St. Peter's Outreach
St. Peter's Food Pantry provides nonperishable staples for those who express a need. The pantry is operated at the church by a governing task force and is open three half days each week.
The Community Emergency Relief Fund is a Frankling County United Way agency that provides funds for such emergency needs as preventing utility shut off, eviction, or providing special medication. It is administered by church personnel through a Board of Directors and may be reached at 636-239-6633.
Care and Counseling is a counseling service for individuals, families, and groups.
Telephone 1-800-677-3609.
St. Peter's congregation also has supportive relationships with United Church of Christ institutions located in the area. For more information, visit their websites listed below.
Every Child's Hope formerly Evangelical Children's Home, www.ech1858.org
Emmaus Homes, www.emmaushomes.org
Eden Theological Seminary, http://www.eden.edu
Camp Mo-Val, www.mmsucc.org/camp_mo-val/facilities.asp
Festival of Sharing, http://www.umocm.com/festival.htm
Global Ministries, www.globalministries.org
Missouri Mid-South Conference, www.mmsucc.org
United Church of Christ, www.ucc.org
Responding to the Needs of Our Neighbors in Haiti
The United Church of Christ has launched an emergency appeal for Haiti after a major earthquake struck the country. Thousands of people are feared dead and countless have been left homeless.
The quake, measuring between 7.0 and 7.3 on the Richter Scale, struck 10 miles southwest of the capital of Port-au-Prince just before local time January 12. This is the strongest earthquake to hit Haiti in more than 200 years, and its epicenter is located in an area populated by more than four million people. The Red Cross is estimating that nearly 1/3 of the country's entire population has been directly impacted by the physical devastation.
It is still too early to know the full extent of the damage, but One Great Hour of Sharing and many other charitable organizations working directly with Haiti are expecting a very high loss of life. As of the day following the quake, the collapse of one hospital, the Presidential palace, the United Nations Headquarters, Port au Prince University and innumerable homes, shanties, businesses and churches were confirmed, but more reports of destruction to structures as well as key water, electricity and road systems was expected.
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, a country devastated by four hurricanes in 2008 and ongoing debt that has crippled the country's ability to build from within. A country that used to have a self-sustaining agriculture has become a country of famine where lack of access to public schooling and a day-to-day survival mentality has led to rampant illiteracy, child servitude and general hopelessness.
The United Church of Christ's Global Ministries personnel, Kim, Patrick and Solomon Bentrott have reported in that they are safe.
One Great Hour of Sharing funds are being rushed to our Haitian partners to support their initial emergency response. As damage assessments are made and plans for relief, recovery and rehabilitation are developed, additional support will be shared. The need is massive.
How You Can Help:
1. Pray for the people of Haiti their leaders and emergency and humanitarian aid workers.
2. Please help the people of Haiti by sending gifts payable to St. Peter's marked for "OGHS – Haiti Earthquake Relief." They will be sent through our Conference office on to Wider Church Ministries.
3. Find comfort knowing that through your annual contribution to One Great Hour of Sharing funds already provided are now at work in Haiti being used by trusted partners in ministry. 100% of designated relief monies through the church will go to the people who need it most. (Sadly, some well-known and especially "pop-up" charities keep up to 50% of monies for "overhead." Without established local partnerships like the church has, money is squandered to boot.)
4. Talk to your friends outside of St. Peter's about the devastation. For your friends outside of St. Peter's that wish to help, consider suggesting that they join you in giving through One Great Hour of Sharing (they can visit www.ucc.org/oghs for details on the organizations through which the U.C.C. works) or that they give through "Beyond Borders," a four-star charity (the highest rating) of Charity Navigator, and a trusted and well-known charity of Pastor Leah. Information on Beyond Borders can be found at www.beyondborders.net or by calling 1-866-424-8403.