Missions

Jesus, when asked by on one of his disciples, “What shall I do Lord,” answered simply by saying, “Feed my sheep.”

2008 Mission Budget

Below are the missions to which Honey Brook Presbyterian Church contributes. Click on a mission name to learn more about it.

AMG INTERNATIONAL

6815 Shallowford Road
Chattanooga, TN  37421

Contact Person – Joyce Reber, Barcelona Spain

Joyce Reber, a long time missionary along with her husband Paco, lives in Barcelona, Spain and has served with AMG for many years.  Their ministry consists of Christian literature distribution through a book store in that location.

They are also involved in church development, both starting new churches and growing churches.  In addition, they have recently established a medical group to do outreach in the community and are hoping to enlarge this effort.

2008 support $750.00

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BRIDGE OF HOPE NATIONAL

311 National Road
Exton, PA  19341
610-280-0280  toll free 866-670-HOPE

Executive Director - Edith E.Yoder

The mission of Bridge of Hope is to end homelessness for women and children with the help of trained mentoring groups within Congregations.  Bridge of Hope was started in Chester and Lancaster counties and has now gone national to include new counties and new states because the need is so great.  Bridge of Hope offers a combination of rental assistance, life skills training and ongoing mentoring relationships to help homeless mothers achieve permanent housing, stability and financial self-sufficiency through employment.  Their goal is to exemplify God’s love and to promote physical, emotional, social and spiritual wholeness.  In 2007 they assisted over 700 families.

2008 support $1,000.00

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CHESTER COUNTY WOMEN’S SERVICES

1028 E. Lincoln Highway
Coatesville, PA  19320
610-383-0930

Director - Elvira Gibbs

This ministry provides varied services for women electing to keep their babies.  Free pregnancy testing and crisis pregnancy counseling are provided.  And family support, child birth classes, educational materials, medical treatment, etc.  We have also supported them by filling baby bottles with coins.

2008 support $500.00

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CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR – CHESTER COUNTY

P. O. Box 67
Uwchland, PA  19480

Carolyn Miller, Treasurer

Christian Endeavor is a worldwide organization with many state and local branches.  Chester County Christian Endeavor is one of these branches with a ministry purpose of assisiting the local churches in providing youth programming.  The goal of all of the programs is to lead youth to Christ and equip them for service and leadership in their home churches and in their world.  Each year Chester County CE sponsors the Pinebrook Winter Retreat, the All-Night Sports activity nights, two overnight programs for Junior (children 1-6 grade), and various other programs.  Over the years the guiding principles for Christian Endeavor’s ministry have been the confession of Christ, service for Christ, loyalty to Christ’s Church, and fellowship with Christ’s people.  Chester County CE works with a volunteer Board of Directors comprised of adults and youth from various churches in Chester County.  We are always looking for more willing people to serve in this capacity.  The generous contributions of churches and individuals help to keep the costs of the events as low as possible.

2008 support $300.00

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CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR – STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA

P. O. Box 190
Gilbertsville, PA  19525

Executive Director – David Coryell
Ministries Director – Sam Yeager

Pennsylvania Christian Endeavor exists to lead youth and young adults to Christ and to equip them for Christian service and leadership.  The goal of the ministry is to be a premier provider of youth and young adult service and leadership ministry in the Mid-Atlantic region by the year 2013.  They provide youth worker training, Life Builders work camps for youth groups and college aged students, leadership development programs, the Summer Assembly discipleship conference, support to retreat groups, emerging web based resources, and ministry of encouragement for paid and un-paid youth workers.  PACE currently employs four full time staff to meet these needs, but hopes to expand this team to meet the growing needs of the church.  The generous contributions of churches and individuals make this ministry possible.

2008 support $300.00

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THE CITY GATE

17 N. 7th Avenue
Coatesville, PA  19320
610-383-6934

Director - Jim Davis

City Gate provides shelter, food, clothing, and counseling for homeless men.  This includes moral support to men in crisis so as to begin their restoration in wholeness in Christ.

City Gate provides gospel preaching and teaching services every night of the week.  The program includes two meals a day and bed with daily Bible study and worship.  City Gate also goes to the Chester County prison to reach men in need.  They now have a farm for the mission for garden planting and caring for some farm animals.  It is located near Sadsburyville.  We also support City Gate with donations of food and clothing. 

2008 support $1,000.00
and monthly staples collected each Sunday.
See the last page of this handbook,
for the list of staples needed during the year,
so that you may plan ahead.

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COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL

P. O. Box 65000
Colorado Springs, CO  80921

For many years we have provided funding for a child, often in Latin America.  Our monthly stipend is meant to provide funding to keep the child in school, provide clothing, subsidize the poor family’s food and at holidays, we often send something additional.

We are currently supporting one young girl, Elizabeth, who has just finshed the 6th grade.  She corresponds with us and different congregation members have written to the recipients from time to time.  Our child is selected through the Colorado organization based on need.

2008 support $384.00

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COUNTY CORRECTION GOSPEL MISSION

P. O. Box 1136
Coatesville, PA  19320
610-942-9142
Fax 610-942-9150

Director - Jack Crans

This ministry includes ministering to prisoners, children of prisoners, Mom’s Bible Club, law enforcement, and correction authorities.  This ministry also includes the Camp at the Old Mill located in Brandamore.

2008 support $500.00

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GOOD WORKS, INC.

544 E. Lincoln Highway
P. O. Box 1441
Coatesville, PA  19320
610-383-6311

Director – Jim Ford

Good Works, a Christian home repair ministry, was created in 1988 to meet the needs of disadvantaged homeowners in Chester County.  Many of their clients are elderly people wishing to remain in their homes.  The mission of Good Works is to help families living in substandard housing with low income to have homes that are warmer, safer and drier.  The home repair is done by volunteer labor on three Saturdays each month.  Good Works operates in Coatesville, West Chester, and Phoenixville.  This is an excellent opportunity for “hands on mission support”.  A group of retired volunteers meets every Monday.

2008 support $1,000.00

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GRACE MISSION TO HAITI

P. O. Box 211025
Royal Palm Beach, FL  33421

We have supported the Health Outreach Program in Haiti, the poorest country in this hemisphere, for a number of years.  Teams of volunteer medical people under the guidance of staff go into communities to treat patients.  In recent years they have also been training Haitian workers to do some basic work with health problems, much of this is health education.

Grace Mission also had a program to do “church planting” and building of church buildings, again, using volunteer help with staff support.

2008 support $800.00

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HABITAT FOR HUMANITY OF CHESTER COUNTY

621 Lumber Street
Coatesville, PA  19320
610-384-7993

Executive Director – Charles (Chip) Huston

Habitat for Humanity provides basic well-built, affordable owner-occupied homes for God’s people in need—in a way that builds hope, dignity and independence.  It also develops partnerships, encourages community, involves Christians and others of good will so that God’s love is shared and celebrated.  This is another good opportunity for “hands on” mission support.  Habitat is looking for individual or group volunteers.  Each chapter works independently, although they are under the umbrella of the national Habitat organization.

2008 support $1,000.00

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KARITAS FOUNDATION

c/o Rev. Howard Friend
698 Spruce Drive
West Chester, PA  19380

This work is headed by the son of Howard Friend, formerly an Interim Pastor at HBPC, Erik, and his wife Grieselda, in Cuernavaca, Mexico.  In a country faced with huge unemployment numbers, the Friends have helped them develop businesses.  Their primary business, and offshoots from the business, is automotive repair.

Contributions are used to get the business started and then training is given to help the organizations become independent, money making enterprises which in some cases can then spawn new initatives.  They have recently expanded into self-help craft businesses.

2008 support $500.00

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LA COMUNIDAD HISPANIC (LCH)

223 Birch Street
Kennett Square, PA  19348
610-444-1339

Executive Director – Isidoro Gonzalez

LCH is a community-oriented, human service organization that provides services to the Latino community and to other vulnerable residents in Chester County in areas of health care, counseling and education.  LCH serves the newly arrived immigrant, as well as settled-in families and longtime residents of Chester County.

2008 support $800.00

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PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH USA MISSION SUPPORT

Donegal Presbytery
P. O. Box 10054
Lancaster, PA  17605

Our largest contribution for Missions goes to our denomination for support via the Donegal Presbytery.  We support Camp Donegal, a place where hundreds of children enjoy the outdoors as well as hear “the good news.”  In addition to this local work, our monies provide support nationally and around the globe.

We partner with Mthatha Presbytery in South Africa to assist both with church development and assist with economic growth.  We support missionaries around the world and provide grants to churches in the US for creative ministries.

We support the efforts to feed the hungry through this fund as well as continuing to assist with the rebuilding along the Gulf Coast and provide support in the face of other disasters.

2008 support $7,000.00

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PRESBYTERIAN SEMINARIES/PRINCETON

100 Witherspoon Street
Louisville, KY  40202

We support the training of students going into the Presbyterian Ministry through a yearly gift to the Ministerial Fund.  This money goes to help defray the cost of training for students at Princeton Seminary in New Jersey.

2008 support $1,500.00

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SPANISH HEALTH MINISTRY OF THE KOINONIA CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES

205 E. State Street
Kennett Square, PA  19348
610-444-1972

Director – Dona Sensenig

The focus of the ministry is to help Spanish speaking families identify health needs and obtain medical care for high-risk pregnant women, newborns, and sick babies and children who live in the area from Kennett Square to Oxford, PA.  The ministry now serves approximately 250 families each year.  They are looking for volunteers to help with this Ministry.

2008 support $1,000.00

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STEEPLE TO PEOPLE

3886 Horseshoe Pike
Honey Brook, PA  19344
610-273-2760

Contact Person - Ivan Stoltzfus

Steeple to People was started to extend the ministry of the church beyond the Church building to people who are in need.  Steeple to People provides assistance in the form of food, clothing, heating oil during the winter and temporary housing as well as marital, financial and spiritual counseling to individuals and families.  A thrift shop is located in the school house building and is operated by volunteers.  A number of them are from Honey Brook Presbyterian Church.  It offers second hand clothing, toys, household goods and furniture.  Sales from the thrift shop provide the financial needs of STP.  There is always a need for volunteers to work in the thrift shop.  Each year we collect canned goods to supply their emergency food bank.

2008 support $200.00

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TWIN VALLEY YMCA

51 S. Pine Street
Elverson, PA  19520
610-913-9622

Services are provided to the community through memberships.  Day Camp is provided during the summer months.  Our donations go to a camp scholarship.

2008 support $200.00

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JEAN WEBSTER’S KITCHEN

P. O.  Box 5146
Atlantic City, NJ  08404

Contact Person – Rev. John R. Scotland
609-266-7942

This food program was originally supported by Donegal Presbytery as a Mission Project and so a number of our members have visited and helped serve food.  They are located in a Presbyterian Church neighboring the casino area.

They had over 600 people who depend on them at some time for hot meals during their daily service last year.  They also provide sandwiches for people to take out, particularly when they are closed on Sunday.  The need continues to grow.  We helped this year when their warming table broke down.  They are trying to establish a shelter since the people they serve are nearly all homeless.

2008 support $1,000.00

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YOUTH ADULT WORK CAMPHONEY BROOK PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Coordinator – Peg Dombach

This project, sponsored by our church and involving both Youth Group volunteers and adults who work with them, is listed as national because their work is typically outside the state of Pennsylvania.  They donate a week of their time to rebuild for needy families who have experienced a disaster and very poor families who cannot afford repairs, in co-operation with Christian Endeavor.

For the year 2008 they will be traveling to West Virginia in the month of July.  Our gift defrays their travel and lodging costs although the volunteers also contribute towards the fees themselves.

2008 support $1,500.00

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SPECIAL OFFERINGS

During the course of the year, we have approximately four special offerings which are listed below although, we have additional ones from time to time when a need arises. The four are:

One Great Hour of Sharing:
This is usually collected around Easter each year and focuses on helping across our country and beyond to fill needs for food, to help with disaster relief and for mission work.

Thank Offering:
This fund, collected in November, helps make it possible for grants to be given to specific projects of various churches around the country have initiated.  These projects can be directed to children, women’s shelters and more.

Peace Offering:
In the past two years we have participated in an initiative which supports work of a team which offers educational opportunities to congregations so that they can better understand some of the parts of the world where there is no peace.  Twenty-five per cent of this offering is kept in our church and we have dedicated it to a Pastor’s Discretionary Fund for any person/family needing counseling help.

Samaritan’s Purse:
This is a gathering in of shoeboxes filled with toys and needed items which go to children around the world at Christmas.  In the year ending 2007 we provided 20 boxes, thanks to those who donated funds and those who filled boxes on their own.  Our Sunday School children made a significant effort.