Parish of the Messiah

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 Khethani, 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 Khethani Christian Fellowship, a non-denominational worship community.

Marlene’s dream was cut short by cancer which claimed her life in September 2008.  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 to South Africa.  Many of the mugs were created by master potters, such as Chorbachi, who has several pieces on permanent display at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.  The money will be used to fund a library for the Khethani primary school and if funds permit, for the high school.  The Parish of the Messiah is coordinating the sale of the mugs and absorbing any administrative costs as part of its outreach ministry.  The project kicked into high gear on October 7, 2009 with a pottery show and sale with Bishop Shaw, also a potter, as our special guest. 

Below is a YouTube video about the 1000 Mugs Project.

To read a 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 

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 in the Waban Library Center located at 1608 Beacon Street,  the corner of Beacon and Woodward Street in Waban Square. Some items needed are:

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.

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 (e.g., slippers, size 8).  Several collection boxes are located within the church or gift card donations marked "Hildebrand" may be placed in the offering plate. 

For 2011, the children of Messiah took an active role in providing for Hildebrand residents. They baked goodies for a December 11 bake sale. $100 was earned and used to purchase all the "wish list" gifts for fifteen children at the center. Messiah members also gave additional toys that some of the other children will really like as well as a number of gift cards and presents for the mothers. Christmas ornaments made by the children were given to those that brought these extra gifts. Special thanks to Stephanie who coordinated the bake sale and Daryl who was the ace shopper who located gifts for eight of the fifteen children and then delivered our gifts to Hildebrand.

Parish of the Messiah supports the world-wide relief and development work being done by Episcopal Relief and Development or ERD.  ERD provides emergency assistance in times of disaster by saving lives and building hope in communities around the world.  When the immediate crisis is over, ERD rebuilds devastated communities and offers long-term solutions in the areas of food security, health care, and HIV/AIDS.