Missions
First Presbyterian is an outwardly turned church. Part of our mission statement says that we will 'reflect Christ's light in the community thorugh a dynamic ministry of compassion, social justice and service.' Our missions are the fulfillment of that promise.Habitat for Humanity
Kalamazoo Valley Habitat for Humanity helps low income families move out of expensive and often substandard rental housing into their own homes. Habitat for Humanity raises the funds for its operations and coordinates volunteer partners from the community to build new houses and renovate older houses. For many years, First Presbyterian Church has financially supported Kalamazoo Valley Habitat for Humanity. Since 1986, church members have been volunteer partners in building or renovating a total of 22 homes. Typically, up to 50 people from the church volunteer on Saturdays in June with framing, roofing, insulating, installing sheet-rock, finishing, painting, and landscaping on these projects. Volunteers from the church also prepare sandwich lunches for the work crews.
Click here for a report on First Presbyterian's Habitat project for this year. For more information visit the Habitat for Humanity International web site at http://www.habitat.org/
Click here for recent Habitat work pictures.
Ministry with Community
Ministry with Community provides noon meals, daytime shelter, and other basic services to hard-to- serve adults, many with mental illnesses, in the downtown Kalamazoo area. M-W-C provides these needy individuals with basic necessities, such as laundry, showers, phone and mail services, and personal care items. A Loaves and Fishes food pantry housed with Ministry with Community provides emergency food assistance. First Presbyterian Church provides funds to help support Ministry with Community. Church members regularly assist with the food pantry and help serve meals.
Ghana Mission Project
First Presbyterian Church's global mission work is evidenced in its partnership with the Sokode Bagble Presbyterian Church in Ghana. In 1989, the Local Global Committee of Session was made aware the Sokode Bagble congregation was frustrated with plans to rebuild their church as it would take them a life time to raise the funds for the concrete, tin roofing, and beams needed to rebuild. Coincidentally, the Local Global Committee, knowing of plans to renovate and restore our own church facility, proposed that a benevolence component be added to the Building Campaign for local and global mission work.
A mission team from First Presbyterian Church, Kalamazoo visited Sokode Bagble in 1990, to become acquainted with the people and to validate the need. As a result of the trip the idea of a "partnership" was formed. The partnership was approved by the Sessions of both churches in 1991. Since then the congregation of First Presbyterian Church has provided funding for the Sokode Bagble congregation to rebuild their church in 1995; First Pres raised funds to purchase a tractor, plow, harrow, and trailer for the church in Ghana; and in 1998, the Session of First Presbyterian Church allocated mission funds to bring safe water to the village. Additionally, there were two more mission trips to Ghana (one in 1995 and the other in 1997). A reciprocal visit of two members of the Sokode Bagble congregation occurred during the spring of 1999. In November 2002 nine members of our congregation (along with five members from the First Presbyterian Church in Grand Haven) spent two weeks visiting Sokode Bagble and Ghana. You may find pictures (click page one and page two).
For the story of our partnership with the church at Sokode Bagble click here.
For the story of the latest trip in November and December 2003 to Ghana click here.
Foods Resource Bank
In 2005, First Presbyterian Church joined with the Presbyterian Churches in Richland and Portage to grow a crop of corn. The most successful way to raise new resources and create a sense of community excitement, according to Food Resource Bank (FRB)- a Christian organization, has been through community growing projects.
Local farmers donate the land, prepare the soil, plant, tend, and harvest the acreage. Agri-business extends favorable prices or donations for seed, fertilizer, hauling, etc.
Individuals, urban dwellers, churches and communities provide resources to cover costs in excess of donations. In general, we attempt to raise $100 per acre to cover non-donated expenses. Any remaining money after expenses is added to crop income.
The harvested crop is taken to the local grain elevator and donated to FRB. Then, instead of paying high shipping costs to send food supplies to hungry people around the world, FRB sells the original crops and uses the funds to purchase grain, seeds, tools, and other resources near the affected areas. This maximizes our ability to respond to hunger and implement sustainable food security programs, stimulates the local economy, and avoids squashing any in-country grain initiatives.
It might seem more efficient to just turn over the cash that is raised to FRB for investment in mission projects, but by doing this the significant “in kind” contributions would not be realized and the project would have actually netted only about $12,000.
In addition to the money raised by the growing project, there was considerable “community” created among the three churches that participated and with the numerous people in Decatur that were involved in the project. If the project is attempted in 2006 there will be effort made to include the Presbyterian and Catholic churches in Decatur. Pictures and Final Report.
The following agencies and projects receive financial assistance through the church’s budget as well as individual contributions and many hours of volunteer service from church members. For information about the following Missions, click here.
- Building Blocks
- Deacons’ Conference
- Edison Tutoring Project
- Joint Presbyterian Deacons
- Kalamazoo Drop-In Care Center
- Loaves and Fishes
- North Presbyterian Church
- Open Door/Next Door
- United Campus Ministry
First Presbyterian Church also supports the mission programs of the Presbytery of Lake Michigan, the Synod of the Covenant, and the General Assembly PC (USA). In addition, church members generously contribute to special offerings (One Great Hour of Sharing Offering, Peacemaking Offering, Joy Offering, and Heifer Project).
- Updated December 2005