Union Presbyterian ChurchHome page Mission - UPC 858 University Ave., Los Altos, CA 94024
Home
Welcome
Purpose
Worship
Discipleship
Youth
Children
Fellowship
Music
Library
Mission
Outreach
Staff
Pastor's Page
Presbyterian Women
Email
Calendar
History
Links
Map
Site Index

Mission ReportThe Mission Committee is very appreciative of the funds received so far this year. The main function of the committee is to review and select missionaries we support by prayer and finances. Our policy is to support missions that spread the gospel of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Special consideration is given to those individuals from our church called to serve our Lord in a mission field. The intention of our committee is to use these additional funds for one-time donations. This could include such projects as Christian summer camps, Bible schools or short term missions.

With the lagging economy we are seeing many worthy organizations falling short of their financial goals. In this situation a one-time donation would help continue the effectiveness of their ministries. Our regularly scheduled meetings are the first Monday of each month. Members of the congregation are always invited to attend these meetings or other special missionary gatherings or lunches. Those with a heart for mission work would be most welcome.

MISSION REPORT:
March 2003


NEW HOPE INTERNATIONAL
by Bruce Hansen

For over eight years Union has been contributing to New Hope International (NHI), a mission organization working in several eastern European countries including Romania, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldava and Ukraine. NHI supports Christian leaders as they rebuild their societies after decades of communism. They use a small US-based staff to facilitate partnerships between various US ministries and churches and the European NHI leaders. These resources and funds are then used to fund nationals in each country who work in their own culture, through national churches and at much lower cost than sending US missionaries. The focus is on children, youth and family ministry including publishing, summer camps and ministry in the public schools. Thousands are reached each year with the message of Jesus Christ.

For the last three years, I have been privileged to serve on the Leadership Development TEAM (LDT) with three other retired Christian leaders. We are consultants and resource people guiding the leadership of NHI. We each donate at least two full weeks a year of hands-on assistance plus frequent phone and email discussions.

This January we held the second annual international conference in eastern Hungary (yes, every cold). Two leaders from each country came together to share the past year's results, plan together for the coming year, and get some training in the skills needed to lead a growing Christian organization. The LDT helped organize the conference and provided most of the training on such topics as planning and setting goals, budgeting, and conducting human resource tasks like performance reviews and hiring. It is very exciting to see how the Lord is opening doors and expanding His kingdom in these countries.

To learn more about this ministry, please visit the NHI website and come to the Mission Committee meeting at 7:00 pm on March 3, 2003 when there will be a short presentation on this subject.

we are committed . . . Read other recent mission profiles and reports:

Green Pastures
Hansen, Bruce Jr: 2002
Harro, Gretchen: Cameroon, West Africa
Lawrences, Rancho Santa Marta 2002
Kostov, Viktor and Teresa: 2002
Magazy, Borys and Svitlana: Ukraine
Mission News: October 2001
Morris, Laura: Urbana
Rancho Santa Marta Short-term Mission
Russell, David and Giselle: HCJB | (*Russells' website)
Stock, Fred and Margie: 2003
Summer Missions, 2002
Tham, Nellie: 2002
Food for the NeedyLove In Action - Making a Difference
Thanks so much for all of your support for the needy. Your donations can really make a difference. One can of soup feeds 2 or 3 young children. A box of pasta can suffice for dinner for a family of 5 or 6. Please continue to generous and faithful in giving of your non-perishable food items each week. The barrels for food are located in Bailey Hall by the library and by the door to the main entrance. Remember Jesus said to feed the hungry! Thank You, Ruthie Hansen


Real Help Where it Helps Most
When you see someone on the street, there is a better way to help them than to just give them loose change. When you know a neighbor needs some special help because they lost a job, there is a great place to refer them. Our local Community Services Agency does an outstanding job of helping people in need, whether they are homeless or in a crisis economic situation. This March we collected $652 in loose change to help people in need of food and clothing.

I took this money down to the Community Services Agency. They were thrilled to receive our check. They are also grateful for our monthly support from the Mission Committee and for our hosting their Alpha/Omega mission for a month once a year. Maureen Wadiak, one of their staff members, gave me a tour of their building and mission. They provide food to many in our community and to many who are homeless. They provide clothing and shelter too. Many volunteers help each day to hand out the food and clothing. This is an efficient operation closely interlinked with our neighbor communities service agencies such as Santa Clara, Palo Alto or Cupertino. This one serves Los Altos and Mountain View.

I watched one person fill up a bag with bread donated by Costco and canned goods from Safeway. Maureen showed me the special section for people on the streets that don't have any way to cook. The foods in this section were pop top cans of ready to eat food. Shelves full of fresh vegetables from the Farmers Market offered tempting salad makings. Everything was clean, orderly and very welcoming to those in need.

When people come to our church in need, we refer them to the Community Services Agency, as they will get them the best help there. This also keeps us from being taken by con artists, as the agency does a great job of screening there. We will continue to support their mission to people in need in our communities with donations and volunteers. If you would like to offer some hours or some resources to the Community Services Agency, let me know. Watch for the list of what foods they need to stock their pantry in the Sunday bulletins.

Grace in Christ Jesus, Mike Clark, Senior Pastor

MISSION SUPPORT:

  • We support over 45 different missionaries and mission agencies world wide including; Community Pregnancy Centers; Young Life high school ministry; campus ministries to Stanford and University of California-Berkeley; international work in Eastern Europe; Mexico; Spain; Guatemala; Honduras; Chile; India; Cameroon and Ivory Coast, Africa; Chiang Rai, Thailand; and Hong Kong.

  • One quarter of every dollar received at Los Altos Union Presbyterian Church goes back out in mission programs.

HANDS ON MISSION WORK includes: