2025 Missions

January

January is the month we take to pray and contemplate what our next mission should be.  It is a time to reflect on past outreach ideas and work to find new ways to help our community, our city, our state, our country, and the world.

Mission of the Month – February, 2025

We are supporting Wise Hope Shelter and Crisis Center for our February Mission of the Month.  Wise Hope supports women and children who must leave their homes due to violence, physical, sexual abuse.  We have supported them several times a year since we started this outreach ministry.

You can print this list and take it with you to the store.  We will get the items to Wise Hope the first week of March.  There will be hard copies in the narthex also.

As always, thank you for your big hearts…you always give so much of yourselves.

• Disposable aluminum cake pans (8” or 9”, and 9” x 13”)
• Cake mixes and frosting (all flavors)
• Brownie mixes
• Cookie mixes
• Candles
• Sprinkles or other decorations
• Candles
• Snacks of any kind, candy bars, individual size chips, peanut butter crackers, etc.
• Blankets (not comforters, full size, not throws)
• Women’s devotionals, mother’s devotionals, journals, Mother’s Day necklaces, keychains
• Ethnic hair products, shampoo, styling products, hair oil, etc. (these are rarely donated)
• Adut coloring books, colored pencils, kids coloring books and regular books

None of the items listed above are supplied by the shelter.   Clients miss having the chance to bake on their own for their own pleasure.  

Here are some pictures of items purchased.

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2024 Missions

Mission of the Month – February, 2024

Wise County Commission on Aging, Meals on Wheels, was our February mission.  Many seniors do not eat properly so we gathered good protein items and had them delivered to their office. 

 

Mission of the Month – March, 2024

Child Protective Services – RAINBOW ROOM, DECATUR (for when a child, age 0-17, is in the CPS/foster care system)

Generally – items children need when not in their own homes, especially if removed suddenly:
Diapers / wipes / other diapering needs
Smallish toys (easy to take if they move; they have plenty of stuffed animals at this time)
Coloring / activity books
New undies /socks

Specifically –
Shorts for boys and girls size 10-12 down to toddler 2.
Small soft blankets/throws (about 4’ x 5’) (not baby blankets). 
Young children’s toothpaste.

 

Mission of the Month – April, 2024

Our mission for April was to supply women incarcerated in FMC Carswell Camp, Fort Worth, with reading materials.  All sorts of books, novel, storybooks, biographies, history, language, geography, math – at all reading levels.  Here is what was collected.

 

Mission of the Month – May, 2024

We have often helped various area food pantries to supplement items they can’t get from the Tarrant Area Food Bank; things the Food Bank is short of like soup or protein-rich foods.  

For the first time I can remember, the Food Bank itself is short of everything and needs help. They have put out a call for funding assistance so that they can buy the items they supply to the pantries.  

Our efforts this month are to raise funds.  We sent two checks totaling several thousand dollars to help the food bank during this difficult time.

Mission of the Month – June, 2024

Over the Memorial Day weekend, several tornados struck North Texas. 

What they needed most was personal hygiene items, in small sizes.  They also needed new socks and underwear in all sizes. Because all of these things are small.  We also sent ziplock-style bags so that packages could be put together as individuals needed them.  

• Toothpaste/toothbrushes 
• Deodorant 
• Bug spray
• Neosporin 
• Feminine pads/tampons
• Reading glasses
• New underwear and socks in all sizes
• Contact lens supplies
• Aspirin/ibuprofen/Tylenol in small bottles 
• Razors
• Candies or small treats individually wrapped

Mission of the Month – July/August, 2024

During July and/or August every year, we supply a local volunteer fire department with much needed water, sports drinks, powdered electrolytes that can be added to the water.  The firefighters go through so much water and their supplies can deplete quickly. 

There is interest in helping Wise Hope shelter students with school supplies this year and we can add it as a continuation of our July Mission.  The cut-off date for school supplies is August 5.

I contacted Janice Thompson, Director of Wise Hope, and she told me they are doing things differently this year.  Instead of people donating all types of school supplies, which means many duplications and not enough other needed items) they have initiated an adopt-a-student program.  This way the student will get exactly what is needed.

If you wish to adopt a student from the list, go to wisehope.org and click on the “Get Involved” tab.  Under that tab click on “School Supply Drive.”  It has a list of supplies for several of the schools in the area.    Wise Hope is asking if we wish to adopt a student that we also supply a backpack for the items.

If you wish to adopt a high school-age student, they don’t have a particular list because it all depends on what each student’s class may require.  I was told that high school students will need a backpack and the usual items such as spiral notebooks (some regular and some thick), paper, pencils, pens, folders with brads, folders with pockets, etc.

If interested, please use this online form to help these students obtain what is needed for them to go to school.

If you have a thought on what we can do for our August MoM, let me know.  Jill will be out of town for a few more weeks.

Again, thank you all for all you do.

 

Mission of the Month –  September, 2024

School is underway. Students and teachers are working hard to get off to a good start.  In 2020, the students in my community started a small food pantry.  We are the Peaster Greyhounds, and the pantry is called the Greyhound Food Pound.  It is now operated by parents, all volunteer, with donations primarily from our own community.  We have been surprised how many families access it each week.  It is hard to keep food on the shelves.  

We are fortunate that local beef and chicken farmers sometimes donate hamburger and eggs.  But we need help with non-perishable, easy to fix foods.  Some families only have a microwave or hotplate to cook with (they had a crockpot drive this summer).

We will collect items at Church through Sunday, September 29.  Here is a list of products they need most often: 

• PASTA SAUCE (don’t need pasta)
  SEASONING PACKETS (taco, gravy, etc.)
  CANNED MEALS/MEATS (tuna, chili, stew, ravioli, Spam, etc.)
  MICROWAVEABLE MEALS/MEALS IN A BOX (don’t need mac n cheese)
  POP TARTS
  BAKING MIXES
  SYRUP/HONEY/SUGAR 
  SALSA
  INSTANT OATMEAL
  COOKING OIL
  LAUNDRY DETERGENT/DISH LIQUID
  FEMININE HYGIENE PRODUCTS

Thank you for your prayers over this outreach. 

Mission of the Month – October, 2024

Bridgeport Animal Shelter.  I delivered all the collected donations on Friday.  Thank You All for supporting this!

They were on their last bag of litter and cat food.  They said for me to Thank You for your support.

We did not know if the Animal Control Officer would make it & started unloading the cleaners and some litter.  He showed up and wanted a Photo (like last year) so he could post on the shelter’s Facebook page.

Thank you all again.

 

Mission of the Month – November, 2024

Your donations can be brought to our church between now and November 17, or mail ordered for delivery to their church at:

First United Methodist Church 

104 S. Miller

Decatur,  TX. 76234

*if you want to add delivery instructions, say “deliver to church office.”

If you’ve already purchased more items from the original list, all extra products will be donated to the new food pantry at the Decatur Cares Rock House.  If you heard the original list and wondered how we got so much – we didn’t do it all.  Some of their class groups have stepped up with commitments as well.

ALSO, we are invited to join them for a Thanksgiving lunch at their church after our church service on the 24th.  They are replacing their services that day with packing the baskets, starting at 9:30.  If they haven’t finished when we get there for lunch, we can help them finish up.  

If you know anyone who needs a Thanksgiving basket, they are still receiving applications.   I have attached a photo of the form.  Due date is November 8, pick up date is November 24 at the Methodist Church 12-1:30.

My Thanksgiving is Giving Thanks for each one of you, whether you are able to donate food, or prayers, or both! 

 

Mission of the Month – December, 2024

 Well, you did it again!  Our small parish produced 335 individual Christmas Greetings for mostly underprivileged and often isolated senior citizens in Wise County.   Well done my good and faithful friends! 

For November we were asked by CASA to provide some Christmas gifts for teens.  Usually, the younger children get plenty of gifts, but the teens don’t always receive much.  We provided hoodies, coats, duffle bags, cosmetics, and other gifts we thought teens would like.  Here are a few pictures:

Because Wise Hope is an organization we help during the year, I received a call from their director, Janice Thompson, asking us to attend their Candlelight Vigil in Decatur. They also hold vigils in Bowie and Jacksboro. Janice asked me if I would speak at the vigil on the importance of small non-profit organizations giving back to the community. Several of our members attended and it was very nice. I was also asked to publish my speech which you may find below. October is Domestic Abuse Awareness Month. We support Wise Hope and all the work they do in our community.

Wise Hope Candlelight Vigil – October 10, 2023

7:30 p.m. – 306 W. Main St., Decatur, TX

Thank you, Janice, and all of you from Wise Hope, visitors, and guests, for having me this evening.  It is an honor to be here.  I must say first of all that I am not a speaker, so I hope you will bear with me for just a few minutes.

My name is Ellen Whitley, and I am a member of the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection…the little white church just down the street at the corners of Church and Hale.  A lot of people around here  call it the wedding chapel, because it was one at one time.  It’s also been an Episcopal Church 3 times, so we hope the third time is the charm. We’re small.  Our roster of members is maybe about 30.  So, we’re tiny…but we’re mighty.  Don’t think that being small or being just one person, that you can’t make a difference.  Shakespeare wrote in a Midsummer Night’s Dream, “Tho she be but little, she is fierce.”  We as a church feel outreach is an important part of who we are.  You don’t have to be big to do something to help others.  Our Mission of the Month consists of doing something once a month for an organization needing help.  During a whole month we gather needed items for a chosen charity.  Little by little we do it in small purchases throughout the month.  It doesn’t seem like much.  But, by the end of the month, we always collect a good number of items to give. We call ourselves “The Little Church That Can.”

Giving back to your community is not just a Christian thing to do.  It is a human thing to do.  We are all brothers and sisters of the same God.  There is a Jewish phrase, Tikkun Olam, which means “Improving or Repairing the world.”  They feel it is their duty to do this.  You can find “Love your neighbor” or some form of it in every religious faith you look into.  We are in this small place in Wise County, Texas.  Look at Wise Hope.  Look at what they do to help those who need protection and have nowhere else to go.  What an honorable thing they do. What a wonderful way of showing love.  As our Presiding Bishop says, “If it’s not about love, it’s not about God!”   One person or one family at a time is helped by this organization.  What would these families do without them?  Where would they go?  What a blessing to have Wise Hope in Wise, Jack, and Montague Counties.  They give and will continue to give as long as there is a need.

Some of the organizations in this county my church helps during the year are the veterans, seniors, especially their Meals on Wheels program, CASA, children’s advocacy program that helps children through the court systems, animal shelters, hospital staff, especially the ICU and ER nurses, just to name a few.   All these organizations do unto others as we would have others do unto us.  This is the golden rule.  That is what giving back to your community is all about.  In our Baptismal Covenant we are asked:

Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?

And we answer:  I will with God’s help.

Every single one of us is capable of doing something for our neighbors…be it a smile, a word of encouragement, getting their mail, offering a ride.  All these things are little…and we can all do them.  It doesn’t have to be a gift of money, or even items, or anything big, but giving of yourselves, by volunteering if you can.  Let your love shine through in whatever you do.

I’d like to close with a version of an African quote that really speaks to my heart.  I believe it is something we can all think about when we are called upon to reach out to our neighbors:  “If many little people in many little places do may little things, they can change the face of the earth.”

Thank you again for having me, and God bless you.

Ellen Whitley

In September the congregation wanted to support our local Meals on Wheels program.  Because they have been struggling some ever since COVID, we gave a nice monetary gift.

In October we again had our Annual Festival Day featuring our St. Francis Blessing of the Animals.  Along with our sisters and brothers in Christ from the Methodist Church, we had a group of pets to be blessed as well as some fun things for the children to do.  The First United Methodist Church provided the crafts for the children and Resurrection provided water and snacks for everyone.  Also during October, we always collect for one of our local animal shelters.  Again, we got many items for the Bridgeport Animal Shelter.  Here’s what we collected this year.

In June we collected different kinds of sock for our local Veterans group, and they were very well received.  You don’t think much about socks, but these folks were excited to get so many different kinds…all sizes, men’s and women’s, compression and diabetic socks, etc.

In July and August, we gathered water, sports drinks, and Liquid IV for our brave firefighters.  This year we gave our donation to the Runaway Bay Volunteer Fire Department.  Everything was gratefully appreciated.

Remember how many glasses we collected last time for the leper colony in Hyderabad, India?  It was over 100 pairs.  We did the same in July and August, with the help from friends and families.  Jill McClendon presented our donation to Dr. Babbili and his staff.  He will take his team to India and with the help of ophthalmologists there, they will regrind the lenses to fit particular needs.  Also, the sunglasses will help protect delicate eyes.  Thank you all for your generosity.

We gathered all kinds of  SOUP for 4Saints Food Pantry.  Here are some pictures of what we collected (and some items were still in cars).  Y’all filled up the whole back pew and on the floor and under the pew.  So many folks volunteered to tote everything to Jill’s car so she could deliver them to 4Staints..  Thanks for doing such an amazing job.  I believe the challenge has been met!

Our mission for April was Refugees Services of Texas which needed funding due to extreme budget shortfalls as a result of re-homing more refugees than originally anticipated.  For those who donated to this cause, thank you.  We will also add funds to whatever was personally donated and send them a nice check. 

Below is a note from Jill McClendon:

It’s a “God thing,” again!

Our winter Mission of the Month project, raising funds to retire medical debt, has come to a conclusion with amazing results.  I knew we had exceeded our goal of retiring $500,000 in medical debt in our surrounding counties.  However, when I received our final report, I was surprised to learn that we were able to retire more than $1,600,000.  

Please offer a prayer of gratitude to our Lord, that we were able to provide financial relief to more than 1,000 people.  And Thank You to all of you for your participation and generosity.  Jill

January – We generally step back and see where we are and what we would like to do next.  So, prayerfully we will see where help is needed and go from there.

February – 4Saints Food Bank asked for all kinds of canned goods, cleaning products, diapers, etc.

March – Wise Hope Shelter and Crisis Center was in need with cleaning products and we collected quite a selection of items.

April – Disable American veterans, Chapter #70, Decatur, TX asked for the following items for their vets: toothbrushes and toothpaste, trial-sized shampoo, soap, wash cloths, feminine products (there are a few women), individual tissue packs, canned food, especially protein, that can be opened without a can opener, tuna pouches, peanut butter (small jars), individual servings of baked beans, etc.

May – The Mission of the Month for May is the Moses Project.  The incarcerated men in the Bridgeport Correctional Facility are sewing many items to present to new parents. We purchased items for newborns as well to give for the men to include in the bassinets they make.  Even crib sheets, towels, little toys, etc.; nothing too large.  Diapers were needed in sizes Medium and Large.  I found out that Medium diapers are for babies 17 to 22 lbs., and Large diapers are for babies 23 to 33 lbs. They were unable to accept used sewing machines and any new sewing machines they need are purchased wholesale.  However, they were still in need of another commercial sewing machine.  We provided the funds for them to purchase the much-needed new sewing machine.

   

June – Wise County Committee on Aging. We provided all sorts of Bingo prizes for their Seniors.  They were thrilled with all the fun prizes collected.

       

July – Refugees Services of North Texas Amazon wishlist.

August – we supplied, water, sports drinks, Liquid IV to local Volunteer Fire Departments in Wise County.

 

September – Children’s Advocacy Center in Bridgeport. We supplied many items for their Rainbow room to help their clients who may have nothing when they come to the Center.  We provided food, diapers, cleaning products, baby items, etc., and they were very appreciative.

  

October – Wise County Animal Shelter was in need of puppy/kitten food, dog food (dry), Dawn detergent, bleach, kitty litter.   At our new Annual “Festival Day” Fr. Tony also dedicated and blessed our Little Free Library.  Children had their faces painted, enjoyed an easy bird feeder craft, and selected books to take home with them.

                       

We also helped with the First United Methodist Church’s Trunk or Treat, dressing in full Harry Potter costume and handed out lots of goodies to the children.  Harry Potter was our theme:

During October, we also supported Atreyu Howard, our AV whiz, by going to Decatur High School and watching him play Prince Charming in “Into the Woods, Jr.” It was held on two nights and several of us were able to go. It was such a good musical and we are proud of Atreyu.

     

               

November – We focused on CASA, which stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates for children. These advocates are paired with children, and they assure that the child’s best interests are being represented at every stage of the court case.  CASA had a toy drive for their children on December 3, and Santa handed out all the gifts.  For our small congregation we gathered many gifts.  Below are a few pictures.

In December our latest Outreach Project is helping needy families, in our surrounding counties, retire their medical debt. This will serve as our Mission of the Month for December, and perhaps beyond. We are working with “RIP Medical Debt,” a charitable organization that buys up medical debt from collection agencies and uses our donations to cover the costs. They have a 100% rating from Charity Navigator.
— Every dollar you donate pays off $100.
When we raise $5,000, we will pay off $500,000 in debt!  Please follow the link below to donate. You may
donate electronically or send a check with Episcopal Church of the Resurrection’s name on the memo line. Here is that information
to mail a check:
RIP Medical Debt
28-07 Jackson Ave, 5th Fl
Long Island City, NY 11101

https://ripmedicaldebt.org/…/an-episcopal-outreach-to…/?
Thank you.

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We have several Missions of the Moment.

• We donate blood whenever possible to help alleviate the terrible shortage in our area of whole blood and platelets.
• We collect pull tabs from soda, vegetable, soup, pet food cans and add them to the large jar in the narthex. These are then taken to our contact for Ronald McDonald House. These pull tabs are collected all over the country and all the monies go to provide service to the families of children in the hospital
• We collected over 100 pairs of glasses/sunglasses for a local doctor to take to a leper colony in Hyderabad, India. Dr. Babbili takes a team with him, and these used glasses are modified to make them fit individual patients. This is the second time we have reached out to this community. Dr. Babbili responded to these gifts, “Thank you and all who donated these precious spectacles for the use of indigent and untouchables in Hyderabad leprosy colonies. God bless you all immensely.”

This has been a good year of giving by our thoughtful and caring congregation. Our church was started on the premise that it would be focused on outreach. This is what we try to do each month of every year. Thank you all so much for your generous, loving hearts. The more we give of ourselves, the more will come back to us.