PLEASANT RUNPRESBYTERIAN CHURCH PLEASANT RUNPRESBYTERIAN CHURCHWho Does PRP Support?
Where Our 1% Mission Money and Special Offerings Were Donated
By Kim Cornett, Mission Chair
Center for Respite Care
Center for Respite Care is a 20 bed clinic in Cincinnati where homeless patients leaving the hospital can spend their recovery. The Center provides holistic care, good nutrition and tries to help guests break the cycle of homelessness. Medical care, substance abuse treatment, and mental health services are coordinated. The guests learn about their acute and often chronic medical conditions. An individual case plan for self-sufficiency is created. Life skills, such as basic computer and how to open a bank account, are taught.
Our Daily Bread Sandwich Program
This year PRP Mission worked in conjunction with Our Daily Bread to purchase food. The project was making peanut butter and jelly and lunchmeat and cheese sandwiches for Our Daily Bread to feed the hungry in our community.
One Way Farm
One Way Farm is fulfilling a much needed role in the community. They are full to capacity and just finished a third dorm so they can house more kids.
They are also working on the Barbara Condo Learning and Recreation Center, which is housed in the former thrift store building. A plaque commemorates Condo’s 40 years of helping kids. The kids are currently attending school at the Farm where they have hired a licensed teacher and a former principal to work with the kids, as well as set up a full school with 20 individual learning stations. This building also contains a pool table, foosball, and gaming system for kids.
They have a new chaplain, Michael Wilson. He spends one on one time with each child every week. He recently moved here from London, KY with his wife and four children.
Our church’s offering from Peace and Global Witness helped with these projects.
Mary Magdalen House
The Mary Magdalen House offers unique services unlike any other organization. They offer homeless individuals a place to shower, shave, brush their teeth, use a toilet, and have clothing laundered. Guests can also use a telephone and receive mail and messages.
Their new Executive Director is Jenny Perez who has been working with the former director for three years.
Baker Hunt Art and Cultural Center
Located in Covington, KY, Baker Hunt serves the Tri-State area, offering classes in drawing, painting, ceramics, yoga, and cooking for youth and adults. They serve more than 10,000 students annually, both on and off campus. Focus includes art classes at schools, programs at the VA, and adult daycare projects. Scholarships are available.
Reese’s Heart
According to her business card, “Reese’s Heart was created by an 8 year old girl with a heart for helping the homeless community. Reese collects and distributes donations to those in need. Each bag is made with love and finished off with a prayer. Her goal is to make the world a better place, one bag at a time.” Her bags contain items the homeless need, including snacks, water, comfort items, and toiletries. Reese has a smile for the homeless that she meets and always takes time to ask their names.
eLife Bible Study
PRP donated 10 books that eLife gave to children in need from local schools. Books included Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss, This is Your Time by Ruby Bridges, Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein, Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae and Black Beauty by Anna Sewell.
eLife identifies “their mission is to: Encourage with Positive Influence, Balance and Trust to help children discover their God-given gifts; Equip children with a foundation of Faith, Prayer, Joy, Values; and Educate with Christian Teachings, Healthy Choices and Leadership.”
We also donated PRP’s portion of the Pentecost offering to eLife. We were honored with a tee sponsorship at their golf outing.
Revs. Shelvis and Nancy Smith-Mather
The Smith-Mathers are the missionaries PRP has supported in their work in the Sudan. Several years ago chaos in the country caused them to relocate to a neighboring country. While there, they worked with refugees that had fled with them.
Due to Covid and the impending birth of their baby with possible special medical needs, the Smith-Mathers moved back to The United States this year. They have moved into a center for housing special church groups and are continuing to find ways to help others.
