The session of Charleston First Presbyterian Church approved the request of the Mission and Witness Committee at the August 2021 session meeting to join other Presbyterian churches throughout the Presbytery and across the US in the Matthew 25 endeavor. Since last spring, members of the mission committee have been meeting with other Matthew 25 churches on Zoom to learn about what they are doing in their congregations; they also met with the Presbytery’s Associate for Missions.
Becoming a Matthew 25 church means that we are following the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 25:31-46. Our congregation has followed these principles with our many mission projects throughout the years. Our most recent projects have been Souper Day of Caring (February), Cereal Saturdays during the season on Lent, Meat for May with donations going to the Covenant House Food Pantry, Barefoot Sunday, and currently our undergarment drive for the Religious Coalition for Community Renewal. We are also bringing back a scaled-down version of Scatter to Serve. The youth have been involved in many of these projects. Also many people made sandwiches and cookies for Manna Meal throughout the pandemic, and many of us continue to do so.
As part of the Matthew 25 commitment, we are embracing these principles:
- To build congregational vitality by using the many resources available to us by the Presbyterian Church USA
- To help eradicate poverty by working to help the homeless and underserved communities in our downtown area
- To help break down racial barriers and welcome people from all walks of life to our faith community