“Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.” Isa 58:12.
Community Outreach
MPC supports the unsheltered and transient population in our community every Tuesday by providing a full lunch overseen by Jim Hunter and a faithful cohort of volunteers including Judy Sinclair, Betty Freeman and Lynn Beckley.
Note: Indoor meals, and the shower program are temporarily suspended during the pandemic and water shortage. However, we are now offering free delicious hot meals to go for any and all that desire one. Meals are served between 2-3 pm every Tuesday. All are welcome.
On Thursdays, the MPC Community Pantry team of volunteers bag up food from the Ft. Bragg Food Bank and hand them out to all who need it. This service is ongoing during the pandemic. Kristi Hollcraft coordinates volunteers if you are interested in helping. kristikringle@msn.com We all need a little help these days! Food distribution time is from 2:00-3:30pm on Thursday in front of Preston Hall.
International Mission Support
Seeds of Learning – (SOL) is a nonprofit that was co-founded by one of MPC’s own, Patrick Rickon, son of Wendell and Sammie Rickon. SOL promotes educational opportunities for children, youth and adults in rural communities across Nicaragua and Central America by building and equipping classrooms, Learning Resource Centers, school libraries and sponsoring a scholarship program to enable impoverished children to stay in school and receive a quality education. SOL also promotes community engagement and greater cross-cultural understanding by recruiting volunteers from churches to partner on projects with local communities. In past years MPC has sent groups but due to the pandemic this program is temporarily on hold.
In May 2020, Patrick wrote:
“During the past few years, our family and mission here in Nicaragua has faced the challenges of living and working under the effects of socio-political unrest and more recently within the constraints of social distancing. Without the ability to receive groups and engage in larger construction projects our regular income stream has been somewhat compromised, yet even with reduced budgeting, we have been able to maintain our core educational programming.”
Haitian Outreach – Pastor Marc Cloveus, Jacmel
For ten years our beloved member John Turnbull went to Haiti every year with Doug Moyer of Chapel of the Redwoods to support the work of Pastor Marc Cloveus at the Eglise Christ pour Tous in Jacmel, Haiti.
Pastor Marc’s effectiveness as an organizer and evangelist has led to the planting of four new churches in mountain communities where for a long time voodoo held sway. He has led many to faith in Christ, and developed discipleship training for new converts. Though John is home with the Lord, MPC carries on its commitment to support Pastor Marc’s ministry.
Facebook post from Pastor Marc:
It was a very dry year here, no rain . . .I could make a long list to show how critical the situation is in Haiti adding to the stress caused by Covid 19. It is time for the church to stand up and show the hope of the Lord. After giving food to 170 families in the church of Jacmel a couple of weeks ago, we are delivering bags of rice to church members… In Christ Pour Tous Church, we do not only preach people the life in Heaven after death. But we care about them on this earth.”
COVID 19 cannot stop the work of God. I have two days of training with 14 church members about how to do small group bible study. Each of them will have a group of 10 people in their neighborhood to study the word of God…We are making good progress with the construction of the church in Gaillard.
Moriah Africa was founded in 2001 by Dr. Gila Garaway in a remote mountain valley in the Haut Plateau of South Kivu in Democratic Republic of Congo, a region with no paved roads, few job resources and home to many Tutsi. Inspired by the need, Dr. Gila developed the Minembwe Community Center to provide vocational skills training in carpentry, tailoring, mechanics, and computers. It also serves as a site to test the viability of new agricultural crops such as blueberries and Kiwi. Currently, the center is housing m140 Tutsis whose huts were burned by the Mai-Mai militia which is intent on driving them out. Each family at the center has been given a plot to grow food for their family.
A second base of operation is in Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province. Last year, Kivu Arts & Music Center was established to train young adults on a variety of musical instruments and promote worship throughout Bukavu via partnerships with all of the area’s churches.
The Center for the Handicapped in southwest Rwanda offers a three-month residential physical therapy program and special education for children with
cerebral palsy and other severe disabilities. The director Sister Scholastique manages a staff of five caring for 35 children in a rudimentary building with few resources.
Currently, due to the pandemic, the children’s families are in dire need. Sister Scholastique wrote: I thank you very much for your concern for the little ones, the money sent by your Church arrived well on April 4, it was a great chance for us, since it allowed us to buy the food and hygienic material for children and their families in this threatening period.
Currently, due to the pandemic, the children’s families are in dire need. Sister Scholastique wrote: I thank you very much for your concern for the little ones, the money sent by your Church arrived well on April 4, it was a great chance for us, since it allowed us to buy the food and
hygienic material for children and their families in this threatening period.
The Center also coordinates and funds surgery to enable children to walk. Sister Scholastique wrote: I told you last time about little Lucie whom I took to the hospital where she underwent an operation on both legs. To all the group with good heart, I humbly ask you to thank them.
Youth with a Mission (YWAM)
YWAM in Mendocino is based at the Lord’s Land on Navarro Ridge. It is one of many YWAM discipleship training centers that bring together Christians of many cultures, age groups and Christian traditions who are dedicated to serving Jesus through outreach and the development of essential community projects throughout the world. Alexey Wagner who is part of the MPC family and her husband Hunter Payne were recently married and anticipate returning to Azerbaijan in the Middle East where they feel called to outreach to Muslims. Alexey is fluent in the language having spent the better part of her childhood there with her missionary parents and has worked closely with young women in need. Pray earnestly for these brave and faithful missionaries. www.ywammendocino.org
PCUSA Missions – Through the encouragement of Larry Ballenger, we have felt a need to help our Presbyterian mission efforts. We have been encouraged to designate a portion of this amount to Jane Holslag, who serves our denomination as an English and Theology teacher at the Lithuanian Christian College in Klaipeda, Lithuania. Don McCullough knows her well, and there is a good chance we can have Jane with us the next time she is stateside on furlough. The rest of our PCUSA giving goes for basic mission work within our Presbytery.
