Moment for Mission - SERVE

Moment for Mission

4/30/11 & 5/1/11

On behalf of the SERVE Ministry Team I’d like to tell you about two of our efforts and ask for your help.

The SERVE Team has decided to use Hunger Funds raised in May to support  a summer program hosted at Reading/Lockland Presbyterian Church.  As SERVE has looked for programs that we want to support we’ve been excited to learn about this program.  First a few words about Reading/Lockland Presbyterian.  They’re a church of about 70 members with 30 attending most weeks.  Despite their small size they’re hosting a summer program for about 80 children to provide breakfast, reading and math classes, exercise and lunch.  That’s 80 children, for two meals, every weekday, for 10 weeks.   Wow!  Obviously, such a program requires volunteer and financial support from many other churches in the Presbytery.  Our goal is to help defray the cost of food for the children most of whom qualify for free or reduced price lunches during the school year.  For some children, food during periods when there is no school, like the summer can be problematic.  With the cost of food at about $10 per child per week, or $100 per child for the summer, we’d appreciate your contributions to the Hunger Fund so that we can make a substantial contribution towards this program which MWPC supported last year with contributions from our Vacation Bible School.

Second, 

So how are your gardening skills?  It’s time for us to begin planning for our church garden and we can use your help.  As any of you shoppers know, fresh and healthy food is more expensive than junk food which makes it particularly hard for those with limited incomes to eat fresh, healthful food. Fresh produce is often available in very limited quantities at the food pantries we support.  So a small group of dedicated volunteers, led my Mary Lou Harris, plant a church garden with the harvest going to SEM next door.  This year we’ll be posting sign-up sheets so that volunteers can sign up for a specific day and time when there will be leaders available to provide direction of what work needs to be done.  This may be a fun way to join with other members for an enjoyable couple hours in the sun…and maybe a fun outing with the kids.  Please watch for the sign-up sheets near the mission house just outside the sanctuary.