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1,000 Mugs for South Africa The “1,000 Mugs” Project was the dream of Marlene Nelson, a Messiah parishioner and Harvard Ceramics’ potter whose passionate desire was to make and sell 1,000 mugs and donate the money to support public education for the children of Khetani, a black township outside Winterton, Kwazulu Natal, South Africa. She previously spent time on a dairy farm in Winterton where she taught pottery to some of the local Zulu farm workers. Through her generosity, she financed the construction of a church building for the Khetani Christian Fellowship, a non-denominational worship community.
To read a recent Boston Globe on-line article about the 1,000 Mugs Project, click on this link: http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/newton/2009/09/local_church_and_artist_to_hol.html
Support for the Newton Food Pantry “I was hungry and you gave me food.” Hunger knows no geographical boundaries. Many families in the western suburbs depend on organizations such as the Newton Food Pantry for assistance. Help stamp out hunger right around the corner by bringing donated items to the church during any service or concert event. Special wooden containers for donations are located inside the front entrance of the church and near the church office. The Newton
Food pantry is a non-profit organization run by volunteers. The
pantry is located at the former Waban branch library located at
1608 Beacon Street at the corner of Beacon and Woodward Street
in Waban Square. Some items needed are listed below:
Mustard Seed Project -- South Africa
For many years people at Messiah have prayed for and contributed to the work of Joan Reeve. Joan is a member of All Saints Church, the Anglican parish in Winterton, a small town in the southwestern farmlands of Kwazulu Natal, South Africa. A longtime opponent of apartheid, she has played a leading role within her parish to address the economic and social difficulties of their community.
One of her efforts, the Mustard Seed Project, supports the education of children who otherwise would not be able to attend school. The project is on a small scale intentionally, as Joan hopes to support these children until they graduate from high school. She feels the best results are achieved when support starts at the beginning of a child’s education. In one of her letters, Joan says, “Pray for the lives of these kids so that they’re not dropped halfway. I really would like the whole thing to become funded by South Africa rather than us asking people overseas to fund it. We need to build a culture here in this country of trying to sort ourselves out, but our congregations are small. And everyone is involved. Everybody is doing something in some way or another.”
Gifts in
support of her work can be made at any time of year. Make
checks payable to the Parish of the Messiah, with “Reeve Fund”
written on the memo line.
Hildebrand Shelter
Each Advent, we collect Christmas gifts for the women who live at the Hildebrand Shelter for homeless families in Cambridge. Gifts for children are also welcome, but as so few mothers receive gifts that is the area of greatest need. Parishioners are asked to donate personal items such as toiletries, slippers, nightgowns, or socks as well as gift cards from local stores such as Target and Marshalls. Gifts do not need to be wrapped, but if the gift is wrapped, please tag the package with a content label (eg, slippers, size 8). Several collection boxes are located within the church or gift card donations marked "Hildebrand" may be placed in the offering plate.
The beginning of the school is another time when items can be donated. Anything that a young person needs for going back to school on the first day are welcome such as back packs, spiral notebooks, pads of paper, pens, pencils, markers, and rulers.
Additional gifts may be made to the Hildebrand Shelter any time
during the year by sending or bringing them to the church
office at 1900 Commonwealth Avenue, Auburndale MA 02466.
Episcopal Relief and Development
ERD saves lives after an
emergency:
ERD
helps communities rebuild when the crisis is over:
ERD
creates opportunities for people living in poverty:
To learn more about ERD, just click on
the button below, or go to
www.er-d.org
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Marlene’s dream was cut short by cancer which claimed her
life last September. However, she had shared her vision
with her colleagues and friends at Harvard’s Ceramic
Program. And so in her memory, Wasma’a Chorbachi
coordinated the effort to do what she was not able to do:
make 1,000 mugs and donate the profits from their sale
