Monday, January 5

The Presbytery of Donegal

Pennsylvania

Congregations of the Presbytery of Donegal continue to respond to God’s call to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. Individual church members provide leadership in their congregations, the presbytery, and community partnerships.

First Presbyterian Church, West Chester, has partnered with nonprofit organizations, county and city government, and other congregations in doing justice, notably for homeless single women. Chester County has only four beds for these women, so a Homeless Women’s Shelter Task Force was formed to provide emergency shelter on the coldest nights until a long-term solution is reached. Women older than eighteen are referred to one of the church’s emergency shelters. Pre-referral screenings identify women who require services other than shelter. Congregations provide shelter volunteers, evening snacks and drinks, and breakfast.

Among the ministries of loving-kindness of First Presbyterian Church, Lancaster, is the congregation’s partnership with Central American Relief Efforts and Mission Relief Services of Coatesville. First Presbyterian has provided seven shipping containers of medical equipment and humanitarian supplies worth about $180,000. Its other ministries in Honduras include eight medical clinics per year that serve as many as 1,000 people, free dental and eye care clinics, and craft and evangelism programs during the medical clinics. The congregation has tithed the contributions of its Sanctuary Renovation Fund to benefit mission partnerships in both Honduras and Kenya.

The presbytery continues to walk humbly with God with its partners in the Presbytery of Umtata, Eastern Cape, South Africa. In spite of heavy rains and flooding at planting time, Donegal Presbyterians rejoiced when their partners’ recent garden project yielded a crop of potatoes.

The 60 congregations in the presbytery serve 21,607 members.

Let us join in prayer for
Presbytery Staff
Rev. Charles W. Gross, Jr., associate executive presbyter
Rev. Dr. William J. Brown, executive presbyter emeritus
Rev. Dr. William J. Netting, stated clerk
Kathy Bartels, administrative assistant
Susan Harner, business administrator
Nan Best, associate for healthy congregations
Allan Ziegler, treasurer
Amy Wade, Camp Donegal administrator
Frederick Schmidt, hunger action enabler
Barbara Warren, restoring creation enabler
Betty Duncan, resource center director
Ann Mead Ash, newsletter editor

PC(USA) General Assembly Staff
Monty Anderson, PPC
Frank Annau, OGA

Prayer
Great and loving God, we humbly seek your blessing upon the whole church. Pour out your Spirit of grace upon the work of the Presbytery of Donegal. May the Umtata South Africa partners be strong in their relationships and vigilant in prayer for one another. Strengthen the witness of each congregation. We pray especially for the people of the First Presbyterian churches of Lancaster and of West Chester. In whatever situations we are called to serve, may we build capacity for love and service, health and peace. In the strong name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Daily Lectionary
Daily Lectionary
Ps. 99, 145 Ps. 96, 110
Josh. 1:1–9
Heb. 11:32–12:2; John 15:1–16