Mission and Outreach Committee
The Mission and Outreach Committee is one of the permanent Session Committees and is chaired by Trudy Cunningham.
The purpose of the M/O Committee is to share the Good News of Jesus Christ in both word and deed with Gloucester-Mathews and the world. The Committee is responsible for identifying local spiritual and physical needs, find and/or develop appropriate responses, promote awareness of the mission programs of the wider church, and recommend projects for budgeted financial support.
Traditionally, the Mission and Outreach Committee has distributed budgeted funds to a variety of service organizations which help needy people locally, nationally and internationally. In 2006, the M/O Committee began to emphasize “hands on” mission projects through mission seed grants in addition to distributing budgeted funds. Mission seed grants are intended to encourage FPC members to become active in mission work and to provide monetary assistance to those who were already active in providing services to needy people. Some of the projects were one time efforts and others, like Divorce Care, are ongoing.
A few of the mission efforts supported are:
- Two sister churches in the Democratic Republic of the Congo;
- Medical missionaries through the Medical Benevolence Foundation;
- Missionaries who share the love of Christ around the world through the Outreach Foundation;
- Wycliffe translator, Mike Miller;
- Mission trips to the Gulf area to assist with rebuilding after the devastation caused by Katrina and the youth mission trip to Tennessee; and
- Local organizations providing specialized services.
The M/O Committee manages the four denominational offerings each year: One Great Hour of Sharing, Pentecost, Peacemaking, and Christmas Joy Offering. The Committee sponsors the Nickel-a-Meal for Hunger Program.
The M/O Committee supports presbytery and synod programs such as, Makemie Woods and Massanetta Springs as well as providing for administrative costs of PEVA, the Synod of Mid-Atlantic, and the General Assembly.
For more information contact the church office:
804-693-2071
fpcglova@fpcglova.hrcoxmail.com