Many from WHPC's congregation have served our mission partner Manos de Cristo, whether they dropped off blue bags full of food on Sunday, delivered trunks full of food, or helped children choose new backpacks and clothing at the annual back-to-school event.

This fall, we are challenging everyone at WHPC to serve by completing at least one activity on our brand-new, current, curated list. This may be a great opportunity to try something new!

All you have to do is complete one challenge activity from the many suggestions, or contribute one of your own and tell us about it.

I don’t know about you, but for me, this strange year sometimes feels like it’s going by very quickly. I can hardly believe that World Communion Sunday is right around the corner.

Established in the 1930s, World Communion Sunday takes place on the first Sunday in October and celebrates the unity and ministry of the Church around the world. On or around this day—this year, it’s October 4—many Presbyterian churches participate in the denominational Peace and Global Witness Offering as well.

In Luke’s gospel, Jesus has a conversation with a scribe—a legal expert—about the two most important commandments in God’s law. These are, of course, to love God with all we’ve got, and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves (Luke 10:27). But the scribe seeks greater clarity, asking Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” We may find ourselves wondering the same thing. Who is it that God calls us to love?

Thanks to the congregation’s generous donations, WHPC was able to give away over $54,000 to partners in Central Texas and Nicaragua as they cope with the coronavirus pandemic and its social and economic effects.

Most WHPC members are familiar with the Gathering, our church’s ministry that provides a four-hour respite program each week to families dealing with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and similar dementias. The Gathering is designed to provide the person with AD a chance to socialize in a warm and loving atmosphere. Activities are designed to keep the participants busy in meaningful and dignified ways. The Gathering is also intended to offer the caregiver four hours a week of time to run errands, go to doctors’ appointments, visit with friends, or just go home to a quiet house.

WHPC has been actively serving in Nicaragua for over 25 years. We have deep roots with many partners and dear friends. This post highlights three partners—AMOS Health and Hope, Colegio Cristiano Presbyteriano (CCP), and Eden Center—who will benefit directly from WHPC’s Special Offering for COVID-19 Relief. Learning more about them, I hope you will be inspired to give to the offering, which closes at the end of this month.

Our community and our world are facing tremendous challenges due to COVID-19. WHPC has already responded generously: giving to One Great Hour of Sharing, buying groceries for Manos de Cristo’s food pantry, sewing masks for essential workers, and more. It’s amazing to see our church witnessing to the love of God in these hard times.

“All we have left……is our faith in Christ.”  This was the cry of members of a Christian church in Dubuzon, Liberia upon returning to their community after two devastating civil wars to find their church building burned to the ground.  They vowed to rebuild their church and rename it Faith in Christ.  With the help of WHPC, their church was rebuilt and now, some twelve years later, it has grown to more than eight satellite congregations in Liberia and two in neighboring Ivory Coast, thereby adding “international” to its ministry name.

As we are asked to stay home, keep our distance, and adjust to new norms, a question comes to mind. How do we engage in mission at a time like this? And how do we talk to our children about serving others when we can’t go out and be face-to-face with people in need?

I’m thrilled to share that in April, Westlake Hills Presbyterian Church contributed $11,000 to One Great Hour of Sharing, a special offering of our denomination, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). One Great Hour of Sharing goes to address disaster, hunger, and oppression throughout the world, through several Presbyterian agencies—Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, the Presbyterian Hunger Program, and Self-Development of People. This special offering is in addition to the generous support WHPC already gives its local and global mission partners each year.

Many in our congregation are familiar with "Blue Bag Sundays," where once a month we shop at the grocery store for a list of requested items and return them to the church in cobalt blue bags. I loved participating in this simple ministry for years, but I have to admit I did not really know where those bags were going. I knew that the ministry was a "food pantry," but I did not comprehend the gem of a destination for our particular goods that is Manos de Cristo until I delivered the blue bags collected by our congregation to their office one weekday morning last year.

One of Westlake Hills Presbyterian Church’s longstanding local mission partners is the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) here in Austin.

Through FCA, Westlake High School (WHS) hosts several bible study gatherings called "huddles." Two student-led huddles meet every week, on campus, during the student’s two lunch hours, 4th and 5th period. Coach Jeff Montgomery and Mrs. Clements help host and facilitate these huddles, which attract between 10 to 40 students at each lunch hour. That means that each week, as many as 80 students gather together to enjoy fellowship in a safe place, to pray, to hear the Word of God, and to listen to a testimony from a fellow student or invited guest speaker.

The year has barely begun, and already our church has undertaken two significant mission projects to address hunger, both locally in Austin and in impoverished areas around the globe.

For this year’s Souper Bowl of Caring Smackdown, our middle school students led a can drive to benefit the food pantry run by WHPC mission partner Manos de Cristo. Over the course of January, the congregation donated a grand total of 2,609 cans. Church members made weekly deliveries as donations came in, helping to keep Manos’ pantry well stocked throughout January.

Associate Pastor Claire Berry previews multiple ways for our congregation to share with our neighbors during Advent and Christmas, including the Christmas Eve Offering.

We’re sharing stories from WHPC members who are out there in our local community being “secretly incredible.” Our second post is from high school student Brittany Barre. Read on to hear how Brittany is making a difference with Community First! Village.

For the next couple weeks, we’re excited to share stories from WHPC members, “hidden figures” who are out there in our local community being “secretly incredible.” Our first post is from elder Kenny Rahmeyer. Read on to hear how Kenny and friends are repurposing abundance right here in Austin.

On May 16, a small team from WHPC visited ministries in McAllen and San Benito that provide relief and support to refugees and asylum seekers. Learn about our trip here written by our very own Rev. Claire Berry.