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The Heart of Mission
April 6, 2021
Photo: Easter Sunday at the Evangelical Theological Seminary, Matanzas, Cuba.
The Lord is Risen! He is risen indeed! What a Holy Week! The newsletter this morning shares a few of the Hallelujahs sent our way from our brothers and sisters around town and across the globe. From now to Pentecost, May 23, we are in the season of Easter. It is a time to rejoice in the grace we have been shown in Jesus Christ and are shown every day through the reconciling acts of love and service done in his name.. Love is powerful. It can change the world. Suffering does not have the last word. Love does.
Peace,
Rev. Dr. Rachel Matthews, Mission Coordinator
CU at Home: Rick Williams celebrated the “amazing partnerships” between U of I students, faculty and alums and CU at Home. This was a photo that showed U of I and CU at Home partnerships:
He also referenced a Journeys article (November 23, 2020) for those at the University who are interested in work with the Homeless: https://journeys.illinois.edu/2020/11/23/health-of-the-homeless/?blm_aid=253367297
Environmental Stewardship Committee – This is the month we celebrate the gift of God’s great Earth. ESC has activities planned which we will hear about more next week. Faith in Place has an Earth Day Sunset Vigil April 8 at 6pm. Their annual Spring Advocacy Day is April 26. Register for those at faithinplace.org. They always have webinars going that you might want to check out and a youth newsletter for young people interested in environmental concerns. And, finally, Fatih in Place added new staff, one of whom is a member of our Presbytery: Rev. Wade Halva from Marion is the new Southern Illinois Outreach Coordinator.
Friends of PEB – An Easter Message from Veda Gill. Our Pakistan friends encourage us to love our neighbor in an encouraging video from the PEB schools. “Together we are making a huge difference.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KitFjs2tA5c
Marion Medical Mission – In the recent Spring 2021 issue of Marion Medical Mission newsletter, Tom Logan, Founder and director, noted how the pandemic has kept volunteers from the U.S. from going to Africa to build wells with partnering communities. Yet, MMM has been so vital to the health of the communities in which wells have been built that the African MMM communities have partnered together with the MMM Board and committed to building 3000 wells for 2021. The budget has been set. “We are excited and optimistic over the limitless possibilities of God’s creation. Black people and white people, the poor and the not so poor, Muslim and Christian working together. Marion Medical Mission means loving your neighbor as yourself!” says Tom. He continues, “When we pray, we move our feet! In addition to your prayers, the next best, most powerful thing you can do is share MMM with your friends.” Check them out at www.mmmwater.org.
Lifeline Pilots: Here this recent testimony about their work,
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At the age of one, Aiden McWhorter was diagnosed with stage four Neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer that most commonly affects children age 5 or younger. The rollercoaster of childhood cancer put Aiden into remission, only to rear its ugly head again in the middle of the pandemic.
Hope came in the form of a clinical trial…but it was a 12-hour drive from their Indiana home. This military family didn’t know how they would continually get Aiden to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.
Sarah, Aiden’s Mom said, “We would be drowning in debt having to pay for commercial flights back and forth from Indiana and NYC for his life-saving clinical trial. More importantly, he has been kept safe from the COVID pandemic by flying in a private plane.”
Restoration Urban Ministry in celebrating 28 years wishes everyone a Happy Easter. In their Spring newsletter they shared testimonies from their staff and residents about what R.U.M. has meant to them. Mary W writes, “Restoration Urban Ministries has meant having the chance to learn and grow! It has meant seeing Jesus’ hands and feet and God’s grace! It has meant living, healing, and serving the community alongside people who have experienced that same grace! |
Frontera de Cristo on their Coffee, Conversation and Compassion – Here are two screenshots of the Zoom FDC Good Friday Sunrise Service, a Border Walk of the Twelve Stations of the Cross. I attended. It was a powerful two hour experience walking along the border wall with people from all over the United States and Mexico, both sides of the border, reading scripture, praying and singing in Spanish and English. The songs were lament and the prayers were confession. As we walked along the border, we walked with Jesus walking to Golgoltha. The virtual “border” fell away and I was their with them, with Him. May God be with them in this vital and important ministry with our brothers and sisters who suffer at the border.
Here is the calendar for the rest of the Spring. Don’t forget you can order coffee from them as well. It takes about 2 weeks after your order. Here is the link for that:
https://fronteradecristo.networkforgood.com/events/26394-coffee-conversations-and-compassion
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)
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
FPCC Mission Team, World Mission and Community Mission Deacons
302 W. Church Street
Champaign, IL 61820
217-356-7238
info@firstpres.church
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