The Church Sent Out
Part of the founding history of our denomination involved a radical change in direction for those who would be disciples of Jesus Christ. Whereas for some traditions the highest calling is to a cloistered community of prayer where God can be contemplated and prayed to all the time, the Reformers believed that the greatest calling was to serve God in the world, asking what God was doing to make and keep human life human. This is a question we ask constantly at the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill. As the largest Presbyterian Church within the city limits of Philadelphia, we have a special responsibility to use our resources for the future of the city as well as for the needs of those in the surrounding area.
Oureach is an apt word for this commitment of the church because it involves our active reaching out to the hungry and homeless, the working poor and those who fall through the cracks of the society's social systems. We do not do this alone but usually join with other organizations that guide our outreach so that we can be as helpful as possible. Another aspect of outreach is education and advocacy. We cannot simply feed the hungry but must ask why we have ordered our common life such that people are hungry. Opportunities to travel to Harrisburg and knock on the doors of politicians or join in actions that draw attention to such things as illegal gun trafficing in the state are as important as serving dinner to 300 homeless men on the last Sunday of every month.
Our newest initiative is what we are calling "Communities for the Common Good." These are small, intergenerational communities organized around our outreach in the areas of hunger, homelessness, health care, sustainability, public education and ending gun violence. Be sure and visit the page that tells you how to become a part of one of these communities. It is also a great way to meet and come to know people better.
Outreach Opportunities: Our Mission
Presbyterians bear witness to Jesus Christ, seeking to serve among the powerful and the powerless, in a ministry of love and compassion for the surrounding community and beyond. We seek to be faithful stewards of the gift of God's creation through our benevolences to the mission of our denomination as well as other outreach programs.
The Social Witness Committee, on behalf of the congregation, contributes to a number of organizations and projects, and works to involve the congregation as volunteers in service to mission. The Committee meets the 4th Tuesday of each month (except July and August), at 7:30 pm in the Reception Room; all are welcome.
Our members serve as volunteer workers, board members, and advisors with Habitat for Humanity, the Community Cupboard (we receive food and financial contributions during worship on the first Sunday of the month), Central Presbyterian Church of Norristown - Hispanic Mission (we receive food and finacial contributions during worship on the second Sunday of the month), Our Brother's Place, The John Gloucester House, AchieveAbility , Northwest Interfaith Housing Network (NPIHN), Neighborhood Interfaith Movement (NIM), Project SHARE, and St. Catherine Laboure Clinic.
Every summer, the youth of PCCH participate in a mission trip. This year, they traveled to rural Florida to help rebuild hurricane damaged homes in an impoverished community. In previous years, the youth mission team has worked in Georgia, Maine, and West Virginia, each time gaining first hand experience working with the truly poor. For more information, please contact Youth Minister, Brian Russo . In January, the Social Witness Committee organizes an Adult Mission Trip. We have made three trips to Haiti, to support the work of Rodney and Sharyn Babe. In 2007, we are traveling to Mississippi to work with Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, in hurricane relief efforts. For more information, please contact Suzan Willcox, or the church office.
PCCH is one of the founding members of the Germantown Avenue Crisis Ministry, a ministry to people in economic crisis. Our church is also on the first churches in the Presbytery to develop a strategy for the prevention of child abuse.
Other projects supported by PCCH through the Social Witness Committee, include, Chester Eastside Ministry, Covenant Network, Broad Street Ministries, the Interfaith Coalition for the General Welfare, Kirkwood Camp, the Medical Benevolence Foundation, Metropolitan Career Center, Philadelphia Presbyterian Homes at 58th Street, Presbyterian Children’s Village, the Samaritan Counseling Center, the Utility Emergency Services Adopt-A-Family Fund, and Wheels to the Woods.
Fall Flea-zaar
Our annual combination church flea market and church bazaar helps raise funds to support our mission outreach. Thanks to the over 100 congregants and office staff who came to work on Saturday, October 1, 2011, and the myriad people who helped plan, prepare and donate to the Flea-zaar, and despite the economy and the weather, which sandwiched us in between rains, we still persevered and grossed over $10,000. With expenses deducted, the net was just about the same as last year at $8,300. And we are continuing to seek special contributions to move the net over $10,000. If you were unable to attend or help or participated but still want to help, please send your check, made out to PCCH and memo’d “Flea-zaar” to the church office. Here is the run-down of income by activity.
Elegant Elephants $1,541
Childrens Corner 409
Garden/Tool Shed 381
Gift Box Antiques 1,109
Book Nook 406
Vendor Spaces 339
Food Court 912
Dessert Bar 455
Jewelry and Things 1,611
Raffle Baskets 1,810
Autumn Extravaganza 848
Guide Ads 275
Donations 161
Total $ 10,347
Expenses (2,060)
Net Total $8,287
Mission Opportunities
To download the Christmas 2011 wish list for the Presbyterian Children's Village, click here.
To download the order form for Alternative Christmas Gifts, click here.
PROJECT SHARE - PRESBYTERY CARE CLOSETS
Volunteers needed, to help load Turkey Dinners into the cars of the coordinators of the Care Closets of the Presbytery, with which they will go forth for distribution to families in need. Dates: Monday, November 20 (Thanksgiving Turkeys); Monday, December 18 (Christmas Turkeys); 10 a.m.-1 p.m. @ SHARE (2901 W Hunting Park Avenue, Philadelphia). These are fun events, with helpers forming lines, passing along turkeys and fixings to waiting vehicles. Please sign up, at Social Witness Committee Bulletin Board.
ACHIEVEABILITY
This holiday season we have a wonderful opportunity to bring joy into the lives of the families at Achievability by providing two wrapped gifts per child within the price range of $15-$30 each for 30 deserving children. Achievability will help guide the selection of gifts by giving us a list of children's names, ages and areas of interest/hobbies. As soon as we get our list, we will be asking you to select a child/children to sponsor with two gifts by signing up on the sheet posted on the church office door for this purpose. We will collect the gifts here and deliver them to Achievability by December 1st.
Another option if you don't have time to shop for a gift is to donate dollars that we will use to purchase movie passes, gift cards and tickets to museums that Achievability may use at their discretion to reward a child or family during the year for an accomplishment like making honor roll, or, in the case of the parent, achieving a promotion at work.
PCCH has been extraordinarily generous in the past and we hope to make this the best yet holiday season for the families at Achievability. They have invited any of us who wish to share the excitement of their holiday party to join them on December 16th. Details will follow. For more information about Christmas gifts, please contact Judy and Stuart Hain.
GERMANTOWN AVENUE CRISIS MINISTRY
GACM 2006 Thanksgiving Basket Distribution, 100+ Families will receive Baskets this holiday. Distribution will begin Thursday, Nov. 16th. You can help: Purchase basket contents (stuffing, mashed potatoes, macaroni or rice, yams, green veggies ((beans or peas)), cranberry sauce, gravy, corn, bread and dessert); Donate that free turkey, turkey breast or roasting chicken (seniors like smaller portions); Collect free turkeys or vouchers at work places; Lead a food collection drive for your work place or organization; Provide other staples needed for the winter such as hearty soups, proteins such as tuna, sardines, peanut butter etc.; Volunteer to help pick up donations, deliver baskets to shut- ins or sort and stock donations. Call Crisis Ministry ( 215-843-2340) to arrange a drop off of these donations.
CHRISTMAS GIFTS FOR CHILDREN AT THE JOHN GLOUCESTER HOUSE
We will be gathering gifts for the annual Happy Birthday Jesus party at the John Gloucester House. This community center has been a ministry of the Presbytery for many years. The services offered to residents of the Point Breeze section of Philadelphia include daycare, after school tutoring, computer classes, a lunch program, literacy for adults and many other valuable programs.
You can help by bringing a new, wrapped gift, marked for a boy or girl and the appropriate age, to our "Giving Tree" in Widener Hall. Take a tag or two from the tree and bring it back with your gift. The gifts should be in the $15 range and delivered to church by December 3rd. See Emily Camp-Landis for any questions.