Mission Initiatives

Seasonal Programs:

• Turkeys/Hams: Many supermarkets offering free turkeys/hams during the holiday season when customers spend a required amount over the time period of the offer. If you will not need your turkey/ham, please consider donating it to the needy. As in the past, the turkeys/hams will be delivered to the Market Street Mission. Our collection date is usually the Sunday before the particular holiday (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter) http://www.marketstreet.org/) (Please keep the turkeys frozen.)

Mission of the Month for First Presbyterian Church and Meyersville Presbyterian Church:

• Mission of the Month Collections: Each month the congregations of Stirling and Meyersville target a special group to receive our mission collection. The Joint Mission Committee has identified the groups for 2023. For January through December, they will be Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA), Souper Bowl of Caring, One Great Hour of Sharing, Bridges Outreach Brown Bag Lunch Program, NJ Battered Women, Village 2 Village, Angel Tree - Christmas in July, Bridges Outreach, Church World Service (CWS) Blanket Sunday, Heifer International, Twelve Baskets Food Pantry, and Family Promise of Morris County.

Descriptions and Links for Some of Our Ongoing Programs:

• Participation in Bridges Outreach Program: Several members of the church gather once a month to make lunches for the homeless.  These brown bag lunches are delivered to the Summit office of Bridges Outreach where they are then hand delivered to homeless in Irvington, NYC, and Newark.   See the calendar for our next date!  We are always collecting donations juice packets, bottles of water, goldfish, pretzels, nuts, snacks of all kinds, pudding, and fruit cups.  We make 480 lunches per year and are grateful for the support of our congregation.  Please contact Janet Parziale with any questions or donations.
• Family Promise: Our congregations have been involved with Family Promise (previously known as Interfaith Hospitality Network) for over three decades. This organization provides a necessary support mechanism and a place for families in transition to eat and sleep. Partnering with other local churches we provide meals and onsite coordinators a few times a year at the Trinity House in Stirling.
• Twelve Baskets Food Pantry: in Long Hill Township has successfully launched with First Presbyterian Church-Stirling (FPC), Meyersville Presbyterian Church (MPC), and All Saints Episcopal Church (ASEC) in Millington working together to open a physical food pantry for Long Hill area residents who are experiencing food insecurity. You may drop off pantry items anytime at our church, placing items in baskets marked "Food Pantry" on the small table outside of Pollard Hall or in the narthex. Also, on the first Sunday of each month, pantry items are collected during our worship service. All items collected will be promptly delivered to the Twelve Baskets Food Pantry at All Saints' Episcopal Church.
  For more information, check out the following links:
• Village 2 Village: is a program in rural Uganda centered on "investing deeply in one child at a time." Meyersville Presbyterian Church has been sponsoring children for many years through their monetary gifts, letters to the children they sponsor, and their prayers. Their sponsorships have helped many school age children progress through elementary grades, to secondary grades, and onto vocational schools or college.
• Presbytery Disaster Assistance: Money collected for this program is used towards helping communities adversely affected by crises and catastrophic events.
• One Great Hour of Sharing: The three programs supported by One Great Hour of Sharing - Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, the Presbyterian Hunger Program, and Self-Development of People - all work in different ways to serve individuals and communities in need. From initial disaster response to ongoing community development, their work fits together to provide people with safety, sustenance, and hope.