Missions Partners

Local & Global Partnerships

As a body of Christ, we believe in supporting and championing local and global missions both right here in our backyard and abroad. Jesus gave us the opportunity in this space and place to be God's hands and feet.

Our local partnerships are with non-profits here in the Bloomington-Normal general area. We have built relationships with these organizations and our congregation supports their work and strengthens our friendships as we strive to improve and help where needed - especially on a volunteer basis.

Additionally, we support several persons who are working abroad to build schools and programs that further the message of Christ through course development, Biblical studies, and missional support in places like the Congo, South Sudan, and East Africa.

Local Partnerships

These ministries all receive funding through our missions budget. A number of the local efforts were founded by FPC members, and have FPC members as professional staff, board members, volunteers, and individual donors.

Global Partnerships

BOB AND KRISTI RICE

After serving for several years in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bob and Kristi in 2017 accepted a new assignment to South Sudan. Bob serves as an instructor at Nile Theological College and teaches a broad range of courses in theology and biblical studies. Kristi serves as an economic and development advisor for the South Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church. She works to strengthen the identification, development and management of church development projects that support the financial goals of the church and improve the health and well-being of the communities.

JEFF AND CHRISTI BOYD

As regional liaison for Central Africa, Jeff facilitates support for the relationships, programs, and activities of Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) partners in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea. He also resources PC(USA) mission personnel and helps connect partner churches with PC(USA) congregations that want to be involved in ministry in the region. Christi works in four French-speaking African countries — Congo, Madagascar, Niger, and Rwanda — and the non-French-speaking country of South Sudan. She accompanies global partners as they seek to remedy the marginalization of women and children in their communities, and she engages with Presbyterian constituencies in the U.S. that wish to come alongside and promote those efforts.

BUILD CONGO SCHOOLS

“WE BUILD DURABLE SCHOOLS AND BUILD COMPETENT TEACHERS IN ORDER TO BUILD COMPETENT STUDENTS WHO WILL BUILD HEALTHY COMMUNITIES.”

The vision of Build Congo Schools is to develop caring competent students. Three teams help implement this vision: one in Kananga representing the Presbyterian Church of the Congo (CPC); one in Kinshasa representing the Presbyterian Church of Kinshasa (CPK) and one in the U.S. representing the Presbyterian Church (USA).

MIDWEST FOOD BANK
TENDER MERCIES PROGRAM

Midwest Food Bank originated in 2003 in McLean County. Its mission is to share the love of Christ by alleviating hunger and malnutrition locally and throughout the world and providing disaster relief; all without discrimination. Tender Mercies is an important initiative at Midwest Food Bank that enables nutritious meals to be produced and distributed to those most in need. The Tender Mercies meal packet consists of high-grade rice, pre-cooked pinto beans, fortified chicken seasoning, and a soy protein. The result is delicious food at the cost of 20¢ per meal. One packet feeds about four people with 13 grams of protein, 6 grams of fiber, and 1 gram of fat per serving. Tender Mercies is an essential component of Midwest Food Bank’s international effort. In East Africa, Tender Mercies is locally sourced and packaged for distribution.