THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF DANVILLE
Local Mission
World Mission
Serve
General
As Jesus said, From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required (Luke 12:48). God calls us to mission work wherever there is need. It is the responsibility of the Local Mission committee to address the needs of Boyle County residents which is accomplished through a variety of ministries, including:
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Mental Health Initiative
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Showers of Blessings
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Salvation Army
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Cents-Ability Offering
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Deacons Aid Fund
General
In response to Jesus’ commission to “go into all the world”, our World Mission Team directs the church’s ministries to ways in which we can partner with our brothers and sisters in Christ in many parts of the globe. Our intent is not to dispense charity, but rather to empower people to improve their quality of life in a sustainable way. Some of these partnerships include:
Mental Health Initiative
Background of the Project:
With the guidance of the Adult Formation Committee and the approval of the Session, Comfort My People, a four-session curriculum prepared by the PC(USA),was taught via Zoom from September 9 through October 7, 2020.Twenty-two persons participated in the study, designed to increase awareness and understanding of mental illness and to enhance the church’s ministry to families isolated by its impact. A fifth session was added to present a panel of local stakeholders to facilitate our perspective on these families’ needs in our community. Participants included the Chief of Police, the Jailer, the Clinical Director and a Case Manager of our local mental health center (New Vista, formerly Comprehensive Care),the Director of Ephraim McDowell’s Behavioral Health unit, and the Director of the Boyle County Agency for Substance Abuse Policy.
The course was evaluated by participants, who also were asked to offer suggestions for follow-up and to choose from an array of recommendations for congregations’ ministries, recommended by the PC(USA)in their study booklet. Participants ’recommendations guided our development of a grant application for financial support from the Presbyterian Office of Mental Health Ministry, who had requested such proposals.
Summary of Project:
This project will expand the ministry of The Presbyterian Church of Danville and of Transylvania Presbytery to families experiencing severe mental illness through the processes of education, training, advocacy, and collaboration with external partners.
Education:
An annual calendar of educational events (film, posters, handouts, an adopted statement of commitment, special educational events, sermons, and presentation to small groups) will be completed by the close of the grant year. These events will build awareness, address stigma, and help to develop an understanding about mental illness and its impact on our families.
A course using the PCUSA Policy Statement, Comfort My People, will be presented via ZOOM to the 75 churches of the Presbytery of Transylvania. A workshop will be presented to the presbytery’s Commission on Preparation for Ministry, its candidates, and its Commissioned Ruling Elders. The course will also be repeated in late summer to our congregation, whenCOVID-19conditions may allow in-person attendance.
Training:
The Stephen Ministers of the congregation will be offered additional training to enhance their ability to companion families with mental illness and help to mitigate their isolation. Training will also be offered to volunteers who have indicated an interest in a program of companionship to persistently mentally ill persons outside the congregation.
Support of the Mission of the PCUSA
This includes the functioning of our Presbytery (Transylvania), Synod (Synod of Living Waters) and General Assembly. Funds are used for operations as well as local and world ministries, including support of our long-term missionaries abroad. Learn more at www.pcusa.org/worldmission
KIVA
This microfinance organization loans funds to people in developing countries who have no access to conventional loans needed for starting a business, funding an education, and other activities that help them become self-sufficient. An initial investment from our operating budget has nearly tripled, as the loans are repaid and then reinvested. Learn more at https://www.kiva.org/
Living Waters for the World
We believe that clean water is a basic human right; yet many areas of the world struggle to have access to clean water, and millions of people die each year from water-borne disease – most of them children under the age of five. This ministry of trains and equips congregational mission teams to install clean water systems in developing countries, and to educate those communities about the proper use of clean water. The Presbyterian Church of Danville is actively engaged in this ministry, having installed many of these systems in the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico since 2003. Many of our congregants have traveled with these mission teams, and many more have supported with financial support and with prayer. Learn more at www.livingwatersfortheworld.org.
Ministry in Madagascar
Mamisoa Rakatomalala is a Malagasy pastor, ordained by the national church (FJKM) and serving 14 congregations in that poverty-stricken nation. She is currently studying for an advanced degree in congregational leadership training at Columbia Seminary (Decatur, GA), and plans to return to her country to empower churches in developing internal leadership skills. Mamisoa has visited with our congregation several times, and we have nurtured a warm relationship with her and her family.
Dalit Children in India
Four Dalit (‘untouchable’) children in India receive direct support from this church through Witnessing Ministries of Christ, enabling them to be fed, clothed and educated. These precious children of God, through education, are being saved from the degradation of the caste system. Learn more at www.witnessingministries.org.
Soup's on Us
General
The Presbyterian Church of Danville is one of four area churches participating in a program to serve nutritious meals to those that are hungry in our community. Usually on the second Saturday of the month, from 8:30am - 12:00pm, all are welcome to come to Fellowship Hall to prepare, package and deliver these meals. There is a job for everyone - even the smallest hands can get involved!
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For more information or if you would like to get involved, please contact the Church office.
Good Shepherd Hospital, Democratic Republic of the Congo
This hospital is the primary health care facility of IMCK (Christian Medical Institute of the Kasai), the major medical teaching institution in this nation. We support both patient care and medical training in this Congolese Presbyterian institution. Learn more at: www.imck.org.
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance
Recent years have brought a number of natural disasters in this country and around the world. Through support of our denomination’s disaster assistance program, as well as by sending people for on-site work teams, we have helped to alleviate the suffering from these tragedies. Learn more at www.pda.pcusa.org/
Kentucky Refugee Ministries
Our church has sponsored several refugee families, providing them with a place to live and assistance in assimilating into the community. We have enabled families from Bosnia, Iraq, Liberia and Syria to have a new, safe beginning in the U.S. Learn more at www.kyrm.org.
Louisville Presbyterian
Theological Seminary
LPTS has its roots right here in Danville, where it was established in 1853, operating primarily on the site of the present Centre College. In 1893, LPTS was founded, and the two seminaries merged into the Louisville campus. With a fine reputation for the education of clergy of several denominations, as well as Christian educators and counselors, LPTS is one of ten PCUSA seminaries in the country, and the only one within our Synod of Living Waters. The seminary is now tuition-free, making it more possible for new pastors to serve our smaller churches. Learn more at: www.lpts.edu
Bread for the World
Understanding that even while we offer direct support to the needs of the world, we must also attack the systemic causes of poverty and social injustice, this church actively supports Bread for the World, an organization that raises a strong voice in Washington D.C. on behalf of legislations that affect our global policies. Learn more at www.bread.org.
Special Offerings
Our denomination sponsors four annual “Special Offerings” that support various domestic and international ministries. This church participates in all of these offerings annually, providing thousands of dollars of assistance to these programs. Learn more at www.pcusa.org.
Zoe Empowers
Zoe Empowers equips orphans in Kenya, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Liberia, India, and Tanzania with tools and training to overcome life-threatening poverty for good. Group empowerment over a 3-year period enables these orphans to become self-sufficient and independent and thrive in their environment. Every donation is leveraged by these young people to meet their needs across eight areas of life. Zoe Empowers is economically efficient, allowing donors to maximize their impact in partnership with one trusted organization. Your Danville church sponsors (in partnership with Pisgah, Beaumont, Maxwell Street, and Versailles Presbyterian Churches) a group in Kenya.
Presbyterian Hunger Program
Our members give generously through the monthly PCUSA “Centsability” offering, a large portion of which funds our local “Soups on Us” program. The offering also supports the Presbyterian Hunger Program that supports food initiatives in the US and around the world. Learn more at: www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/compassion-peace-justice/hunger/