Living God's Word
Memorial Presbyterian Church (MPC) is committed to living God's Word, locally and globally, through a variety of projects that seek to serve the needs of others and build bridges with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We take seriously the New Testament affirmations that all of us are endowed by the Holy Spirit with skills and talents, and are called to use those gifts in ministry to others. We encourage every member to discover their gifts and to find places both within the church and beyond where those talents can be put to work.
Here is just a sampling of the many projects in which MPC members are involved:
Hunger Action Congregation – We have been recognized by the Presbyterian Hunger Program, PC(USA) for our faithful work as Presbyterians responding to the biblical call to alleviate hunger and end its causes. As such we have pledged to, “As disciples of a loving God who inspires us to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God, we commit to faithful action to end hunger and address its root causes.”
Community Garden Project - Our garden produces over 6,000 pounds of vegetables annually, saving the St. Joseph Food Program over $20,000 per year! Over 27 volunteers combined for over 570 hours from mid-May through October to plant, care for, and harvest the crops.
Fox Valley Warming Shelter - MPC volunteers and members of the youth group helped prepare and serve 7 evening meals per year. The volunteers spent over 127 hours at the shelter and many more hours at home preparing 49 dishes of food. =
Bread for the World – We are a Bread for the World Covenant Church. Each year members of the congregation participate in an offering of letters to address national and/or international issues.
CROP Walk – The annual Fox Cities CROP walk starts and ends at MPC. Members from our congregation are involved in planning, walking, and financially supporting this event.
Heifer – Heifer International works with communities in need around the world to end hunger and poverty while caring for the Earth. Each year at Christmas members can purchase an animal or a share of an animal which is then provided to those in need.
E2F (Empty to Full) Project - Annually MPC donates 150 pans containing a prepared meal for Pillars.
Salvation Army Food Collections - Every month we collect 12-15 grocery bags containing food, cleaning/household supplies, and paper products for the Salvation Army. We also serve 2 Sunday meals to over 200 individuals at the Salvation Army.
Help for the Homeless Campaign - MPC collects hundreds of pounds of personal hygiene items and cleaning supplies.
Pillars First Saturday Dinners - MPC volunteers serves 6 Saturday evening meals annually.
Adopt-a-Family - Annually MPC adopts 8-10 families serving 40 children with donated Christmas gifts as well as grocery gift cards for their holiday meals.
Youth Mission Trips - The MPC youth groups travel to various areas of the country to do their part in living God's Word. In recent years they have traveled to Massachusetts, South Dakota, North Carolina and Illinois. On these trips they help residents with house repairs, painting, work with kids' groups, and sometimes just listen to people tell their stories. Every third year, the group travels to the Presbyterian Youth Triennium, the international gathering of Presbyterian youth.
Nicaraguan Partnership – We are developing a partnership with the Council of Protestant Churches of Nicaragua (CEPAD). Four members from our congregation traveled to Nicaragua in 2017 and were impressed with the work that CEPAD is doing. The Presbyterian Church has Mission co-workers who work with CEPAD and coordinate visits. We plan to send a second group to Nicaragua as soon as it is safe to travel there. In the meantime, we will continue to work on building our partnership with CEPAD and the people of Nicaragua.
Grant support - We provide financial support various local non-profit agencies. In the past these have included LEAVEN, Pillars, Harbor House, Riverview Gardens, NAMI, Samaritan Counseling Center. Click here for 2023 Grant Information.
