There are many ways to share your faith … and the mission co-workers who have called Mission Haven home over the years reflect the gamut of what mission is. It includes religious teaching, trauma healing for refugees, addressing the crisis of vulnerable children and their families, community development, focusing on clean water and sanitation, integrating agriculture and environmental sustainability, peacemaking, health programs and education, nursing, leadership training, AIDS prevention, public health, prison ministry, job training, infrastructure development, economic empowerment, and more.

What about closer to home? For nearly 75 years, Presbyterian Women (and others) have provided low-cost temporary housing and hospitality for these mission co-workers in Decatur, Georgia. Maintaining three houses and six apartments requires a coordinated team effort. How ever you support Mission Haven — with a financial gift, manual labor, volunteering, or spreading the word, you, too, are engaged in mission.

On Saturday, June 15, 2024, ten volunteers from Shallowford Presbyterian Church beautified the grounds around the apartment building: weed whacking, pruning, curb cleaning, leaf blowing, and pine straw spreading (40 bales) transformed the exterior to make the residences welcoming and safe. Despite the heat, they found joy in the tasks. Not only did they provide a much-needed service, but they also strengthened the bonds of friendship with one another.

Would you like to share in the joy of mission? Mission Haven has both indoor and outdoor opportunities. Contact SPC members Jimmy Shafe or Kelly Weirich to learn how you can be a missionary without leaving Atlanta!

Article written by Kelly Weirich