The Mission Committee serves as the lens through which St. Stephen focuses its resources for outreach and identifies needs in the community at large—local, national, and global. As Presbyterians, we come from the Reformed tradition, whose motto is ‘The Church reformed, always reforming.’ We recognize that occasions arise when healthy introspection may conclude that some old projects be set aside in favor of newly identified needs.
Therefore, the Mission Committee of St. Stephen Presbyterian Church invites the congregation into dialogue. We seek your ideas, thoughts, joys and concerns as we undertake, together, an evaluation of what the mission of St. Stephen is and should be. With prayerful consideration we look to understand what is being done well, what can be improved and what may be set aside, at least for now.
Thank you for your time and participation in this vital project. Please feel free to contact any member of this committee with questions or for further information.
God bless you and the work of our congregation.
The St. Stephen Mission Committee
The 2012 St. Stephen Mission Survey
Please print this survey out or copy it into a document to fill it out. You may return it to the church office or to Jim Elder at Jim.Elder3@gmail.com.
1. “Mission” can be defined as St. Stephen’s responsibility to focus its resources to identify and address the needs of the world at large, in the name of Christ. How important is mission to your personal experience of St. Stephen?
___Very important ___Important ___Average ___Unimportant
Comments:_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. The following are projects currently funded by St. Stephen. Please give us your impression of the importance of each. Please list the five most important to you with 1 the most important and 5 is least. If you are interested in participating, please contact the person listed below with the project or any member of the committee.
_____Samaritan House dinners (monthly)–Samaritan House is a residential facility which provides a home and services to people who are affected by HIV/AIDS. St. Stephen has been a member of the Samaritan House Supper Club for more than a dozen years, preparing, serving, and cleaning up after the evening meal on the third Friday of each month. Volunteers are needed to plan, prepare, and/or serve each month. Please email: Lauriesandefur@gmail.com.
_____Presbyterian Children’s Homes Services–Presbyterian CHS provides monetary and material support to children in families of poverty. Outreach may include residential services at the main campus in Itasca, TX; school supplies, Easter and Thanksgiving baskets and Christmas gifts for local families. Please email: Beth.Fultz@ststephen-pcusa.com.
_____South Central Alliance of Churches–The South Central Alliance is a coalition of congregations serving neighborhoods in Fort Worth. We seek to meet emergency or one-time needs with the hope that this will result in enough stability for them to continue to manage their lives. St. Stephen participates with financial contribution, health/toiletry items, food pantry, Thanksgiving Baskets, Christmas Angels, children’s summer lunch program and assistance with JPS Southside School Based Clinic. Please email: Rfultz1597@yahoo.com
_____SERRV market at Christmas–SERRV is an organization which offers beautifully handcrafted products primarily from emerging third-world countries. These products are sold at reasonable prices and the profits are returned to the artisans for a fair wage. St. Stephen has offered a SERRV Market during Advent for over 15 years. Please email: Pwadley4112@sbcglobal.net.
_____Giving Opportunity (GO) Mission–Multiple times during the year, the congregation of St. Stephen is asked to open its hearts to provide material and tangible good. These items, usually toiletries and personal care products, support members of the community going through personal tragedy, those at Presbyterian Night Shelter or guest of Room in the Inn. A box for the collection of goods is kept across from the church office; donations may also be made monetarily. Please email: Jim.Elder3@gmail.com
_____Church Mission Trip–Each year, interested adults in the congregation of St. Stephen travel to an underserved area. Past trips have included Mexico and New Mexico. Activities typically included working to repair/ improve homes, churches or community buildings. Participants generally pay their way and stay in community buildings or with families. Please email: TWadley4112@sbcglobal.net
_____Room in the Inn–Twice a year, during the hottest and coolest months, St. Stephen opens its doors and hearts to members of the Fort Worth community who are without permanent residence. One night a week for 2-3 months, these guests stay in the parish hall and enjoy a home cooked dinner and hearty breakfast. Volunteers primarily are needed to make beds, cook and/ or serve dinner, cook and/or serve breakfast, clean up and wash sheets and towels. Monetary donations are accepted with gratitude also. Please email: tx.red@att.net (Wendy Larmour)
_____Habitat for Humanity–HFH builds houses in poor and blighted communities and either sells at low cost are gives away homes to persons in those communities to establish stable family anchors to grow and reform a community from the inside out. Volunteers are needed primarily to assist in building the houses on site. Monetary donations are accepted. Please email: Jim.Elder3@gmail.com
_____Tarrant Area Community of Churches–The Tarrant Area Community of Churches (TACC) is an interchurch non-profit organization dedicated to connecting congregations and the community to address unmet needs and positively impact lives in Tarrant County. To fulfill its mission, TACC focuses on transformational initiatives involving education, homelessness, Christian unity and collaboration, poverty and more. Please email: Jim.Elder3@gmail.com
_____Presbyterian Night Shelter–The Presbyterian Night Shelter was the brainchild of past St. Stephen pastor R.W. Jablonowski, who teamed with two other local PCUSA churches to form the Presbyterian Night Shelter in 1985. PNS is the shelter of last resort, the only shelter in town that welcomes anyone who is homeless. It also offers job training, social work liaison, addiction services, and transitional housing. It encompasses a general shelter, a women and children’s shelter, and shelter for the mentally ill. Please email: Jim.Elder3@gmail.com
_____PCUSA Missionary to The Republic of South Sudan (Sharon Curry)–Sharon Curry is credentialed by PCUSA as a missionary to the South Sudan, a newly created country in Africa. Her mission is working to improve health education in this region. She is currently on leave in the US, awaiting her return to her post. Please email: Max@forensic-lab.com
4. Below is a list of needs in the community and world. The categories are broad to allow for a range of options. Most of them have both local and global aspects. Number by importance 1, 2, and 3, the three that are important enough to you that you would commit your money and volunteer time to them.
____Homelessness ____Medical/Health Concerns of Needy
____Veterans Issues ____Peacemaking/conflict resolution
____Food Bank/Meals on Wheels ____Overseas Mission
____Emergency Relief ___Environmental Concerns
____Partnering with Public Schools ____Family Concerns
____Poverty Issues ____Partnering with an ethnic church
____Presbyterian Children’s Home in Itasca
____Other_________________________
5. Do you have skills or gifts you’d like to utilize to serve others? What are they? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6. Additional Comments: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7. If you would like to volunteer for a mission outreach that you checked above, please add your name and phone number below. You may contact the Mission Committee by emailing Jim Elder at Jim.Elder3@gmail.com or other members listed with individual projects.