Missions
Frontera de Cristo
A new opportunity is available to support the Frontera de Cristo Children's Enrichment Ministry through the DPPC Amazon Wish List. Keep reading to learn more...
Improving education for children and helping families stay in their own country, which most want to, is something we can all support. Dodie Weiland, as part of the PW USA Mission Experience recently visited our Missionary Partner, Mark Adams, Coordinator of Frontera de Cristo in Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico and discovered a real need for educational, recreational, and food supplies at the Children's Enrichment Ministry centers.
You can make a teacher's dreams come true this holiday season by purchasing any items from the Amazon Wish List link below, from your private Amazon account, and it will be delivered directly to the Frontera de Cristo office in Douglas, AZ for distribution.
Meals of Joy
Caring for DPPC members and the community is part of our mission. A challenge for many in our faith community is having access to nutritious meals during health or life challenges. When these life challenges occur, making time for meal preparation all but disappears for those involved. As a faith community, we can tangibly give care to our community members journeying through these transitional seasons in a simple and yet profound way: through the gift of a meal.
Click the link below to learn more and reach out to Nurse Leoma for information on how you can be blessed by or help with Meals of Joy.
Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity is a global nonprofit housing organization working in local communities across all 50 states in the U.S. and in approximately 70 countries. Habitat’s vision is of a world where everyone has a decent place to live. Habitat works to build strength, stability and self-reliance in partnership with families in need of decent and affordable housing. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage.
Click the link below for more information!
Prayer Shawl Ministry
The members of the Prayer Shawl Ministry at Desert Palms are so honored to share shawls and pocket squares with our members, family and friends. As each shawl is created the person making it offers prayers for the one to whom it will be given. When the shawls are distributed the person receiving the shawl knows that they have been wrapped in the love of God through prayers of Desert Palms members.
In addition to shawls and pocket squares, this ministry supports local hospitals with baby caps and blankets. Our veterans who have served our country faithfully should never be forgotten and thus when possible veteran’s receive shawls while family members receive shawls in memory of Fallen Soldiers.
Knitting shawls while offering blessings from our loving hearts is a calling that fully completes the circle of our love for family and friends of Desert Palms.
Quilters
“Quilting Group” generally brings to mind the picture of ladies hand sewing quilts with small stitches in straight lines or curves, joining together a top layer, batting middle, and a bottom layer. For many, the small stitch, hand sewing aspect can be daunting. Our Quilting Group ladies do not use this method. We layer our quilts as stated above, but instead of the hand stitching, we simply use colored yarn to tie a square knot in each patchwork square, leaving short tails of the yarn before cutting it and going on to the next square. This method is easy, fast, and results in a charming finish to our quilts. It is this activity that keeps us busy on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month from 9:00 - 12:30 p.m. including a coffee/rest break at 10:30 a.m. We love the time when we can all be together working on our quilts for Mingus Mountain.
Even though we have participants for hands-on, we can always use additional help with our tying of square knots and welcome visitors to join us. We invite anyone who would be interested to see our work, to stop in for a visit. Our quilting group meets on the first and third Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. We meet in Fellowship Hall all year. We take a break for snacks and fellowship.
Angel Bees
We are an “arm” of the current Quilting Group, but we do something different in a different way! We look for sewers to help create small quilts for the children. We work on projects such as making a children’s quilt for each of the names on our Angel Tree for the Salvation Army at Christmas time. We have several other children projects as we find the need. We have been making masks during this pandemic period and just ask for a donation.
Our group meets on the third Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Fellowship Hall.
Prayer Team
Desert Palms has many individuals who believe in the power of prayer. When needs and joys arise they can be shared with the Prayer Team members who commit to confidentially lifting concerns and joys up in prayer. The ministry is set up in such a way that members to receive prayer requests by phone which means that monthly gathering are not necessary. In essence, no meetings except via telephone or when the need arises.
Contact the Church Office to learn more about joining the Prayer Team.
Scholarship Program
Funding - Our scholarship program has existed since 1994, when it was established from a bequest from an estate. Since then it has been funded on a continuing basis from regular giving by parishioners, by memorials, and by endowments.
Student Selection - The stated purpose of the Desert Palms scholarship fund is to help those high school graduates who would not be eligible to receive help elsewhere to be able to continue their education. These are the students who have received average-or-above grades in high school but are not at the top of their class. These are the students who could not attend college without our help because the family finances are not there. But, these are the students who exhibit the potential of completing their future studies and show real interest in advanced education.
Become a Mentor - Each student is assigned a mentor from Desert Palms who is a liaison to the student. We encourage interested persons to consider being a mentor.
Desert Palms in Partnership With...
Kenya Keys
The Desert Palms Mission committee is pleased to announce that we are now supporting Kenya Keys.
Remember last year we needed a new roof for the fellowship hall? Holes in the roof were allowing rain to come into the building. Kenya Keys wanted to assist the Fuleye Elementary School which educates 800 children each year in their endeavor to put a new roof on their school. Remember, floors in Kenya are dirt, so when the rains would come, they made a muddy mess of each classroom.
Thank you, Desert Palms, for contributing to this worthy project!
Heifer International
Heifer International works in 21 countries around the world alongside local farmers and business owners. This ministry supports farmers and their communities as they mobilize and envision their futures, provide training to farmers so they can improve the quantity and quality of the goods they produce in order to increase sales and incomes.
Click the link below to learn more!
Prepare the Way Ministry
Desert Palms Presbyterian Church has supported Prepare the Way Ministry in Uganda, Africa through various mission projects since a Mission Visit to their Christian school, children’s home, and church in 2017. Prepare The Way Ministry founders, Pastors Bill & Linda Campbell, have been guest speakers for World Communion Sunday, Presbyterian Women, and Men of the Church events where funds were raised to support expansion of their Christian school and clean drinking water through a new well and distributed water system.
Click the link below for more information!
Friends of PEB
PEB's mission is to provide, in an enduring way, the highest quality education responsive to the needs of individuals with preparation for the needs and demands of the 21st century. We aim to offer this education to individuals of all religious backgrounds, regardless of their ability to pay, who choose to come to missionary institutions to receive high-quality education fully informed by missionary values.
Café Justo
Café Justo is a Grower owned Coffee Cooperative based in southern Chiapas Mexico, formed to address the poverty and migration from Mexico to the U.S.A. Their business model is simple and optimizes the profit for the growers. The coffee is harvested, cleaned and prepared for shipping in Salvador Urbina, Chiapas. The beans are then transported to Agua Prieta, Sonora. In Agua Prieta the coffee is roasted, ground and packaged for shipment to customers.
Local Partnerships
Agua Fria Food Bank
Agua Fria Food and Clothing Bank is more than the name implies. It is a faith-based non-profit organization which provides many services to families who are hungry and in need. Agua Fria was founded through the Presbyterian Church in 1981 and moved to the Avondale location in 1996. DPPC mission support for Agua Fria has continued to raise funds for their programs for many years. The generous donations from DPPC members include cash and food for Turkey Day in November and Souper Bowl Sunday in February, with additional food and funds for school uniforms during Adult Bible School in June.
Valley View Food Bank
Valley View Community Food Bank is more than a food bank. Our commitment is to do as much as possible to serve the needs of our diverse community. Our mission is to serve those in need with compassion and respect while providing the resources for wholesome nutritious food. Valley View Community offers a safe, positive environment where those seeking help can easily find the resources they need to feed themselves and their families.
Dysart Community Center
Dysart Community Center is an oasis of opportunity, providing educational programs such as ESL, GED, citizenship and an afterschool program in the Surprise Senior Center with retired seniors and children. After school programs and a summer camp improve kids’ schoolwork and help reduce crime and juvenile delinquency. There are health fairs, nutrition classes and a Mobile food pantry. In partnership with St. Mary’s food bank, the Kids Café program ensures each child has a nutritional meal every day.
Benevilla
Benevilla believes that caring for the needs of older adults reaches beyond the individual to the entire family. Not only do their well-established services offer assistance to older adult clients, but many programs address the ongoing needs of caregivers and families.
Choices
Since 1983, Choices has been serving young women, men, and babies. A non-profit, privately funded community health center in compliance with federal and state laws. Choices serve the Greater Phoenix area. They are staffed by client advocates and medical professionals who are here to listen and provide the facts and information to help individuals make informed decisions about their body, sexuality, and future. All consultations are confidential. The majority of their services are free or at a very low cost.
A New Leaf
Since 1971, A New Leaf has provided assistance to those most in need in our community, helping families, children, and adults overcome the challenges they face. These challenges are often unexpected and can be devastating. Whether it be the loss of a job, a medical crisis, domestic violence, homelessness, or another heartbreaking crisis, A New Leaf is here to help households recover and thrive. With a rich ecosystem of services, A New Leaf provides a comprehensive foundation for families and individuals who fall on hard times or are looking to get ahead.
Office Hours
Monday - Friday
9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Useful Links
Contact info
(623) 584-4602
dppc@desertpalmschurch.org
