Mission

The Mission of St. Andrews

MISSION COMMITTEE ANNUAL REPORT 2009

How do you define St. Andrews when it comes to its mission? The church congregation is known as the church with a strong tradition of mission and outreach. 2009 is no exception in spite of economic woes throughout this area, the US and the world. It has been a busy, active year in this church and its mission work. It is the mission committee’s goal to continue the work begun by past members of St. Andrews who served before and keep the strong traditions going!

Through special offerings, we continue to reach out to the wider mission by One Great Hour of Sharing, Pentecost, Peacemaking, and Christmas Joy. These offerings provide us with a connection to keep the denomination strong and continue the work in the presbytery, synod, and throughout the international community. The mission committee is committed to serve our international neighbors as well as our local neighbors as we serve in the name of Christ. We work hard to achieve a balance of personal volunteer work as well as financial work, always trying to create the most impact where the needs are the greatest.

In our local counties, we have reached out in many areas of need. Benzie County has been the main focus this year. Many people (including Paula Nichols on the board) have been active on the HABITAT fundraising committee and building of new homes for people who otherwise cannot afford them. We provided volunteer support and substantial financial support for BACN (Benzie Area Christian Neighbors). This is the second year of giving volunteer time as well as Thanksgiving food through contributions. Friendship Ministry meeting monthly for nine months of the year is sponsored by the Benzie Ministerial Assoc. and provides a time of food, fun and fellowship for mentally disabled persons. Moby & Pat Benedict, Penny Szczechowski, Sue Sheffield and Jane Lean helped with the planning. Gifts from the Angel Tree provide gifts at Christmas time for them. There were three CONCERTS-ON-THE-HILL organized by Ray Nichols. These wonderful and entertaining events fundraise for various causes. This year, the mission committee chose BACN (who now offers dental and health care referrals); Women’s Resource Center’s transitional home in Beulah and our St. Andrews Mission Project (STAMP).

For several years, we were working on the Thompsonville connection, a way to provide extra help for our neighbors who were most in need in our area. Jim and Pam Pendexter provided the spark for our project when they volunteered to bring friends from their former Dundee, Ill church and Foresters International to work in the Thompsonville area. Since it fit perfectly into our vision of a way to reach out to those in need in our community, STAMP was born. BACN helped us identify 12 homes in need of repairs, weatherproofing, safety improvements and clean-up. We contacted neighbors, fundraised, inspected, measured, ordered materials, lined up volunteers, hosted Illinois volunteers, planned meals, arranged schedules, cooked food and aligned volunteers with their skill levels. A committee of Jim Pendexter, Jeannine Chapman and Ray Nichols did the organizational work. Mission committee & St. Andrews did all the rest! Funding was provided through a grant received from the General Assembly, the Dundee Church and the vote of confidence through St. Andrews congregational giving. We hope to continue this project next year.

We had guest speakers of Mary Ann Hendricks of Grow Benzie, Bill Anderson of FMHhousing, Judy McQuilkin of the Guidepost sweater project, and Penny Szczechowski of the Community Supper committee and Homer Nye of the Food Rescue Program this year. Don Mead spoke to us of the situation in Palestine. We were made aware of the situations in India and Palestine as well as other parts of the world where there is conflict and unrest.

Our missionaries, Bruce and Lora Whearty, returned to the states from Ethiopia due to Bruce’s heart surgery. We are continuing our support through their replacements, Larry and Barbara Moir, as part of a three-year commitment to the Educators for the Evangelical Work’s Mission Initiative. We have a personal connection as the Fishers of our mission committee have sponsored some mission work in the past and visited Ethiopia. We hope as a committee to be able to visit Ethiopia in the future. The mission committee also is supporting the Ethiopian Theological Fund which helps keep the seminaries strong, providing a firm base for the future leadership of their denomination. Quoting Don Mead, “we rejoice in our ability to be strong supporter of our connectional church; our contributions help reverse the long-standing downward trend in numbers of long-term mission workers of our denomination”.

We have an invitation to do a mission trip to Alaska to help with VBS and other mission work from Rev. Andrew Pomerville of Bellaire. There will be more discussion on the upcoming May trip, partially funded by the presbytery.

In October, we had Peacemaker, Rev Younan Shiba, a refugee from Iraq now living in the Chicago area. He worshipped with us at St. Andrews, dined with us, visited the Frankfort High School and the Presbyterian churches in Traverse City and Elk Rapids. We feel fortunate to have met this man, heard his stories, and have chosen to support his work enabling the peacemaking and education work he is doing in collaboration with the First Presbyterian Church of Glenview, IL.

The remainder of the funds this year supported a Thompsonville individual who is pursuing an advanced degree who is also disabled and a single mother who needs assistance with college tuition and utility bills. The FMHhousing agency that assists mentally handicapped individuals with housing in the five-counties of Grand Traverse, Antrim, Leelenau, Benzie and Kalkaska was also given some support. There are 93 individuals being housed with the agency’s help and there are many more on the waiting list. Bill Anderson, our church treasurer, works with this agency and knows the needs of the clients that they serve. We also supported BACN and Women’s Resource Center of Beulah. We voted to help the Community Suppers which provide food and fellowship to the congregation and wider area each month as they finish the first year of a Presbytery grant.

There are many individual and small group mission projects that go on that are not directly supported by the mission committee, but serve the greater community. Among those are the woodcutters ( Moby Benedict, John Sargent, John Wehmeyer, Penny & Jim Szczechowski) who cut and sell firewood and then donate the proceeds to BACN. The guidepost sweater project (led by Mary Helen Grout and Judy McQuilkin) which is involved in knitting for children of third world countries in need of warm sweaters. Donations are brought to the church and collected for the Benzie Food Pantry (Betty Cramer). Coffee sales (led by Scrib Sheafor) support the work of the Presbyterian Church with coffee farmers around the world in fair and just trade. Coats, hats and mittens were collected for the Angel Store in Calumet (Upper Peninsula) by Carol & Don Mead when they went to the Presbytery meeting. Many people in our church mentor/tutor in reading and other educational support, deliver meals on wheels, help Kyle or Shelaine with the Ministry at the Maples and Paul Oliver Long Term Care, shawl ministry, work for Habitat, BACN, community suppers and many other ways to help neighbors and friends in need.

Members of the mission committee last year were Jeannine Chapman, Ted & Barbara Fisher, Ro and Dick Gregory, Kyle Segars, Don and Carol Mead, Jim and Pam Pendexter, Margaret and John Witt and Ray Nichols. Jane Lean joined the committee in October.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. THANKS BE TO GOD AND ST. ANDREWS. LET’S LOOK FORWARD AND CONTINUE THE MISSION OF ST. ANDREWS IN 2010. Submitted by Jeannine Chapman