"Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love..." - 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 As a congregation, Woodlawn is alive in mission...to our community, to our children, and to our youth. We respond to God's call to be a generous and loving congregation in many ways, both locally and globally. The links below offer glimpses into how we attempt to live Christ's mission each and every week. These stories are ways we try to live up to the Apostle's admonition...be courageous, be strong, and let all that you do be done in love.
Click on the links to learn more about ministry and mission we support: Prayer Shawls 
A new ministry at Woodlawn Chapel in 2009 is the Prayer Shawl Ministry. Members knit or crochet prayer shawls that are shared with people who are ill, in pain, mourning, or in joy and celebration. The shawls are tangible signs of the love and prayers from our congregation for those who receive and use the shawls. Members may be involved in this ministry by creating or distributing the shawls, or by contributing materials for the shawls. The picture above shows the dedication of the first shawls in Sunday worship during Lent. Summer of Sharing Here at Woodlawn Chapel, we have begun a summer-long mission project aimed at responding to the great need for food and personal items in our community. The good news is that food donations are up in food pantries across the nation. The bad news is that more people than ever are requesting help. Right now the need is critical because children are home for the summer and will not be receiving subsidized meals at school. Here is how we are responding: 
Each Sunday until Labor Day, we ask that you bring in a specific item. When you arrive in the sanctuary, you may place your offering under the communion table. You may want to bring one item per family, one for each family member, or maybe one for each child. On Pentecost Sunday, we collected over 115 pounds of peanut butter and 94 pounds of jelly. We had a tower of PB and J to bring to Joint Neighborhood Ministries! The next Sunday was "Soap and Shampoo Sunday". We are alternating food items with personal care items because the food pantries usually have a very low supply of personal items, and they cannot be bought with food stamps. We will even have a couple of TP Sundays. Hopefully we will not offend anyone’s sensibilities by placing TP under the communion table. Since we in the Presbyterian Church do not have an altar and consider this the family table, we do not think it inappropriate to bring our offerings to the table, whatever form they take. You can find out what the Item of the Week is by referring to your bulletin, the website, or the bulletin board. We will be reporting back to you weekly about the number of each item we have provided.We see this as an opportunity for Woodlawn Chapel to help our neighbors in a very basic, visual and concrete way. We also see it as a teachable moment for our children. The best way for us to instill a spirit of generosity in our children is to model that behavior for them. Imagine what an impression it will make when they see everyone coming together to provide food for those who are struggling.
Jesus said that whatever we do for our brothers and sisters in need, it is the same as if we did it for Him. He also instructed his disciples to “Feed my Sheep.” May we all do just that this summer.  Mothers' Day Gift Bags
The photo on the right shows Pam, a church member, preparing one of our "Mother's Day Gifts of Love" for a hospitalized child. For many years now, Woodlawn members have assembled these gift bags, and distributed them to kids in local children's hospitals so that they will have a Mothers' Day gift for their moms. The bags contain items such as water bottles, note pads, magazines, toiletries, or snacks that mothers will appreciate during a hospital stay. The gifts provide kids a special gift for their mothers--and offer hope and love in Christ's name. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) is the emergency and refugee program of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A). PDA 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 crisis and catastrophic events. PDA's core budget, including staff and administrative costs, is funded through the One Great Hour of Sharing, and its program work is additionally funded through designated gifts. View the video below for examples of situations in which PDA has been involved. Click here to learn more about PDA's current areas of involvement, or to sign up for email updates. Our Burundi Family For the past year Woodlawn Chapel has helped sponsor a refugee family that resettled in St. Louis from the African nation of Burundi. Click here to view a slide presentation about our mentoring relationship with this family as they adjust to life in the United States. Woodlawn Chapel Youth Ministries Woodlawn has a thriving youth ministry. Click here for a slide presentation on our youth ministy. | 
