Hunger Walk 2013

There were five from MDPC walking in the HungerWalk:

 

Dayana, Daysha, Kevin, Elysee and Carl.

 

Four from MDPC were at the Presbytery Registration Area at the event:

 

June, Adrienne, Leslie, D'Jaris.  

 

 

Seeking the Shalom of the City

Seeking the Shalom of the City

by Paul Seebeck

Associate, Mission Communications

1001 Worshiping Communities

 

Pastor Gad Mpoyo from the Democratic Republic of the Congo began reaching out to immigrants and refugees in the Atlanta, Georgia, area in 2008. He remembers visiting a family from Haiti that came to the U.S. after the earthquake. “Their sixteen-year-old daughter told me, ‘We used to feel lonely a lot,’” says Mpoyo. “Before I started visiting them there was no one coming to see them.”’

He and student friends from Kenya (Wilson Arimi), the United States (Joshua Ralston) and Zambia (Rogers Chishiba) formed Shalom, an outreach ministry. Shalom began reaching out to an estimated 8,000 residents from at least 30 countries, responding to their spiritual, social, and emotional needs.

During this time, three Presbyterian pastors—Sara Hayden, Joy Fisher, and George Tatro—reached out to Mpoyo, who grew up and was ordained United Methodist. “These good people in the Presbyterian church did not see denominational boundaries,” says Mpoyo. They saw what God was doing in the community through our Shalom outreach ministry, and wanted to be a part of building God’s kingdom through immigrants, refugees, and the homeless population.”

Prayerful discernment

Hayden heads up the New Church Development Commission, Fisher is a congregational consultant for the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta, and Tatro is from Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church in Clarkston, Georgia. They began meeting and praying with Mpoyo.

“After numerous meetings and much discernment, we felt God calling us to start a more intentional outreach—based on what we were doing—but now we were going to start worshiping together in people’s homes,” says Mpoyo.

Shalom International Ministry officially began in December 2011. Eleven people came, representing the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia and Cameroon. “They told us they needed a space where they could experience a sense of belonging,” says Mpoyo, “where they could heal from past trauma and be together in hospitality.”

For five months Shalom worshiped in people’s houses, using Jeremiah 29:7 to guide and direct their ministry: “Seek the shalom of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in the shalom of it shall you have shalom” (Hebrew Names Version).

God’s work transforming lives through Shalom

As stories spread of God transforming lives through Shalom, the community began to grow. “I hear amazing testimonies,” says Mpoyo, telling a story of a couple from Congo who came to the U.S. last year. They had no place to worship, no one to give them an orientation to the city of Atlanta, to help them understand transportation, job searches, grocery stores, and how to get furniture for their home.

“Thanks to the work of hospitality through Shalom, the husband and wife are working,” says Mpoyo. “They come to worship every Sunday, they feel safe, welcomed and valued as children of God.”

More than fifty adults and forty children come to worship now at Shalom, in space provided by Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church. Together they represent sixteen countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Congo-Brazzaville, Togo, Ghana, Cameroon, Nepal, Zimbabwe, Jamaica, Angola, Bhutan, and the United States.

On Saturdays, children come to a recently started kids’ program for a meal, to learn Scripture, and to play games in the gym. “The kids love coming; there is now a place for them to have fun in a constructive way,” says Mpoyo. “You can begin to see the future where these children will offer their many gifts and talents, not only to Shalom but to the American society.”

Prepared by God

Mpoyo says he never could have imagined one day starting a worshiping community with people coming from so many different countries. Yet as he reflects on this question, he sees how God was preparing him for this ministry in his journey of faith. After high school, he attended medical school in Democratic Republic of the Congo. After three years, he felt God calling him to be something other than a medical doctor.

“So I made a U-turn,” he says. “I went to study theology in Zimbabwe. While there, I happened to be at a university that had more than twenty countries represented. I started and led a choir of students from ten different countries. God was preparing me for a cross-cultural ministry like Shalom.”

Mpoyo came to Atlanta seven years ago as a student, earning his M.Div. in 2008 and his Th.M. in 2009, at Candler School of Theology at Emory University.

“There is an African concept of ubuntu,” he says. “I am because we are. This is my hope and dream, that we experience God’s love and peace in our lives, and continue to seek the Shalom of Clarkson, Georgia, for then each and every one will find shalom.”

Community Thanksgiving Meal

On November 17th we had the Community Thanksgiving Meal at Rock of Ages Lutheran Church in Stone Mountain. I had contacted a few of my player friends earlier in the week to help me with the music for the night. We arrived early to set up and do a sound check. We were expecting another holiday church gig that we have done so many times before and were happy to provide music for this event.

 

What we experienced was far more than we expected. After getting all the logistics and last minute instructions, the guests began to arrive. We, and the other volunteers from surrounding churches were met with smiles and hand shakes from more than a dozen homeless men and women that were grateful for the "party" we were throwing in their honor. We ate together, laughed together, heard some real "whopper" stories and worshipped together.

George Tatro from Memorial Drive Pres. served as the MC and got the ball rolling. Each of the other pastors also had a few words that emphasized the theme of love and concern from the heart of God towards those in our number that had fallen on hard times and as a result were homeless. The message of love was not only for the homeless but extended to the needs of the larger community. The ladies and gentleman from the attending churches took turns in serving our guests an amazing dinner and making sure that they were welcomed and appreciated. The smiles and warm words were cathartic and sincere as fellow Christians rolled up their sleeves and met the needs of those that were hurting and without.

One of the songs that we sang together captured the spirit of that night. "...Lean on me when you're not strong and I'll be your friend. I'll help you carry on, for it won't be long...'til I'm gonna need somebody to lean on..." By time the event was over, the guys in my band were thanking me for a powerful night of ministry. Their level of gratitude for the church... being the church was heightened.

What better way to celebrate Thanksgiving than by serving others. I am grateful to all those that attended, served, organized and participated in the 2012 Community Thanksgiving Meal. I am especially grateful for being asked to participate in an event that could be the start of a movement to bless Stone Mountain authored by God and his church. I was proud and honored to be a believer that night.

Allan Wiltshire, II

The Mission Minded Artist.

 

Elder D'Jaris Canty Wallace - MDPC Intern

 

Elder D’Jaris Canty Wallace is the President of the Greater Atlanta Chapter of the National Black Presbyterian Caucus, the Vice Moderator of the Presbyterian Women Coordinating Council of the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta and is currently an Inquirer in the ordination process with the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta.

 

Elder Canty Wallace has been a licensed minister since 1991 and ordained in 2004.  She has served as the Assistant Pastor of the Reynoldstown Christian Ministries from 1992-1994, Co-leader of the Nurture Ministry (1991-1992), the Planning, Evaluation and Publication Ministry Leader (1994 – 2002), and Director of Protocol (2002) at Saint Peter Missionary Baptist Church.  While there she was also a teacher and Curriculum Specialist in the School of Christian Living, and in 1999 developed a “Leadership Development Program”.  Following the direction of God, she united with Word of God Tabernacle in 2002 and was a part of their Ministerial Alliance. Elder Canty Wallace was also very active in the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship, where she served as Assistance Conference Coordinator for the West Central Georgia District, and served on the State of Georgia Conference Team since 1999 as Youth Liaison, Assistant to the State Adjutant and Conference Registrar for 2001 and 2002. Before its closing, she developed a progressive Christian Education Program for Southwest Atlanta Presbyterian Church, teaching two Bible classes.  In May 2010, she and her husband Bruce were commissioned as coordinators of the Congregational Care Ministry at Rice Memorial Presbyterian Church. 

 

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, she is a 1973 graduate of Southwest High School in Atlanta, a 1977 graduate of Talladega College in Talladega, Alabama with a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and a minor in Mathematics.  She has done graduate studies at Atlanta University with a concentration in Economic Development and minor in Finance, taken Continuing Education Extension courses through The Interdenominational Theological Center.  She has also received a Computer Skills Certificate and Mortgage Lending Diploma from the Georgia Institute of Banking.  Elder Canty Wallace, worked for the Internal Revenue Service, Crawford and Company, and is a former associate professor of Economics at Tuskegee Institute, and the faculty advisor for their Society of Economics Advancement, as well as a former Mortgage Banker and Corporate Trust Supervisor and was the Owner and Managing Broker of Anchor Partners Realty. 

 

Elder Canty Wallace is an Advanced Certified Human Behavior Consultant through Uniquely You Ministries, a Certified Clinical Pastoral Care Counselor, and Certified Leadership Trainer through Walk Thru the Bible Ministries.  She is also a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors, Black African American Christian Counselors, Christian Community Development Association, Religious Conference Management Association, Society of Church Consultants and the Presbyterian Church USA’s Company of Pastors.  Currently she is a Middler at Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary at The Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, pursuing her Master’s in Divinity, concentrating on Pastoral Care. After graduating and completing her ordination exams, she plans to pursue parish ministry and becoming a Licensed Pastoral Counselor.

Fall Berries on the MDPC Campus

By Carol Cromley

1. Holly
2. Dogwood
3. Nandina

Lunch Box Program

By Carol Cromley

 

The Memorial Drive Lunchbox Program started in May, 2010 with people volunteering from St Timothy Methodist Church, MDPC and Rock Of Ages Lutheran Church. Each church was taking one or more days a week to be responsible for serving those in need. As it began, we gathered folks from the three churches and walked around the tables filling lunch containers, much like what we do now for Bountiful Bags on Thursdays. Now there is a fourth church, A New Thing Christian Church, that serves on Wednesdays.

 

To start with, we gave out less than ten lunches a day, and we have grown to 50 or 60 on many days. The "working poor" are also being served...those who have part time jobs only, like the sign-holders you see along the road. Bottled water is included for each lunch. Summer times we serve a lot more children, too, and we try to add drink boxes for them or other special treats.

 

Bananas are an addition to the daily menu, and the folks at Rock of Ages donate & make up fresh sandwiches to replace some of the packaged items we used to purchase. The sack lunches are placed in grocery bags, to keep costs to a minimum.

 

Your cash donations (checks marked for Lunchbox) are used for the packaged items put in the bags with the sandwiches. 

Those who hand out the lunches frequently hear happy "thank you's" and "bless you" for being there.

 

 

 

 

So "Thank you and Bless you" for the all your help that makes this program continue for our neighbors in need.

 

 

 

 

Clifton Sanctuary Ministries

By Doris Hoenig

Clifton Sanctuary Ministries is an emergency shelter for men 35 years and older including those living with HIV/AIDS, addictions and mental illness.  CSM is celebrating 33 years of night hospitality.

Last Sunday evening, 78 men were recognized for having successfully worked to eliminate the stigma associated with being homeless.  These men are now either employed, have reconciled with family, completed their GED or Job Training program, and/or receiving Social Security benefits.  The overall success rate reached 70%. 

The program continues moving forward providing the best services for their guests with the help of church partners, funders and a large number of volunteers.

The heart of Clifton's success lies in the relationships with volunteer organizations.  In the future Clifton hopes to foster more relationships with area churches, community groups, Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, and others interested in learning what makes Clifton unique and the best program of its kind in the area.

MDPC is a volunteer partner in the program.  Every third Monday, for an hour, a team packs 50 lunch bags.  MDPCCP participates by decorating the lunch bags. 

If you would like to participate or want more information, contact Doris Hoenig, 770-469-5984.