How we think about mission
What is mission? Mission means caring. Mission means serving. One of the hallmarks of Presbyterian mission is that doing good news is just as important as preaching the good news. We believe a belly has to be full for the ears to be open. To that end Presbyterians don’t make people listen to a sermon in order to be cared for- we tend people’s most basic needs and when asked, we are happy to say we’re doing it because Christ calls us to love.
Where do we do mission? Mission comes from the Latin word mission, which means “to be sent.” People used to believe they had to go a long distances from home to “do mission.” And to be sure, many people are called to travel around the nation and world to help those in need. But we certainly don’t believe you have to go far. Our mission field is anywhere we are once we leave the church.
Our individual members volunteer at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, give their time to CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) caring for children in the court system, remove gang tattoos to give young adults a second chance, offer free dental cleaning to those without access to basic healthcare, and the list goes on—every act one of mission and care.
We believe every member is called to be a missionary “guerrilla of grace,” living out Christ’s call to feed the hungry, visit the sick and imprisoned, and offer the “cold cup of water.”
Ongoing Mission Activities
Traditional mission activities have developed into an important part of the life of TPC. They help define who we are and where our interests lie. These include the following:
Family Promise — Family Promise of Tualatin Valley (FPTV) is a non-profit organization that helps homeless children and their families regain housing and independence. TPC is participating in a network of religious and civic organizations to provide shelter, meals, resource assistance and a path to sustainable housing.
Tuesday Treasures — one of our most vital community mission projects, we support adults with developmental disabilities and their families.
School House Project — provides school supplies for needy children in the Tigard-Tualatin School District (TTSD).
Giving Tree — provides children’s gifts and food baskets for needy families in the Tigard-Tualatin School District at Christmas.
Janus Project (a.k.a. the “Mitten Tree”) — provides homeless youth with winter gloves, scarves, hats, and socks.
Annual Cookie Sale — in past years proceeds have gone to Compassion International in support of our sponsored children, Sarah and Estalin.
Christmas Memorials — Monetary gifts in honor/memory of someone special; in past years proceeds have gone to the Canine Companions for Independence.
Annual Presbyterian Offerings — World Communion Sunday, Christmas Joy, One Great Hour of Sharing, and Pentecost offering.
Special Mission Activities
In addition to the traditional activities, we also have special or focused interests and efforts. These include:
Compassion International: An outgrowth of the Shark Tank proposals, we have committed to the support of two youth—Estalin, a boy living in Ecuador; and Sarah, a girl living in Uganda. The intent of the committee is to make this an ongoing commitment with targeted efforts to fund the annual support.
Adult Mission trips: TPC has conducted a total of four mission trips in the past. Three were single day trips to Newberg supporting Habitat for Humanity. The fourth was a multi-day trip to Bend working with that Habitat group.
Food Pantry: The food pantry continues to be a special focus of the congregation. Individuals from TPC staff and coordinate volunteer workers. Many from the congregation work on a regular schedule receiving donations, stocking shelves, and assisting those who come to the pantry to “shop.”
Click the title above to view the Kenya presentation by Bunny Lewis