Benevolence Funding Recipients
Annunciation Maternity Home
Located at 3610 Shell Road, Georgetown, Texas, this facility provides women
and teens in a crisis pregnancy, and their children, with housing, education
opportunities, and access to health services. The intent of the home is to em-
power these women in their journey towards independence. The campus
includes an education center with administrative offices, an education program
(The University of Texas Charter High School), a Life Skills training room and a
Child Development Center Lab School. In 2009, The Worship Place gave
$2000 benevolence funding to this facility. In addition to funding, volunteers are
needed to help serve these young women and their children. Contact Person:
Tod Stehling, Development Director at 512/864-7755
Antioch Ministries International
The Worship Place gives funding to Antioch Ministries to support the work of
missionaries, Kurt and Karen Mahler and their children, Alyssa, Sarah, Becca,
Samuel and Daniel. The Mahlers live in the area of Kuwait City. They seek
and serve Iranians in that area through friendship, practical assistance, the
giving of God's word in their language, and prayer. Spindletop is the alias
for the area where they live. Their work must be kept secretive as there is
danger of persecution. Kurt earns some income as an instructor in the
intensive English program at American University of Kuwait. Kurt's father,
Fred Mahler, and step-mother Carolyn are members of The Worship Place
and would be glad to share information on Kurt and Karen. In May 2101, the
Worship Place gave $2,000 benevolence funding to Antioch Ministries
International specified for work of Kurt and Karen Mahler. Personal
donations to the Mahlers can be made to Antioch Ministries International,
505 N. 20th St., Waco, Texas 76707. Telephone: 254.754.0386 for
Bekah Holler, Accountant.
Assistance League of Georgetown
The Assistance League provides clothing, shoes, and hygiene articles for
school children. No overhead or administrative costs are paid from the
funds provided by The Worship Place. New clothes and shoes are
provided for approximately 1000 children, grades 1 – 5, in Georgetown,
Florence and Jarrell schools. Walmart and Payless cooperate by giving
discounts on clothing and shoes. In August, The Worship Place will be
giving $3,000 to this organization to support children returning to school
in September. Contact person: Claire Donnelly, 310 Crockett Loop,
Georgetown, 812/868/2871
Buddy Pact (Ministerial Alliance)
This program is a community outreach ministry among the churches of the
Ministerial Alliance and other non-profit agencies to provide weekend meals
to area students who are already participating in the local schools free or
reduced price lunch programs. Packaged food is put into the backpack
of the children on Friday, to go to help feed them through the weekend.
In the Fall, 2010, the program leaders hope to double the program, providing
weekend kits to 400 children. In 2009, The Worship Place gave $5,000 to
the Buddy Pack Program. Contact: Jim Porter, President, Georgetown
Ministerial Alliance, 410 East University Avenue, Georgetown, 512/863/4186.
Volunteers are needed to help pack the kits on Friday afternoons.
Boys and Girls Club of Georgetown
The Boys and Girls Club is a nationally chartered organization that provides care/
looks after disadvantaged children whose parents cannot afford after-school
care, and day care in the summer. Ages range from under 6 years through teen
age. Membership at the end of 2009 was 416. By national requirements, the
organization must provide programming in Character & Leadership Development,
The Arts, Sports, Fitness and Recreation; Education & Career; and Health & Life
Skills. Volunteers are needed to work with the children in each of these areas.
In 2009 The Worship Place gave $2,000 to this organization. Contact:
Daniel Anstee, Boys & Girls Club of Georgetown, danstee@bgctx.org
or 512/762/2206.
Blue Santa & Brown Santa
These two organizations provide toys, books, and stuffed animals to 2000+
children at Christmas. When the amount of donations allows, they also give
Walmart gift cards to the families for food for the holidays. The Worship
Place gives $500 to each organization each year.
Campus Crusade for Christ (John and Joanne Austin)
John and Joanne Austin are missionaries who work through the Christian
Embassy, United Nations, New York. The Austins work with diplomats and
their wives through such activities are Bible studies on prayer and
character. They have luncheons where they discuss such topics are "God
and Work". They are spreading the gospel to global leaders at the UN.
In May, 2010, The Worship Place gave $2,000 to support the Austins.
The Austins can be contacted at 2 Peter Cooper Road, Apt. 5, New York,
NY, 10010 or 212-832-2212 or austinjnj@aol.com
CROP Hunger Walk
This organization facilitates a walk each year, with the funds raised being used
to provide food to needy families in the central Texas area. Last year, 206
walkers raised $28,000. The walk for 2010 is scheduled October 17, in
San Gabriel Park, with registration from 2:45 p.m. until the start of the walk at
3:30 p.m. A recruiting meeting will be held July 18th at First Presbyterian
Church from 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. in Conference Room 101. Any Worship Place
member is welcome to join the walk. The Worship Place also gave
$1,000 to the walk in 2009 and will consider another donation in the Fall,
2010. Contact person: Joe Porch 864-3777
Faith in Action Caregivers – Georgetown
Faith in Action Caregivers is a non-profit organization that provides services
to senior citizens by providing transportation for various activities such as
meeting medical appointments, grocery shopping; running other errands;
handyman services; and referral to other community agencies or services.
The services are intended to help seniors maintain independence and quality
of life. The organization is sponsored by churches in the Georgetown area,
including The Worship Place. Vaughan Gray and Dick Roby, Worship Place
members, represent The Worship Place on the Board. Volunteers provide
services at no charge to the clients. 17 of the clients requesting services on
a regular basis are members of The Worship Place. The number of requests
for services is growing steadily. Volunteers are needed. The Worship Place
gave $2,200 to this organization in 2009. For more information, contact
Rita Handley, Executive Director, Faith in Action Georgetown, P.O. Box 743,
Georgetown, Texas 78627 or 512-868-9544 or gt@fiacaregivers.org.
Gideons International
Gideons International is a Christian Business and Professional Men's Asso-
ciation that distributes bibles throughout the world. In 2009, they distributed
1300 Bibles to students here in Williamson County, plus placing Bibles in
hotels, hospitals, nursing homes and doctors offices. The organization has
a weekly Bible Study ministry to the Juvenile Detention enter, The Academy,
Bartlett Prison and the Williamson County Jail. Bibles are provided to each
inmate who wants one – resulting in changed lives. On 2009, The Worship Place
supported this organization through $1,000 benevolence funding. Additional
information on the work of Gideons is available from Sun City resident Chip
Dishinger, 156 Trail of the Flowers, or 868-5334, or chipej@suddenlink.net
Haiti Relief Through Partnership with Grace Covenant Church
Grace Covenant Church in Round Rock, has a direct and on-going relationship
with Haiti through their Frontier Camp, located in Grapeland, Texas. The Wor-
ship Place has started a partnership with Grace Covenant through Gary Kersch,
son of members Charles and Betty Kersch. The relationship in Haiti is with
Gersan and Betty Valcin, Haitian Nationals and full time missionaries/evangelists
since 1997. Gersan is the pastor of a 1,500 member Church of the Evangelical
Community, Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. The Valcin's have two daughters living in
Austin. Donations from The Worship Place ($3,000 in January 2009 and $3,000
in May 2010) go to Frontier Camp and are given directly to the Valcins for use in
meeting needs created by the earthquake. This is a means of contributing
whereby the Trustees can be sure the money is going directly to those in need.
At this time, one of the greatest needs is to help restore business in
Port-au-Prince so the people can start supporting themselves again. Contact:
Gary Kersch, 512/743-5173 or garyk@doublekaye.com
Habitat for Humanity
Habitat is an organization that builds houses for low-income families. The
average cost to build one house is $59,000 and the houses are built by volunteer
workforce. Habitat projects to construct an additional 6 more homes in 2009-
2010. Two of these will be in Habitat's Old Mill Village in Georgetown, three
will be in Round Rock, and one in Taylor. The organization depends on private
donations, community groups, corporations, foundations and faith based
organizations such as The Worship Place. At the time this is being written,
Pulte Homes is supporting the construction of a home in Georgetown. Many
members have given time and work to this project. Volunteers are always
needed. In addition to contributions of individual members, The Worship
Place gave $2,000 to Habitat in 2009. Contact: Christie Johnson, Resource
Development Director; 512-863-4344 or info@williamsonhabitat.org.
Hope Alliance
This is the Williamson County Crises Center for Women and Children. In 2009
the center provided 9,000 nights of safety to over 300 women and children;
counseling and advocacy to an additional 500 clients, and telephone guidance
to nearly 4,000 hotline callers. These clients are victims of family violence, an
ever increasing problem in times of economic strain. In 2009, The Worship
Place gave $2,000 to this organization. Contact: Patti Conner, LCSW,
Chief Executive Officer, 255-1212 or patty.conner@hopealliancetx.org.
Hospice Austin – for Georgetown
The Hospice organization provides comprehensive end-of-life care with integrity,
compassion and respect. Their goal is to make the care available to everyone
who needs it, regardless of ability to pay. Donations, such as that of The
Worship Place ($1,000 in 2009), make this goal possible. The Worship Place
was honored at their Notable Donor's Reception in 2009. Contact: Grace
Holland Washington, Director of Development, 512/342-4700 or
info@Hospice Austin.org.
International Ministries, American Baptist. (Dwight and Barbara Bolick)
Dwight and Barbara Bolick are long time missionaries to Chile. They serve as
Bible instructors and also work with various native groups to improve skills so that
they become more financially independent. They work to establish new churches
and to train lay and ordained leaders that are needed to help new believers.
They provide practical help to families as they seek to find long term solutions to
poverty and suffering. Donations, such as $3,000 in May by The Worship Place,
to support the work of the Bolicks go to International Ministries Am. Baptist
Church, P. O. Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482-0851.
Linus Connection
The volunteers of this organization make blankets for children in at-risk and
crises situations in Central Texas. Since 1999 the group has made over
30,000 blankets. Donations are used to purchase blanket-making materials
and needed storage for these materials as they are used. Worship Place
member Margie Swearington is involved with this group. Distribution of the
blankets is to the following: Angelheart Children's Shelter, Austin Children's
Shelter, Georgetown ISD Homeless Education Department, Hospice Austin
(Georgetown), Safeplace, and many more. The Worship Place gives $500
a year to this volunteer effort. Contact: Stephani Sabatini; 512/266-9035
or stephanie@linusconnection.org.
Living Water
Living Water (LW) is an international organization that builds and repairs wells so
that residents, regardless of their country, have clean water. LW has been
working in Haiti since July of 2004, repairing wells that have been incapacitated
by overuse, vandalism or natural disasters such as the earthquake earlier this
year.. 100% of the funds given by The Worship Place have been used in
restoring wells in the Port-au-Prince area since the earthquake. As of April 10,
2010, they had completed 66 wells. Their goal is 500 wells within the year.
Water is such a critical need and clean water has been extremely difficult for
Haitians to obtain. The Worship Place Benevolence Committee
is continuing to recommend donations to LW ($3,000 in January and $3,000
in May, 2010). Contact: Rob Pettigrew P.G. Unit Leader/Manager;
(713) 914-6406; rob_pettigrew@urscorp.com.
Matamoros Children's Home
Matamoros Children's Home, located in Matamoros, Mexico, provides a family to
orphans and neglected and abused children. The Home provides a stable and
predictable environment in which healthy relationships among the children and staff
are developed. Dr. Saul Camacho is director of the Home. He and his wife,
Maria, live at the Home with their three daughters. He is a medical director and
administrates the work at the clinic as well as the Home. There are just over 200
children and 25 staff at the Home. Prayer requests include welding equipment,
mobile pressure wash equipment, embroidery machine, riding lawnmowers, sound
and video equipment, and a roticery oven. The Trustees of The Worship Place
continue to approve funds ($4175 in May 2010) to this Home. Dr. Camacho will
be coming to speak to The Worship Place probably in September. Worship
PLace members CLiff and Dorothy are contacts with Dr. Camacho. Or you can
contact Dr. Saul Camacho, Matamoros Children's Home,
P.O. Box 4073, Brownsville, Texas 78523. 78523.
MEDICO
The Medical, Eye, and Dental International Care Organization, Inc. is a non-
profit charitable organization serving underprivileged people in Central America.
They provide healthcare relief to thousands of people each year; develop new
programs and enhance current programs; establish clean water jprojects; provide
education curriculums to specified target groups of healthcare workers; and work
in partnership with communities in Adopt.a.Village initiatives. At the time of this
writing they are concentrating on needs created by the earthquake in Haiti.
MEDICO needs volunteers to help pack medical supplies to be used by medical
volunteers. In 2009 The Worship Place gave $2,000 to MEDICO. Contact::
Lynda Peters, Executive Director, MEDICO, 2955 Dawn Drive, Suite D
Georgetown, TX 78628. or 512/930-1893 or director@medico.org.
Meals-on-Wheels, Georgetown
This organization provides home-delivered meals for needy senior citizens.
With the addition of more senior housing complexes, more seniors are added
to the roster each month. Volunteers deliver the meals, that are purchased
with donations from various organizations such as The Worship Place ($2,000
in May 2010) and other church and charitable groups. Meals-on-Wheels also
has a project in the summer, Peanut Butter & Jelly Project, ($500 for May, 2010)
for school aged children who are on free and reduced meals during the school
year. As the needs increase, more volunteers are needed to help prepare and
deliver the meals. Contact: Dan C. Hilliard, Chair, Georgetown Meals-on-
Wheels Board, 1101 CR 126, Georgetown, TX, 78626 or (512)863-2175
or Hilliard@southwestern.edu. or you can get more information by contacting
Barbara Petrosky, member of The Worship Place Benevolence Committee
and a volunteer for Meals-on-Wheels. barpet@suddenlink.net
North American Mission Board (Tim Cummins Family)
Tim, Ashley, Kathy and Jesse Cummins are missionaries serving with
Whirlwind Missions in Doraville, Georgia. Tim and his family work with
needy families wherever the family lives and whatever their needs are.
They are teachers as well as preachers and members of teams that go
out into the communities. They work a lot with kids in that area. Their
monthly newsletter enthusiastically reports activities with kids of all ages.
Tim is the son of former Worship Place pastor Al Cummins and his wife,
Peggy. The Worship Place supports Tim and his families' work on a
quarterly basis. ($2,000 in May 2010) Contact: North American Mission Board,
Missions Advancement Group, 4200 North Point Parkway,
Alpharetta, GA. 30022.
Pregnancy Help Center of Williamson County
This non-profit organization provides help to women who are in need of help,
support, and healing because of pregnancy. The center also helps women
who need help and healing because of abortion. The center provides
counseling, Life Skills classes, parenting classes and Bible studies. In 2009
The Worship Place gave $500 to the work of the Pregnancy Help Center.
Contact: Amy Scoggins, Executive Director; Pregnancy Help Center,
215 West 9th Street, Georgetown, TX 78626 or 512-868-0153 or
www.phcwc.com.
Round Rock Children's Home
Also known as Texas Baptist Children's Home, Round Rock and Children at
Heart Foundation, this organization provides home to children who are in
crises situations. A major goal of the program is to return children to their
families, meanwhile providing a safe, homelike environment with educational
and spiritual training. Many children remain at the home until graduation from
highschool but many remain at the home until both the family and the child
are ready for the child to return home. The campus also has a Family Care
Program, a residential program for single moms and their children needing
assistance before returning to independent living. The organization also
has an outreach program designed to help strengthen families. The Worship
Place gave $2,500 to this organization in 2009. Contact:
Dawson Clark, Senior Director of Development, Texas Baptist Children's
Home, 1301 North Mays, Round Rock, TX 78644-2945 or
dawson.clark@cahgift.org or 512-246-4221.
The Caring Place
The Caring Place serves families in crises situations, needing food and other
necessary items such as rent and utility assistance. They have been serving
Georgetown families and families in northern Williamson County since 1985.
100% of funding from the Worship Place ($3,000 in May 2010) goes directly
into services for clients because the thrift store covers all overhead and
administrative costs. In addition to the food brought by Worship Place members
on the first Sunday of each month, many members choose to give money, both
on that Sunday and at other times throughout the year. The number of families
requesting assistance continues to grow at an alarming rate of 20%.
Contact: Bonnie McNemar, President, Board of Directors P.O. Box 1215,
Georgetown, TX 78627-1215 or (512)869-4735.
Williamson County Children's Advocacy Center
The Children's Advocacy Center exists as a child-friendly place to interview
abused or neglected children and teens, or youth who have witnessed a violent
crime. The Center provides space for multiple forensic interview rooms, on-site
and referral counseling, specialized medical examinations and staff training and
public awareness. Many Sun City residents support the Center through volunteer
efforts. Volunteers do everything from answer the phone to working puzzles with
children or working an information booth on Georgetown's Market Days. More
volunteers are needed. The Worship Place gave $2,000 to this Center in 2009.
Contact: Brenda Staples, Executive Director 512-943-3701 or
Director@WilcoCAC.org.
Afghans for Nursing Homes
When visiting nursing home residents, Ron Robinson delivers afghans that are
hand made by Worship Place member Elaine Cielo. These beautiful afghans
and prayer shawls not only provide warmth for these nursing home residents
but also remind them that The Worship Place remembers and cares!! In 2009,
The Worship Place Benevolence Ministry contributed $500 toward purchase
of the yarns for these afghans and prayer shawls. Some funds are also
provided by other groups within The Worship Place. Elaine graciously gives
of her talent and time in designing, purchasing the yarn and making about
60 of these gorgeous items per year. Contact: Elaine Cielo, 512-868-2560
or jcielo1@verizon.net or Ron Robinson 512-869-1310.