March

Mission of the Month - samaritan's purse

TURKEY & SYRIA EARTHQUAKE RELIEF

 

Our Mission of the Month for March will be to help support the many people affected by the catastrophic earthquake that devastated large areas in Turkey and Syria last month.  As we have learned, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the area on February 6, 2023, and was quickly followed by a second 7.5 magnitude earthquake; having caused massive destruction, leaving scores homeless and accounting for the deaths of over 40,000 souls, with that number predicted to only increase.

 

The Missions Team has chosen Samaritan’s Purse as the charity to which any funds collected will be donated to.  Samaritan’s Purse was on the ground in Turkey within days of the earthquake, deploying 100 Disaster Assistance Response Team members which helped facilitate the setting up of Emergency Field Hospitals equipped with many patient beds, Emergency Operating Rooms and pharmacies.  Other critical supplies such as food and hygiene items, solar lights, blankets and temporary housing is also being provided by Samaritan’s Purse.

 

Please prayerfully consider donating towards helping to meet the needs of those who are so desperately in need of vital assistance in Turkey and Syria. As always, any monetary donations should be made payable to the church with a note that they are desired to be used for the March MOM or Earthquake Relief.  You may also give on our website or our mobile giving app. under the General Donation dropdown choose March MOM (Earthquake Relief). 

 

Thank you for always being the loving and caring congregation that you are. The outreaching of our hearts to the hearts in Turkey and Syria can help sustain the lives of those who are in such dire need; the lives that we are called to serve.

 

Thank you,

Mission Team

 


   

 

Our Sunday School Department is sponsoring two children through World Vision, by way of a special offering that is being taken up in each Sunday School class (Children's-, Youth- and Adult classes) every Sunday.  The two children are: Joman, a boy from the Philippines, who is 18, and Rihana, a girl from Albania, who is 12 years old. 


Both Joman and Rihana live in an area where online photos and videos are restricted.

(Some countries where World Vision works have child safety and privacy restrictions that prevent the organization from displaying the child’s photo or any videos of the child online.  For these specific countries, sponsored children’s photos will be shared only with their individual sponsors. Out of respect for these countries, we have been asked that we do not post or share pictures of our sponsored children online in any manner.  The church has hard copies of both Joman's and Rihana's photographs and will be glad to share them with you, upon request.)


About Joman


18-year-old Joman I lives with his parents, 3 brothers, and 1 sister. His parents struggle to provide for the family. His father is a miner. Despite their efforts, it is difficult to meet the family's needs.  Joman I is growing up in a rural community in the Philippines. A typical home there is constructed of bamboo with woven grass walls. The floor is made of wooden slats and the roof is covered with palm leaves. Families survive mostly on rice and fish with leafy vegetables. The climate is very warm, humid and tropical. Because of this, the terrain is lush with vegetation.  Joman I is in school, and he enjoys mathematics. He helps at home with the house cleaning. He likes to play basketball, and is in satisfactory health.


Our sponsorship commitment will help provide Joman I and his community with clean water, school uniforms and inoculations against deadly diseases. Our support provides feeding programs for undernourished children and hygiene training for mothers. Agricultural training for farmers and small business loans help provide increased family income and a chance to become self-sufficient. Vacation Bible school gives children a chance to know Jesus.


About Rihana


12-year-old Rihana lives with her parents, one sister, and one brother. Her parents struggle to provide for the family.  Rihana is growing up in the mountainous country of Albania. The village is very rural and poor. The villagers' single floor homes are constructed of stones and sometimes logs or sticks, with mud for mortar. Farmers grow citrus fruit and vegetables. Bread and dairy products are also staple foods. This is a beautiful country with forests, mountains and lakes. Summers are hot and dry, but the winters are cold.  Rihana is not in school at this time. She likes to play basketball. She helps at home by being good; and she is in satisfactory health.


Our sponsorship commitment will help provide Rihana and her community with better health by teaching families and health providers to address poor health and nutrition. Our support will help her parents earn a steady income and encourage Rihana to get an education. And of course, World Vision staff will reflect Christ's love to the children like Rihana through their actions and lives.


...Please pray for Joman and Rihana, and keep the special Sunday School offerings coming! 


Since the Peters Township Food Pantry has decided to close their doors permanently for now, the Mission Team is asking that the congregation give money instead of groceries each month. The money collected each month will be sent to the Greater Washington County Food Bank.  They have been overwhelmed with a huge demand for food because of the COVID pandemic, and have broadened their outreach for sources of funding in the area to meet that demand. Together, we can help considerably.

 

Please consider giving the money that you usually spent on groceries for the Peters Township Food Pantry, and donate that to the GWC Food Bank each month. Make your checks payable to the church, note on the check or giving envelope "GWC Food Bank", and mail the check to the church office. 


You may also donate via our website, or via the tithe.ly mobile app, by using the dropdown list under General Fund and selecting GWC Food Bank. This is a great way to use our website or mobile giving option-- and you can set it up as a recurring monthly donation, so you never forget.


God bless you!

 

 

SHEPHERD'S HEART

Veteran's Home Coffee


The Mission Team is putting out a plea to our membership for large cans of coffee.  We would like to receive at least two cans each week on an  ongoing basis.  If anyone wishes to voluntarily provide the gift of gratitude to these homeless veterans and staff members of the fellowship, we would welcome your gift of a can of coffee now and then.  The coffee will be delivered promptly to the veteran's home.  Let us help to do away with their rationing of coffee.... Let us help them to enjoy their time with a cup of coffee whenever they want one!

 

Please tape a tag to the top of the coffee with “For Our Veterans”.

 

Ongoing Mission Support


Peters Creek EPC financially supports five additional mission organizations monthly:


Feed My Sheep


The seed, which would grow to become Feed My Sheep Association (FMSA), was first planted in 2006, when a few residents of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania visited Costa Rica. After reading (in the Tico Times) an article about the poverty of a group of women and children living in a small shantytown in Tibas, near the Costa Rican capital of San Jose, we felt compelled to go and see the conditions for ourselves. What we saw there changed our hearts forever, and we committed ourselves to helping the needy women and children of Costa Rica. The Feed My Sheep Association is the fruit of that commitment.


Urban Impact


Urban Impact has been serving the youth of Pittsburgh's North Side for more than 20 years.  By working to meet the needs of the whole person through holistic community outreach, we can bring transformative hope to Pittsburgh one person, one family, one block at a time.



Meals on Wheels @ The Crossroads


Meals on Wheels of Peters Township is a volunteer-based non-profit organization that prepares and delivers nutritious meals to seniors and other homebound individuals. Over the past 45 years, they have grown from serving a handful of local clients out of a church kitchen to serving over 160 clients in Peters Township and eleven neighboring communities out of a modern, fully-equipped kitchen, situated in a 3,500 square foot-property rented at the Donaldson’s Crossroads Shopping Center in McMurray, PA.


United World Mission


90% of churches in the world are led by men and women who have little or no training for ministry.


Our goal is bold: To make relevant theological education, practical training, and spiritual formation accessible to every ministry leader in every nation!

You can help make it happen!


Tunnel to Towers Foundation


Since 9/11, we have been helping America’s heroes by providing mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children and by building custom-designed smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders. We are also committed to eradicating veteran homelessness and aiding the victims of major U.S. disasters.

Our program service ratio is over 93%; over 93 cents out of every dollar goes directly to program services. Program service ratio is a key barometer used to measure operating effectiveness.