GRACE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

 

Presbyterian Children’s Homes and Services provides Christ-like services to children and their families. Expertly trained staff focus on the strengths of families to support and nurture children in their care. The Child and Family Program provides assistance to families in crisis in order to help them stay together. These services are provided at no cost to the family, regardless of their financial circumstances. 

Through this program, the safety of children is secured and then master level specialists help families create goals to work toward and support them when they need it, for as long as they need. Michelle Villarreal is the Child and family Specialist in Temple where she offices at GPC. She serves families in Temple and in near-by communities.

Each December, Michelle provides the names and ages of children in the families she is serving. Those names and a list of suggested Christmas gifts for that particular child are hung on a Christmas tree. The congregation has generously and

graciously provided Christmas gifts for these children and their families. (Local)

Family Promise of East Bell County is an interfaith, non-profit organization that exists to help homeless and low-income families achieve sustainable independence through a community-based response.

Families face homelessness for many reasons and they often need a hand to help lift them out of defeat into hope.

Family Promise helps families address both the external circumstances and the personal choices that have led to homelessness as they work back toward greater independence and stability.

Family Promise responds to the needs of homeless families through an integrated approach.  Basic needs are met to help families have the capacity to focus on their futures.  Local congregations provide shelter and the evening meal each day, and families are able to shower, do laundry, use the computer and take care of other family needs at our day center.  Staff members work with parents to put goals in place and then to provide accountability and support as parents make progress on goals each week.  Employment and budgeting are emphasized.  Education on financial literacy, parenting, and other essential life skills is provided.  Community partners are engaged.

The objective is for families to leave the shelter component of Family Promise when they are able to move into their own home; continued aftercare case management is in place to help promote long-term stability. (Local)

The Meals on Wheels program at GPC started in 1985 as a need seen by a concerned member. The program has grown over the years and currently serve 24 hot meals per week, plus a frozen casserole to senior adults in the Temple community every Tuesday. This program can always use more volunteers to serve as cooks, drivers, provide frozen casseroles and assemble dessert/salad containers. Please consider this vital outreach mission.   If interested email us.  (Local)

Churches Touching Lives for Christ is an ecumenical organization of churches working with the support of area business and social service organizations. to meet basic human needs on a temporary and/or emergency basis. The staff is composed entirely of volunteers who assist 200 plus families per week. CTLC embraces all ethnic and age groups and has tens of thousands of clients on file that have received aid. CTLC is presently supported by over 30 area churches and numerous business and social service organizations and serves Temple and all rural areas within east Bell County.

CTLC was founded on four principals:

• To provide an atmosphere of spiritual encouragement for those who come, regardless of need.
• To help individuals access Temple area helping agencies.
• To serve as a central location for the accumulation and distribution of food, clothing and other goods.
• To provide opportunities for church members and other volunteers to minister in the name of Christ

People in need can come to CTLC to get groceries, clothes, or housewares. It is an excellent alternative to Goodwill for donating your unwanted items. (Local)

Neighbors is a mentoring program for young male probationers in east Bell County who are at risk of not successfully completing the terms of their probation and being sentenced to time in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

Young probationers meet with approximately three mentors each month for dinner and fellowship. The probationers are free to discuss anything they wish with the mentors, including job searches, educational pursuits, family relationships, and issues that they might be facing. The mentors provide support, guidance and encouragement.

The program originally began on 2010 with a Mission Initiative Grant from Grace

Presbytery. (Local)

Feed My Sheep (FMS) is a vitally important organization for the homeless and the needy of Temple and East Bell County. People are able to get a hot meal or sack lunch daily - some days breakfast and dinner are also served. In addition to food, FMS also has free laundry and shower services. The Resource Center at FMS helps people find housing, get IDs, obtain benefits,and offers rental or utility assistance, bus tickets, and work clothing, among other assistance. The Education Center at FMS has Bible studies, a 12-Step Recovery program, a GED program, a literacy program, and occasionally, other classes such as nutrition and cooking. The Christian Women’s Job Corps is housed at The Well, the women’s day center at Feed My Sheep, and the Christian Men’s Job Corps will have an office in their main building soon.

GPC contributes by providing a hot meal and a sack lunch various times throughout the year, in addition to monthly financial support for the operations of FMS. FMS is entirely run by volunteers so every dollar received goes right back into helping the neediest in our community.  (Local)

Presbyterian Pan American School is a Christian international college preparatory school located in Kingsville, Texas that educates and empowers young adults from diverse backgrounds for leadership in the global community. Their mission is to prepare these young people for lives of Christian leadership.  Young people attending PPAS hail from countries such as Mexico, China, South Korea, Rwanda, Taiwan, Colombia, and the United States. Students often come from missionary families and nations suffering significant violence. Our graduates go on to lives and professions that bring positive changes to the world by upholding the Christian ideals of love, service, and community.  Grace Presbyterian Church supports PPAS through student scholarships as well as general budget support. (National)

Normally regularly engage in mission trips to help those affected by natural disasters. The past two years trips have been to the Texas Gulf Coast to assist with Hurricane Harvey relief.  These domestic mission trips provide all with experience that includes everything from clean-up to new construction. For more information contact, Rev. Thom Lamb or the church office.  (National) 

Living Waters for the World is a Christian ministry that provides the life-sustaining gift of clean water to communities in need, while fostering long term relationships with these communities.  We at Grace Presbyterian Church believe that by training and equipping partners in resource poor areas, we can share God’s love and grace. Several members of Grace have been trained and will now begin the process of developing community relations, offering education, and training local leaders to install, operate, and manage water systems for communities in Guatemala. (International)

This Easter Offering is a Presbyterian worldwide offering that shares God’s love with our neighbors-in-need around the world. The money provides relief from natural and human-caused disasters, food for the hungry, and support for the poor and oppressed. One Great Hour of Sharing currently supports programs in over 100 countries.

This offering is received during the season of Lent, March 22 - April 9. This is the single, largest way that Presbyterians come together every year to work for a better world.  Each gift to OGHS helps improve the lives of the suffering.  

IF WE ALL DO A LITTLE, IT ADDS UP TO A LOT! 

(Special Offerings and Mission Grants)

provides support to retired and active church workers and their families as well as support for education at Presbyterian related schools and colleges.
(Special Offerings and Mission Grants)

True to their Christian heritage, the University of the Ozarks prepares students from diverse religious, cultural, educational and economic backgrounds to live a full life.  Students in this small Christian University are from 27 different countries. 

Donations from GPC supports the operation of the school and support student scholarships.  

(Special Offerings and Mission Grants)

J.A.I.L. Ministry, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit jail ministry based in Belton, Texas. There is a special interest in the criminal justice system and conduct 45 Bible studies in the jail each week. An extensive number of volunteers work hard to engage the church and create a seamless structure that is focused on ministry. (GPC supported)

Helping a sick child fight their illness takes a big enough emotional toll on a family. Adding a financial strain can make it all almost too much to bear. RMHC can help address those problems, whether they involve housing that’s near a hospitalized child, the expense of staying together in another city, or even getting basic medical and dental care in a vulnerable community.

Since 1974, RMHC has helped address these needs every day, with 431,174 volunteers and staff members, our connections with medical communities around the world, partnerships with respected online pharmacy companies and our generous donors. (GPC Supported)