Knowing there is a great need for items to help women and children having to leave their homes due to domestic abuse, we help the Wise Hope Shelter and Crisis Center a few times a year.

When we called, we were told the children needed fun outdoor activities during the summer months as well as some quiet activities in case of rain.  We also were informed they could use July 4th decorations, i.e., plates, cups, flags, banners, anything patriotic, for their big July 4th picnic.

We gathered the items and packed a trunk full of goodies to be delivered to them.

Clean up Your Community

Lydia Hiatt coordinated our May mission.  Several members of our church gathered at Boyd High School to help kick off “The Big Event,” in which students, staff, and other interested parties were given projects to clean up the town of Boyd.  After we arrived at the school, we were given a light breakfast and our assignments.  Ours was to clean up the area around the Samuel Clayton Hays Sub-Court House, Wise County Precinct 3.  With gloves, hats, hand tools, and water, we started weeding the beds around the front of the building.  It was hot work, but it was so satisfying to help clean up our community.

4Saints Food Pantry – 4301 Meadowbrook, Fort Worth, TX  76103

4 Saints Episcopal Food Pantry is an Episcopal food bank at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, located in the Meadowbrook neighborhood of east Fort Worth, a food desert. The pantry board has members from the Fort Worth East Deanery, which includes St Stephen’s, St Martin-in-the-Fields, St Luke’s, and St Alban’s.

Our April mission was to gather specific items needed by the food pantry that they are unable to obtain from the Tarrant Area Food Bank.

Judy Cariker, Director of the food pantry, and her husband, Leigh, joined us in worship one Sunday and afterward we filled her car with everything we collected during April.

March usually finds us at the Wise County Health Fair giving blood.

               Angie Whitley                                                           Ellen Whitley                                            The Rev. Tony Hiatt & Angie Whitley

Also, we honored the ICU/CCU nurses at Wise Health System by getting all sorts of junk food (their request) and using a wagon to deliver the goodies.  We gathered lots of good things and made sure that both the day shift and night shift had their own containers.  A nice card was included for each shift, thanking them for all they do for everyone who makes their way through the ICU/CCU on their road to recovery.    As you can see, it didn’t take long before they were anxiously digging into the baskets; you should have heard them!  Thank you all!  You are appreciated.

As we have in the past, on February 14, we joined our brothers and sisters from The United Methodist Church of Decatur in their parking lot for “Ashes to Go,” which allows folks to start off the Lenten season by receiving ashes before they go to work.  This is an alternative way for worshipers to receive ashes when they cannot attend services in their churches due to their work schedules.  This year ashes were imposed on    people while in their cars.  Afterward, Fr. Hiatt and a member of the Methodist Church went to Wise Health System where several hospital staff received ashes on their foreheads.

Our secondary mission for February was to donate cleaning supplies to Wise Hope Shelter and Crisis Center, which is dedicated to providing compassionate, comprehensive services to any person impacted by rape, sexual abuse, domestic violence, dating violence and/or stalking while partnering with our community to promote safety, healing, and prevention.  Susy Sportsman and Leonard Keesee organized and delivered the donated supplies to the shelter office.

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