Canyon Hills Presbyterian Women Just Celebrated Our Fourth Year
It was exciting to celebrate our fourth year at the annual Celebration Luncheon on May 5, 2012, which was held at Alta Vista Country Club. We send a big thank you to all of those in the Ruth Circle who did all of the planning, decorating and paying close attention to details that made it such a successful and festive event. Attached are a few pictures.
We began our year with six circles and approximately seventy women and have enjoyed Bible study, fellowship, and mission projects together.
In September we delivered 32 baby blankets, 18 baby caps, 12 other caps plus two matching scarves to Hoag Hospital NICU. Thank you to all who spent so much time knitting and crocheting. If you’d like to assist us and enjoy knitting or crocheting, let us know and we’ll be happy to share patterns, etc. There are no deadlines.
In November we hosted the PWP Fall Gathering at our church. It was a rainy day, but we had about 60 women from all over the Presbytery here at our church for the meeting and we enjoyed an excellent lunch prepared by the Abigail Circle.
During the winter months we collected six pair of underwear, 284 pr. of stockings, and 20 knee-high nylons to distribute at Mercy House. Even though this winter was warmer than usual, the socks and underwear were greatly appreciated. The Phoebe Circle was in charge of this project and we enjoyed the creative large sock doll that Verna Horton made for their collection box.
We’ve encouraged members of our circles and congregation to take part in the freerice.com project. The program offers free rice to the needy when you give the correct definition to vocabulary words on the internet. It is sponsored by the World Food Programme.
In February I was given $10 at the PWP and challenged to have our PW multiply that $10 through a project known as the ‘Luke 19 Project’. The benefactors of the project would be the ‘Glad Tidings India’, which empowers women through the gospel and literacy. We chose to bake cookies and breads and sell them between services and after the second service and were able to increase our $10 to $383.98, which will provide 125 Bibles and provide Literacy training to 16 women in India. There is a 60% illiteracy rate among the women in India, so this will do a lot to help.
At our luncheon we dedicated the monies we received over the year for our Mission Pledges, 2012 Birthday Offering and our Fellowship of the Least Coin. These monies will be forwarded on to the various designated missions for whom they were intended.
The theme for our Celebration Luncheon this year was ‘Children’s Birthday Parties’ and everyone contributed paper goods, baking supplies, plates, cups, candles, balloons, and goodie bags for the children housed by ‘The Sheepfold’. This organization provides housing and help to abused women and their children in Orange and Riverside Counties. One of the speakers was Marylou, a former house mother who has worked for The Sheepfold for 20 years. She relayed many stories about women and their children who had come to them. Another speaker was Myra, a resident at the Sheepfold who is in her second stage of training, and she shared how The Sheepfold had taken her in when her life and that of her children had become grave. They have given her psychological help, training, education, and housing and she has now advanced to the second level where she has her own apartment and is looking for employment. If you are interested in finding out more about the organization visit their website, www.thesheepfold.org . They also have a Thrift Store in Orange at 335 E. Grove Street and are open Monday thru Saturday.
If you haven’t noticed our hymnals now have the music for the hymn “Celebrate” glued inside the cover thanks to the hard work of Carol Platek and Mary Douglas. Presbyterian women are always working on projects, big or small.
Most of our circles will not meet until in September again, but if you haven’t been in a circle member before, please consider joining one of the circles. We have a great time together, do Bible study and work on mission projects.
Thank you to everyone for a great year. If you have any ideas for projects or events we might consider for next year, please let me know.
PW Moderator
Pat Klotz
