In addition to our hands-on volunteer help, each month we collect supplies and cash donations for our Mission Partners:
Living Waters for the World
Living Waters for the World mission teams empower their partners to provide clean, sustainable water and health education for their communities. Teams from SCAPC have worked with Living Waters to provide and install a clean water purification system for El Fuerte Presbyterian Church and Juan G. Hall Presbyterian Church in Cardenas, Cuba and return for bi-annual sustainability visits. Three members of SCAPC participated in the Presbytery of South Louisiana installation of Matanzas Central. At the time of installation at El Fuerte, Gerry Goode, a Living Waters engineer and instructor who was part of our team, estimated that the system design would possibly produce 375,000 plus gallons in its lifetime before needing to be replaced. It is a testament to the care taken by our Cuban water committee and engineers and the continuous efforts of Laura St. Clair who is in constant communication with covenant and installation partners and SCAPC’s LWW team members, that El Fuerte has produced over 1,200,000 gallons of clean water!
Eden House
Eden House is a ministry for women who have survived prostitution, addiction, and human trafficking. The home accepts women for two years, free of charge, while providing space for healing, programs for recovery, and opportunities for job training. SCAPC PW assist by providing Thanksgiving Dinner, a Christmas tree, and preparing Easter totes with pampering supplies.
Program of Hope Homeless Ministry
Program of Hope Homeless Ministry, housed at First Presbyterian Church, provides shelter vouchers, bus tokens, lunches, hygiene items, clothing, counseling, prayer, and worship each Wednesday. PW members volunteer each week as well as prepare and serve lunches two months of the year.
SCAPC Carrollton Camps
SCAPC Carrollton Camps are run directly by SCAPC. They provide nurturing and enriching activities including art, music, drama, academic enrichment, and athletics. Campers also enjoy special events with local guest speakers.
Raintree Children & Family Services
Raintree Children & Family Services is a social service agency giving hope to abandoned, abused or neglected children through group housing, single family foster care, and developmental disabilities case management. PW assist Raintree staff in providing an annual Family Day with games provided and lunch served.
Okra Abbey
Okra Abbey is a community garden which offers not only food but also a sacred space for the residents of the Pigeon Town neighborhood. Children and families grow in friendship and faith alongside one another through the sharing of stories, scripture, prayers, and food. Okra Abbey is a mission of the Presbytery of South Louisiana and is supported by SCAPC in several ways. The garden has become a 1001 New Worshipping Community of the PCUSA. Our church has helped bag meals and provide desserts and masks during the pandemic. Young Adult Volunteers also assist in the worship and feeding at the abbey. An Organizing Pastor and a part-time gardener staff Okra Abbey. Of special note is the addition of a Community Fridge. Open to all, an option for the hungry is a blessing. The Fridge welcomes cases of water especially, and food for those in need. When the garden crops flourish, vegetables are used in the weekly Wednesday lunch and additional deliveries are made to the neighbors.
SCAPC PW: Justice & Peace
Seeking justice and peace are at the core of our church’s work in the world. Social justice and antiracism programming continue to be important elements of Justice and Peace programs throughout PC(USA) and our Church. Our efforts continue to be grounded in Biblical teachings to love our neighbors and the earth. Okra Abbey is a vivid example of one of our social justice partners within the community --focusing on the growing of food in a garden within a faith community, and sharing it with families in the area. Other initiatives underway use the arts as a means for engaging church members with social justice issues. We will adopt the theme of “world peace” for the biennial church art show and use theater techniques for a youth discussion of injustices they encounter and how they might appropriately respond. Opportunities abound for us to pursue introducing more “green” elements into the daily operation of the church and its facilities. Our hope is that, by pursuing visionary designs for action, our church will continue to grow in awareness, enthusiasm, and effectiveness in working to bring about a more just and peaceful world.
SCAPC PW: Creation Care
Creation Care, made possible in large part by a grant from SCAPC’s Forward Together Capital Campaign, is a part of our overall PW Peace and Justice program. Creation Care is an initiative to inspire female servant leadership through the co-creation and funding of experiences that advance a care culture within the congregation and the larger community. Creation Care programming has collaborated with and supported Okra Abbey, hosted programming for the Middle School Girls Group, co-created and co-funded a free Interfaith Earth Day event, sponsored delegates to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, and supported advocacy work especially related to human trafficking issues.
