Mission & Outreach

Mission and outreach has always been an important part of Paxton Church’s “mission.” To this end, the Mission & Outreach Ministry is responsible for the coordination of various mission projects involving Paxton members and the distribution of allocated mission funds – locally, nationally and globally.

Locally, Paxton actively supports organizations such as Allison Hill Community Ministry and Downtown Daily Bread, both financially and with volunteers. Paxton is also a covenant church with Habitat for Humanity. In that capacity, Paxton members help at regularly scheduled workdays at Habitat sites and serve on Habitat committees. In April 2006, Paxton received Habitat’s “Outstanding Congregation” award.

Nationally and globally, Paxton participates in four Presbyterian Church USA sponsored offerings each year. During Lent 2007, Paxton contributed over $5,000 to the One Great Hour of Sharing offering which supports national and international mission projects. This was accomplished through individual donations, special projects, and activities such as Lenten lunches and dinners. Paxton’s 2007 gifts to the denomination’s four special offerings for mission causes totaled more than $8,000.

The Mission and Outreach Ministry’s Mission Trip Committee coordinates and plans special mission trips. In June 2006 and 2007, Paxton members spent a week at Meeting Ground, a transitional residential community for homeless individuals and families in Elkton, MD. A second mission trip completed in February 2007 was made to D’Iberville, MS, a town ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. Paxton members did home reconstruction work under the direction of Lend-a-Hand, a mission of the Presbytery of Carlisle. In November 2007, members traveled to Krislund, a local Christian camp sponsored by the Presbytery of Carlisle, to begin work on an adult retreat center. Another Krislund mission trip has been planned for March 2008. (LINK TO MISSION TRIP PAGE)

Other organizations within Paxton Church, such as adult Church School classes, youth groups, and especially Presbyterian Women, are actively involved in their own mission projects. Particularly notable among these were the 2006 and 2007 Santa Shops, which gave more than 400 inner city children the opportunity to “purchase” (free of charge) Christmas gifts for their family members.

It is through mission work that Paxton takes the Christian message of love and hope beyond its walls and out into the community – in Harrisburg, across the United States, and around the world. The Mission and Outreach Ministry encourages all members and friends of Paxton Church to participate in this vital process.

We meet the first Wednesday of each month September through June at 7:30 PM in the library.

Link to 2007 Mission Trips

Members

3500 Sharon St., Harrisburg, PA 17111 | 717.561.0510 | www.paxtonchurch.org