Youth is the future of a family. In fact, youth is the future of the future. We may be a small congregation, but we now have three (3) young children in our midst and we couldn’t be happier. You have seen the pictures from the shower we had to welcome Lily Stromberg in December, 2017. Lily is the daughter of Christy and Matthew Stromberg. Now, take a look at the pictures from a shower we held to help welcome Jack Little into our family. Baby Jack is the son of Puja Chandra-Little and Rob Little, and little brother of Asha. What a beautiful day of gift giving, great food, and wonderful fellowship.

Being a mother is a precious gift but being a mother and having to leave your home to find a haven must be the worst possible scenario.  Wise Hope Shelter and Crisis Center is that haven in Wise County.

Celebrating Mother’s Day in a shelter is sad, especially if the children are not with the mother.  For our April Mission of the Month we gathered items like facials, soothing lotions, hair accessories, nail polishes, devotionals, journals, pens, etc.  These items were put together in special baskets and given to the mothers who were staying at the shelter on Mother’s Day.

Thank you all so much.

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

On Sunday, March 17 before our 10 a.m. service, Mike Darst, of the Court Appointed Special Advocates for children of Wise and Jack Counties (CASA) gave a presentation to our congregation, highlighting their mission of being advocates for children who have no one to speak for them in the courts.

He spoke of how we could volunteer to give hope to a child. Court Appointed Special Advocates represent the best interest of abused and neglected children. CASA Advocates speak up for children in court and help ensure that the goals of safety and stability become reality. CASA of Wise and Jack Counties served 140 children in 2018, but more children are waiting for the hope that CASA Advocates provide.

If you are interested in volunteering, you may contact Mike Darst, training and recruitment coordinator at 214-632-6611 or mike.darst@casawise.org.

As we do every January, we try to revitalize not only ourselves, but our ideas on how we can be a help to our community.

So, we sit back and pray about what we can do. We always come up with many ways in which our “Little Flock” can be of service.

As our years increase, it seems as though we have to hold our books and newspapers a little farther away until our arms aren’t long enough!

For our December Mission of the Month, we chose to gather large print books, word puzzle books, jigsaw puzzles, crossword puzzle books, sudoku books, and take them to two different senior assisted living homes.

We also gathered small embroidery kits, yarn, knitting needles/crochet hooks, colored pencils, and other items that will help the residents keep their fingers flexible and moving. Many seniors used to do these types of crafts, but now that they are living in a different place, they might not have all the familiar items they loved.

Below are a few pictures of the things gathered.