Thyatira lives out its call to follow Jesus Christ in active service to communities far and near. In addition to ongoing support for local agencies and ministries, Thyatira sends mission teams on a four year cycle to local, regional, national and international projects. In 2016, a team of twenty-three people went to Jamaica.
Here are some of the ministries and mission projects we are pleased to support:
Rowan Helping Ministries-West
Members of the West Rowan community came to Rowan Helping Ministries to express their concern for people in need in the West Rowan area. Rowan Helping Ministries and the West Rowan community have partnered together to provide many of the same services that Rowan Helping Ministries offers to citizens in need, including a food pantry, and a listening ear.
Tutoring Program
Since 1997, Thyatira has sponsored a tutoring program for the Mt. Ulla Elementary School helping children in grades first though third with their spelling, writing, and math. With tutors drawn from Thyatira’s membership, this partnership with our local school has made a big impact on the lives of hundreds of families.
Mwandi Christian Hospital, Zambia, Africa
In the late 1980’s, Thyatira initiated our first-ever mission project outside of our local area: support for the Mwandi Mission Hospital, in the bush village of Mwandi, Zambia, located on the Zambezi River in south central Africa. The hospital is owned and operated by the United Church of Zambia, a sister denomination to the Presbyterian Church (USA).
The project began as a challenge to bring electricity to the hospital, and when that was all accomplished, in 1992, other needs of the community were identified and addressed. Many other Presbyterian congregations were drawn into the now on-going project and, over these years, a variety of main hospital buildings and staff houses, a chapel, and a Mission House have been constructed, vehicles have been provided, and missionary support staff have been provided.
But far more importantly, over the intervening years, the project has been responsible for the recruitment, training, and sending of more than a hundred short-term mission teams to the hospital community, to provide medical and surgical service to the hospital, educational assistance to the Mission School located adjacent to the hospital, and support for the United Church of Zambia congregation in the community. The project has raised millions of dollars to support all of this work, through a broad-based coalition of Presbyterian congregations, under the leadership of a Board of Directors.