2 PC Mission Matters e-Newsletter - Volume 1, Issue 2, May, 2010

Posted June 7, 2010 - 8:39am
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  Mission Matters - Volume 1, Issue 2

Jesus sent us to be his hands, feet and voice for a world in need of  hope. The church is called by God to be witnesses of what God has done in Jesus Christ, and what God will do when Jesus comes again. At 2PC, our mission is to share the heart of Christ in the heart of the community. As a church, we are called to help serve the needs of both the local community and the world. 
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served,  but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.  Mark 10:45

 

   Global Mission Partners:  In the Field

. . .  from Janice Lewis, 2 PC Member, on her March, 2010, Trip to Little Children of the Philippines in Dumaguete City

In 1989 our church began a partnership with Little Children of the World with Rev. Al and Virginia Murschel as members of the first Board of Directors and the Advisory Council for Little Children of the Philippines (LCP).  The LCP motto,  "Helping the little children of the world, one child at a time," exemplifies this wholistic ministry which implements its mission of offering "a hand-up not a hand-out" through child sponsorship.

I have just returned from my fourth mission to Dumaguete City where Little Children of the Philippines is located literally on the other side of the world.  The joy experienced is beyond words when I witness what God is doing there with your help.  They are a gentle, loving people who are the poorest among the poor.  Yet some of the children are now graduating college--with honors!  One of these is a young man who has lived in one of the homeless shelters since the age of eight; had he not connected with LCP as a young boy, he would most likely be dead since life on the streets there is extremely dangerous.

On this trip I was privileged to attend five college graduations, to celebrate with the 56 high school graduates, and to witness with joy the procession of 144 little preschoolers in their white gowns and mortar boards. I was also able to give the Bible study in nine of the 14 communities, visit 18 homes of newly PC-sponsored children, and worship with 2000 dear friends on Sundays. God is truly at work in the lives of the people there

                           

If you would like to know more about LCP and the Bloomington Farm in the Philippines  click on the link below and then the tab Who We Are.   To learn more about sponsoring a child, click on the tab Current Sponsors for information.  If you are touched by the work being done by LCP,  prayerfully consider joining a future mission trip to LCP  to witness what God is doing in that corner of the world. See link below in "Links to People & Partners".

 . . .  from  Don Crittenden:  Mission Trip to Chiapas, Mexico

 On May 29, 2010, fifteen people including three members of Restoration Church are leaving for Chiapas on an 8-day mission trip dedicated to helping our partner there.  They will be assisting in the ministry, completing work on the health clinic, assisting with the vacation bible school for local adults and children, and fulfilling speaking engagements.  They return on Sat., June 5, and will celebrate their trip with an all-church Fiesta on Sunday, June 13.   They ask for your prayers for their safe travel and the guidance and energy to do God's work in Chiapas. If you are so moved, contributions to help cover the cost of the trip can be made; contact Don Crittenden at 828-6297 for more information.

 

   Local Mission Partners:  In Our Community
. . .  from Don Crittendon:  Western Avenue Community Center (WACC) Hosts Bill Strckland

Bill Strickland, social entrepreneur and CEO of Manchester Bidwell Corporation, will speak at a dinner for WACC on June 21, at Second Presbyterian Church.  Bill Strickland has received the MacArthur Foundation's Genius Award,  lectured numerous times at Harvard's Graduate School of Education, and served on the Board of the National Endowment for the Arts.  He was an aimless kid growing up in a gritty Pitssburgh neighborhood when a ceramics teacher captured his attention with a potter's wheel.  Today the Manchester Bidwell Corporation provides training for troubled kids and adults whose lives lack hope or direction.  It has a 350-seat auditorium which has produced four Grammy winning albums, a state-of-the-art chemistry  laboratory, and a 40,000-square foot greenhouse that produces award-winning orchids.  High school students in danger of dropping out find their lives redirected through various arts and technologies.  Ninety percent of them complete high school and go on to college.

Second Presbyterian Church doors will open at 5 PM for an art display featuring some of the community's best artists.  The meal begins at 6 PM, and Mr. Strickland will speak on "The Art of Social Change" at 7 PM.  Tickets are $50 each, or you may host a table for $400.  Proceeds will benefit the programs of Western Avenue Community Center.  For more information about this exciting evening, call Don Crittenden at 828-6297.  To learn more about Bill Strickland or the Manchester Bidwell Corporation, you can visit www.bill-strickland.org. See link below.

  . . .  from  Marty Picket, 2 PC Member:  Habitat  for Humanity Local Build

Mark your calendars with Sat., June 5, and Sat., July 17,  for the Bloomington-Normal build.   There is also a super-build on June 17, 18, and 19.  Look for more information and sign-up opportunities in The Pulse.  Contact Marty Pickett at mdogpickett@yahoo.com  if you want to be involved in Habitat for Humanity.  Find link below.

 

    Call to Action

 . . . Dorothy Kennett will be traveling to South Africa on May 11 for an extended stay continuing her work establishing libraries in villages and cities in which their people previously had little access to books.  Barnes and Noble is hosting a Book Fair on Saturday, May 15, to help her purchase new books for these libraries. She has created a list of "notable books" that represent classics, both old and new. 

  • If you would like to help in this project, simply go to Barnes and Noble on May 15.

  • Purchase one (or more) of the books on her list; you may also buy any other book, and she will receive a portion of its cost. 

  • Secure a voucher for your purchase; they are available at the 2 PC Welcome Center, or you can secure one at the store when you make your purchase. 

  • You can also buy books online at  bn.com/bookfairs.com from May 15-19; enter the code 10192441 when you check out.

 . . . Regina Foehr is spearheading a mission trip from June 26 - July 10, 2010,  to Sitka, Alaska, home of previous mission partner, now closed Sheldon-Jackson College.  Second Pres has continued a relationship with the Sitka Presbyterian Church there.  Eight people will be traveling to do work on a much-needed building to store snow blowers, mowers, grills, tools, and other bulky items since its manse was sold. According to the Sitka work leader, the building will be designed to look like a church and constructed from "all native Sitka spruce--no plywood." ' He added, ". . . this little shed will remind each and every one associated with this project that our small church here in Sitka has friends at 2 PC all the way back in Bloomington, Illinois."   There is still room for four people to join in this call to Sitka; please, contact Regina Foehr at 530-7095 if you have any interest in doing God's work there. We again ask for your prayers for their safe travel and guidance and energy as they work with the people of Sitka.

. . .  Service on Saturday Mission Day will be June 12.  The day will begin at Second Pres with coffee, juice, and pastries at 8:30 AM, devotions at 8:45, and travel to work sites at 9:00.  After working at the various locations, all the workers are invited back to the church for lunch at 12:00.  Work sites for the day are Western Avenue Community Center, Recycling Furniture for Families, Habitat for Humanity ReStore, Home Sweet Home warehouse, Pregnancy Resource Center, and litter clean-up in the neighborhood around Second Pres.  There will be a sign-up table in the south entry on May 23, May, 30, and June 6 after the services.  If you need further information, contact Carol White at carolwhite77@gmail.com.

 

  2010 Mission Calendar

May 11:                    Books for Africa at B & N

May 29-June 5:       Chiapas, Mexico, Mission Trip

June 12:                  SOS at 2 PC

June 13:                  Chiapas, Mexico, Mission Trip Fiesta

June 21:                  Bill Strickland Dinner for WACC at 2 PC

June 26-July 10:     Sitka, Alaska, Mission Trip

July 4 - 10:               High School Youth Camp/Grand Rapids Area Service Project

August 14:               Downtown Back-to-School Block Party

  Links to People & Partners  

2 PC:   http://secondpres.info

2 PC Mission & Outreach:  http://secondpres.info/serve/mission-outreach

Worldwide Evangelisation for Christ  (WEC International):  http://www.wecint.org/cms/                                   

Little Children of the World:   http://www.littlechildren.org/ ">http://www.littlechildren.org/                       

Western Avenue Community Center:   http://www.westernavenuecc.org

Habitat for Humanity:   http://www.habitatmclean.org/

    Questions & Comments

Please contact Dr. Don Crittenden, Director of Missions and Adult Christian Education, via e-mail or by calling 309.828.6297. You can also contact Laurel Wintersteen, assistant to Dr. Crittenden.
Striving to be more and more like Jesus, 2PC is called to serve others. 2PC seeks to be the hands and feet of Jesus in Bloomington-Normal, and throughout the world.