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Faith Presbyterian is a church that intentionally reaches out to
“the least of these”. The Mission Committee provides opportunities for Faith's members to reach out to others. Here are some of the missions we are involved in:
We Care Food Ministry
WE CARE is a food ministry program funded by the congregation of Faith Presbyterian Church since 1980. The program’s primary objective is to supply basic food items to individuals and families in the Cape Coral area who find themselves in personal distress. These people are served regardless of religious affiliation.
Applications for WE CARE can be picked up at the church office, and all applicants must be Lee County residents. These applications are then screened for validity. If valid, the applicants are given food for a two month period or longer depending on the case. This is not a long term maintenance program. Food is sorted and packed on Tuesdays and distributed every Friday morning.
A church-wide food drive is held twice a year—once in the fall and in the spring we ask our northern visitors to empty their pantries and bring us their extra food. Both food and monetary contributions are gratefully accepted at any time. Bulk shopping is purchased from Harry Chapin Food Bank and other food is purchased at Sam’s Club and Publix.
Families on the program at Easter and Christmas are given a ham and Thanksgiving participants receive a turkey, along with all the trimmings for these holiday meals.
The Sunday after Thanksgiving, a Christmas tree is set up outside the sanctuary with the names of We Care children and their ages. Members of the congregation select a child’s name, purchase a gift or gift certificate for that child and returns it to the church so WE CARE can give them to the children’s parents for the holiday.
In accordance with Federal law, USDA policy and our contract with the Harry Chapin Food Bank, we will not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, age, color, national origin, or disability. Harry Chapin also includes sexual orientation or religion.
Volunteer Opportunities: Sorting food, packing food and distributing food.
Program Administrator: Marianne Grasso
(top of page)
Mission Peniel, Immokalee
Peace River Presbytery established Mission Peniel in Immokalee. Our congregation and other Presbyterian churches in three Presbyterys help Pastor Miguel Estrada minister to the immigrant farm workers who come to this community.
- Back to School Program: Faith’s congregation gives backpacks filled with school supplies to middle school students in Immokalee.
- Diaper Drive: We have a diaper drive once a year that provides a year’s worth of diapers that are distributed by Mission Peniel and the Guadeloupe Social Services.
- Information Trips: About once a month our administrator takes 12 to 14 people to Immokalee to help Pastor Miguel Estrada, feed 200-300 farm workers. We also try to provide them and their families with clothing. Men’s jeans or slacks, sizes 30 to 38, shoes sizes 5 to 9, and long-sleeved shirts sizes small to large are needed. Women’s clothing in all sizes and small children’s clothing and childrens’ games are needed. Pastor Estrada holds worship services several times a week.
Volunteer opportunities: Preparing and serving meals, sorting and distributing clothing.
Program administrator: Dick Negley, dicknegley@embarqmail.com, telephone number (239) 489-4285. (top of page)
Health Ministries
Pam Rowland, R.N. and Bill Shallbetter take blood pressure readings in Fellowship Hall the first Sunday of each month. The bloodmobile is scheduled every 8 weeks. Once a year the visiting nurses come and give flu shots. (top of page)
Habitat for Humanity
In the spring of 2008, Faith teamed with other Presbyterian churches in the area to build a Habitat Presbyterian House at 2511 64th Street in LeHigh Acres. Our commitment was for both money and labor. Habitat for Humanity International is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry. Through volunteer labor and donations of money and materials, Habitat builds or rehabilitates simple, decent houses with the help of the homeowner families. Habitat houses are sold at no profit and financed with affordable loans. The homeowner’s monthly mortgage payments are used to build yet more Habitat homes.
Homeowners have to provide a down payment, the monthly mortgage payments and hundreds of hours of their own labor into building either their own home or the homes of other recipients. They are also required to attend homeowner classes before moving into their new home. Neither race nor religion is a factor in choosing the families who receive Habitat houses.
Volunteer opportunities: Help building at all stages from wall raising, roofing, tiling, dry walling, painting, etc. Volunteers can also work in the Paint Shop painting doors, window frames and trim. Volunteers can also volunteer at the Habitat for Humanity Lee County’s three thift shops in Cape Coral, North Fort Myers and Labelle. Monetary donations are always welcome. For more volunteer opportunities go to habitat4humanity.org.
Program administrators: Chuck or Sandra McClinton, (239) 471-7704, Sandra.mcclinton@comcast.net. (top of page)
ECHO (Educational Concerns for Hunger)
ECHO is a Christian non-profit organization whose mission is to “network with community leaders in developing countries to seek hunger solutions for families growing food under difficult conditions.”
ECHO exists, in the name of Christ, to increase the impact of people called to minister to peasant farmers and urban gardeners in the Third World: (a) by providing ideas, information, seeds, training and guidance in developing effective agricultural projects; (b) and by educating people in the United States about Third World agricultural issues and the plants, animals and techniques available to address them.
Past support have been donations given through the Mission Committee. Several Faith members have volunteered there and given donations. Last spring a team of Faith Youth spent a day volunteering on the 55-acre ECHO farm located in North Ft. Myers. Faith member Geri Westlund has volunteered there since 1995 and served on ECHO’s Board of Directors from 2001-2007.
Volunteer opportunities: gardening, seed bank, office and library help, bookstore, farm fixing and creative skills.
Program Administrator: Gerri Westlund, (239) 731-7258, Germar26@aol.com.
ECHO Contact: Marilyn Acton, ECHO Volunteer Coordinator, macton@echonet.org.
(top of page)
Faith's Handy Helpers
This is a group of Faith’s members who help other members with small jobs around the home. Projects included are home maintenance, house cleaning, lawn maintenance and shopping.
Volunteer opportunities: Carpentry and home repair skills, house cleaning, shopping, lawn mowing, lawn fertilizing and light gardening.
Program administrator: Shirley Ensor, (239) 574-3141, jsensor@embarqmail.com
(top of page)
Special Offerings
- Blanket the World - A special offering taken to provide blankets and tools to those who need them.
- Christmas Joy Offering - A Presbyterian tradition for almost seventy years, the Christmas Joy Offering provides congregations direct ways of supporting specific causes that help those in need. Fifty percent of the receipts to the Christmas Joy Offering are distributed to the Board of Pensions for assistance programs that provide support to retired and active church workers and their spouses and families. The other fifty percent supports Presbyterian-related racial ethnic education through the National Ministries Division of the General Assembly Council. Funds provide scholarships to deserving students as well as help with basic operating costs. These institutions develop leaders in the church and in society, and they enable any qualified student regardless of race to discover and pursue their professional goals. This offering is usually received the Sunday before Christmas.
- One Great Hour of Sharing -
Since 1949, Presbyterians have joined with millions of other Christians through One Great Hour of Sharing to share God’s love with people experiencing need. Our gifts support ministries of disaster response, refugee assistance and resettlement, and community development that help people find safe refuge, start new lives, and work together to strengthen their families and communities.
The Presbyterian Hunger Program receives 36% of undesignated One Great Hour of Sharing gifts, while The Self-Development of People and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance each receives 32%.
This offering is usually taken on Easter or Palm Sunday, or both.
- Peacemaking - The Peacemaking Offering was created in 1980 to support the efforts of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to live out a deeper commitment to peacemaking as part of our faithfulness to God. Most churches receive the offering on World Communion Sunday, the first Sunday in October. Each congregation is encouraged to retain 25 percent of the Offering it receives to use for local ministries of peacemaking within the church and its community. Twenty-five percent is used by presbyteries and synods, and 50 percent is used by the General Assembly ministries through the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program.Congregations have been encouraged to use a portion or all of their twenty-five percent of the Peacemaking Offering as a faithful Christian response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic
- Pentecost -
The Pentecost Offering is traditionally received on the day of Pentecost. It provides a direct way to meet the needs of children at risk, youth, and young adults. Congregations are encouraged to keep 40% of the Offering to support ministry with children at risk in their communities. The General Assembly’s portion (60%) provides leadership development opportunities for Presbyterian youth and young adults and supports children-at-risk programs at the national level. Since 1998, Presbyterians of all ages have raised over $7 million for these ministries that benefit younger members of God’s family. (top of page)
Feed the hungry and help those in trouble.
Then your light will shine out from the darkness,
and the darkness around you will be bright as day.
--Isaiah 58:10
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