Caring for community

Nan Nasser

The mission statement of Mountain Shadows Presbyterian Church includes the phrase “called to live as disciples of Jesus Christ as we care for our community” and that is just what members and friends of MSPC have been doing in the November/December holiday season.

During the month of November, congregants contributed food and money for a typical Thanksgiving Food Basket, based on a turkey with the trimmings plus some items that could be used with the leftovers. The goal was to provide assorted nonperishable food items for five baskets, but when the last of the donations were delivered to Catalina Community Services in Catalina it amounted to about 400 pounds of food, four gift cards to local food stores and $300.00 in cash.

No sooner did our dedicated driver Keith Verbeck deliver the last of the Thanksgiving food than we started on our Adopt A Family program for Christmas. Donning our Santa elf hats we collected food and gifts for five families in the Tri Community Food Bank service area, totaling 25 people.

This time the Christmas dinner was built around a canned ham and included pasta, peanut butter and cereal for the days following Christmas. Gifts included clothing, crock pots, toys, a bright orange bike, reading material, towels and wonderful hand knitted afghans contributed by MSPC member Fran Moran. Mini parishes wrapped all the gifts and they were delivered directly to the families by church members.

If you would like to learn more about this caring church, look at our website: www.mountainshadowschurch.org. Or better yet, worship with us on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. and enjoy our fellowship and refreshments on the Ramada following every service. We are located at 14240 N. Oracle Road; our phone is 825-7858.