COMMISSION TO THE COMMUNITY
2006 ANNUAL REPORT
The Mission Statement of the Commission to the Community, which we
developed for the brochure we created in 2006 reads:
Empowered by God's Spirit and grace, we partner with our congregation
in service to the world.
We are buoyed by the knowledge that the Warner congregation does not
assume that by having an identified "mission team" called the
Commission to the Community, the church's work in mission is
done. Organizations including the Board of Deacons, Presbyterian
Women, The Tuesday Breakfast Club, The Adult Center, Warner Youth - and
individuals, some of whom we know and can name, and others whom we only
know by their works, continually act as God's hands in the world.
Thank you, dear Warner partners!
It is my pleasure to identify the current members of the Commission for
you: Mary Lou Armstrong, Cory Atwood, Ginny Atwood, Frances
Blendermann, Mary Cameron, Sharon Carroll, Tiff Carroll, Timothy Cook,
Mark Eakin, Colvin Gibson, Mary Margaret Gibson, Kirby Lawrence Hill,
Nancy Lawrence Hill, Carolyn Hollis, Charlotte Jackson, Ruth McMichael,
Susan Middleswarth, Jan Moody, Jean Noel, Beverly Sceery, Douglas
Seeley, and Ralph Sloat. We are blessed to have two members of
the staff on our commission as resource persons (Rev. Hill and Jan
Moody) and to have had two elders besides myself serving on Session in
2006 (Charlotte Jackson and Susan Middleswarth).
All members of the Commission, in faithful service, accept the
challenge to act as agents of Warner, as together we seek to be good
neighbors to the members of Christ's family, nearby and throughout the
world. Some are new to the Commission, some have served for many
years - all feel called.
First the Commission to the Community seeks to be good stewards of the
money budgeted to us by the Warner membership: Each year we
contribute a large portion of our budget ($24,000 in 2006) to PC(USA)
for the denomination's unrestricted use for mission. Then, in
addition to making financial contributions to organizations which are
faith based, we contribute to social service organizations including
the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI), the Mental Health
Association of Montgomery County, and Threshold Services. We also
offer Warner as a meeting place to organizations that provide help to
persons who struggle with the effects of poverty or addiction.
Called to be peacemakers, we sent two delegates to Friends of Sabeel
peacemaking conference and contributed to interfaith efforts through
Church World Service, the Jerusalem International YMCA, the Interfaith
Conference of Metropolitan Washington, and Bridges International.
We are grateful to Mary Margaret and Colvin Gibson for donating the
proceeds from the sale of their Robert Woods painting ($3077.50) to the
Commission to the Community to augment the $39,000 which was budgeted
to us in 2006. A full accounting of how we spent $42,077.50
appears in the appendix of this annual report.
Projects which the congregation supports and which we have continued
each year include:
"Two Cents a Meal," a feeding program which allows us to contribute to
local feeding programs that we choose, and also to PC(USA)'s war on
hunger nationally and internationally. Since the beginning of the
drive 17 years ago, Warner has given $39,781.69 and this year $3520.50
was collected, which was the most ever.
"Project Clean Your Desk," which collects school supplies for children
in Nicaragua, got a special boost this year from Steve Dunn who was
able to save and contribute from a work site many boxes of office
supplies which would otherwise have been discarded.
Hope Unlimited for Children will receive at least $1250 from the sale
of Christmas cards which we had on hand at Warner. Thanks to June
Eakin, who alerted us to the advertising potential of using the
Presbytery's Thursday e-mail mailing, we sold cards to interested
persons throughout our Presbytery.
Again this year we had an Angel Tree and 104 children whose parents use
the Community Ministry of Montgomery County's Interfaith Clothing
Center will be sure to receive a birthday gift this year because of
your response. Beneath the tree was a bucket labeled "Quarters
for Immunization." Because of your donated quarters totaling $80,
children will be vaccinated by UNESCO assisted by the Medical
Benevolence Foundation.
In 2006 we began a project of selling Fair Exchange Coffee to
individuals. Previously the church had bought and used Fair
Exchange Coffee, however now in our homes it became possible for us to
enjoy a beverage produced without exploiting workers. Whether
this project is manageable for us in the future will be evaluated.
Warner contributes to three of our denomination's Special Offerings
which are handled through the Commission to the Community. In
2006 you gave $4224 to the One Great Hour of Sharing, $2613.03 to
Peacemaking, and $2607.10 to the Joy Gift. We are pleased to
report your generous support for these worthy causes.
In 2006 we were visited by some of those we care for who are active in
the field of mission, and, by the grace of God, were able to provide
increased support for their work. Warner had the pleasure of
getting to know Cristiane da Silva, a staff member at Hope Unlimited
for Children, who while completing an internship at the National
Institute of Health lived for three months with the Atwoods, and became
dear to them and to us. We had a visit from Peter Graeff, and
learned more about his life in Haiti, and those who are in need in that
poor country. Kept informed by e-mail from Alice Winters, we
provided funds for the "Accompaniment Program" in Colombia, which
supports those who go to Colombia and walk with those who live in
fear. In addition to our customary financial support for Holly
Ulmer's ministry on the campus of the University of Maryland, we
prepared and served a dinner for students, and Jan Moody answered the
call to be on the United Campus Ministry board. And, inspired by
the Haninger's visit, we paid to transport a water pump to Congo, so
that the Good Shepherd Hospital can have clean water for patients and
staff. We also decided/voted that all the proceeds from this
year's Christmas Tea and Silent Auction would benefit the Haninger's
Moringa Tree Project. The Commission used our program budget to
pay the expenses for the event. How blessed we feel to be able to
support the Haninger's assault on hunger in the amount of $5427 - the
exact amount that was made by the event.
And so, in 2006 we made an impact on hunger, yet look forward to
continued work in this area in 2007. There will be a new
relationship developing with Presbytery, since they now have a Hunger
Action Enabler, and Nancy Lawrence Hill has agreed to be our Hunger
Agent. We look forward to settling in to our new relationship
with National Capital Presbytery's Global Mission Network Organization
which we joined because of our partnership with Hope Unlimited for
Children, and through it, will continue to do our part to increase the
awareness of that ministry in Brazil. We look forward to
continuing the advocacy work begun in 2006 when, on a Sunday after
church, we wrote letters to law makers encouraging them to act
responsibly for humanitarian concerns. We look forward to sending
a team to the Gulf region to help with the on going response to the
disaster which befell so many as a result of Hurricane Katrina.
We will have a fund-raiser in the spring to help meet expenses of those
who want to be a part of that team. We will follow where the Lord
leads, and with your help, continue to love and to serve.
Respectfully submitted,
Ina Rae Kramer, Chair
Commission to the Community