Mission at Work in the World

We believe as we step out the doors at First Bonham, we are entering the mission field.  Our congregation actively participates through the giving of our time, talents, and financial resources to work toward serving others.

Upcoming Events:

Spring Break Snacks for Finley Oates Students
Watch for the donation box in the hospitality area outside the sanctuary for the Finley Oates students.   We will be collecting non-perishable snack food items for these students to be used during their Spring Break.   Once again, you can help by purchasing these items (there will be a list by the box) or you can leave a cash donation in the basket by the box.   The FROGS will shop for the snacks on March 7.     Blessings to all of you for helping feed those little ones who don’t always have enough to eat!

 Mission and Youth Committees Plan Work Day for Saturday April 24
Could you use a hand with yard work?   Have some trash to be hauled away?    Are your gutters filled with leaves and you can’t climb a ladder to get them out?  Do you just need assistance cleaning parts of your house?  Have you been a little under the weather or you can’t do all you used to do?     Or would you just like a little help?   If so….The Mission Committee and Youth Committee will host a day of service to FPC members on Saturday, April 24 to provide cleanup, minor repairs, yard work, house cleaning, etc. to anyone who could use a little assistance with these tasks.

Meals on Wheels Wednesday Route
If you have 45 minutes to an hour to spare once or twice a month, would you consider becoming a “Meals on Wheels” deliverer?       The Mission Committee is responsible for a weekly route on Wednesdays.   Meals are picked up at 10:15 a.m. from the SNAP Center and delivered to the same route each week.  By sharing the route among multiple FPC members, you may only need to deliver meals one Wednesday each month.      There is a sign up sheet outside the church office on the Mission bulletin board.

The employees of the SNAP Center, and the recipients of the daily meals, are deeply appreciative of the volunteers who provide this service.

Ongoing Ministries:

Fannin County Community Ministries (formerly Bonham Community Ministries) is a coalition of churches in Fannin County who work together to provide food and financial assistance to needy people in our community. Our budget at FPC includes a monthly offering to FCCM.

Once a year we also hold a "Pounding" for this ministry.  The name comes from the days when neighbors would help out needy friends by giving a pound of flour, sugar or other food.  Today, the Community Ministries can purchase food from the North Texas Food Bank for just pennies per pound.  For this special offering, each family is encouraged to give enough to purchase 100 pounds of food.

The Goodland Presbyterian Children's Home, located near Hugo, Oklahoma, provides a safe home for boys ages 6-18.

The Fellowship Committee prepares and serves a meal for the boys and staff each year when they come to town for the Kuekelhan Rodeo each year in July. Before they leave, we usually try to send them on their way with some school supplies too.  

Habitat for Humanity  Several individual church members were instrumental in getting the local chapter of this organization started.  Collectively and individually our church members have continued to support this local ministry through donations of time, money and resources.  To learn more about the local chapter, visit www.fanninhabitat.org

The Kool Lunch Program provides sack lunches during the summer to the children who get free and reduced lunches during the school year.  It's a program of the Family Life Center.  First Presbyterian Church of Bonham takes charge of making the lunches for one week each summer and regularly supports the program with financial gifts as well.

Service Projects such as the Breakfast Food for Finley Oates Elementary, Nickie Williams Memorial Blood Drive, and the Souper Bowl of Caring---

• Breakfast Food for Finley Oates Elementary Each year before Christmas vacation and Spring Break, we collect breakfast foods for students of Finley Oates Elementary in Bonham. Our gifts are tucked in the backpacks of children who might otherwise go hungry without the breakfast and lunch they usually get at school.
• Church Under the Bridge. FPC-Bonham serves one Sunday yearly, usually in June. Church Under the Bridge is a full-fledged church that holds its worship services under the 4/5th Street overpass in Waco, Texas every Sunday—regardless of the weather!  The Youth Ministry of Grace Presbytery arranges for a church (or more than one church) to provide the meal on the 4th Sunday of each month.  For more information, check out their website at:
  www.churchunderthebridge.org or  www.missionwaco.org
• Nickie Williams Memorial Blood Drive We hold blood drives at the church each in June and October in memory of long time FPC member Nickie Williams. For more information about the Texoma Regional Blood Center, visit www.texomablood.org   
• Fannin County Children's Center is a local non-profit organization which serves abused and neglected children.  We regularly support this agency with gifts of time, money and in-kind gifts.  We have held collection drives for coats, school supplies, Christmas presents and more.  Our children and youth go to the center each August to help move, sort and organize school supplies for their annual drive which gives free supplies to hundreds of needy students from all over Fannin County.  To learn more about this agency, visit www.fanninccc.org.
• Souper Bowl of Caring  Each year our youth join hundreds of other youth groups across the nation in the Souper Bowl of Caring. On Super Bowl Sunday, youth stand at each of the exits of the sanctuary after church, collecting $1 donations in large soup pots. All of the money collected goes to a local organization, selected by the youth.  In the past, the offering has been given to the Kool Lunch Program, Fannin County Community Ministries and the Fannin County Family Crisis Center. 
• Mission Committee members are responsible for a Meals On Wheels route each Wednesday at the SNAP Center.
• We support our local Crisis Center by paying once a month for a room for a family who may need one in an emergency.
• The Mission Committee and Youth had a work day on April 18.   We cleaned yards, pulled weeds, cleared rain gutters, removed unwanted items from one house and tilled up a shrub bed for the Bonham SNAP Center.   After a few days, the rain cleared away and were able to put up the border and plant shrubs in the bed at the SNAP Center.   We helped four families in our church and it was a wonderful day of hard work and fellowship for the youth and adults.

Supporting our greater denomination, the PCUSA

• One Great Hour of Sharing - is collected on Easter Sunday.  Our gifts support the PC(USA) to fund disaster assistance, hunger programs & self-development assistance. 
• Pentecost - Pentecost Sunday is a red letter day at FPC.  Everyone comes to church decked out in red as we celebrate the birthday of the church.  The Pentecost Offering benefits children, youth and young adults.  40% of the gifts collect are given to the Kool Klub Summer Lunch Program.  60% is given to the Presbyterian Church (USA) to support ministries with children, youth and young adults.
• Peacemaking Offering - is collected on World Communion Sunday in October.  25% of this offering is retained by our congregation for local peacemaking efforts and is usually given to the Fannin County Children's Center to support their efforts to restore peace in the lives of children who have been abused.  The remaining 75% supports the peacemaking efforts of the larger church.
• Christmas Joy - is collected on Christmas Eve.  Half of the funds go to support church workers and half goes to support racial & ethnic schools & colleges.