reminder to our Green Team and all those interested in God’s Creation:

Join us at Light the Way, Faith in Place’s first ever virtual Annual Celebration and Fundraiser! Tuesday Dec. 8th | 7:00-8:00pm CT Join at 6:45pm CT for the Pre-Party with DJ Antonio Cesar. To register go to
 https://secure.everyaction.com/ZSDCSQkhsk6PVlhw_kvLZQ2 
 
CU at Home: Update #3 from Rob Dalhaus:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Xea4IHTlcE&feature=youtu.be&blm_aid=253367297
 
And, From now to December 11 your donation to CU at Home  Is doubled with a 25K matching grant

• Would you join us in prayer for a friend whose sister was diagnosed with COVID and lives with her elderly grandmother? We pray for God’s hand of protection over both of these ladies! 
• Please pray for a friend who uncle recently passed away at the age of 76. We call upon God to offer peace to this family during this time of loss! 
• Would you also pray for a friend who will be moving back into one of our transitional houses after completing a 28 day detox program? We pray that this would be the time where this man is able to break through and find the hope and success he is looking for!
• BONUS PRAYER REQUEST: Please pray for our upcoming “Giving Tuesday” event where we will collect drive thru financial support in the WDWS parking lot on South Neil St. in Champaign! We still have a $25,000 match that we are trying to reach and we ask you to consider giving and having your gift DOUBLED today!

• Praise the Lord for three of our friends who have recently completed their packets for the Housing Authority and will be on the road to being housed very soon! 
• Thank you God for a friend who has been staying at the men’s shelter for just over 100 days and was housed this week!  
• Praise to Jesus for our community partners like CU Church who recently provided a catered meal to our friends staying at the shelter! 

From Frontera de Cristo’s Joca Gallegos and Mark Adams:
 
We are grateful that God has welcomed us into a family that crosses borders and brings together people who would never have imagined sitting at table together. We are also grateful that God has called us to be a welcoming presence here in Douglas/Agua Prieta for those whose lives have been upended by violence and poverty; for those who struggle with the demons of addiction or racism; for those who long to to experience the love, peace, and justice of the kin-dom of God.
 
In this month’s Presbyterian Border Region Outreach borderwide gathering hosted by our partners of Pasos de Fe y Esperanza, the Rev. Kaci Clark-Porter preached from an El Paso parking lot at the memorial to the victims of the mass shooting last year. She preached on the radical hospitality of the aged Abraham and Sarah who did not fear strangers, but rather raced out to invite them in and threw a feast. Read more about her sermon in this Presbyterian News Service article.
 
We grateful for your partnership in ministry. May God give us the courage, wisdom, and love needed to be good stewards of the welcome we have received.
 
The Cuba Partner Network sends us a Happy Thanksgiving! 
¡Feliz Día de Acción de Gracias!

Friends of PEB sends thanks with a special online Advent Calendar. All you do is click the link and begin. https://calendar.myadvent.net/?id=b594e0aaf5cb14378b197c821b14b287
Opportunity International sends their thanks with a video from The Bright Start Academy in Ghana, one of their schools: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiFufjvYTAs&feature=youtu.be

Salt & Light Ministry will be participating in GivingTuesday on December 1 and we need your help!
By joining the GivingTuesday movement, you’re proving that in times of uncertainty, generosity can bring the whole world together.
Here is how you can get ready to give:

1.  FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM. We will be posting updates, stories, and videos, leading up to Giving Tuesday, which is also the last day of our fall fundraising campaign.

2.  GIVE.  You don’t have to wait until Giving Tuesday to help us reach our $80,000 fall fundraising goal! Click on the donate link at the bottom of this email or HERE to donate securely.  Write “fall fundraiser” in the notes section so that we know to add your donation to this specific campaign.

3.  SPREAD THE WORD.  Encourage your friends and family to join you in creating a real impact on December 1 by sharing what our mission means to you and why you support our organization. Make sure to use hashtag #GivingTuesday and tag us so we can share!
 
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 Maldonado 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.
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
 
 

• The_Heart_of_Mission_120120.pdf