Service Committee Initiatives This Fall: Sharing the Peace of God with Clarksville

Christmas Gifts for the Homeless

"The Service Committee gives gifts to the homeless each Christmas."

During the holiday season, we try to have special gifts for our guests at Loaves & Fishes. Guests always need socks, underwear, and warm gloves & hats. But we think about other special Christmas presents for them--such as paperback books, flashlights/lanterns, butane stoves/tanks, sleeping bags for freezing weather, new coats, backpacks, beef jerky/snacks, or treats like candy. Give a little Christmas joy to our guests by dropping off presents in the workroom beside the main office. Thank you for thinking of others!

Food Baskets

"We distribute baskets of non-perishables to families in need around Christmas-time."

On December 18, we will distribute approximately 100 food baskets to individuals and families in our community. We will partner with Liberty Elementary School to provide for families in need and with the Crisis Call Line to provide for singles and seniors who would otherwise not have food for Christmas. We also partner with Loaves and Fishes – they provide non-perishables for us to distribute. This is a service they provide to many churches and non-profits. We will have a list of perishable items that we will need to be purchased just in time for distribution – items like milk, eggs, and fruit.

Angel Tree 

We will sponsor an angel tree with the Salvation Army. We will again do a virtual tree, like last year. When we receive the names, ages, and wishes of our angels, we will send out an email to the congregation and will also put a link in the bulletins. Each year, we try to provide an outfit of clothes, a pair of shoes, a coat, and toys for each child. We typically have gifts for 15-20 children. You will have a choice of age of child as well as what items you want to purchase. The Salvation Army requests new items only. Please watch for details in mid-November and get ready to be someone’s Santa!

“Going Local” Housing Initiative

"The 'Going Local' initiative will rehabilitate and construct housing for low-income families."

For several months, a group of FPC members had been informally discussing the issues of single women and housing. In April, the group met and identified the need for some form of assistance. A smaller group met with Dennis Newburn, the director of community development for the city of Clarksville. He described services and grants available from his department, funded primarily through federal programs. Because First Presbyterian Church is a house of worship rather than a construction or real estate company, we lacked the experience to apply for a grant. However, Mosaic Church on Garrettsburg Road was already working on a construction project – building a home for transitioning foster children. Mosaic Church is a new, young church. They were established in Clarksville in 2013. Located in North Clarksville, their congregation is primarily young military families. Dennis Newburn suggested we collaborate on a project with Mosaic Church to gain experience.

As a result, Ann Waddle and Jennifer Ellis from First Presbyterian Church are joining the board of a joint initiative: Going Local. We hope to learn from this experience and determine if this type of work is something FPC may want to continue. We met with Habitat for Humanity, and they welcomed our ideas and expressed appreciation as the housing crisis cannot be adequately addressed by just one organization. Going Local will primarily focus on rehabilitation of single family housing and construction of multi-family housing. Our first project will be to rehab a house for a single parent family. The family will be selected from those who are already working to improve their quality of life – adults who are enrolled in adult literacy programs or in budgeting/finance courses provided by the school system or local non-profits. The grant will fund the purchase of property as well as costs of rehab, including office staff. First Presbyterian’s role will be to provide training opportunities on home ownership, steps in purchasing a house, etc. Additionally, our experience with the Service Committee and long-term connections with other non-profits will add support and knowledge to the program.

The session has approved our collaboration, and we are planning to apply with Mosaic Church for funding from Community Block Development Program during the annual application period in November 2021. If you are interested in being a part of this initiative or have questions, please reach out to Ann or Jennifer!

Shower Love

"Shower Love provides hot, clean showers for those in need."

As the holiday season approaches, the Service & Missions Committee encourages you to remember the homeless. We will sponsor Shower Love on Sundays, November 28 and December 26 from 2:00-4:00 at Loaves & Fishes. This program provides hot, clean showers for those in need. We always welcome volunteers to greet guests, hand out towels and toiletries, to sort collected toiletries, and to spray down the showers between guests. If you would like to assist us in this mission, please contact Ann Waddle!

Find Ann Waddle's contact info by signing into Realm or calling the church office at (931) 645-6551.