Members of Countryside Community Church’s mission team with the Angel Tree. From left are Ron Imdorf, Jill Imdorf, Pastor Jim Hollister, Karen Rickaby, Donna Urbaniak, Marilyn Mirabelli and Elis Wetzel.
NEWTON TWP. — Countryside Community Church’s mission team helped the community more than ever with their Angel Tree program, in which the church partners with a local school to fulfill Christmas wishes for their children. The church members and the community fulfilled requests printed on paper ornaments and brought the gifts to the church.
“This year, we had so many people who wanted to help,” said Karen Rickaby, chairperson of the mission team. “So, we chose to expand the outreach. Once the gift requests for the children were fulfilled, we hung ornaments with gift ideas for local homebound people and others who may be struggling in the community.”
Thanks to the generosity of the church members and community, gifts were purchased for two local families and nearly 50 local adults.
Countryside’s mission team, which was formed in 2008, doesn’t just do good deeds during Christmastime.
With their mission baskets and “last Sunday collections,” this group performs charity all year long. During all of last year, they raised money and items for many local organizations. During January and February 2021, the church collected flood bucket items for UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief). These items were sent to the Shoemaker Hub in Wyoming. They also raised $728.35 for St. Anthony’s Haven and $595.15 for Women’s Resource Center.
The mission baskets collected $749.15 for the Children’s Advocacy Center in March. They donated single-serve snacks for the NEPA Youth Shelter. During the month of April, the baskets raised $1,027.35 for the Ronald McDonald House in Scranton. For the Catherine McAuley Center, they collected and donated baby wipes, formula, and diapers. In May, $527.10 was given to the Friends of the Poor while non-perishable foods were donated to area food banks.
The mission team performed their annual Warm Hugs program in June. The “hugs” are items such as lip balm, hand sanitizers, and sandwich bags distributed to nursing homes, chemotherapy and radiation centers, and area ambulances. Since its beginning, the Warm Hugs has delivered over 3,000 Warm Hugs. Last year alone, the mission team distributed 320 Warm Hugs. They also gave $555.15 to the St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital during that month.
In July, they donated $922.65 to the St. Francis of Assisi Kitchen and clothing for its store. They gave $$593.70 to the Shriners and donated cleaning buckets to UMCOR during the month of August.
In September, they were able to raise $541.75, which was given to the clinics of the Scranton Primary Health Center. They also gave toothbrushes and dental floss to their dental office.
The mission team collected for the Angel Tree program in August. They managed to raise $736.20 for gifts, which were also given to the Gino Merli Veteran’s Center.
In November, they helped the Keystone Mission with money and items.
In December, the mission team donated COLTS bus passes to the people of the Community Intervention Center so they will have transportation to jobs, job interviews, or medical appointments. The team will continue to collect mission baskets and “last Sunday collections” for this new year.
For this month, the members decided to collect items for the victims of December’s tornado outbreak. They encourage anyone who is interested in getting involved with the mission projects to follow Countryside Community Church on Facebook and/or check out the church’s website, www.countryside-church.org.
“We are always looking for others in the church and the community who have an interest in helping others,” said Rickaby. “During this time of COVID, we have had to do things differently, but I’m incredibly grateful for the willingness of the Missions Team, the congregation, and the community to adapt in order to help others. We are a blessed community, and it’s wonderful to see people share those blessings.”
