This Child Here is a validated ministry of the Presbyterian Church (USA) that works with families displaced by the war in Ukraine. They provide physical resources along with centers for youth and children. Currently, they are looking for sponsorships for their summer trauma rehabilitation programs held on the Black Sea in Bulgaria, and funding for Ukrainian students who are planning to attend college.

To learn more, visit thischildhere.org. 

The Living Learning Communities for Leadership Development with African Women (LLC) is a project that brings young sub-Saharan African women to Nairobi to live together in community for about three years, with some on scholarship to earn a university degree while simultaneously learning how to engage in grassroots leadership work. Students learn to engage with one another in the spirit of mutuality through dialogue with ongoing positive regard for others. Once they graduate, they pay it forward by going back to their country, rural village, or informal settlement areas to replicate the same processes they practiced in the LLC experience, working with women who face oppression and extreme poverty. In just a few short years, the LLC has multiplied to informal settlement areas of Nairobi, to rural northeast Nigeria, to female theology students in Kigali, Rwanda, and to the Batwa women of Burundi.

To learn how your congregation can partner with the LLC, email erinwashington52105@gmail.com or visit https://wgm.org/project/llc-african-women-leaders to learn more.

The Presbyterian Disaster Assistance enables congregations and mission partners of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to witness to the healing love of Christ through caring for communities adversely affected by crises and catastrophic events. PDA is part of a large and dedicated community of disaster response organizations and most recently, PDA has been working to address the needs of people who were impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. PDA has deployment teams in Tampa Bay Presbytery, Holston Presbytery (Eastern Tennessee), Western North Carolina Presbytery, Northeast Georgia Presbytery, and Foothills Presbytery (our presbytery here in SC). In addition, PDA has sent grants Presbyteries to support unmet immediate needs. PDA’s model of relief work focused on long-term support and care after the initial wave of disaster response has come through. PDA is expecting to be in the hardest hit areas of Western NC and TN for many years to come. Visit https://pda.pcusa.org to learn how you can help.

For local ways to support the recovery efforts, please consider one of the following options:

1-     Donate to the Foothills Presbytery Hurricane Helene Recovery Fund.  These donations go directly to Foothills congregations, communities, and mission partners.

2-     Send items for flood buckets, hygiene kits, and shower kits directly to Locust Presbyterian Church in North Carolina through their Amazon wishlist.

3- Foothills Presbytery will be collecting the following items for the Swannanoa area. Donations can be brought to the Eastminster Church, 2240 Woodruff Road, Simpsonville, SC 29681 or to Foothills Presbytery, located next door to Eastminster. We will accept donations through Wednesday, December 18.

• laundry detergent
• dish detergent
• paper products
• shampoo
• full propane camper bottles and 20-gallon tanks. 
• solar powered lights/lanterns
• solar powered cellphone/device chargers
• dehumidifiers
• small heaters
• camping stoves
• blankets (new)
• sleeping bags (new) rated for 0 degrees

4-     Partner with churches or organization in areas of Western North Carolina that were hit the hardest by Hurricane Helene. Grace Covenant Presbyterian in Asheville, Black Mountain Presbyterian, Montreat Conference Center and Camp Grier are all engaged in relief efforts in WNC.

• Grace Covenant- https://gcpcusa.org/
• Black Mountain- https://bmpcnc.org/
• Montreat- https://montreat.org/helene
• Camp Grier- https://www.campgrier.org/
• Black Mountain Presbyterian has an Amazon wishlist if you would like to donate directly- https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2SN9FG35SZWEJ

In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, God's unwavering presence offers hope and strength to those affected, guiding them through recovery. As communities rebuild, His love and compassion shine through the hands of volunteers, first responders, and neighbors who come

together to provide comfort and support. God's healing touch is felt in the restoration of homes, the renewal of spirits, and the resilience of those who refuse to give up; through faith, unity, and

collective effort, He empowers individuals to rise from the devastation, transforming their pain into a testimony of perseverance and renewal.

Your SC PDAT has teamed up with the Charlotte Presbytery and the Locust Presbytery Church warehouse to help support the needs of the congregations and people of western North Carolina. Now is the time for presbyteries, congregations, and families to give directly through Amazon by visiting the Charlotte Presbytery Warehouse to order materials. The materials will be shipped directly to the warehouse to permit the assembly of the kits and delivery to those in need in North Carolina.



Let our Advent season be one in which we pause, give thanks, and share our gifts to help others recover, including those who genuinely need our assistance with items to sustain their families' needs in the spirit of loving our neighbor.