Engage with our
MISSIONS OPPORTUNITIES
As Christian disciples, we are called to love our neighbor. Below is a list of outreach opportunities in which we participate. “The harvest is plentiful,” (Matthew 9:37) and more workers are always needed! Your support, whether through prayers, time, talents or treasure, is vital. The program summaries are very brief, and further information can be obtained from the contact persons listed.
LOCAL OUTREACH
SUNDAY COMMUNITY SUPPER
Every Sunday from 5:30 to 6:00 PM groups from FPC or other partnering churches and organizations prepare a meal that is open to everyone in our community. Volunteers are needed to help prepare meals or assist other groups.
Contact: Mimi Michael | mimimichael@charter.net
REFRESH & RENEW
Each Thursday afternoon from 1:00-3:00 PM, our church is made available to those in our community who do not have access to a shower. Members provide their time, clean towels, toiletries, and donated clothing.
Contact: Eileen Santman | ecs0617@gmail.com
ASHURE MINISTRIES
Our community benefits greatly from Ashure (formerly ECCCM), an organization addressing critical needs such as food assistance and utility bill support. Many of our members volunteer with Ashure, and we support their work through initiatives like the annual March Madness food drive. FPC also provides essential storage space for Ashure in the Yaussy building.
Contact: Bruce Deese | brucedeese1@gmail.com
CORNER TABLE / BACKPACK PROGRAM
Lunches are served on weekdays at our local Soup Kitchen. School children benefit from food provided on Fridays for weekend use. During the annual Parade of Cans, staples are collected for the Corner Table.
Contact: Bonnie Pritchard | pritchardbmfs@gmail.com
SMO
Seniors Morning Out, open to senior citizens in our community, provides a nourishing lunch as well as social and educational activities. It is hosted in our Fellowship Hall Mondays -Thursdays and is administered by Senior Nutrition Services.
Contact: Danielle Hicks | cmpnewton@catawbacountync.gov
MEALS ON WHEELS
Monday through Thursday lunches are distributed from our church kitchen to homebound community members by volunteers, including many members of FPC.
Contact: Kirsten Abernethy | kabernethy@catawbacountync.gov
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
Affordable homes are built, renovated or repaired by our local chapter. The Habitat Restore accepts donations and sells a large variety of furnishings and supplies. FPC members have volunteered and served actively on the Habitat Board and committees.
Contact: Mimi Michael | mimimichael@charter.net
FAMILY CARE CENTER
This organization serves homeless families with dependent children, offering physical, emotional, social and educational services to assist in the transition to becoming self-sufficient.
Contact: Bob Neill | bgslm@bellsouth.net
GRANNY’S CLOSET/MEDICAL SUPPLY CLOSET
Supplies for medical and other family needs are kept at the church and available for loans.
Contact: Patty Neill | pneill1956@gmail.com
BLOODMOBILES
FPC hosts a Red Cross Bloodmobile quarterly, providing volunteers and snacks.
Contact: Patty Neill | pneill1956@gmail.com
HUNGER WALK
Each year, Ashure Ministries and The Corner Table Soup Kitchen hold the Catawba County Hunger Walk. The goals of this three-mile walk are to raise funds for hunger relief efforts in eastern Catawba County and to raise awareness of the hunger issue in our community.
Contact: Laura Sparks | lsparks@fpcnewton.com
STARTOWN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
We are proud to partner with Startown Elementary School to support both students and staff. Through this collaboration, we provide lunches and snacks for the staff. In return, Startown Elementary welcomes us to serve as tutors and mentors, allowing us to invest in the lives of local children. This partnership is a meaningful way for us to live out our faith, strengthen our community, and make a lasting impact on the next generation.
Contact: Laura Sparks | lsparks@fpcnewton.com
REGIONAL & INTERNATIONAL MINISTRIES
WOOD CUTTING AT CAMP GRIER
For more than 30 years, men from the church have gathered at Camp Grier in Old Fort, NC one weekend between late January and early February to cut and split firewood for the camp to use.
Contact: Randy Miller | rammiller@charter.net.
RISE AGAINST HUNGER
This organization works in countries worldwide to fight hunger, targeting communities facing high rates of food insecurity. They provide volunteer-packaged meals and other assistance, often through school feeding programs. FPC-Newton, working with our friends at Beth Eden Lutheran Church, have sponsored several meal packaging events which provided over 100,000 meals to RAH.
Contact: Bob Neill | bgslm@bellsouth.net
DAILY CHANGE
The pocket change we each may accumulate daily does not seem like much. Yet over time, it makes a huge difference. The Daily Change offering is collected monthly during worship. Collections are administered by our presbytery for a variety of local, regional and international programs. Recent beneficiaries include the Corner Table here in Newton, and our presbytery’s Guatemala Partnership Health Project.
Contact: Doug Michael | douglaswmichael@gmail.com
GUATEMALA PARTNERSHIP
For 30 years, our presbytery has maintained a partnership with two presbyteries in Guatemala. Within that larger relationship, FPC has nurtured a 20-year sister-church partnership with Iglesia El Redentor, a small community church on Guatemala's southwest coast. Through periodic visits and mutual prayer and support, we share in each other's lives and contribute to scholarships, health initiatives, and other important needs.
Contact: Doug or Mimi Michael | douglaswmichael@gmail.com or mimimichael@charter.net
MISSION CO-WORKER SUPPORT
FPC offers financial support to PCUSA Mission Co-Workers in various parts of the world and enjoys periodic communication. Although the international mission effort of the PC(USA) has contracted over the past few decades, important work is still being accomplished.
Contact: Doug Michael | douglaswmichael@gmail.com
PRESBYTERY OF WNC
We are a connectional church, and members’ participation in various presbytery committees adds to our understanding of the world around us and of the many ways the Church responds to the profound needs that exist. In this way and through our financial support, FPC’s outreach is amplified and the Kingdom of God is made visible across the globe.
Contact: Doug Michael | douglaswmichael@gmail.com
