VPC Mission Committee Annual Report 2011

Respectfully submitted by Alice Chiang and Anita Wotiz, Mission Committee Co-Chairs

2011 Mission Committee members: Robin & Gian Polastri, Ted Meeker, Mary Jo Alderson, Candace Mindigo, Cathy Bowers, Wayne Chittenden, Rita Williams, Joanne Kagle, Carol Thomsen, Bonita Banducci, Mary Elting, David Montgomery, Jeff Brown, Joan Blackmon, and Ginney Uhl.

The VPC Mission program continued existing partnerships and support for the worthy organizations that have been identified by members’ passions, with an emphasis on those that have volunteer opportunities.  

We added St. Francis Center as a core Mission Partner this year, sharing a donation portion with Ecumenical Hunger Program.  St. Francis Center has been extremely responsive to our desire to do hands-on work and is a wonderful partner at Christmas time for gifts for children in need.

Christmas in May

Over 600 community service hours were given during our first ever Christmas in May week.  VPC volunteers staffed projects that built and planted a garden at Bill Wilson Center's Quetzal House in Mountain View; built raised beds with Habitat for Humanity at Fair Oaks Elementary School in Redwood City; served a mid-week meal at St. Anthony's Padua Dining Room in Redwood City; cooked and served dinner at Shelter Network's Maple Street Shelter in Redwood City.  The week culminated on a Sunday morning with 100+ adults and children filling food packets for Stop Hunger Now in Lane Family Hall and then worshiping in the Sanctuary.

Thank you to all who participated in this!

Living Waters for the World (LWW)

The Living Waters for the World (LWW) project continued, with a successful installation follow-up trip to Tekax, Mexico, at the site of our sister church, Monte de Sion.  In preparation for future installations in Haiti, two VPC Mission members attended PCUSA's Solar Under the Sun (SUTS) school in Arkansas.  A Haiti survey trip is scheduled for Feb 2012.

Habitat for Humanity

Since July, VPC has participated bi-monthly in Habitat builds at the 7555 Mission Street, Daly City site.  This is a very exciting build, since it is one of the largest builds Habitat for Humanity has ever undertaken, including 3 buildings, with 3 stories and 12 units each, for a total of 36 units.  So far, VPC has sent 14 people to these builds, with an additional 18 who have expressed interest in participating if schedules permit.  Mary and Mathew Elting are coordinating VPC's participation, and plan to schedule bi-monthly build days for VPC in 2012.

We are happy to renew our partnership with Habitat in this way.

Chine Girls Rural Education Project

Alice Chiang and her sister Jane Chiang Sieh visited the 30 China girls for 2 days in Sept 2011, and got to know them on a personal level.  Many girls have aspiration to continue on in college and we have started a China Girls College fund and raised $1200 at Christmas Alternative market.

Cameroon Project

Our Cameroon partnership with the village of Zang Tabi, the home village of member Gideon Ticha, was clarified after the Cameroon Conference was held on the VPC campus in May 2011.  Projects will be recommended by the local Zang Tabi committees, accompanied by a rationale, plans, and schedules, and submitted to Steve Barr (who spent 6 months in the village in 2009).  After Steve approves of the viability, they will be sent to VPC for funding.  Money has been allocated from the Mission Budget for 3 years for this purpose.  Annual funding will be in 3 portions, and funding will be done after the previous work has completed.

Last year's Cameroon projects (donations to buy farm tools and donations to Judge Rose Acha for Zang Tabi youth birth certificates needed to go to school) were both successfully implemented, and we received thanks from the community for each.

Funds raised for Mission opportunities outside the Mission allocation

One Great Hour of Sharing

VPC collected $3,945 in the Palm Sunday OGHS offering.  The Presbyterian Hunger Program received 36% of these gifts, while the Self-Development of People and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance each received 32%.

Christmas Market giving

VPC once again conducted a Christmas gift market to allow directed Christmas giving to those most in need in our world and to offer for sale various Fair Trade and hand made items.  The congregation donated $2049 to Alternative Gifts International (AGI) projects and $570 to Heifer International.

We collected Christmas gifts (the only gifts these kids would get) for 22 Santa Clara Foster kids through the Bill Wilson Center's Adopt A Family Program ($100-$200 total value for each child adopted) and 50 toy gifts in the $20 range for St. Francis Center.

China Girls designated giving

VPC members generously donated a total of $9260 (some of it at the Christmas Market) to the China Girls education program to allow us to continue supporting the 30 of our 100 girls who passed their entry exam into higher education.

Kiva
In 2011, VPC made microloans to 4 individuals/groups through Kiva. Gavhar is a clothes maker, and we’ve helped her purchase fabric. Maria Del Carmen Echeverrria Angeles was able to buy home cleaning products, which she sells to others. Viridiana Orizaba Tello was able buy precious stones and other items for making jewelry. The Kyogaya Women's Group-Jinja's were able to purchase young chicks.

Other Mission Hands-on Activities

Maple Street Shelter (a Shelter Network program)

VPC continued the responsibility for serving home-cooked meals on designated Sunday evenings at the Maple Street Shelter.  In addition to giving the residents a delicious hot meal and some company, this activity provides an opportunity for entire families, including VPC youth, to participate in Mission.

St. Anthony's Padua Dining Room

One Saturday a month, VPC sends volunteers to St. Anthony's Padua Dining Room to prepare and serve meals to hundreds of people who wait in line with their families.  For many years, VPC volunteers have very faithfully staffed this important mission.

Fair Trade Coffee project

VPC youth and adult volunteers continued selling Equal Exchange Fair Trade coffee, tea, and chocolate after worship. 

EHP Food Drive

Several barrels of food were collected in the Thanksgiving and Christmas timeframe and picked up by the Ecumenical Hunger Program for distribution to families in East Palo Alto and Menlo Park.

Gratitude

Many thanks to all members of the congregation who volunteered for the Christmas in May mission projects and who participated with prayer, presence, or a sharing of their means to ease the suffering and inequities of our world.

The Mission Committee wishes to express its gratitude for faithful dedication demonstrated by members of the VPC congregation:

To Wayne Chittenden for continuing to organize our St. Anthony's Padua dining room service.

To Trish McBride for coordinating the food and fellowship evenings at Maple Street Shelter and to Betsy Burdick for picking this up for 2012.

To Mary and Mathew Elting for organizing the Habitat workdays.

To Robin Polastri and Mary Jo Alderson for organizing the purchase and storage of the Fair Trade coffee, tea, and chocolate.  Thank you to all who sold in 2011.  And thank you to Carol Thomsen for agreeing to take this over in 2012.

The Mission Committee, the "customers" of VPC, and small coffee farmers all over the world would like to express their gratitude for the faithful service of our Fair Traders who sell delicious coffees, teas, chocolate, and cocoas twice monthly.  They are helping change the world one cup of coffee at a time!

FY2012 Mission Allocation

The Fiscal Year 2012 VPC Mission allocation (June 2011 - June 2012) was set at $107,425.  Of that, GA/Presbytery will receive $23,000, core partnership giving totals $51,910, and the remainder has been / will be used for emergency giving, VPC members' mission passions, Christmas in May expenses, some LWW Haiti expenses, and our new Cameroon project.

Respectfully submitted,

Anita Wotiz and Alice Chiang,

Mission co-chairs