Glen Avon Presbyterian Church

MISSION OF THE MONTH: April 2010

Mission of the Month for April is Renaissance Transitional Living Program. This program is an outreach to 16-21 year olds. Renaissance helps youth gain self-sufficiency by providing a healthy environment, support, and resources that promote independent living, wellness, stability, and personal growth. We can support this program by providing gift cards for grocery stores or discount stores (such as Super One, Cub, Walmart, K-Mart). These gift cards can be in small amounts; even a $5 card is helpful, as staff members help young people learn to budget money and shop for bargains at discount stores and thrift stores. They also teach residents to cook for themselves. Some of the items needed are pots and pans, plastic food storage containers in various sizes, kitchen linens, such as dish towels, dish cloths and pot holders. There are currently 6 residents, so they are requesting small, helpful household items in groups of 6 (such as 6 hand held can openers) which can be sent along with these 6 residents as they transition out of the program. Please put donated items in the blue bin in the north narthex.

We can also give monetary donations to this Mission by making a check to Glen Avon Presbyterian Church and clearly marking Renaissance Transitional Living in the Memo line. Please clearly mark any donations on the Memo line so the church bookkeepers will be able to know your wishes as to where the money should go. Thank you for your generous giving!

Thank you for all the food contributions and money donated to the CHUM food shelf in the month of March! These contributions blossom immediately with the matching gifts given by MN Food Share programs and other foundation giving.

GAPW is also collecting old, partially burned candles at their April 3 meetings. We would also like the cardboard tubes from toilet paper and paper towels. These will be donated to “Airpark Products and Services” where people with disabilities use them to make fire starters for fireplaces, grills, etc. These useful items are sold at various stores in our area and the income keeps their programs going. Please bring only the candles, not containers with candles in them.

Another enjoyable Mission opportunity is being an afternoon or evening host at the Seafarers Center. As part of their outreach, the Seafarers Center likes to have local people on hand for an hour or so to chat with these sailors who are far from home and unfamiliar with our area. Please call Rev. Tom Anderson at 218-727-5897 and let him know when you and a friend might be available to provide this low-key outreach. The Center also welcomes baked goods to have on hand for these visitors from around the world. If you like to bake, or have extra banana breads or cookies, the Seafarers would love to have them so they might provide refreshments to their visitors. These ministries are ongoing and busier as the shipping season picks up, so a few baked goods at a time or an hour or two of visiting once a month can make a big difference in the lives of people far from home.

We are also continuing to collect the hygiene kits and baby kits for Haiti.

We are all making a difference by giving of ourselves, our time, our talents, and ministering to others in these small ways. Glen Avon’s Mission of the Month program is becoming known in the area and other groups have been inspired to give because of our example.

Luke 6:38 says, “give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back.” (RSV)