2023 Wise Giving
The holidays are almost here! Most likely, you will soon be making a Christmas gift list. There is no better gift to give or receive than to help someone in need. Wise Giving, MPPC’s annual alternative gift giving campaign, supports many of our trusted local and international mission partners as well as our MPPC mission ministries. Wise Gifts can be given in honor of your family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, or anyone else on your Christmas list. Whoever is honored by your Wise Gift will be blessed by knowing that someone in need is being helped.
Your loving gifts through Wise Giving have impacted many, many lives and are more important than ever as many in our community and world, and our partners who serve them, continue to be impacted by health, social and economic effects of the Covid pandemic.
Since 2014, your Wise Gifts have provided $320,755 of aid to those less fortunate. Let’s continue the tradition! You can order online, or put your order form and payment into an envelope and drop it in the mailbox outside of the church office. Your gift cards and inserts will then be packaged for you and ready for pick up at MPPC, or you can download and print them from this page. Wise Giving will be available Nov. 26 through Dec. 23.
Ways to Order
ONLINE
- Visit onrealm.org/mppc/give/now
- Enter amount, choose mission partner(s) under “Fund” option
- To support multiple partners, select “+Another Fund.”
- Your generosity is posted to your MPPC Contribution Statement.
ON CAMPUS
- Put check or cash along with your order form in a sealed envelope and drop into the mailbox outside the church office.
GIFT CARDS
Each Wise Gift comes with a gift card and inserts for you to show the recipient where their gift is making an impact.
Local Mission Partners
CAROLINA YOUTH DEVELOPMENT CENTER (CYDC)
CYDC provides a safe and nurturing home to young people who are victims of physical and sexual abuse, neglect and/or abandonment. CYDC also matches caring adult mentors with at-risk children in the community and helps keep families together by providing resources and support to families at risk of having their children removed from their homes.
- $35 could provide toiletries & hygiene products for a teen in the emergency shelter; $75 could send a child to school with a backpack and school supplies; $125 could outfit a student
Charleston Area Justice Ministry (CAJM)
The Charleston Area Justice Ministry (CAJM), is a growing network of faith-based congregations who come together to make the Charleston area a more just place to live, work, and do business. CAJM’s culturally, economically, geographically, and religiously diverse membership speaks with one powerful voice for justice for the wider Charleston community. Over the last ten years CAJM’s work has contributed to increased preschool educational opportunities, decreased school suspension rates and school based arrests, reduced racial discrimination in police practices, and improvements in public transportation.
THE DEE NORTON CHILD ADVOCACY CENTER
The Dee Norton Child Advocacy Center’s mission is to prevent abuse, protect children and heal families. Dee Norton provides expert, comprehensive services including forensic interviews, medical exams, therapy where needed and complete coordination of services with other agencies in the community that deal with abuse.
- $25 could supply toys, puzzles, and games for the lobby; $175 could provide one forensic interview; $1,800 could provide comprehensive services for one year
EAST COOPER COMMUNITY OUTREACH
ECCO provides help and hope for families in financial distress. ECCO offers a wide range of services across three main program areas: Basic Needs (food pantry, clothing closet, household goods), Health Services (free medical and dental care for the uninsured, prescription assistance, counseling), and Empowerment (job readiness training, education and financial classes).
- $30 helps to ensure ECCO will be of service to the community for another 30 years; $125 could provide a family of four with a two-week food order; $500 could provide a month’s supply of insulin for an uninsured diabetic adult
EAST COOPER HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
East Cooper Habitat for Humanity builds homes with donated funds and volunteer labor. The homes are then sold to hard-working, low-income local families. For many children in these Habitat families, it is the first time they have had a room of their own and a quiet place to study or entertain friends. Habitat has built 78 homes to date.
- $25 could purchase a roll of insulation; $50 could supply a kitchen sink; $100 could purchase one window
EAST COOPER MEALS ON WHEELS
East Cooper Meals on Wheels volunteers deliver nutritious meals daily to residents within our service area who are homebound or unable to provide their own meals, regardless of age or income. We deliver meals in the same way following surgery or illness. We also advocate on behalf of recipients whose needs exceed the scope of our program.
- $30 could deliver a midday meal to 10 recipients; $45 could deliver both a midday meal and an evening meal to 10 recipients
ENGLISH FOR SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES (ESOL)
The goal of MPPC’s ESOL ministry is to help adult students learn or improve their English so that they may participate more fully in the life of our community. Since 2015 we have enjoyed working with more than 300 students from 39 countries around the world. We offer multiple levels of in-person classes, as well as an online class, on Tuesday and Thursday evenings September through November and January through April.
- $25 could cover the costs of books and supplies
FIX IT! AN EAST COOPER FAITH NETWORK (ECFN) INITIATIVE
ECFN is a collaboration of faith groups in the East Cooper area that focuses resources on literacy as well as home wellness and safety. ECFN has three major initiatives: I-Beam, I-Beam Camp, and Fix It!. Fix It! is focused on providing needy homeowners in the East Cooper area with essential home repairs and access ramps.
- $25 could provide supplies for a home repair; $50 could contribute towards an access ramp build; $100 could contribute towards roofing
FLORENCE CRITTENTON PROGRAMS OF SC
Florence Crittenton Programs of SC strive to provide at-risk young women comprehensive services to help them become self-sufficient and responsible young women and mothers. We value the right of every young woman to obtain the education, skills, and support needed to have a healthy start in life – for both herself and her child.
- $25 could provide weekly job readiness support to prepare young moms for work; $50 could cover monthly internet costs so young moms can pursue an education; $150 could pay the security deposit for a homeless young mother’s new apartment
FRIENDS OF NADIA
Friends of Nadia is an outreach program to assist the Paikan Family- Nadia, Sodise, Taib, Mobara and Asra in America. Fraidoon, Nadia’s husband, is still in Afghanistan.
Nadia made the difficult decision to leave Afghanistan with her four children, between the ages of 10 and 2 weeks old, when the American forces were pulling out . Fraidoon was detained and was not able to leave with his family. Nadia and her children eventually settled in the Charleston area, and our church has been partnering with the Paikan family for just over a year. They now live in West Ashley and the 3 oldest children attend C E Williams North (Sodise- 6th grade) and Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary School (Taib- 3rd grade and Mobara- 4k). The plan is for Asra, 2 years old, to begin Head Start next year when she will be 3. This family has many needs, and you can help them.
- $25 would help Nadia keep gas in her car for one week; $50 would help Nadia create a car maintenance savings account to handle those unknown yet expected expenses; $100 would help 1. with legal fees incurred to reunite Fraidoon with his family or 2. help with the expense of getting Nadia a car.
HANDS OF CHRIST
The mission of Hands of Christ is to bring Presbyterian Church (USA) congregations together to meet the basic needs of children, showing them Christ’s love. Funds from Wise Giving are used to help support our back-to-school distribution by purchasing school supplies, clothing, and Bibles.
- $10 could purchase a Bible or Bible story book; $30 could sponsor a child with school clothing and a bag filled with school supplies
HOPE HOUSE AND HOPE COTTAGE
Hope House and Hope Cottage provide a Christ-centered, safe, secure, temporary home-away-from-home for individuals and families who have loved ones in area hospitals. Operating expenses are funded through donations of church members, guests, community organizations and businesses.
- $25 could provide a gift card to help guests with food and gas; $75 could provide for wood rot repair; $50 could provide for the operating expense for one guest to stay one day; $350 could provide for one guest to stay for a week
I-BEAM, AN EAST COOPER FAITH NETWORK (ECFN) INITIATIVE
I-Beam is a mentoring program aimed at building reading skills, self-esteem, and social skills for children who are in need of these services at area elementary schools. I-Beam Camp is a summer program focusing on children in MPPC’s neighborhood with the goal of reducing summer learning loss.
- $20 could provide recruitment and training materials for mentors, or provide reading materials for classrooms and new books for students; $40 could help a child attend I-Beam Camp
METANOIA
Metanoia is a movement of people, rooted in faith, who invest in neighborhood assets to build leaders, establish quality housing and generate economic development. We are pushing forward into new relationships with God and one another to create strong communities. With the highest concentration of SC childhood poverty located in our community, we established a year-round youth leadership program for students in grades 1-12.
- $15 could purchase books for students to improve summer reading habits; $30 could help support educational field trips; $40 could help support school clubs with science or art supplies; $10-25 could help purchase supplies for the Youth Entrepreneurial Center
MPPC ENDOWMENT FUND
There are funds within the Endowment Fund which are dedicated to Local or International missions. Your gift to the Endowment Fund will support the future of MPPC, while a portion of the annual earnings will be used to support local and international missions for years to come.
MPPC LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL MISSIONS MINISTRY
The Local and International Missions Ministries at MPPC strive to follow Christ’s example and call us to love our neighbors as ourselves. Whether that means we are walking across the street, helping out across town, or traveling to other countries, MPPC’s mission teams seek to respond to the needs of others in our community, nation, and world through partnership and mutual service with our local and global partners.
ONE80 PLACE
One80 Place ends and prevents homelessness one person at a time, one family at a time. One80 Place shelters, feeds, and provides supportive services like legal aid, on-site healthcare, case management, and employment resources for individuals, families and veterans. “YOUR gift can change lives! Every gift, large or small, makes a difference. A gift to One80 Place will help guests find a home and truly begin again.”
- $25 could provide 10 meals for a child; $50 could provide a night in a warm bed for a Veteran; $200 could provide a kitchen kit, cleaning kit and linen kit for a client getting housed
RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE
Ronald McDonald House is a “home-away-from-home” where 35 families can stay while their children undergo extensive medical treatment. Here, parents and children lead a life as normal as possible during these traumatic times without the financial burden of costly hotel and travel expenses. Every night a volunteer group prepares the evening meal for these families. Members of MPPC have been preparing the evening meal on the last Thursday of every month for more than 15 years. With your support we can continue to provide a monthly meal for 70 people.
- $5 could provide a meal
THORNWELL
As a ministry of the Presbyterian Church (USA), Thornwell is a joyful Christian community which provides a variety of residential and community-based services offering hope, healing, and wholeness to children in need and their families.
- $25 could provide a student fee for YMCA sports for a child; $50 could provide a new resident with a complete outfit for school; $100 could donate bedding for a new resident or family in need
WINDWOOD FARM
Windwood Family Services provides help, hope, and healing through behavioral, educational and therapeutic interventions that enhance social functioning and well-being, ensure safety, and work to achieve positive permanency for children and families in our community. Since 1985, Windwood has served more than 500 boys and their families at its 110-acre residential campus in Awendaw.
- $25 could fill backpacks with canned food and/or baby supplies; $50 could provide one boy with a fishing pole, bait box, and lures; $100 could help provide two family reunification therapy sessions
International Mission Partners
DAYSTAR UNIVERSITY
Daystar University is a Christian, liberal arts university in Nairobi, Kenya. For nearly 40 years, Daystar University has been providing the finest Christian education for Africans, by Africans. With a current student body exceeding 5,000 and more than 19,000 alumni, thousands of Christian servant leaders are bringing innovation and integrity to their communities. MPPC has been supporting Daystar University scholarships for more than a decade.
- $25 could provide an extra supplement for students in need; $50 could fund exam fees for a quarter; $125 could fund an academic scholarship for a week ($1,500 per quarter)
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY IN HONDURAS
The annual La Ceiba mission trip works in partnership with Habitat Honduras. Habitat for Humanity Honduras brings people together to build homes, communities, and hope. Both MPPC and East Cooper Habitat for Humanity also are contributing toward a continuing fund to purchase acreage on which to build communities of homes near La Ceiba. The partnership of MPPC and East Cooper Habitat has built over 78 homes in La Ceiba.
- $15 could provide one bag of cement to help build a home; $25 could provide 20 concrete building blocks for a new home; $50 could provide a kitchen sink for a new home
HAITI OUTREACH MINISTRIES
The work of Haiti Outreach Ministries (HOM) and their Haitian leader, Pastor Leon Dorleans, has founded three Primary schools (grades pre-K thru 6) during the past 30 years with classrooms and a sanctuary for worship at three locations in Port au Prince where there is extreme poverty and where public education does not exist. These campus “oases” provide children a Christian education, much needed nutrition, and medical care that they would not otherwise be able to access.
- $25 could provide supplies for a classroom; $50 could provide meals for a class for a week; $100 could provide for supplies for the medical clinic in Cite Soleil
KINYAGO-DANDORA SCHOOLS (KDS)
Kinyago-Dandora Primary and Secondary Schools (KDS) lift children and their families from a place of hopelessness to personal achievement through the catalyst of Christian education from nursery to university. For families residing in slum settlements, even the basic necessities are not possible for many reasons: acute poverty, home-life situations and unemployment. KDS programs provide an excellent holistic education including healthcare, clean water, food and nutrition.
- $15 toward Christmas or Easter baskets could feed a student’s family for a month; $25 could provide much needed textbooks, reference materials and teaching aids; $38 could sponsor a child for a month (covers education, nutrition, medical care)
LAMB INSTITUTE
LAMB Institute is a Christ-centered, multifaceted ministry based in Tegucigalpa, Honduras that seeks to reach out to the world with the love of Jesus. LAMB operates an elementary school in one of the most violent and poverty stricken areas of Tegucigalpa, a residential home for over 55 formerly abused and neglected children, a holistic community development program focused on helping women in poverty grow their businesses, as well as The Alonzo Movement, a large outreach and gang prevention program for inner-city youth.
- $5 could feed a child for a day; $20 could buy new sports equipment for the Alonzo movement; $50 could provide educational resources for special needs children
NUEVA VIDA CLINIC
The Nueva Vida Clinic in Cuidad Sandino, Nicaragua sees about 16,000 patients each year. What started 20 years ago in the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch, with visiting doctors and nurses seeing patients in tents and prescribing medicines out of trunks, has grown into a full health clinic offering a range of medical, dental, and public health services. The families that depend on this clinic cannot afford to pay even $20 per visit, which is the break-even cost to sustain the clinic.
- $10 could provide family planning for a month; $20 could provide medications for a sick child; $35 could provide one month of treatment/medicine for a patient
PALMETTO INTERNATIONAL
Over the years, we have been working with our Honduran neighbors in Trinidad de Copan to build schools, employment skills, and community based healthcare. Our mission is (1) to promote the health and well-being of impoverished, rural communities in Honduras by providing an opportunity to build permanent housing; (2) to facilitate remote housing and community infrastructure projects by providing resources and knowledge; and (3) to improve economic opportunities for impoverished communities by teaching construction trade skills.
- $10 could buy a bag of cement; $20 could send a student to school for a month; $50 could provide materials for one roof
