RIFA SNACK-BACK-PACK PROGRAM       

This program enables RIFA to provide school children with kid-friendly food to take home (in a small back-pack) on each Friday.  The school has identified certain children who come to school on Mondays having had little or nothing to eat during the weekend.  These children will now have something for Saturday and Sunday.

Here's how you can help:

• Make a monetary contribution.  Braun Campbell & Sue Long will purchase items needed and deliver them to RIFA.

• Bring the food items suggested and place them the designated receptacle.

• Volunteer to go to the RIFA office periodically to assemble the food snacks.

Items to bring for:                                                 

                    August Menu

Small pop top cans of vegetables                                    Small packs of peanut butter of cheese crackers

Small pop top cans of Chef Boyardee                             Small packages of oatmeal (Individual size)

Small boxes of cereal (individual size)                            Raisins (Individual size)

Vienna Sausage                                                                Small packs of nutritional drinks

 

          United Thank Offering                     

 What is the United Thank Offering?  It is a program of The Episcopal Church USA for the mission of the whole Church.  It was originally founded in 1889 as the United Offering and became the United Thank Offering in 1919.  The Mission of The Thank Offering is to invite people to offer daily prayers of thanksgiving to God and outward and visible signs of those prayers, which will benefit others.  The blue boxes (or envelopes) help to serve as a reminder of our many blessings.  By sharing our blessings with those of others, we help to extend the mission of the Church in many ways.  The monies collected are distributed throughout the world by means of grants.  In the past 2 years, an average of 52% was used within the United States to further ministries in a variety of ways.  There are specific policies and procedures for applicants and for the distribution of funds.  To learn more details regarding the history or policies and recent grants provided, please visit the following website:  www.episcopalchurch.org/uto.   

 

                  Pennies for Hunger                    

This ministry helps to fight hunger in the Jackson area.  The proceeds have traditionally gone to the Crossroads Shelter for Men for their kitchen.

Your next opportunity to give to Pennies for Hunger will be: To be announced

St. Luke's Mission Committee

As a subcommittee of the Outreach Committee, the purpose of this foreign mission committee is to serve God by ministering to his people who live beyond our local area in whatever capacity is required.  This subcommittee is chaired by Harriet Ross and Ros Reycraft.

In April 2005, the decision was made to support a boy at El Hogar de Amor y Esperanza, (The Home of Love & Hope), located in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.  El Hogar Projects comes under the auspices of the Episcopal Diocese of Honduras and besides the orphanage includes the Episcopal Agricultural School and Farm and St. Mary's Technical Institute in Amarateca.

The purpose of El Hogar is to provide a loving home and education in a Christian environment for abandoned, orphaned and hopelessly poor boys, enabling them to fulfill their ultimate potential as productive human beings in Honduras.  Approximately 200 boys, ages 6 to 20 years old, are cared for by El Hogar in the three facilities.

We paid the annual sponsorship of $1,500 and now are the proud "padrinos" or godparents of Kelman Ernesto Amendares Vásquez, an 11 year old who entered El Hogar in  February 2005.

Our hope is to develop a real connection with Kelman through the exchange of letters, provide some items needed by the center, and organize a mission trip one time per year to El Hogar to work on whatever project is going on at that time.

The mission trip is open to any interested person 16 and over.  Costs to be covered by each person will include the flight to Honduras plus room and board of approximately $10 per day and fee for the liason for our week there.  Before the trip, we will organize some orientation sessions, including learning a little Spanish although fluency with Spanish is not required to participate in the trip.  We will gather some school supplies and, if possible, some items specifically requested by El Hogar but our emphasis will be working on whatever projects the require while we are there.  Check out the El Hogar website at www.elhogar.org.

For further information please contact Harriet Ross.