|
SOCIAL EDUCATION & ACTION
|
Donation Station
Notice
the new unit in the hallway for donated items. WE will
continue collecting pull
tabs for Ronald Mc Donald House, eyeglasses, cell
phones, and toiletries for Downtown Daily Bread. Please
note that we will no longer collect batteries for
recycling due to new Federal Regulations.
Information concerning this change is posted on the
donation station. Thank you. |
|
Food Barrel
Be generous in your donations to the Food Pantry. Remember they
need paper products like toilet paper, baby items and diapers as well as
your canned goods and other items. When your store has a two for one
sale, take both and donate one to those who have less.
A Call to Advocacy
God calls us to be full participants in civil society, to make a
difference for the common good in the public square. We are looking for
members of the congregation who are interested in visiting their
legislators to establish a relationship and an ongoing dialogue on
topics such as legislative reform, transparency in government and other
social issues... When we advocate for justice, we translate the
church’s convictions about justice, peace and freedom into reality.
If you are interested in receiving information about issues currently
being considered in the state and national governments, we have an
advocacy list which will send you e-mails form the PA Council of
Churches and the Presbyterian Church USA. See the links for these
organizations below.
If you would be interested in participating with others to visit your
legislator, or receiving e-mail about issues under consideration, please
notify the church office or call Jean Dankosky at 774-6642.
Goodwill’s Wheels for Work Program:
Did you know that reliable transportation is a barrier people face in
finding and maintaining a job? Sometimes a car can make the difference
between keeping and losing a job. Through the Wheels for Work program,
Goodwill provides donated vehicles to working parents who cannot afford
to buy a car or utilize public transportation. Goodwill believes in
giving “a hand up, rather than a hand out”. Goodwill accepts cars from
individuals and businesses. Car donations are tax deductible and the
donation process is easy. Contact Marsha Banks at Goodwill at
mbanks@yourgoodwill.org or
717-525-6207.
Downtown Daily Bread Volunteers
Help
Wanted!
Our current base of support for Downtown Daily Bread
is shrinking due to a decreasing number of volunteers, many of whom have
given many years of faithful service. If you are willing to give 2
hours on a Wednesday afternoon, no more than 5 times a year, please
contact the church office or Jean Dankosky at 774-6642.You are promised
a very rewarding experience serving the hungry in downtown Harrisburg.
Thank you to all the volunteers who have served. Your help is greatly
appreciated.
Also, a
request has been received from DDB to please notify the kitchen at
238-4718, ext. 125, if you are having difficulty finding servers. Also,
they are currently in need of
socks and underwear sizes 30 - 42 and
razors. The donations are appreciated and will be put to good use.
Benefit Concert for Downtown Daily Bread
The Music at Pine Street Series presents their annual concert to benefit
Downtown Daily Bread on Friday evening, March 19 at 7:30 p.m. The
concert opens with pianist, Anne Guenin, presenting music of Nicolai
Medtner. A younger contemporary of Rachmaninoff and Scriabin, Medtner
created some glorious piano music which will be a treat to discover. In
addition, the Chamber Singers of Pine Street Church will sing two sets
of choral pieces by the celebrated John Rutter. Both are settings of
famous English poetry, set in Rutter’s own unique style with charm and
grace. Free parking at South Street Garage will be available. The
concert does not ask an admission, but a free will offering will be
received for Downtown Daily Bread. Child care provided
Prayers for Peace
“Choose”
The single clenched fist lifted and ready,
Or the open asking hand held out and waiting.
Choose:
For we meet by one or the other.
Carl Sandburg
May we find in
our hearts the power of choice - the strength to reach out our hands in
peace. With that vision we learn to see the world in a new light, and to
turn our hearts, our lives, our communities and our world to peace. For
we know that the alternative is a world gone dark.
“An eye for
an eye makes the whole world blind” attributed to
Mahatma Ghandi
Mission in a Mug
Around the world, coffee and fellowship come together, a warm pot of
coffee is often the centerpiece of fellowship, and gatherings.
Yet the small
coffee farmers who grow our coffee often struggle to make a simple
living. As world coffee prices have collapsed to their lowest
point in decades, farming communities from Latin America to Africa and
Asia are facing a crisis. Many farmers risk losing their land
because of debt, families are going hungry and children cannot attend
school because their parents cannot afford enrollment fees.
But,
through the Presbyterian Coffee Project, over 1600 congregations across
the country are making a difference. By purchasing fairly traded
coffee, they are ensuring that farmers receive a fair price, have access
to affordable credit and are able to invest in their families and
communities. Starting in September, Christ Presbyterian is joining in
this mission. Through the Presbyterian Coffee Project our congregation
can enjoy delicious coffee while helping small scale farmers in Latin
America, Africa and Asia build a better future for themselves and their
families. Please show your support by stopping by for coffee, tea and
fellowship each Sunday down by the kitchen.
MISSION
TRIPS FOR 2010
SWAP Mission Trip:
Please take an opportunity to speak with the Mission
Committee about the trip that was completed this October with the
SWAP
(Sharing With Appalachian People)
organization. It was a productive and blessed time for all those
involved. Thank you to all who supported this effort with your time,
talents, prayers and financial support. The Mission Committee is
planning trips to West Virginia in the Summer and the Fall. If you are
interested in joining in any future ventures please contact Cathy in the
church office or ask any of the committee members (Galen Martin, Deb
Davis, Karen Robbins, Dave Duke, Candy Gallaher, Bridget Abbott) for
more information. For more information on SWAP please click
here.
Mission to Honduras:
Christ Presbyterian will be off to Honduras again. The September
2009 trip has been rescheduled for March 20-27, 2010. This trip will be in the
northern part of the country, in the Copan area. where we will help
build homes and install eco-stoves in two villages where indigenous
Mayan people live. We will be working with Tim and Gloria Wheeler,
Presbyterian missionaries, who work with villages in this area.
It is our goal to build several stoves while we are there. The
stoves cost $110 to build and will help improve the people’s health by
venting the smoke outside their homes. Presently, they build fires on
the ground in the middle of their huts and vent them through a hole in
the ceiling. The new stoves have an enclosed firebox and chimney pipe
that vents to the outside. This protects young children from falling
into the fire pit and vents harmful smoke outside to protect their
lungs. The new stoves will provide a flat cooking surface and radiate
heat to warm the inside of the home.
If you would like to be a part of this mission, please consider
donating any amount of money by check to CPC with “Mission Stove” in the
memo line. We hope to sponsor at least two stoves and complete their
construction while we are there. Thank you! Here’s some additional good
news: our annual Vacation Bible School donated the daily offering to
this stove project. They were able to fund five stoves!
Lend A Hand:
Over the years many members of Christ
Presbyterian have contributed to and travel with the
Lend A Hand group to Florida, Iowa, New
York, and Mississippi. In 2010, Lend A Hand has trips planned to Iowa,
Georgia, and Louisiana
to help with the
rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Katrina and flooding in Georgia and
Iowa. For more information on the Lend A Hand please click
here. Thank you!
~~~ from the Mission Trip Committee
|
