APRIL Mission of the Month

Helping with Food Insecurity

 

The term “food insecurity” has been in the headlines regularly since the pandemic began over a year ago.  Food insecurity means a household is not able to provide every family member consistent access to nutritious food.  Food insecurity has increased by more than 40% in southwestern Pennsylvania.  More than 360,000 people in our region are in need!

 

So, our Mission of the Month for April will be “Helping with Food Insecurity.”  We will do this through our support of The Greater Washington County Food Bank (GWCFB) and the Greater Canonsburg-Houston Ministerial Association (GCHMA).  For every dollar we donate to the GWCFB, they can purchase $5 worth of food.  There are 25,000 people in Washington Country who are food insecure -- half of them are children or senior citizens.  We can make a difference!

 

The GCHMA hosts Pop-Up Pantries once a week in Muse, Canonsburg, and Lawrence.  They serve approximately 200 families each month.  If you have driven through one of these towns on distribution day, you have seen the long lines of cars!  As the Bible says, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me”. 

(Matthew 25:40) 

 

Please put April MOM or Food Banks on your giving envelopes.   You may also give on our website or our mobile giving app.  Under the General Donation dropdown, choose April MOM (Food Banks). 

 

Thank you!

 

Mission Team

 

 

World Vision Children

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 and Adult classes) every Sunday.  The two children are: Joman, a boy from the Philippines, who is 15, and Rihana, a girl from Albania, who is 8 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


15-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 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 primary 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


Eight-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. He 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 a high quality education. And 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! 



Greater Washington County Food Bank

Since the Peters Township Food Pantry has decided to close their doors permanently, the Missions Team has decided to ask that the Congregation give money instead of groceries each month to be sent to the Greater Washington County Food Bank. They have been overwhelmed with a huge demand for food because of the Coronavirus-related shutdown, and have broadened their outreach for sources of funding in the greater area to meet that demand. Together, we can help considerably!

 

Please consider giving the money that you usually spent monthly on groceries for the Peters Township Food Pantry and give it to the GWC Food Bank instead. 


Please 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 on our  website (https://tithehttps://tithe.ly/give?c=1391506 .ly/give?c=1391506) 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! You can also set it up as a recurring monthly donation, so you will never forget donating on time.

 

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 5 additional Missions 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. Feed My Sheep Association is the fruit of that commitment.


Border Transitions


Border Transitions Ministry exists to do the will of God and serve the poor in Laredo, TX and Nuevo Laredo, MX.  It was founded by and is staffed by John and Diane Davis.


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.


P.R.I.S.M.


PRISM was started by the Bellefield Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Oakland, PA on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh with the objective to share the Gospel and identify and help meet the spiritual, physical, and emotional needs of international students, scholars, and their families residing in the Pittsburgh area.


Kids Alive International --Jay and Cathy Fredlund, Guatemala


Cathy and Jay knew they wanted to serve the Lord beyond the borders of the United States after Jay retired. While on a service team visiting Kids Alive Guatemala in 2015, they felt the Lord saying that Guatemala was the place to serve Him! Jay retired in December 2018, and they joined Kids Alive in March 2019 after attending Missionary Orientation and enrolling in six weeks of cross-cultural training at the Center for Intercultural Training in North Carolina.