Mission Memo for June 2006

FLASH – Urgent from New Orleans

The City of New Orleans has now decreed that all Katrina affected homes must be in the process of being gutted or rehabilitated by August 29, 2006. If not, they will be demolished. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, therefore, is making a special appeal for work teams to come in July and August to the Volunteer Villages in the New Orleans area. Please remember that even a group of 5 would constitute a team. In addition to your congregation, you might consider putting a team together from your Rotary club, Elks club, Garden Club or other civic organization. The toll free registration number for work teams is 866-732-6121.

Pray for the youth of Reems Creek/Beech who are going to New Orleans on June 24th.

If your church is sending a disaster recovery team to the Gulf Coast, please send Ginnie the dates and, if there is room for members of other churches, the name and telephone number and/or e-mail address of the person that potential applicants should contact.

The Presbytery is sending another team of 15-25 people to D’Iberville, Mississippi, November 5-12. If you’ve been on a previous Presbytery Disaster Recovery Team, register with Billy Wilson (704-864-1205; few1@earthlink.net). If this is your first trip, use the application in this mailing or contact Presbytery office for one. The cost is estimated to be $150. Application deadline is August 31.

Churches in Mission:

• Murphy Church sent about 165 health kits to the Presbyterian Women’s Synod Gathering. Way to go!
• Three churches have received Energy Stewardship grants from the Peace and Justice Committee to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings: Newdale, Murphy and Kenilworth. Other small churches that do energy audits and can use up to $300 to make their improvements, can contact Ginnie for more information about these grants.
• Many churches have already contributed to the staff house for Nkhoma Hospital. The team that went to Malawi took $22,000 of the $30,000 needed. Olney youth were insulted when they heard the goal was $1 a member and a quarter a kid. “We can do better than that!” And so they made a nearly completed house out of Lego blocks into a collection basket, and together with the adults, raised close to a thousand dollars. If your church hasn’t participated yet, we do need that final $8,000!

Nickel a Meal – Help Your Congregation Make the Change:

Contact Sheila in the Presbytery office for bulletin board display materials to introduce your congregation to the updated Nickel a Meal.

The Hunger Committee recently recommended the following grants to regional ministries:

Kathy Parse, member of the Malawi Mission Team reports on the powerful impact of holding an orphaned infant at Ministry of Hope, knowing he and others like him were being fed because of the gifts like our 2 Cents a Meal (now Nickel a Meal) offerings.

MISSIONARIES IN THE NEWS:

Frank and Nancy Dimmock and their family are coming to the States this summer for a year long home assignment. They will be speaking in several places throughout the Presbytery between October 18-28th. They will also be at the Presbytery meeting October 28-29th. Their schedule will be in the next Mission Memos, or contact Ginnie in mid-July.

Carrie Davenport (West Avenue) writes that there are still openings with the Young Adult Volunteer program in Seattle, where she has been in ministry for the past two years. Those who want more information can contact her at cadavenport@gmail.com.

Continue to pray for the family of John McCall, as his father continues his fight with cancer (see newsletter).

Ab Julian (Banner Elk), short term mission volunteer in Indonesia, was in the area where the recent earthquake struck. For his story, read the article in the Presbytery newsletter, Revelations.

Mission Trips: It’s been a really busy spring! Five teams went out from Presbytery, to Israel/Palestine, Malawi, Mexico, and two to Guatemala (one to visit partner churches and one to do workshops on domestic violence). Reports from three of these trips are included; the other two will be sent next month. We received two groups from Guatemala to the states. In addition, several churches have already gone, or are scheduled to go to visit their sister churches in Guatemala, or on disaster recovery trips. Remember, that Ginnie can help you plan a trip including orientation and debriefing in ways that include the whole congregation.

Presbytery’s National & Global Missions and Ecumenical Relations (NGMER) Committee has shortened its name. We are the Missions Committee now. We have also begun collecting stories, digital photos and video from mission trips and other mission activities in order to put together at least one DVD for congregational use. Please send your photos, stories, along with the names, addresses, phone numbers and, if available, e-mail addresses of those from your congregation who have been involved in mission trips.

“GLOBAL VILLAGE” at Camp Grier:

Plans are underway to develop an area at Camp Grier into a simulated global village, a place where groups can come to learn and experience something about the lives and faith of Christians in other parts of the world. See the flyer about the Peacemaking Offering for more information. (Part of Presbytery’s portion of the Offering will be used to begin the “Global Village.”)