Minute for Stewardship

DO WE CARE?

We see, we learn, we feel for others among us in our community who are without, struggling, marginalized, trying to cope, to survive, to better themselves, their families and others. We, as individuals, have received a hand from others helping us up, helping us take a step forward many times in our own lives and we know the impact and what a difference it can make. This helping we can do for each other.

We can see and it is comforting to know our sharing and our actions make a difference in our community and our world. Together we take steps forward in our work toward justice, and in sharing our capacity for love and to serve. Westminster Presbyterian Church members show our mission in part through our giving. Together through the ministry of the church we seek to support important work beyond our church walls that fulfills our mission, sustained by grace, to serve Christ, share God’s love and work for justice in a complex world. To this end, we strive to put more than one of every five dollars of our Church resources to support organizations engaged in efforts to address racism and socio-economic disparity, respond to global refugee crises, address climate change, promote healthy interfaith relations, reduce hunger and homelessness, promote LGBTQ issues, end partner abuse and sexual violence, and end gun violence. We value work that intersects our church’s mission and engages in it in this complex world. Our benevolence includes giving to the PC(USA) via Presbytery of the James, University Mission, and setting aside funds for mission trips and in 2017 to local, national, and international efforts through:

Sexual Assault Resource Agency (SARA) International Rescue Committee (IRC) Mediation Center of Charlottesville Young Adult Ministry (YAM) - Student CROP Hunger Walk Church World Services Virginia Organizing Jefferson Area Children's Health Improvement Program (CHIP) Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty Westminster Child Care Center Casa Alma Piedmont Housing Alliance The Haven Alliance for Interfaith Ministries (AIM) Blue Ridge Abortion Assistance Fund La Leche League Good News Jail and Prison Ministry Shelter for Help in Emergency (SHE) Camp Holiday Trails Ryan White Program Charlottesville Center for Peace and Justice PROSAMI Educating Nurse Midwives, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Emergency Food Bank Rapid Response Network (Charlottesville) Charlottesville Habitat for Humanity Charlottesville Free Clinic MACAA Hope House UCARE Newsletter Tuesday's Table PACEM-Headquarters Sin Barreras (Without Borders) IMPACT (Interfaith Movement Promoting Action by Congregations Together) Frontera de Cristo Westminster Church Seeds for Justice Presbyterian Disaster Assistance

We join together to celebrate the resulting challenges faced and accomplishments achieved by the organizations we support.

Remember your feelings when you were overcome, in crisis, the challenge, what to do, how to hold things together, how to keep going, and someone gave you a kind word, shared experience, made the needed suggestion, provided for the next step. Oh, the relief, the gratitude, the hope, seeing there is justice, there is love in this world. We have it. We show it. We give it. As individuals you care, you share, and that love serves to spread and continue to support good work and justice in and beyond these doors. And caring and giving feels good.

Thank you for all you do, Kobby Hoffman, Chair, on behalf of the Mission and Benevolence Committee