Episcopal Church of the Resurrection

Author: Ellen

Mission of the Month January-December, 2022

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.

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

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.

Mission of the Month – June-December, 2021

Mission of the Minute – 2021

Mission of the Minute is an ongoing gathering of items for the following:

  1. Grocery sacks for the mobile food pantry which comes once a month to the Methodist parking lot.
  • Eyeglasses for the leper colony in India (I have two sacks at home ready to go whenever the eye doctor can go back to India).
  • Little Free Library – we keep it well stocked, and it is being used.
  • Blood/platelet donations

Mission of the Month – 2021

Due to COVID we were unable to gather during the first part of the year and didn’t get back to in-person worship until May.

  1. June – Refugee Services of North Texas.  We provided some tablets for new clients that were arriving.
  • July – Wise Hope Shelter and Crises Center.  We gathered school supplies for their clients’ children as well as paper towels, paper plates, zip-lock bags, facial tissue, sanitizing wipes, laundry detergent, trash bags, coffee and creamer.
  • August – Veteran Services.  We provided the following needed items: cloth or reusable grocery bags, travel sized laundry soap, personal travel size bars of soap, shampoo, deodorant, toothbrushes/paste, hand sanitizer.
  • September – Wise Health System.  The Chamber of Commerce posted a calendar and we picked September 30 to be the day Resurrection would go to the hospital with our offering.  We supplied goody bags to their staff.  We filled 75 bags with snacks, chips, popcorn, crackers, candy, silly little fuzzy characters, pencils, pens, stickers, but the biggest gift we could give was handwritten, heartfelt, thank you/appreciation cards for each bag.  We found out later that the bags went to the nursing staff.  They were elated.
  • October – Wise County Animal Shelters.  This year the items needed are bleach, Dawn, kitten chow, dry dog food, cat litter, cat toys, 409 spray, liquid laundry detergent, dryer sheets.
  1. November – Refugees Services of North Texas was in need of several items and an Amazon wish list was established.  People could go to Amazon and purchase individual items to be sent to their address.  Also, we collected numerous gently used and new coats of different sizes for the refugees who came to this country and are experiencing different climate.
  • December – Toys for Tots

Additional Way to Give

Refugee Services of Texas – Fort Worth

If you are looking for another way to give this Christmas or any time throughout the year, check out Refugee Services of Texas–Fort Worth. Their needs are many as families are relocated to our area. You may contact them at their office, 4200 South Fwy Ste 320, Fort Worth, TX 76115 or call (817) 413-3772. They also have a Facebook wish listhttps://www.amazon.com/…/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_ws…Thank you.

August Mission of the Month – 2021

For the month of August we supported our veterans. The following items were gathered and delivered to the representatives of the Wise County Veterans Services:

  • produce bags (reusable/cloth)
  • travel laundry soap
  • deodorant
  • individual shampoo
  • toothbrushes/toothpaste
  • mouthwash
  • lotion
  • travel body wash
  • pocket combs/brushes

Here is veteran representative Blake Walls and Resurrection’s Susy Sportsman

July Mission of the Month – 2021

We started worshiping in person in May, 2021 and after a few months we were back at it with our outreach work. Our July mission was to support Wise Hope Shelter and Crises Center which provides safety, strength and hope to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in Wise, Jack and Montague counties.  Here is what we provided to them:

School supplies for the clients’ children included:

paper towels, paper plates, zip lock bags, facial tissues, sanitizing wipes.

For those living at the shelter, they were in need of laundry detergent, sanitizing wipes, feminine hygiene products, kitchen trash bags, individual mouthwash, bug repellent, local gift cards (restaurant, Walmart, gas), large and XL zip lock bags, facial tissue, coffee and coffee creamer, indoor/outdoor kids’ activities.

Here is a photo of what we delivered to them:

Mission of the Moment – 2020

Well, folks, as all of you know, 2020 has been a year of change, isolation, fear, sadness, loneliness, sickness, etc. COVID-19 is a horrible virus and we hope all of you are staying safe and healthy. Due to the fact that our church building is so small, we have been unable to meet physically for worship…social distancing is not possible. Therefore, the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection in Decatur meets via Zoom each week. Also, there is a link on this site to view the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth’s weekly services.

Because gathering items for our missions each month is not safe, we have had to forego our Mission of the Month. It has become Mission of the Moment in which we reach out to individuals as well as organizations as the needs are brought to our attention. We will get back to a more hands-on approach when it becomes safe for us to do so.

Before the shelter-at-home order went into effect, we did provide needed items to our local veteran organization and began gathering used eyeglasses for the leper colony in India. We have monetarily supported other organizations, such as Meals on Wheels, 4Saints Food Pantry, Wise Hope Shelter and Crises Center, and Episcopal Church in Navajoland. We are also helping our communities by donating blood when able.

We have installed a Little Free Library and have it stocked with books for young children, teens, and adults. We offer some Spanish and bilingual books and they have been enjoyed by many of our neighbors. As soon as this pandemic is over, we will have a formal dedication. Our Little Free Library will be the first of its kind registered in Wise County, TX. Here are a few pictures:

With the changes in our lives during the past year, we all can find blessings every day if we look for them. Whether getting a glimpse of deer grazing in a pasture along with the cattle, watching birds come in for some seed, or seeing smiling eyes above the masks of people we see once in a while– all of these are blessings. But, the biggest blessing of all is being able to help when people are hurting. It doesn’t take much, but it is appreciated more than you know. Thank you all for the little bit of comfort we can offer to those who need it.

October Mission of the Month – 2019

Woof! Meow! Bark! All the wonderful sounds of some of God’s greatest creatures filled the grounds of the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection in Decatur, TX, on October 5. We celebrated the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi on that beautiful Saturday along with our brothers and sisters from the First United Methodist Church of Decatur. Our own Fr. Tony Hiatt was paired with Pastor Cassie Wade in officiating our meaningful service, giving thanks to God for the animals given to us to care for and watch over.

Every October we also gather items needed at our local animal shelter. This year we collected the following items for the Bridgeport Animal Shelter: Cat litter, bleach, Dawn liquid detergent, kitten food, puppy food, inexpensive leashes. Afterward, there was a neighborhood hot dog lunch for anyone wishing to come and stay for fellowship and a meal. It was a great day!

Here are some pictures:

August & September Mission of the Month – 2019

Little children and senior citizens have much in common. Each group gets excited during the holidays; their eyes light up at the wonderment of the seasons — Easter with parades and baskets of chocolate, Thanksgiving with fall decorations and turkey and dressing, Christmas with all the colorful lights and stockings hung high on the mantel. Who wouldn’t be excited?

Seniors who live in assisted living settings, or in nursing facilities sometimes don’t have the same excitement as they used to have when they were in their own home settings.

During August and September, we decided to work with the Wise County Committee on Aging to gather items for stocking stuffers to hand out to residents of assisted living and nursing/rehabilitation centers. Many, many items were collected which included games, thank you notes, blank stationery and stamps, adult coloring books and crayons/pencils, books, lotions, throws, etc.

Here are a few pictures of the items gathered and delivered:

Ellen Whitley, Jill McClendon, Amy Pegues

If anyone needs assistance from the Wise County Community on Aging or would want to help by volunteering their services, please contact the Committee:

Amy Pegues, Executive Director
Wise County Committee on Aging, Inc.
300 N. Trinity St
PO Box 903
Decatur, TX 76234
Phone 940-627-5329 
Fax 940-627-1945
Email wisecountymeals@gmail.com
Services: Meals and Transportation

July Mission of the Month – 2019

I remember how much fun it was to go with my mother to the store to pick out folders, pencils, pens, ink (yes, we used real ink in fillable pens back in the day).  It was an exciting time–ready to get back to friends and explore new subjects.  

Children who are in peril, who must leave their homes quickly because they, their siblings, and mother are not safe, leave without anything but the clothes on their backs.  Wise Hope Shelter and Crisis Center temporarily houses women and children who have nowhere safe to go.  When it comes time for school to start, the children have no supplies.

Our July Mission of the Month was to gather as many school supplies we could and take them to the shelter.  When school time approaches, Wise Hope lets the children pick out a backpack, and then, like going to the store, they are given their list and all the items are picked and placed into the backpack.  Everything they need in one trip to the shelter’s office.  No worries…just happy faces.

Recently I was told the Decatur center also helps Bowie in Montague County and Jacksboro in Jack County with supplies.  That is three counties in North Texas we are helping.  Wise Hope is always grateful for the help we provide the shelter, and I cannot thank our members enough for their generous giving.

We also collected several nice towels and washcloths.

Below are several pictures of the things we gathered:

If you know of anyone who needs to leave a dangerous situation, below is the shelter’s information:

Wise Hope Shelter & Crisis Center

24 Hour Crisis Hotline – 940-626-4855

P.O. Box 569 • 608 North Business 81-287 • Decatur, TX 76234

Tel: 940-626-4855  • Fax: 940-626-4117