The Heart of Mission
May 4, 2021
Thank you all for being an Earth Care Congregation!!
I promised some pictures of the Styrofoam collection day. What a success! Thank you all again for a wonderful Earth week. Five big bags were collected and sent to DART where they are recycled. (Kathy and Pat removed a few dandelions on the side.) By the way, you are welcome to take your Styrofoam to DART any time but we wanted to highlight how much landfill space is saved when we can pull together and reduce, reuse and recycle. Holly Nordheden reminded us on the church’s Facebook page of the need to collect #6 Styrofoam and no packing peanuts. She gave us this link for more information at DART –
https://www.dartcontainer.com/sustainability/foam-recycling-centers/?fbclid=IwAR2ZtmHY4sgZxuNQtQYeiWkzms1uCHTMNK6J3Q0Ig9FDpvhNvkGkmUbRITo
Girl’s Leadership Program – Leslie Thomas and Rachel Matthews with a lot of help from Mindy Watts-Ellis set up a pilot Girl’s Leadership program with girls from our DREAAM families using Girls With Ideas curriculum. This 6 week pilot program has come to an end as of Monday but it was a positive experience for all. We hope to build on our learnings from this program in the future and do it again.
Opportunity International – Opportunity International was in the news recently. In an article in Forbes magazine, “Women, Poverty and Opportunity,” Mona Andrews explains the reality of the gender gap in the workforce and the benefits of more women moving into company leadership. Opportunity International was hailed as an example of how the microfinancing of women’s businesses can help reduce the gender gap in the workforce.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2021/04/12/women-poverty-and-opportunity/?sh=136f58cf4e16
CU at Home has a new format for their newsletter. It is wonderful. Instead of cutting and pasting pieces of it, I am giving you a link for the whole thing. This month it highlights staff and the partnership with Champaign Township, Prosperity Gardens and Daily Bread Soup Kitchen as well as noted business partnerships. I am adding the link to the newsletter hoping you will be able to read it as well.
https://www.cuathome.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/April.2021.Newsletter1_compressed-1.pdf?blm_aid=253367297
Our Mission Co-workers, Bob and Kristi Rice, will be speaking on Wednesday night May 12, 7pm, at our regular zoom gathering. Bob and Kristi will lead a discussion on their work in South Sudan which has continued despite the pandemic! They have been working online just as we have. Bring your questions to ask them about the joys and challenges of the work they do.
The Pakistani group is gathering on May 16, 23, and 30 at 3pm in Westminster Fellowship Hall to view the PEB/Bunyaad Rug Cooking Benefit classes as a group. Anyone is welcome to join us, but you must sign up with us. We are taking donations for PEB because we would not be using individual registrations and this is a benefit for PEB scholarships. People are welcome to register on their own for their own private viewing, of course. If so, they will need to register by May 8. Contact Sallie if you wish to join the Pakistan group in person at Westminster Hall. (We are social distancing and using safety protocols.) If you wish to make your own registration, contact here https://donorbox.org/pakistani-dinner-three-class-series This gives more info about the event as well.
Drivers needed and maybe a change of focus –
It seems as though several mission agencies that we have worked with over the years need help that we are less and less able to provide: drivers to deliver meals. But, it is not just drivers. Our agencies seem to need volunteer coordinators as well. It is quite a lot of work to coordinate drivers to help with food delivery ministries. Several of you have suffered silently over the years trying to get volunteers to fill deliveries for promised days and weeks and filling in for people that had to back out. You have done this for Canteen Run, Empty Tomb, and Meals on Wheels. Thank you for your ministry.
Recently the Mission Team, Presbyterian Women, and the Community Mission Deacons have had separate discussions about the need for volunteers for coordinating and delivering food and meals in these agencies. If you have missed being asked and this type of work is heavy on your heart, please step up and we can help you lead in such a ministry! Otherwise, it is clear to many of us that the type of mission work we are doing here at First Presbyterian is changing focus away from delivery ministries.
The winds of the Spirit of God do change from time to time. Salt and Light now has curbside pickup. In fact, so do our big box stores like Walmart. People whose mobility is impaired are learning how to use delivery apps and other mail order deliveries. It seems that when we don’t have the calling for one ministry, other people do or God provides for some other way for it to be done. Aren’t we glad for the freedom to change focus? The many talents in the body of Christ allow some to gifted for some things and others gifted for different things. There are churches who have food pantries. There are churches who do have able drivers. There are churches who make sandwiches. We will find what ours will be. Where is God leading us in our ministry of hospitality? Is it to develop and share the wonderful kitchen that is emerging in our very own Centennial Hall? Will our kitchen be a place for senior ministry? Will it be a warm coffee stop for neighborhood bus riders? Will it be a place for budding entrepreneurs who need a “microfinance” boost to their careers in a state of the art kitchen? Will it be a garden fresh kitchen? Whatever our next food ministry is, God is leading us. Let us keep the ministry of hospitality in our prayers. Let the Spirit come in.
Peace,
Rev. Dr. Rachel Matthews, Mission Coordinator
We want to keep 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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