Service and Outreach
Lead by the Holy Spirit, this ministry strives to put into action the works of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, found in
Matthew 25: 35-36:
"For I was hungry and you gave me food, thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me."
|
East Brentwood Presbyterian Church supports and is actively engaged in the following ministries:
For information or to get involved, contact Richard White at 776-2496 or rwhite@fulham.com |
|
Recently, East Brentwood Presbyterian Church began an exciting new outreach program to the Latino community. Every Wednesday lunches are delivered to construction workers in the Meade of Avalon. Volunteers prepare sack lunches and bring them to the church. Other volunteers deliver the lunches to the construction sites. Conversation happens there. Relationships begin there. Hospitality is shown there. This ministry is not just about feeding people. While we are applying for some hunger grants and are leaning on the generosity of our church members through their time and effort, the hope is that this ministry will lead to much more. We are interested in building relationships. Within the next six weeks, we hope to develop and begin an English as a Second Language program. Who knows where God will lead us? There are thousand of Latinos who work in Williamson County every day. Many of them have little or no interaction with those who do not speak their language. They show up for work, put in long days, and then head home to their apartments without ever hearing so much as a “hello” from those who live in the communities in which they work. This is where the church comes in. We are called to embody hospitality. We are called to love and welcome the stranger. That message is woven throughout the Bible. |
| You are invited to help serve a meal to the homeless on Tuesday, June 15. Meals are served at noon on Tuesdays and Fridays, year-round at Belmont Church Fellowship Hall, 1003 16th Avenue South. Volunteers should arrive by 11:30 to serve lunch, but the doors open at 9:00 a.m. for coffee and to give their guests an opportunity to get off the streets and away from downtown Nashville. Help during that time is appreciated. For more details, contact Amy Gallagher at 778-0293, or contact the organization directly at 496-4962 or luke141213@aol.com |
Outreach Mission Unit Report If
you would like to be a part of a small group that will be creating a new
vision for our Presbytery’s Outreach Mission Unit, this is your call.
You
may all be aware of the Guatemala Mission Ministry, but did you know
that there are also other areas in which your service is needed? The
Self-Development of People Ministry is a mission of PCUSA and one of the
recipients of the One Great Hour of Sharing offering.
This team will assist with writing grants for funds from SDOP
that would aid local mission causes that meet the SDOP criteria. The
Peacemaking Ministry of the Presbytery, through Peacemaking grants,
helps pay for speakers, special events, and conference attendance
related to Peacemaking. Eastminster Presbyterian Church was recently awarded a grant to help cover printing costs and childcare for a weekly vigil on immigration issues. The.
OMU, through the Church Empowerment Ministry
will help churches get involved with mission beyond “writing a
check.” This is a major
emphasis of the Visioning Task Force.
Mission involvement would be local as well as abroad. Hunger
has been expanded to Hunger and Poverty Ministry, to develop a larger
plan to deal with not only the immediate needs of those who are hungry,
but to look beyond to the root causes of hunger- poverty, lack of
education and opportunity- and to define new and creative ways that we
can make a difference. The
Multicultural Ministry seeks to develop programs that bring people of
different cultural backgrounds together, and provide opportunities to
serve those who may not look just like us in our communities. The
Rapid Response Ministry (think Katrina and the recent tornados that hit
middle Tennessee) will focus on development and implementation of
programs that help us all as individuals and as churches prepare for a
disasters. By looking at
the places where there are holes in the system that react to disasters,
this unit will carve out a special niche for our Presbytery and its
churches and people to meet needs that are not currently addresses by
other groups. And by
uniting the churches and people of the Presbytery, this unit will devise
a disaster plan that helps churches and individuals unite to provide a
well coordinated response. Volunteers are needed to serve on each of these Ministries. If you feel a calling to be involved, if you are a creative problem solver, if you want to make a difference, consider serving on one of these Ministries. Call Joan LaGrasse at 661-5266, or the Presbytery Office. |
Guatemala
Mission News
Latest
News from Mission work in Guatemala In
January, a meeting was scheduled for those PCUSA churches that have
Mission partnerships with the isolated and neglected people who live in
the remote regions of Guatemala. The meeting was a result of a dream
realized by mission co-workers Roger and Gloria Marriott who have been
full time missionaries for 7 years.
Their hope was that the short-term missioners would come
together, get to know one another and determine how to do our work and
fulfill our calling in a more efficient, faithful and connected manner. Pines Presbyterian Church in Houston, Texas hosted the
meeting and people came from WA, MT, KS, TN and TX and spend the weekend
together exploring how we could improve our mission efforts. Many of us
had been on several short-term mission trips, working with the Mayan
people but most of us had never met each other or were aware of how each
other was working. We
ate together, worshiped together and joined forces to address issues
facing our partners in Guatemala including secular education, vocational
training, health care, money management, ministry of presence, building
projects, theological education, water, special projects and
agriculture. We shared
information, ideas and resources. Stan
deVoogd, PCUSA Area Co several partners in mission from around the
country, coordinator for Central America provided leadership and
guidance but more importantly, encouragement.
He reminded us to remain focused on how to ‘live out’ our
commitment to mission work. We divided ourselves in smaller working
groups that are currently in communication and making efforts to carry
out our work together. Everyone signed up for a work group with fervor
and enthusiasm. I will be working the education committee, with the goal
of increasing opportunities to attend middle school and eventually high
school. Very few of our
partners in the Peten have the opportunity go attend school beyond 3rd
or 4th grade. According
to the Marriotts “the meeting eclipsed expectations.
This the way Gods children should work together, striving and
laboring together as we care for and work to assist those on the
margins.” We realized we
could do more together when we trust and rely on each other.
For me, it was very encouraging to realize so many others shared
my passion and sense of inadequacy.
We have scheduled a second meeting for July 2008 here in
Nashville. We invite your
participation…. your prayers and your continued encouragement.
If you desire to get more involved in the Mission Partnership
between the Presbytery of Middle Tennessee and the Presbytery of the
Peten in Guatemala, please let me know and I will be happy to pass on
the information. It
has been a privilege for me to have the opportunity to work with the
people of Guatemala thank you again for being a congregation that
supports this very important mission effort.
Sincerely, Barb Hall
|
The Presbytery of Middle TN plans 3 trips to Guatemala this year, and your church is invited to get involved!
FAQs:
1)
Who is served?
The Kekchi indigenous, a particular tribe of descendents of the
Mayans, located in the Mayan Peten, in rural northern Guatemala, west of
Belize, on the southern border of Mexico
2)
What is "ministry of presence"?
During each trip, an effort will be made to promote brotherhood and sisterhood
in Christ, acknowledging the interdependence of all of God's children. To this
end, translators are provided, cross cultural conversations are promoted,
and common meals and worship will be frequent.
3)
How are mission projects chosen?
All of our projects are planned only after conversation between the executive
committee of the Presbytery of the Peten and the Presbytery of Middle TN's
Guatemala Task Force.
4)
What are the dates and projects for 2008?
April
24-May 1 - "Intro to the Presbytery of Middle TN's Ministry in
Guatemala," for further information, contact Chuck Higgins at cshiggins4@comcast.net
or follow the "Mission Connections" link on the Presbytery's website http://presbyterymidtn.org/connect.html
June
19-26 - "Theological Education" - VBS for children and Baptism
training for Mayan Kekchi pastors and elders, for further information,
contact Susan Brantley at sebrantley@comcast.net
November
1-8 - "Medical clinics in the villages" - General
diagnostic clinics, disease screening, eyeglasses, and fluoride treatments in
the Mayan Kekchi villages, training and working alongside the indigenous health
promoters, for further information, contact Clarence Easterday at ceasterday@westernexp.com,
or Mike Magee at Mageemichaelj@aol.com
5)
Do I need to be able to speak Spanish?
No, translators will be provided for both Spanish and Kek'chi, the language of
our partners.
6)
Who is our local ground support?
Guatemalan mission workers for the PCUSA, Roger and Gloria Marriott from
Hillsboro Presbyterian Church, and PRESGOV, a local Guatemalan Presbyterian
organization
7)
What personal health precautions do I need?
See http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/destinationGuatemala.aspx
for travel precautions and drink only bottled water which is readily
available.
8)
What will be the accommodations?
We will spend the night in hotel rooms with air-conditioning and indoor
plumbing, and ride buses to the villages.
Outreach Mission Unit Report If
you would like to be a part of a small group that will be creating a new
vision for our Presbytery’s Outreach Mission Unit, this is your call.
You
may all be aware of the Guatemala Mission Ministry, but did you know
that there are also other areas in which your service is needed? The
Self-Development of People Ministry is a mission of PCUSA and one of the
recipients of the One Great Hour of Sharing offering.
This team will assist with writing grants for funds from SDOP
that would aid local mission causes that meet the SDOP criteria. The
Peacemaking Ministry of the Presbytery, through Peacemaking grants,
helps pay for speakers, special events, and conference attendance
related to Peacemaking. Eastminster Presbyterian Church was recently awarded a grant to help cover printing costs and childcare for a weekly vigil on immigration issues. The.
OMU, through the Church Empowerment Ministry
will help churches get involved with mission beyond “writing a
check.” This is a major
emphasis of the Visioning Task Force.
Mission involvement would be local as well as abroad. Hunger
has been expanded to Hunger and Poverty Ministry, to develop a larger
plan to deal with not only the immediate needs of those who are hungry,
but to look beyond to the root causes of hunger- poverty, lack of
education and opportunity- and to define new and creative ways that we
can make a difference. The
Multicultural Ministry seeks to develop programs that bring people of
different cultural backgrounds together, and provide opportunities to
serve those who may not look just like us in our communities. The
Rapid Response Ministry (think Katrina and the recent tornados that hit
middle Tennessee) will focus on development and implementation of
programs that help us all as individuals and as churches prepare for a
disasters. By looking at
the places where there are holes in the system that react to disasters,
this unit will carve out a special niche for our Presbytery and its
churches and people to meet needs that are not currently addresses by
other groups. And by
uniting the churches and people of the Presbytery, this unit will devise
a disaster plan that helps churches and individuals unite to provide a
well coordinated response. Volunteers are needed to serve on each of these Ministries. If you feel a calling to be involved, if you are a creative problem solver, if you want to make a difference, consider serving on one of these Ministries. Call Joan LaGrasse at 661-5266, or the Presbytery Office. |
East Brentwood Presbyterian Church (USA)
Sharing The Journey
Faith - Family - Friends