Noroton Presbyterian Church will once again partner with the other churches of Darien to host the 4th annual Darien FMSC MobilePack™ Event at Middlesex Middle School on October 20 & 21. The event is being co-hosted by the Darien churches and co-sponsored by the Council of Darien School Parents. Each year, it is estimated that 18,000 children die of starvation, worldwide. The goal for this year’s event is to pack 240,000 lifesaving meals over the weekend. The fundraising goal for this year’s event is $52,800.

  For more information on how to make donations or volunteer for the Darien FMSC MobilePack™ Event, contact Stella Clarke(stellaclarke@msn.com).  Donations can be made by cash or check (to “Feed My Starving Children,” please include reference # 1210-88 on the memo line). Donations can be sent to: Darien FMSC MobilePack™ Event, Noroton Presbyterian Church c/o Sallie Schmidt, 2011 Post Road Darien, CT 06820. Online donations can be made by visiting www.fmsc.org. Be sure to click on “donate to a specific MobilePack Event” and include the reference #1210-588 for the Darien event. . Donations are tax deductible.

NPC has supported the Nambale Magnet School since 2009.

At one time the city of Sorocaba in Sao Paulo, Brazil, had one of the highest levels of AIDS-infected children in the world. The ministry of Children of Bethlehem was founded in 1996 to help these children, teenagers and their family members who are directly or indirectly affected by the AIDS virus. The work is performed through a day care center, a shelter, monthly donations of basic food items to the affected families and various in-home services provided by Christian social workers. They also have a very effective outreach to pregnant women affected by AIDS that nearly guarantees that their babies are born HIV-free. The ministry is currently under the direction of Pastor Caio, whose growing church meets on the Children of Bethlehem campus and whose members are actively involved in extending the love of Christ to the children and their families. Since April, 2006, NPC has sent three separate mission teams to Sorocaba to meet the children and their families and to better understand the needs of this vital ministry.

 

Forman Christian College has been an NPC Mission Partner since 2007.

Known as “FC College,” Forman is located in Lahore, Pakistan and was founded in 1864 by Charles Forman, a Presbyterian missionary. It grew to become the most respected institution of higher education in Pakistan and educated many of Pakistan’s government, military and business leaders. The school’s alumni include a president of the U.N. Security Council, a prime minister of India and, for Pakistan, two presidents, a prime minister, the first chief justice, an attorney general and a foreign minister.

The college was nationalized in the 1970’s but in 2003 the government of Pakistan, the second largest Muslim nation in the world , returned to the Presbyterian Church. A former member of NPC, David Stoner, handled the negotiations for the Presbyterian Church.

Under the leadership of an American missionary educator, Dr. Peter Armacost, the college has become a model of interfaith harmony educating Christians and Muslim side by side. Since 2003 the Christians attending the college have grown from 20 students to 830 in a country where only 2% of the population are Christian. The Christian faculty has also grown, from 4 to 72. Of the 188 faculty members, 99 have earned doctorate degrees. Leadership of the college is transitioning from Dr. Armacost, who will retire next year, to Dr. James Tebbe, a U.S. citizen who is a respected Urdu scholar and experienced administrator. Dr Tebbe visited and spoke to NPC members last year.

Forman’s reformation has made a huge impact on the Christian minority in Pakistan. Many of the students are the first members of their families to attend college and they graduate with a solid education and deep understanding of their faith. One theme that is regularly expressed at Forman is the contrast between incoming student, who are often awkward and insecure, and the confident, articulate and secure graduating seniors. Today, Forman is a model of inter-community harmony, where one can witness men and women from different Christian denominations and minority and majority Muslim groups living and learning together.

Our Pastor, Sam Schreiner, is a member of the American Friends of Forman Christian College Board. NPC supports the Forman Christian College scholarship program. For $1,300 you can provide funding for one academic year for one student at Forman, including tuition, room and board, uniform and books.

For more information, contact John Marr, NPC Mission Liaison, johnamarr@hotmail.com