Verse of the Month

And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites,

for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others.

Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,

that your fasting may not be seen by others

but by your Father who is in secret.

And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

– Matthew 6:16-18

Father (Male Figure)

and Daughter Dance

The Father (Male Figure) and Daughter Dance on Saturday, February 14, was a huge success! The dance was held in the Cole Community Building and had over 87 reservations.

The event was organized by Sixto Aguirre, a Certified Peer Support Worker (CPSW) in Rio Arriba County. An article in the Rio Grande Sun published before the dance shared the following statements by Aguirre. “I pride myself on being a father…I just want other men to do that and take the initiative to step up to the plate and be active in their children’s lives, especially their daughters.”

Many community partners and organizations came together to help, including McCurdy Ministries, the Nueva Vida Support Group, Porch Light, United Way, La Cocina Restaurant, and the DJ. In addition, photography, snacks, special gifts, flowers, and decorations were all provided by local individuals and businesses.

Easter Egg

Community Event 

Mark your calendars and join the fun! The McCurdy Easter Egg celebration will be held Saturday, March 28, from 2:00-4:00 p.m. on the McCurdy campus. Crafts, games, and refreshments will be available for all guests.

We have many partners who are excited about helping with this fun event, but more are needed. If your church group would be interested in sponsoring or helping with one of the outdoor games and activities, contact Tiffany Hollums, Executive Director, at thollums@mccurdy.org. We want this event to be another fun-filled afternoon for kids and their families!

Camp Stars Registration This year’s Camp Stars’ theme is “Up, Up, and Away” and promises a summer camp filled with fun, friendship, and discovery! Camp Stars is open to students entering 1st through 6th grade and runs Monday through Thursday, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. from June 9 through July 23. For just $150 for the entire summer, campers will enjoy a safe and engaging environment designed to help them learn, laugh, and grow. Healthy breakfast, lunch, and snacks are included as well.

Each day is filled with hands-on arts experiences, including crafts, music, and drama; recreation and outdoor play with games and team-building activities; and free-play adventures that spark imagination and friendship. In addition, campers will benefit from one-on-one time with Reading Buddies (trained volunteers), literacy-focused activities to strengthen academic skills, and fun lessons on healthy habits, nutrition, and self-care.

A Moment in History

By Edith Brown

For this month’s ‘history moment’, I would like to share with you some instances where the students showed their appreciation to volunteers for their dedication and loving work. Pictured is one of the programs from “Valentines for Volunteers” put on annually by the students in first and second grades. Many of the participants in this 2012 program are graduating from college this year, thanks not only to their teachers but also to volunteers like you!

Many yearbooks were dedicated to volunteers as was the 2006 edition. A page or two was almost always included in each yearbook that honored volunteers, such as the one from 2000.

From the 2008-2009 yearbook: “Each year, helpful hands from across the country come to McCurdy and volunteer their time and labor to better the school campus. Whether they come in a religious group, on their own, annually, or just once, these extraordinary visitors make McCurdy School what it is today. The McCurdy School community greatly appreciates everything the volunteers do and could never say Thank You enough. We smile at the sight of friendly helpers and hope to continue this tradition. ¡Gracias otra vez! Thank you again!”

We can now substitute McCurdy Ministries for McCurdy School in this quote. Volunteers are God’s hands and are essential and appreciated!

UWF Ladies Helped

in Enchanted Forest of Reading

This year’s New Mexico United Women in Faith (UWF) Spiritual Enrichment Retreat was held on the McCurdy Ministries Campus on February 20-22, 2026. During the retreat, the ladies volunteered some of their time in the LEER Enchanted Forest of Reading. This group will be joining us again this summer for the UWF Mission U. 

BAUMC Eighth Mission Team

Cleans Up at McCurdy! 

Boston Avenue United Methodist Church (BAUMC) sent its 8th Mission Team to McCurdy Ministries, its National Mission Partner, the week of February 8th. The eight-member team consisted of Ed and Judith Payton (Team Leaders), Richard Wansley, Meredith Davison, Trudy Little, Doug Wood, and Ray and Sharon Earley. The Team’s overall goal was to prepare the north and east wings of the Pilling Retreat Center for upcoming retreat guests and Volunteer in Mission Teams.

Work began with an inspection of all rooms using an in-depth maintenance checklist. Plumbing, electrical, safety, and other issues were identified to be addressed. While part of the team conducted the inspections, the rest of the team began a deep cleaning of each of the rooms, the kitchen, and the common areas. 

The team worked a combined total of over 60 hours cleaning and doing repairs. 

Countless small items were cleaned and repaired in 17 rooms, 9 bathrooms, 4 common areas, and the kitchen. Bathroom sinks were repaired, window screens fixed, mini blinds repaired, new mini blinds installed, toilets adjusted and repaired, and all HVAC vents adjusted. Deep cleaning included dusting, mopping, soaking shower heads in de-liming solution, and cleaning window tracks as well as vacuuming and power shampooing all carpets.

In addition, the team met with Kercida McLain, Director of LEER, McCurdy Ministries’ literacy program. She took the team on a tour of the Kidspace Building, which Boston Avenue teams have helped renovate over the past two years. The team delivered 70 books to the library at McCurdy, donated by Boston Avenue members as well as 38 Book Bags made by Boston Avenue members which are to be used in the literacy program.

The team also toured the Family Resource Center, a new ministry which started in 2025 at McCurdy. The Family Resource Center provides clothing, food and other resource to families in need in the Española area. Twenty-one baby blankets, made by members of Boston Avenue, were delivered to the diaper and baby food bank ministry. 

Plans are to return to McCurdy this summer with our ninth mission team.

Family Resource

Center News

The Family Resource Center continues to benefit from a vibrant and collaborative referral network, including our Casita nonprofit partners (i.e., CASA, United Way, Las Cumbres, and other area nonprofits). We also regularly receive referrals from Pecos Valley Counseling Services (supporting individuals in addiction recovery). In addition, we have been able to help connect many families with children with housing, shelter, resources, food, and clothing.

The Lighthouse, Food Pantry, and Diaper Bank are well organized and actively serving families. We receive donations from families who have been blessed by this ministry, and it is an honor to be a place in which families feel that we are a safe and loving place for them to receive support.

"Money and Me" Classes are offered twice a month to help adults learn money management. We also have begun offering twice monthly parenting classes which are taught by Rev. Tiffany Hollums. These sessions focus on developmental needs of children, the effects of trauma on children, and creative and loving interventions, especially for families who are made up of grandparents or other family members raising children.

In addition, Diane Burke will begin offering a Grief and Loss Support group in March and will be hosting this meeting in our newly redesigned ‘Soft Space’ in Cole *(the former Christmas Store). We are excited about this new space and being able to offer a comfortable environment for more intimate meetings. 

Team Fundraiser Idea:

All-Church Lunch or Dinner

A great time of food and fellowship can provide a wonderful way to raise funds for your McCurdy Mission Team. Consider hosting an all-church Sunday lunch or Wednesday night dinner. You might even prepare a special Mexican-style menu of tacos or enchiladas with chips and salsa. Whatever the meal, just plan to have past and present team members present to share about serving in mission at McCurdy Ministries while raising funds needed to help pay for the mission experience.

Carla Oatman, Team Leader from Sulphur Grove United Methodist Church in Huber Heights, Ohio, shared previously about their McCurdy all-church Sunday lunch fundraiser: “We make something easy, like Sloppy Joes, and provide chips, veggies, and homemade desserts. A free-will offering is taken, which tends to raise more money than if we charged a certain price for the meal. Past and present team members wear their team shirts, and we make ourselves available if anyone has questions about the trip. We also have a presentation board with information and pictures so people can see what kind of work gets done.”

Do you have a great idea for raising funds for your VIM team? If so, please send it to Linda Polson at lpolson1966@gmail.com.

Time to Register a VIM Team for 2026!

We still need teams for the 2026 volunteer season. Please prayerfully consider recruiting and scheduling a team to volunteer at McCurdy Ministries. VIM Teams can be any size and any age as there is a wide range of ways to serve our vital ministries.

Following is a list of the weeks when no teams are signed up to serve during the 2026 volunteer season:

• APRIL - April 5-11, April 12-18, April 19-25
• MAY - May 10-16, May 17-23, May 24-30
• JULY - July 5-11, July 12-18, July 19-25
• SEPT. - Sept. 6-12, Sept. 20-26, Sept. 27-Oct. 3
• OCT. - Oct. 25-31

Many ask about what work tasks are available for work teams to do. Here is a list of some of the tasks volunteers can do:

• help level books for the Forest of Reading;
• sort and organize clothing for the Light House;
• help in the food and diaper pantry;
• help with the maintenance of campus buildings; and
• help with mowing and maintaining the campus green spaces.

To schedule a volunteer team for 2026, please contact our Volunteer Registrar, Eufemia Romero, by phone at 505-753-7221, ext. 210 or by email at: eromero@mccurdy.org.

To register your mission team, use the links found on the McCurdy Ministries website:  https://www.mccurdy.org/missionvolunteers

VIM Team News Reminder

As we enter the volunteer season at McCurdy Ministries, I would like to remind all team leaders to be sure to send me a short “mission reflection” article plus a few photos for the monthly VIM newsletter. Others love to read about your mission experience and see photos of your team at work. Also, please share any ideas of places to visit on free afternoons. It is such fun exploring the great vistas and unique sites of Northern New Mexico!

Linda Polson VIM Team Leader and Newsletter Editor

Email: lpolson1966@gmail.com

Ghost Ranch

A great tourist attraction to visit while in Española is Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, which is only 37 miles from Española. This historic site is a 20,000-acre educational retreat center operated by the Presbyterian Church. A $10.00 per person day pass (payable at the Welcome Center) allows visitors to tour two great museums and explore the hiking trails.

The Florence Hawley Ellis Museum of Anthropology displays Native American tools, pottery, and ancient artifacts from the Paleo Indian culture, 10,000 years ago through ancestral Puebloan times as well as present-day pottery and weavings from local Pueblos.

The Ruth Hall Museum of Paleontology displays the fossils of Coelophysis, a dinosaur discovered on the ranch in 1947. Ghost Ranch is the site of one of the best-known paleontological digs in the Northern Hemisphere.

In addition to these museums, the Ranch features five hiking trails that take you through red cliffs and hills to lush green places. The trails provide expansive views of the rich landscape.

Visit the Ghost Ranch website to plan your trip while in New Mexico: LINK

(Photo and information from the Ghost Ranch website.)

McCurdy

Ambassador Program

Volunteers are still needed for the new McCurdy Ambassador Program. The program’s first training event was postponed and now is planned for Saturday, June 20.

The new McCurdy Ambassadors will visit local churches in their area and display information at their respective Annual Conference Meetings. This shared information will help us increase knowledge and support of McCurdy Ministries.  

Please prayerfully consider joining this new program as we need people like YOU to help us continue to be the “light in the valley” for the children, youth, and families in the Española Valley.  



If you are interested in learning more about this program or possibly volunteering to serve as a McCurdy Ambassador, contact Sarah Allen at 928-691-6471 or via email at s.k.allen2227@gmail.com.  

Financial Support

for McCurdy Ministries

Financial contributions are needed to help support our ongoing ministries and programs for the children, youth, and families of the Española Valley. The Helen Keller saying, "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much," is a statement that is so true when it comes to supporting missions and ministries.

Please consider providing some financial assistance for McCurdy Ministries in one of these two ways. First, simply send a check to:

McCurdy Ministries

362 S. McCurdy Road

Española, NM 87532

Or donate by visiting the online giving tab on our website: 

https://www.mccurdy.org/give.

Your donation may be designated for any specific ministries or programs by making a notation on your check or when donating online. Please know that all unspecified donations are applied to the General Fund which provides support for all expenses of McCurdy Ministries.

Amazon Wish List

An order from the McCurdy Amazon Wish List is another way to help support the vital programs for children. Simply purchase one or two of the needed items (toys, sensory items, cleaning supplies, snacks, paper goods, and school supplies). This is another incredible and practical way to help us in serving the children of Española.

McCurdy Wish List: LINK   

Donate Children’s Books

You also can purchase books online for the LEER Children’s Literacy Program with the Amazon book list that was created to help establish a leveled library.

To purchase new books, go to: Amazon Book Wishlist: LINK

New or gently used children’s books can be dropped off or shipped using USPS ‘media mail’ to: McCurdy Ministries, 362 S. McCurdy Road, Española, NM 87532.

Thank you for your generous support of all our ministries and programs!

QUESTIONS? Email Rev. Tiffany Hollums, Executive Director, at thollums@mccurdy.org. 

Join Us in Prayer

Each Day at 3:20 p.m.

We hope you will join us in praying each afternoon at 3:20 p.m. as the McCurdy Ministries’ board and staff continue to seek God’s help and guidance in providing expanded resources, programs, and ministries for the children and families of the Española Valley.

Please join us in prayer using Ephesians 3:20 as a prayer guide.

Now all glory to God, who is able,

through His mighty power at work within us,

to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

As we continue to seek God’s leading, we truly see that God is providing answers far beyond what we might ever ask or imagine.

A great dish to serve with your ham at Easter is a Sweet Potato Casserole. Here is a recipe for this dish from McCurdy’s very own collection, Recipes of a Century Past, published in 2012 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the ministry. The recipe was contributed by Ruby Brigham Anders, Class of 1959.

Sweet Potato Casserole

• 3 cups mashed, cooked sweet potatoes
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup brandy, optional

Topping:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/3 cup butter

Mix together sweet potatoes, eggs, condensed milk, vanilla, brown sugar, melted butter, sugar, and brandy. Pour into greased baking dish. To make topping: Mix together brown sugar, flour, pecans, and butter. Crumble over potato mixture. Bake at 350^oF for 30 minutes.

A Prayer for Lent

Gracious Lord, You call us to love one another as You have loved us.

Open my eyes to the needs of those around me

and give me a heart that is quick to serve.

Whether through giving, encouraging, or simply being present

for someone who is hurting, help me to reflect Your kindness and compassion.

May my acts of charity be done not for recognition

but as a response to Your love.

Use me, Lord, to be Your hands and feet in this world.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Prayer from www.christianity.com

McCurdy Ministries creates hope and empowers the lives of children, youth, adults and families through education, life skills, and faith-based programs in Española, New Mexico.

As we reflect on God’s abundant love and compassion during this season of Lent, may we each remember that our Lord calls us to display His lavish love through our actions, remembering that our actions are often far more powerful than any words. May God’s abundant love radiate from each of us in everything we do.

On behalf of the McCurdy Ministries Board and staff as well as the families we serve, we thank you for your ongoing prayers and financial support that continues to help so many children and families. May God bless you and yours!

Blessings,

McCurdy Ministries Board and Staff

McCurdy Ministries creates hope and empowers the lives of children, youth, adults and families through education,

life skills and faith-based programs in Española, NM.

www.mccurdy.org