Woof! Meow! Bark! All the wonderful sounds of some of God’s greatest creatures filled the grounds of the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection in Decatur, TX, on October 5. We celebrated the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi on that beautiful Saturday along with our brothers and sisters from the First United Methodist Church of Decatur. Our own Fr. Tony Hiatt was paired with Pastor Cassie Wade in officiating our meaningful service, giving thanks to God for the animals given to us to care for and watch over.

Every October we also gather items needed at our local animal shelter. This year we collected the following items for the Bridgeport Animal Shelter: Cat litter, bleach, Dawn liquid detergent, kitten food, puppy food, inexpensive leashes. Afterward, there was a neighborhood hot dog lunch for anyone wishing to come and stay for fellowship and a meal. It was a great day!

Here are some pictures:

Little children and senior citizens have much in common. Each group gets excited during the holidays; their eyes light up at the wonderment of the seasons — Easter with parades and baskets of chocolate, Thanksgiving with fall decorations and turkey and dressing, Christmas with all the colorful lights and stockings hung high on the mantel. Who wouldn’t be excited?

Seniors who live in assisted living settings, or in nursing facilities sometimes don’t have the same excitement as they used to have when they were in their own home settings.

During August and September, we decided to work with the Wise County Committee on Aging to gather items for stocking stuffers to hand out to residents of assisted living and nursing/rehabilitation centers. Many, many items were collected which included games, thank you notes, blank stationery and stamps, adult coloring books and crayons/pencils, books, lotions, throws, etc.

Here are a few pictures of the items gathered and delivered:

If anyone needs assistance from the Wise County Community on Aging or would want to help by volunteering their services, please contact the Committee:

I remember how much fun it was to go with my mother to the store to pick out folders, pencils, pens, ink (yes, we used real ink in fillable pens back in the day).  It was an exciting time–ready to get back to friends and explore new subjects.  

Children who are in peril, who must leave their homes quickly because they, their siblings, and mother are not safe, leave without anything but the clothes on their backs.  Wise Hope Shelter and Crisis Center temporarily houses women and children who have nowhere safe to go.  When it comes time for school to start, the children have no supplies.

Our July Mission of the Month was to gather as many school supplies we could and take them to the shelter.  When school time approaches, Wise Hope lets the children pick out a backpack, and then, like going to the store, they are given their list and all the items are picked and placed into the backpack.  Everything they need in one trip to the shelter’s office.  No worries…just happy faces.

Recently I was told the Decatur center also helps Bowie in Montague County and Jacksboro in Jack County with supplies.  That is three counties in North Texas we are helping.  Wise Hope is always grateful for the help we provide the shelter, and I cannot thank our members enough for their generous giving.

We also collected several nice towels and washcloths.

Below are several pictures of the things we gathered:

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

Youth is the future of a family. In fact, youth is the future of the future. We may be a small congregation, but we now have three (3) young children in our midst and we couldn’t be happier. You have seen the pictures from the shower we had to welcome Lily Stromberg in December, 2017. Lily is the daughter of Christy and Matthew Stromberg. Now, take a look at the pictures from a shower we held to help welcome Jack Little into our family. Baby Jack is the son of Puja Chandra-Little and Rob Little, and little brother of Asha. What a beautiful day of gift giving, great food, and wonderful fellowship.

Being a mother is a precious gift but being a mother and having to leave your home to find a haven must be the worst possible scenario.  Wise Hope Shelter and Crisis Center is that haven in Wise County.

Celebrating Mother’s Day in a shelter is sad, especially if the children are not with the mother.  For our April Mission of the Month we gathered items like facials, soothing lotions, hair accessories, nail polishes, devotionals, journals, pens, etc.  These items were put together in special baskets and given to the mothers who were staying at the shelter on Mother’s Day.

Thank you all so much.

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

On Sunday, March 17 before our 10 a.m. service, Mike Darst, of the Court Appointed Special Advocates for children of Wise and Jack Counties (CASA) gave a presentation to our congregation, highlighting their mission of being advocates for children who have no one to speak for them in the courts.

He spoke of how we could volunteer to give hope to a child. Court Appointed Special Advocates represent the best interest of abused and neglected children. CASA Advocates speak up for children in court and help ensure that the goals of safety and stability become reality. CASA of Wise and Jack Counties served 140 children in 2018, but more children are waiting for the hope that CASA Advocates provide.

If you are interested in volunteering, you may contact Mike Darst, training and recruitment coordinator at 214-632-6611 or mike.darst@casawise.org.