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The
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.
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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
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Love
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.
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HANDS ON MISSION WORK includes:
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