Contact Ellen at eclark@granpres.org if you are interested or want to know more about being involved.

There are more ways we can have hands-on experiences helping young adults aging out of Foster Care. Please see the opportunities below.

Mechanics - Starting Strong wants to provide safe, reliable cars for young adults to purchase. They need people who like to work on cars to evaluate cars donated to the organization, make recommendations for repair, and if possible, make the repairs. The time requirement would be once or twice a year- if that. It all depends on when a car is donated. If you or someone you know has these gifts, let Ellen know.

Care Packages - Remember how good it was to receive care packages from loved ones? College students have aged out of their foster homes and may never have this uplifting experience. Unless YOU are interested in making those experiences possible. Right now, Starting Strong has a young female adult attending OSU Main Campus. They are looking for someone to send occasional care packages. Let us know if you are interested or even slightly curious. 

Gift Cards for Care Packages - Everyone likes to have food delivered to their door or eat out from time to time, right? So do college students who are pulling "all-nighters" before an exam or just need a break.  Consider donating DoorDash or restaurant gift cards to put in the care packages mentioned above. This will surely make someone's day better and studying more tolerable.

Open House

We have been invited to learn about the new model for distributing food at the food pantries of Licking County.  Come, learn, experience the change which gives clients a sense of dignity and choice. Want to carpool?  Contact Ellen at eclark@granpres.org. 

ALSO, come to Trivia Night on August 17 and help the Food Pantry Network fill their shelves.  Call the office to sign up to attend!

Gaga It Is!

Mark Atchison, Greg Bossart and Jason Sturgeon built and assembled a “gaga pit” for the youth at the YES Club.  A gaga pit is a corral-like structure.  Players get inside and play “dodge ball”, of sorts.  It is all the rage with young people and a safe way to have fun.  The youth have already used it and are so very grateful.  Thank you, Greg, Jason and Mark!      

Bakers Needed

We are approaching our first-year anniversary for preparing and serving Monday Community Meals in Newark.  And we are continuing!!  That means we are needing desserts for 90 people every two weeks.  Could you participate in this hands-on mission?  The only requirement is that the desserts can be frozen if needed.  Drop your baked goods, labeled “Community Dinners” off anytime at the church kitchen.  We’ll take it from there.  Questions?  Please email Ellen at eclark@granpres.org.

We have planned another “work” day at the community gardens in Newark. 

August 10 from 9- 12pm.  Do you have a few hours to share to work on a needed project at the gardens?  It’s a great hands-on mission event.

Let’s do this!  Contact Ellen if you are interested.

Mission Committee and Faith Formation teamed together to bring the YES Club to our July Wonderful Wednesday. 

The director, GHS 2009 graduate, Haley Snyder shared with us all about the YES Club and their important work with teens. Thank you to all who attended and learned more about the needs and FPC opportunities to partner in Licking County. And, to the Mission Committee (pictured in the photos below) for making it happen!

We’ve got the EVENT FOR YOU!

Trivia Night and Silent Auction on Aug 17, 2024.

We’re hosting the first annual trivia night benefitting the Senior High Youth work trip, and the Licking County Food Pantry Network. Tickets are $15 per person or STACK YOUR WINNING TEAM by pre-selecting all 8 members for $150. Doors will open at 6:30, trivia starts at 7. There will also be a silent auction filled with amazing items! Childcare provided. Questions? email Kristin or Ellen!

What a Difference!

Our Blessing Box shelves were empty a few weeks ago.  Thanks to two generous financial donations and to the Mautz family for shopping, we have filled them back up.  We are grateful beyond words…..the picture says it all!

If you are traveling this summer, we are running out of travel sized shampoo, soap and lotions.  Thank you!

Do You Know Someone Who Needs a Meal on a Regular Basis?

Our “Meals On Wheels Program” prepares a sack lunch, a hot meal and a dessert five days a week and delivers them to our clients.  If you know someone who lives in the Granville School District who needs assistance with meals 1-5 days a week, please contact Centenary Methodist at 740 587-0022.

Mission Focused Wonderful Wednesday-

Plus Commissioning Montreat Travelers

FPC has had a long-running relationship with the YES Club of Newark, a safe place for 7th-12th graders to go after school and in the summer months.  The Apackis were very instrumental in installing solar panels on their building.  Janie Drake and Shirley Hale used to cook dinner every Wednesday for these youth.  This summer FPC is helping build a GaGa Pit (ask any youth what this is) and rain barrels.  Our youth are cooking lunch for them twice. On July 10,  Wonderful Wednesday, we have an opportunity to hear from the YES Club Director, Haley Snyder.  Haley is a Granville graduate and attended FPC’s Teen Center (an after-school program for middle school youth from 2001-2010).  She will share the latest news on “what’s going on” at the YES Club while Jenni has activities for the kids!  Come! Share a meal, enjoy fellowship, and learn more about the youth of our community.  Please RSVP—dinner at 5:30 with program to follow.

Stand Up for the Children of Haiti was heartwarming on so many levels.  Our families came together teaching their children about the needs of others, finding creative ways for hands on mission and raising money, Healing Arts Mission was highlighted all round town, and Tracee Laing, the co-founder visited every stand!  As icing on the cake, our families raised over $1400.  Thank you for living out Matthew 25 at home and for the people of Haiti.

Do you love trivia, the youth of our church, and mission?

We have the EVENT FOR YOU!

On Aug 17 we’re hosting the first annual trivia night benefitting the Senior High Youth work trip, and the Licking County Food Pantry Network. Tickets are $15 per person, or STACK YOUR WINNING TEAM by pre-selecting all 8 members for $150. Doors will open at 6:30, trivia starts at 7. There will also be a silent auction filled with amazing items! Childcare provided. Questions? email Kristin or Ellen!

Sharing the Harvest is an easy activity to get the whole family involved in hands on mission!

Volunteers are needed to help in this FPC mission tradition for over 10 years.

It takes about 1 1/2 hours on a Saturday at noon.  It's easy and it provides the Salvation Army with excess produce, baked goods and other items from Granville's Farmers Market.  To get fresh vegetables and baked goods is a huge blessing. Contact Ellen for more information, or just CLICK HERE to sign up! THANK YOU.

THANK YOU, SENIOR HIGH!

Our senior high youth came together Wednesday night to cook a meal for the YES Club in Newark. We prepared tacos with all the toppings, fruit, and cookies. About 25 youth attend the YES Club daily during the summer. It is a safe place to hang out, have enrichment activities and lunch. The Director, Haley Snyder, will come to our July 10 picnic to share more about this Mental Health of America organization. We hope you will, too!

Hands-on Mission opportunity for you awaits!  Visit one of the family yard stands tomorrow, June 29.  Nine church families are supporting the children of Haiti Saturday, June 29, (times and addresses listed) by selling wares on their lawns (and FPC's lawn).  They have been so creative with their ideas you won't want to miss it.  All proceeds go to Healing Arts Mission in Haiti, which aids the children of Haiti, even during this time of upheaval and chaos in their country.  See if you can visit all the stands!

1. Collins Family FPC Lawn 9am-12pm 2. Swisher Family FPC lawn 9am-12pm 3. Kirwin Family FPC Lawn 9am-12pm 4. Boyer Family 936 Newark Granville Rd 9am-3pm 5. Adams Family 127 Bryn Du Dr. 9am to 12pm 6. Mautz family 2402 Newark Granville Dr. 9am to 1pm 7. Ream family 116 W Maple 8am to 12pm 8. Kessler Family 2536 Park Ridge Dr. 10am to 12pm

Starting Strong Update

The Mission Committee has been in conversation with Starting Strong for several months.  We asked about their vision for the future impact on teens aging out of foster care. 

This month, Starting Strong submitted their information to the Mission Committee to begin our future partnership.  The committee has a few questions remaining as they do their due diligence, spending the bequest money well, and making transformational impacts in our church and community. We will keep you informed all along the way.

Mission at VBS

Mission had a very good week at the Granville Ecumenical VBS last week. 

The children, adults and teen leaders learned all about Healing Arts Mission from Tracee Laing. Tracee did a fantastic presentation, and the children were totally engaged, asking really good questions.  By the end of the week, coins were collected, and a donation made to the Healing Arts Mission in the amount of $419.   Ellen taught the children about the Drop-In Center in Newark.  Once again, the children paid close attention as they learned about people experiencing poverty in our county.   Then, they brought donations of food, water and Gatorade to go in bagged lunches for Drop-In Center guests.  The best part was, we were able to deliver food and water at a moment’s notice to the Drop-In Center as it became a “Cooling Center” during this week’s scorching temperatures.  Thank you, VBS!

Mark your calendars for JUNE 29. This is the day of the Great Granville Garage Sale and better yet, 10 of our FPC families are having “Stand” Up for Haiti stands in their yards to raise money for the Healing Arts Mission of Haiti. The families heard about the plight of the people in Haiti at a Wonderful Wednesday dinner. One child then went home and wanted “to do something”. The idea was bron.

The congregation will get a list of the addresses to support families by shopping their wares. It’s a beautiful way to have “hands-on mission” in our own front yard.

Want an EASY family-friendly mission activity?

We need familes every Saturday, June-August!

FPC will continue our commitment to collecting produce and other items from the local farmer’s market and sharing it all with the Salvation Army. This is a very easy way to have hands-on mission and teach our children about food insecurity. We need people every Saturday, June-August. It takes about 1 ½ hours.  Could you pick one Saturday and join this long-standing ministry at FPC? Please use this link to sign up! If this is your first time, Ellen will contact you with instructions. THANK YOU!