During the month of January our congregation decided to take a step back and pray about what we would like to do next for our community.
More Missions of the Month soon.
Reconciliation
Reconciliation: to reconcile; to make friendly again; to settle differences; to bring harmony; to make content
Read: 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 New International Version (NIV)
Lent or Advent is a great time for Confession because both seasons are times for preparation and self examination.
Those of us in the Episcopal Church don’t think much about Reconciliation (or Confession). But, Confession is indeed available to us as one of the Sacraments of the church. The Reconciliation of a Penitent is on page 447 – Forms I & II, of the Book of Common Prayer.
I would like to share with you my very first Confession around age 45 or 46. I didn’t even know how to go about it. I was working for my church as their secretary–so the priest was not only my boss, but my spiritual advisor and friend.
He told me to pray about my Confession and to write down anything that preyed on my mind…things I had done in the past, if I had any ill feelings, unforgiven acts, etc. He told me to work on the list for a week or so and when I was satisfied that it was complete, I would then make my appointment for Confession.
My time was set and as the hour grew closer, I began to tremble. The priest had a chair setting diagonally in front of the railing facing the altar so I could still see his face from my kneeling position behind the railing, but he could not see me. We began the service and when the part that says that I have sinned and to list them, I took out my two-pages and read them off. My voice was shaky as each sin was stated. When I was through the priest talked with me about some of them and gave me advice as to how I may grow in the experience. He also gave me two or three psalms to read after he left and to think about the list, rereading it.
The really moving and very emotional part was when he told me after rereading my list, I was to tear it up and place it on the altar as I left because I was forgiven. When I tore up those pieces of paper a heavy weight was lifted from me. It was one of the most moving services I have ever attended.
I asked him how he could feel the same about people after he hears their confessions. He said, “No one sin is greater than another. Sin is sin and sin removes US from God’s presence. God doesn’t remove Himself from us.” Then he said that God has a special way of making priests forget about what they have heard–like He wipes it from their minds. I thought that was cool.
Nothing that is worthwhile is ever easy and Confession is worthwhile. If you have ever entertained the thought of making a Confession, believe me, you will not be sorry for doing so.
December Mission of the Month – 2016
Think back! Think back to when you were a young child and the excitement you felt in your tummy as you thought about Christmas. Most of us tried to be good so Santa would come and leave us goodies in our stockings as well as presents under the tree. Think about the big eyes and the wide grins on faces of children when they wake up to see things under the Christmas tree. My mama always said on Christmas morning, “I bet there are a lot of excited kids this morning!”
Now think about some children whose lives have been disrupted by abuse or abandonment. Families broken apart that do not have the funds to purchase fun things for deserving kids. The Wise Hope Shelter and Crisis Center, Decatur, TX, has an Angel Tree with the names of children of clients of the past year. These are needy, one-parent households who are not eligible for other gift-giving charities.
Our little congregation took ten angels off their tree this year. We had children from 3 to 15 and all of us had such a great time shopping for these kids. I know we couldn’t take all the angels off the tree, but we tried to do what we could.
Don’t you wish you could peek in the children’s windows on Christmas morning and witness the precious looks on their faces as they take in everything Santa had brought them? I would love to see their big eyes as the excitement of the day fills their hearts.
Thank you to all our members for giving to families who need a little extra help at Christmas time. Below are pictures of the things we donated.
If you know of anyone who needs to leave a dangerous situation, below is the shelter’s information:
Wise Hope Shelter & Crisis Center
24 Hour Crisis Hotline – 940-626-4855
P.O. Box 569 • 608 North Business 81-287 • Decatur, TX 76234
Tel: 940-626-4855 • Fax: 940-626-4117
November Mission of the Month – 2016
Because we have been blessed with more than we really need, we don’t always think about where our next meal will come from. There are children in our schools who go home on Friday and don’t have much, if anything, to eat throughout the weekend. And, if there is a long holiday, it is even harder.
Our outreach Mission to the Eagle Food Pantry at McCarroll Middle School in Decatur has been extremely successful and rewarding. This program provides easy-to-fix foods that children can put in their backpacks and take home for the weekend or holidays.
As you can see we have collected numerous items for the children and it is our hope that we will be able to help them again. Thanks everyone for your generosity.
October Mission of the Month – 2016
I know that not all people have pets, but I believe that most people have had contact with a four-legged critter at some point in their lives. A beagle was my first encounter with a dog and I fell in love instantly. Bootsie lived to be a ripe old age and I was sad when she left. There have been many of God’s creatures in our home–hamsters, rabbits, guinea pig, cats, dogs, and now we have mama cows on the farm.
Anyone who does own a pet knows that the love they give is so complete, so pure, that they will love you until it is time for them to leave. We pet owners realize that our pets are 100% dependent on us and that our caring for them and giving them a good home is a privilege we offer for their unconditional love.
Not all of God’s creatures have the benefit of warm beds, good food, or clean water. That is why our church members picked the Wise County Animal Shelter for our October Mission of the Month. What little we can offer is so much more than these neglected and unwanted animals have. We hope that more people will be willing to give to their local shelters and will look into adoption of these precious animals.
Here is a picture of the things we gathered this month.
September Mission of the Month – 2016
Last September we helped the Wise Hope Shelter and Crisis Center, which provides safety, strength, and hope for victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse. Women and children leave their homes with nothing but the clothes on their backs–sometimes in the middle of the night.
This year, the Center was collecting school supplies to kick off the school year. The director of the Center, Pat Slayton, told me they do their big school supply collection in August to get ready for the school year, but that there are kids who come in after school has started and have to leave their homes without any supplies. The Center also gives back to the “school supply pool” of supplies in a particular grade each year if they are notified by the school that children from the shelter have used some of those supplies the school gathers from students.
We were also advised that they were in dire need of paper products, so our congregation collected several items along with the school supplies. Below are pictures of some of the things collected. We received a nice thank you card from the Center.
If you would like to donate, please check out their wish list on www.wisehope.org for items needed.
August Mission of the Month – 2016
The Dog Days of Summer are alive and well in North Texas. With triple digit temperatures and no rain, the fear of fire is on our minds. In Wise County, Texas, we only have one fire department that has a few paid firefighters–all the rest of the departments are manned by volunteers. Whatever fire department is called as first responders, they supply all the water and energy drinks for every other fire department who comes to assist. That can mean cases and cases of water and sports drinks. The heat takes its toll on the firefighters and the electrolytes in the sports drinks are vital for the normal functioning of the human body.
We found out that our small community of Boonsville and the Boonsville/Balsora Volunteer Fire Department were in need of drinks–especially sports/energy drinks. So, our August mission was to focus on collecting as many sports drinks as we could each week and deliver them to the department.
Here is some of what we collected to donate.
THANK YOU TO ALL OF THE BRAVE VOLUNTEER FIRE FIGHTERS!
June & July Mission of the Month – 2016
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a horrible problem with those who have been abused and remember terrible things that have happened to them. Many of our military veterans live with the disorder. The horrific sights they have seen and fear they have experienced leave scars that are hard to heal. Sometimes even with therapy and medication our veterans feel there is no hope and because of that they consider suicide as a way to end the pain.
For June and July we are supporting Mission 22. “Twenty-two veterans take their lives due to PTSD every day. Our mission: End it.” To raise awareness and to help support those with PTSD, veterans are planning a 30-day, 455 mile hike from northern California to the Oregon/Washington border throughout the month of July. Our church members are supporting five veterans, who themselves have suffered the ill effects of PTSD. We, as a congregation, wrote supportive notes for the them to read along the way. We gathered small items, such as lip balm, rain ponchos, individual sized insect repellent, sun screen, hiking socks, bandanas, snacks, cap visor lights, etc. that they can pick up at stations along the way.
The five vets we are supporting are: Bryan Westerfield, Chad Lutz, Magnus Johnson, Kenny Tarpley, and Bryan Reiter. Below is a picture of all the supplies and notes we collected along with a picture of 3 of the hikers, 
Kenny Tarpley, Bryan Westerfield, and Bryan Reiter
Below is a link to an article about the hike that was in The Register Guard.
Our little church found out how excited the men were to receive their goody packs they picked up at the stations along the way. We thought it important to support these men not only with items to make their trip a little more comfortable, but to let them know how proud we are of them and that they were being prayed for daily. We received a sweet thank you note from one of the hikers on behalf of the Mission 22 PCT Hiking Team.
Here is another link to a video about the hike. This mission was one of the most satisfying for us.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDsM3olNslY&feature=youtu.be
You may visit their website for more information at www.mission22.com. Click here to support Mission 22 Pacific Crest Trail Hike by Sara Dawdy if you wish to support them by donating directly to their GoFundMe page.
May Mission of the Month – 2016
On Saturday, May 21, several members of the congregation met at Kwik Klean Laundromat in Decatur from 9:00 a.m. to noon to hand out quarters, laundry pods, dryer sheets, hangers, packaged snacks, bottles of water and laundry baskets to those who wanted a little help. We had supplies for children’s activities if they wanted to color or do puzzles; two sweet girls each picked out a book to take with them. Some folks were a little shy, but we let them know we just wanted to make their laundry day easier. We also helped a few people carry some of their baskets and laundry supplies into the laundromat. If we wish to revisit this Mission, we learned that we might need to set up at a later time.
L. to R. – The Rev. Anthony Hiatt, Angie Whitley, Jill McClendon
L. to R. – Sarah Walker, Ellen Whitley, Angie Whitley, Jill McClendon, Clydie Walker
All of the left over laundry supplies, snacks, quarters, coloring books, crayons, children’s books, and puzzles were donated to Wise Hope Shelter and Crisis Center for women and children who must leave their homes due to domestic violence. Anyone needing assistance may call their 24-hour hotline (940) 626-4855 or visit their website www.wisehope.org.
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