Mission / Ministerial Candidate Support Team
 

Supported By:  Missions Team Steering Committee

Its Mission:  To support those in our congregation who believe they are being called into a missions or ministerial occupation
Who May Want To Join:  People who would like to be a mentor or supporter of a person in our congregation (or a sister Presbyterian church nearby) who expresses an interest in going into a missions or ministerial occupation. And, of course, any person interested in the possibility of ministerial training or a missions project is encouraged to contact us (name below). 
Activities: Our current thrust is to support Deanna Drake in our congregation as a Young Adult Volunteer to Kenya.

Oswego Presbyterian Church and Blackhawk Presbytery are proud to be sponsors for Deanna in her upcoming service as a Young Adult Volunteer (YAV), a Presbyterian Church USA World Mission program. Deanna will be on assignment for one year in Kenya. When asked why she decided to do this she said, “I was attracted to the program for experiencing a new place in the world and gaining that fresh perspective that goes with it. I am excited about the opportunity to experience Christianity from an East African perspective. My other passion lies in women's issues and the program in Kenya has taken this into account and has linked me with the international branch of the YWCA. Lastly, my interest in the program is personal and vocational discernment. Since I feel most connected to God through service and social work, I feel like I will be in a very new place of openness in Kenya, which may even lead me to pursue seminary.” 

In the past several years, OPC has provided financial support for two seminary students and for the training of a lay minister from our congregation. We have also helped cover some costs for young people going on a mission project or attending a seminar such as Project Burning Bush. In the coming years we hope to use resources available through Project PLSE (Presbyterian Leadership Search Effort), a PC-USA (www.pcusa.org ) project, to identify and nurture one or more young ministerial candidates. To learn more visit website www.pcusa.org/missionconnections or www.pcusa.org/onedoor .

OPC Website Team

Supported By:  Missions Team Steering Committee and Deacons

Its Mission:  To provide a welcoming site (perhaps the first impression) for those who might be interested in attending OPC, and to provide a convenient communication medium for OPC teams needing web publishing of information about OPC programs and events.

Prairie Fest Parade Team

Supported By:  Missions Team Steering Committee and Deacons

Its Mission:  To support the Kendall County Food Pantry mission of “feeding the hungry” by holding several food drives throughout the year and being "the face" of OPC during these drives.

Who May Want To Join:  Anyone interested in serving the food bank.

Activities:  In Oswego’s PrairieFest  Parade in June 2010, our “Ton of Love ” walkers pushed grocery carts and collecting food and money along the way. We would also like to thank all of you who walked in the PrairieFest Parade, many wearing our Sweat Free T-Shirts. We raised $1,588.61 for the Kendall County Food Pantry.  And for every $1 in cash the KCFP receives, they will procure $6 worth of food from the Northern Illinois Food Bank, so that $1,588 is translated into $9,528 to help feed the hungry.
We also do appeals to our congregation to leave food staples and canned goods in the church office, and volunteers routinely take these food collections to the food pantry. And some OPC members are volunteers on regular shifts at the food pantry to help with the food distribution itself. Click here for more about our support of the Kendall County Food Pantry.

Individual Ministry Opportunities:  There are many individual and group ways to help in this important “feeding the hungry” ministry. Click here to email Gloria Mathewson if you are interested.

Meetings & Time Commitments:  There are no regular team meetings. The time commitment depends on which activity one volunteers to do.

Contact:  Rob Blodgett  or Nancy Webb
 

Presbyterian Coffee Project

Supported By:  Missions Team Steering Committee

Its Mission:  To build trade partnerships between farmers and consumers that are economically just and environmentally sound and to foster a more equitable, democratic and sustainable world.

Activities:  During our fellowship hour, we have been drinking Equal Exchange Coffee - "good coffee for a good cause". And on 1^st and 3^rd Sundays we have available selections of Equal Exchange coffee, tea and cocoa for your purchase. The Presbyterian Coffee Project links congregations with small farmers around the world and helps build a better future for them and their families through fair trade. Look for us on 1^st and 3^rd Sundays and try this great coffee in your own home. More information about the Coffee Project is available in the brochure rack by the Missions Team bulletin board in the Narthex or through the Presbyterian Church at (http://www.pcuse.org/coffee/) or at Equal Exchange  (http://www.equalexchange.com/).
Individual Ministry Opportunities and Contacts:  Contact Ted Mathewson if you would like to help in ordering and selling of the Equal Exchange products. Contact the Deacons (deacons@opchurch.org) if you would like to help the Coffee Hour Team in the brewing and serving of good Equal Exchange coffee on Sunday mornings.

Relay For Life Team

Supported By:  Missions Team Steering Committee

Its Mission:  Relay for Life is the premier event of the American Cancer Society and its purpose is to unite communities in support for cancer victims to fight cancer.
Who May Want To Join:  Anyone who is/has, or knows someone who is/has, gone through the fight of cancer and wishes to support the goals of the American Cancer Society. We have much to celebrate with new treatments and lowering cancer rates, but there is much yet to do. The American Cancer Society needs donations to continue clinical research and to provide services in our area.  The money raised through the event goes to the Illinois Division for research. The ultimate goal of the American Cancer Society is to eliminate cancer. It is not too late to sponsor the OPC team with an online donation .

Activities:  Our primary activity is participating as the Oswego Presbyterian Church Team in the "Os-Mo" (Oswego-Montgomery) Relay For Life event which is usually held at the Oswego High School on the 2nd Friday of June each year. Team members' primary goal of course is to solicit sponsorships for "the walk" and obtain contributions to the American Cancer Society. The event itself is a time to remember family and friends that have lost their battle with cancer, and it is a time to honor and encourage those we know who are currently battling cancer. Participants walk the track all through the night reminding everyone that cancer never sleeps. Entertainment, food and fun are available all night as the team campsites become a community of friends helping to find a cure. A note from our team captain Nancy Webb re: the 2010 event follows:

Relay for Life was an Amazing Success! We would like to send out a huge hug and Thank You to all of the fantastic OPC Relay for Life participants as well as those who supported the cause with their donations. Our team has achieved a Bronze level for their donations totaling more than $2000! Over the course of two days, 545 pairs of feet his the track, walking in unison through the night. 355 luminaries twinkled in the dark, glowing in memory of loved ones lost to cancer.
Teams surpassed their goals and raised $115,310.49 to support the Society’s battle for less cancer and more birthdays. Participants, mark your calendar for the wrap-up party on Monday, July 19th at 6:30 p.m. at 810 Preston Lane, Oswego!
Also, it’s never too late for Last-minute Relay contributions! Click here to make a donation online or you can mail donations into the Relay for Life office until August 31st. The address is: American Cancer Society, Attn: OSMO, 143 First St., Batavia, IL 60510
Thank You again for your support!

It is not too late to sponsor the OPC team with an online donation.

Individual Ministry Opportunities:  To laugh, cry and support another human being who is winning the battle or to celebrate the life of someone who no longer is with us.

Meetings & Time Commitments:  As a team member you are asked to obtain pledges (we suggest a $300 goal). Click here to email our team captain Nancy Webb if you may be interested in joining us next year in this enjoyable and worthy endeavor.

Reverse Offerings Team

The Reverse Offering is a convenient way for members of the congregation to donate to local Missions. We have one for a different Mission about every 6 weeks. During the normal offering part of the service, we pass around bread baskets with little slips of paper in them. Each slip of paper has some small item listed on it that is needed. To participate, you just grab a piece of paper(or 2!), and include the item on your shopping list the next time you go to the store. Then simply bring it back to church in the next week or so, and we take care of the rest! The current Missions we support are; Hesed House,  Mutual Ground, Wayside Cross Ministries, and The Kendall County Food Pantry. To make suggestions or for more information, please contact Rob Blodgett.
 

Salvation Army Bell Ringers Team

Supported By:  Missions Team Steering Committee
Its Mission: To assist the Salvation Army in its hunger relief efforts.
Who May Want To Join:  Anyone who wishes to help in this important effort.

Activities:  The primary activity is to serve a 2-hour shift as a bell ringer at a designated spot. In 2007 it was near one of the entrance doors at Wal-Mart in Oswego. We greet people as they are coming or leaving and thank them when money is dropped in the red kettle.

Individual Ministry Opportunities:  Be a bell ringer!
Meetings & Time Commitments: Serve in one of the 2-hour shifts.

Salvation Army Christmas Angel Tree Team

Supported By:  Missions Team Steering Committee
Its Mission: To assist the Salvation Army in providing Christmas presents to children in very low-come families.
Who May Want To Join:  Anyone who wishes to help in this important mission effort.
Activities:  Members are encouraged to take one of the angel tags from the Angel Tree in the church narthex and purchase and bring to church a gift according to the information and suggestions on the angle tag. A volunteer then collects and transports all the gifts to the Salvation Army site in Aurora.
Individual Ministry Opportunities:  To help in setting up the Angel Tree. To help in advertising the gifting opportunity. To help in transporting the gifts to Salvation Army.
Contact:  Vicki Janusz
 

Salvation Army Donut Day Team

Supported By:  Missions Team Steering Committee 
Its Mission: To assist the Salvation Army in its hunger relief efforts.
Who May Want To Join:  Anyone who wishes to help in this important hunger relief effort.
Activities:  This effort is focused on one day of the year – “Donut Day” – June 2 for 2006. Volunteers take 2-hour turns at various stations in the area soliciting donations and giving each donor a tag/coupon for Dunkin Donuts “buy 12, get 6 free”.
Individual Ministry Opportunities:  To publicly support the Salvation Army and its hunger relief efforts in a 2-hour shift as a volunteer solicitor.
Meetings & Time Commitments: Just 2 hours. No meetings required. The coordinator provides each volunteer with materials and instructions.
Contact:  Gloria Mathewson
 

Sweat-Free T-Shirts Team

Supported By:  Missions Team Steering Committee 
Its Mission: To raise our awareness that some products we are buying may be produced in "dehumanized sweatshops".
Who May Want To Join:  Anyone who wishes to help in this important social justice effort.
Activities:  We are selling OPC Sweat-Free Ts made from organic cotton for $16.00. Plain sweat-free Ts without the OPC printing are also available. The following is some background information on where the shirts come from.
Faith, Hope and Love:  The Story of Sweat-Free T-shirts from Nicaragua
       When Hurricane Mitch swept through Nicaragua in 1998, many families lost their homes and were forced to re-locate. Just outside the capitol city of Managua, a new community called Nueva Vida (“New Life”) was created. Today Nueva Vida is part of the most densely populated area in Nicaragua—and Nicaragua is one of the poorest countries in the Western hemisphere. The local government can spend only $2.30 per person per year on essential services such as health care, education, infrastructure and waste removal.
         To address the high unemployment rate in Nueva Vida (80%), the local Center for Development in Central America—an effort Presbyterians support through the One Great Hour of Sharing—works with the community to improve their economic conditions. Out of these efforts the COMAMNUVI women’s sewing cooperative was born.
        Sweat-Free Ts come direct from the Nueva Vida Women’s Sewing Cooperative (COMAMNUVI) and Fair Trade Zone in Nicaragua. Together the members own and operate the cooperative as a small business. The co-op was created with the assistance of the Center for Development in Central America, thanks to seed money provided by the One Great Hour of Sharing and distributed by the Presbyterian Hunger Program. Our denominational partnership and individual purchases build on this previous support and allow the cooperative to continue growing, expanding both their products and their benefits of employment within the community.
        In 2005 they became the first worker-owned Free Trade Zone in the world, providing a viable alternative to sweatshops and “working together to create sustainable employment in the community so that we can support ourselves and our families.”  The employees receive fair wages, benefits and treatment.
        You may order an OPC Sweat-Free T on coffee Sundays or in the office.  They are made from organic cotton and cost $16.00.  For more information go to www.pcusa.org/sweatfree or email Ted Mathewson.
Contact:  Ted Mathewson
 

Ten Thousand Villages Project

Supported By:  Missions Team Steering Committee 
Its Mission:  To provide vital, fair income to more than 110 artisan groups in thirty-two countries by marketing their handicrafts and telling their stories in North America. In our 2008 store event, our sales totaled $8,100. This translates into a livable wage for seven artisans and their families for a full year. Our Ten Thousand Villages store at OPC offered the community an opportunity to invest in their world and shop fair trade. Shoppers found hundreds of handcrafted musical instruments, baskets, ornaments, toys and jewelry made by skilled artisans in more than 30 countries. All proceeds from our Ten Thousand Villages store benefit Ten Thousand Villages artisans around the world. Learn more at www.tenthousandvillages.com. 

2009 Store dates:  Saturday September 26 (12 noon - 4pm) and Sunday September 27 (9:30am - 2pm) in Fellowship Hall. We will also be selling Equal Exchange coffees and home-made baked goods.
Would you like to help?  Send email to Gloria Mathewson or Kathy Mozingo if you would like to volunteer to help set-up, operate, take down or publicize next year's store event at OPC.
 

Wayside Cross Ministries Team

Supported By:  Missions Team Steering Committee
Its Mission:  To encourage members of our congregation to help the disadvantaged in our area. The theme for Wayside Cross Ministries is "Christ Leads, People Care, Lives Change".
Activities:   Wayside Cross Ministries located at 215 East New York St., Aurora, IL has been serving those in need for seventy-five years. We have opportunities to support these valuable ministries through prayer, volunteering, and financial support. There are six individual but interdependent ministries including Master's Touch, Lifespring, New Life Corrections, Urban Youth Ministry, Hope Outreach, and Wayside Center (Elgin).
WAYSIDE CROSS ANNUAL WALK-A-MILE IS FEBRUARY 14th:  OPC will again be participating in this worthwhile fundraiser for Wayside Cross Lifespring Center and Urban Youth Ministries.  Both adults and youth will be walking for us this year, and we're excited about having a larger group.  The walk is 1 mile, and begins at the Aurora Community Center, Root Street and College Avenue, in Aurora at 9:00 am.  The effort is for us to know what it's like to walk a mile in the shoes of a homeless or other in-crisis person. Contact Donna Beitel if you would like  to join us!
Individual Ministry Opportunities:  Descriptions of these ministries are available in the brochures in the rack by the Missions Team bulletin board or on the web at www.waysidecross.org . If you are interested in volunteering for one of these ministries, you may find more information at http://www.waysidecross.org/volunteer.html or call one or more of the following:       Master's Touch       Randy Tomassi   892-4239 x222 
    Lifespring               Lynda McCann   851-0187
    New Life Corrections  Mickey Hicks   (847) 464-1008
    Urban Youth Ministry   Scot Thurman  892-4239 x258
    Hope Outreach        Ray Haygood  892-4239 x245
    Development Dept.    Deb Starner   892-4239 x227 
Contact:  Donna Beitel
 

Wayside Cross Community Outreach

Supported By:  Missions Team Steering Committee 
Its Mission: One day each month a workgroup from OPC assists in providing families in distress with the necessities of life.  Families come from the Fox Valley area, including Oswego, are pre-screened, and assistance is provided by appointment only.   At the Wayside Cross warehouse, we help them pick out clothing, household items (dishes, pots & pans, linens), furniture, even toiletries - all at no charge. Prayers are offered with each family and bibles are always available.
Individual Ministry Opportunities:  There is a need for additional volunteers and for ongoing supplies of toiletries. 
Contact: Judy Siedlicki or Donna Beitel
 

Visitors Welcoming Team

Supported By:  Missions Team Steering Committee

Its Mission:  To provide a personal “Welcome!” to first-time guests to OPC and encourage them to come again!

Who May Want To Join: 

A. Adults who would like to be “callers”. In a brief visit, you can present a recent visitor with homemade bread (baked by others) and an OPC “welcome box”. In this simple act, you become part of the leading edge of our “outreach” ministry. It is a great way to get to know new members of the OPC family. The frequency is about one call every 1 – 2 months and those on our visitation team have found it to be very rewarding.

B. Others who would like to be “bakers” of yummy homemade bread for the welcome boxes that callers take to visitors. The frequency is about 2 or 3 times per year to be asked to provide two breads (baked, wrapped and frozen).

Click here for descriptions of other Missions Teams.