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Congregational Life
Congregational Life provides an opportunity for fellowship and good relationships through frequent potlucks, the annual picnic, the 50-year-member celebration, Easter breakfast, Christmas dinner, and the Stewardship dinner.  The committee also serves as a liaison for Presbyterian Women and the Wednesday Night dinners.

A recent Wednesday night dinner

Shepherding Ministry
Shepherds are a trained group of volunteers who serve as confidential long-term friends in good and bad times to another willing member.  The Shepherd is responsible for making a monthly contact, in person, by phone, or by card, to let their person know they are thought of and cared for by Hunter Church.  Shepherds are not caretakers, chauffeurs, housecleaners or home upkeep individuals.  They give emotional and spiritual support through listening and being present.

The Prayer Chain
The Prayer Chain is a four-branched list of persons who pray for others, if desired, by the person needing or wanting prayers.  The chain is started by the pastor at 859-277-5126 or scroll down to Prayer Line on the Contact Us page .  She then calls Christina Tipton who contacts the first person at the top of each branch and they in turn call others.

Project Love Letters

On November 11, 2000, Presbyterian Women of Hunter started a program called Project Love Letters.  We have twelve people who are chronically ill, live in nursing homes or just cannot get out to church.  They are sent letters and cards at least once a month. The Love Letters are placed near the front and back entrances to the sanctuary and everyone is encouraged to sign them whether one knows the people or not.  Photos are attached to help remind us of the identity of the recipient, some of whom have not been to a worship service for years, but who, in their time, may have been very active and instrumental in making Hunter Church what it is today.    

The program also includes members who are suffering from severe health problems or a bereavement.  One part of the love letter assures our continual support through thought and prayer and an encouraging quote from Scripture.  The other part is a greeting card with an appropriate sentiment.  We sometimes use recycled or homemade cards.  We celebrate birthdays of 90 years and over, anniversaries of 50 years and over and stay in touch with our college students with occasional mail.

People tell us they love receiving the signed cards.  They bring back memories or, if the people are unknown, the reassurance that the church is growing and changing and others are using what they helped build.

Fellowship Opportunities
Coffee time is held each Sunday from 10:30 to 11:00 a.m. after Sunday School and before the 11:00 worship.  Wednesday Night Dinners are held weekly, with dinner (suggested donation of $4.00 for adults) at 6:00 and a program afterwards. Recent programs have included mission programs, Bible study, music programs, game night and travelogues.
Potluck Meals follow the 11:00 a.m. service about five times per year, Easter Sunday breakfast is at 7:45 a.m. following Easter Sunrise Service at the Arboretum, a congregational picnic is held at Shillito Park in early August, a special potluck each October celebrates our 50-year members, and in early December there is a grand Christmas dinner on a Sunday night
before Christmas.

Young Adults Group

A new social group, called The Young Adults for now, was recently started by Trisha and Andrew Bernard.  This group meets every other month and is targeted toward Hunter members ages 20-60.  The group gathers for fun and fellowship by alternating going out to dinner and having potlucks at members' homes.  Recent activities have included a Thanksgiving feast potluck, games, bowling and Mexican food.

Flower Guild

On Monday mornings at 9:30 the Flower Guild Room comes alive as Guild members rearrange the Sunday flowers into smaller bouquets. These arrangements are then delivered to visitors, to homebound and hospitalized members and to others either celebrating or grieving particular events in their lives. New members are always welcome. Members enjoy other fun
activities such as going to lunch together on the first Monday of each month after arranging flowers.

 Christian/Muslim Dialogue

The Christian-Muslim Dialogue Group offers stimulating programs. A continuing series of speakers, monthly on Saturday mornings at Hunter Church, provides a rich opportunity to meet our Muslim brothers and sisters and to share important  ideas. Gary Brooks first brought this group to Hunter, and you are warmly invited to try it out. 

Missions

The Hunger Offering
Hunter collects a monthly offering to combat hunger. In the past, Hunter members of all ages, were encouraged to collect 2 cents a meal to bring to church and put in the special monthly offering. Given how the price of food has increased at the same time the number experiencing need for food supplements has grown, perhaps a nickel a meal would be more appropriate. This is something each family can decide. The offering will be collected just before the regular offering on the third Sunday of the month.  The hunger offering is divided between the national PC(USA) Hunger Program and the Transylvania Presbytery Hunger program.  The Presbytery uses the funds it receives to award Hunger Grants to
churches in the Presbytery who are running food banks, shelters or hot meal programs. Most programs work with other community organizations to supplement aid received from food stamps or other sources. Last year hunger grant applications exceeded the amount avaiable in the Presbytery hunger fund many times over so only a portion of the amount requested could be awarded. All grant applications emphasized that the number of clients served is increasing.
In the United States 13 million children live in households that experience hunger or the risk of hunger. 3.5 percent of U.S.
households experience hunger. Some people in these households frequently skip meals or eat too little, sometimes going without food for a whole day. 9.6 million people, including three million children, live in these homes. 7.7 percent of U.S. households are at risk of hunger. Members of these households have lower quality diets or must resort to seeking emergency food because they cannot always afford the food they need. 26.6 million people, including 10.3 million
children, live in these homes.  Please do what you can to support this worthwhile cause!!   AND….speaking of Westminster Village, thanks to all who have given generously to the collection of school supplies and personal care items. More than two very large boxes were delivered to Westminster Village this fall. Collection of items goes on all year around. There is a bin in the Kitchen Hallway.

 One Great Hour of Sharing

Sixty years ago, in response to the devastation of World War II, a Saturday evening nationwide broadcast asked Americans to give generously the next morning to their churches. A remarkable variety of national leaders and celebrities gave their support to the broadcast and more than 75,000 churches responded. Today, projects supported by One Great Hour of Sharing are under way in more than one hundred countries, including the United States and Canada.
There continues to be crises….flooding, earthquakes, tsunamis, food and water shortages and churches combine forces to work cooperatively in One Great Hour of Sharing through the ministry of Church World Service. Each denomination also decides how the portion of the gifts it receives will be used. PC (USA) divides funds among Self-Development of People, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance and the Presbyterian Hunger Program.
Inserts in the bulletin for three weeks give details of how our gifts will feed hungry people and help them develop
stable food resources, provide emergency support in communities devastated by natural disaster, and bring clean water to locations where it is more precious than gold.
The One Great Hour of Sharing offering is dedicated on Easter Sunday, but envelopes are already in the pew racks.  By giving to One Great Hour of Sharing we can combine our gifts with those of many other people to make a difference where help is needed.

International Mission

Hunter receives four PC(USA) offerings: One Great Hour of Sharing, the Joy Offering, the Peacemaking Offering and the Pentacost Offering.

In April, 2003, and again in 2005, fifteen members worked with Presbyterian Border Ministries in Guaymas, Mexico. Hunter awarded scholarships to a third group who traveled to Guaymas in 2007.  We recently held our second capital campaign and, as with the first campaign, ten percent of the amount pledged went to mission. Border Ministries (Mexico)and a local Habitat build received funds through this campaign.

Youth Mission

Hunter is committed to providing mission opportunities for all people in the congregation, including our youth and children. The Children's Choir has sung at nursing homes, the older children have helped lead worship at Cardinal Hill Hospital, and together we have made sandwiches at the Salvation Army, served meals at the Hope Center, and played with children at Shriner's Hospital.  Our middle- and high-school youth serve breakfast once a month at the Hope Center. 

Camp Burnamwood, about an hour east of Lexington, operated by Transylvania Presbytery, offers weekend camps in spring and fall for middle- and high-school youth and week-long summer camps for children in second grade through high school.  Youth have participated in mission trips to Guaymas, Mexico and in Habitat builds.

Local Mission

PWOH Blessings in a Backpack Program

We prepare Blessings in a Backpack to be sent home with children who need extra food on the weekends.  We will still be bringing the food to Hunter and filling the backpacks there on Wednesdays before the Dinner/Program.  We are always in need of volunteers and would love for you to join us! We need drivers to pick up food at Meijer, packers who can pack backpacks at Hunter, and drivers who will deliver the packs to Glendover Elementary on Thursday mornings. If you would like to help in any of these ways one week a month, please contact Cindy Mitchell.

~Phyllis Hanna, Co-Chair, Blessings in a Backpack at Hunter Presbyterian Church

Blessings in a Backpack Financial Report– On January 1, 2009 the Blessings in a Backpack account balance was $1921.30, money raised by the people at Hunter for this program.  We made our first payment of $900.00 to pay to fill backpacks for  20 children at Glendover Elementary to have food on the weekends.  During this same time we have received $605.00 in additional donations, leaving a current balance of $1626.30.  The UK fundraiser raised another $800.00, $400.00 of which will be given to Hunter to feed even more children when school starts in the Fall.  Thank you to our many generous supporters at Hunter!
~Midge Rishel, PWOH Treasurer

ABOUT THE PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN OF HUNTER'S BLESSINGS IN A BACKPACK PROGRAM

Have you ever gone a day without eating? How about two days? Many children right here in our neighborhood eat their best meals at school and are going hungry on the weekends.

The Blessings in a Backpack program has been a blessing to Hunter. On hearing the enthusiastic description of the program by its founder, Stan Curtis, The Deborah Circle led the Presbyterian Women of Hunter to provide supplementary weekend weekend food to 20 children at Glendover Elementary School. There, 42% of the students qualify for free- or reduced-price meals.

Our whole congregation participated by donating and volunteering. General contributions provided payment of $800 for the Spring, 2009 semester and more for Fall. A $400 gift from the University of Kentucky sororities and fraternities will be used to increase our service to more students. Our commitment is for three years, so this summer our guidance committee will decide how many children we will help when school starts in August.

The Meijer Grocery sponsors “Blessings in a Backpack” and greatly lowers their prices for our purchases. Our original menu for one weekend was fruit-flavored juice (10 servings), macaroni and cheese (3 servings), Ramen noodles (1 package), toaster treats (8) and fruit snacks (6 packs of small gummy candies). We have changed the menu to include one can of beef stew, ravioli or chili, six granola bars, three cocoa mixes, ramen noodles and macaroni and cheese. We hope to have an official confirmation of the benefits of the program from the school personnel soon.

The guidance committee includes:

Phyllis Hanna, Cindy Mitchell, Co-Chairs, Betty Wright, PWOH Moderator, Midge Risher, PWOH Treasurer, Carol Henley, Doris Palmer, Kathy Riley, Hunter Interim Minister, Ed Clark, Site Overseer and Krista Mason, Glendover Elementary School Family Resource Center Coordinator.

To volunteer, donate, or learn more about this program, contact Cindy Mitchell & Mark Pasquariello at 859-948-4933 or Phyllis Hanna at 859-223-1491.

Betty Wright, Phyllis Hanna and Charlie Hanna, (l-r), packing backpacks

For more Blessings in a Backpack photos, go to About Hunter and Photos

 PROJECT C.U.R.E. 

Since 1987, Denver-based PROJECT C.U.R.E. has delivered medical supplies and services to help meet the endless need in more than 120 developing countries around the globe. PROJECT C.U.R.E. is the registered trademark of the Benevolent Healthcare Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit humanitarian relief organization.

How PROJECT C.U.R.E works

PROJECT C.U.R.E. gathers new and overstock medical supplies and working equipment from manufacturers, wholesale suppliers, hospitals, clinics and individuals. Volunteers sort, inventory and pack the items and load them into cargo containers roughly the size of semi-truck trailers.  These cargo containers hold an average of $400,000 in medical equipment and supplies that are then delivered to hospitals in developing countries.  From band-aids and wheelchairs to surgical equipment and microscopes, PROJECT C.U.R.E. needs medical supplies and equipment to help those in need. If you have items you wish to donate, please contact:  Suzi Kifer  277-0816

Visit www.projectcure.org for more information about the organization and ways to get involved in Lexington and elsewhere.

Loading a truck with medical supplies for Project C.U.R.E.

 Medical supplies collected at Hunter for Project C.U.R.E. go from Lexington to the Project C.U.R.E.
warehouse in Nashville. See the “thank you” below about shipments to Haiti and notice, particularly, the
Nashville shipments which probably included some of the things from Project C.U.R.E. Lexington.

Since January 15, Project C.U.R.E. has delivered eight separate loads (approximately 800 boxes of supplies
each) to earthquake survivors, and aid workers helping them, in Haiti. The value of materials delivered so far
is nearly $3 million!
Project C.U.R.E.'s efforts to deliver relief supplies to Haiti would not be possible without the support of
hundreds of individuals, companies, and organizations who have donated time, supplies, and money. On behalf
of the hundreds of thousands of people in need in Haiti, who are receiving assistance now, Project C.U.R.E.
says "thank you."
Below are details on Project C.U.R.E.'s eight humanitarian relief deliveries to Haiti since January 15:
• The first Haiti load left Project C.U.R.E. Nashville on Friday, Jan. 15, on its way to Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba where it was shuttled to the U.S.S. Comfort and transported to on-site medical aid groups in Haiti.
This load was sponsored by Newmont Mining Corporation.
• The second load of Project C.U.R.E. medical relief left Denver via American Airlines on Monday, January
18, and was flown to Miami and transferred to Catholic Relief Services in Haiti. This load was sponsored
by MillerCoors.
• A third load left Denver via American Airlines on Monday, Jan. 18. Materials were received and
distributed by the U.S. Military’s Southern Command to various aid organizations. This load was
sponsored by Cameco.
• A fourth contingent of supplies traveled from Project C.U.R.E.’s distribution center in Nashville, to
Norfolk, VA, where it was joined with the U.S.S. Sacagawea (a dry cargo ship) to be distributed by the
U.S. Southern Command to various aid organizations. This load was sponsored by Apache Corporation.
• A load destined for Opa-locka, Fla. left Phoenix on Jan. 26. A private charter plane of Rock-It Cargo
transported it to Port-au-Prince on Jan. 30, where it was distributed to Partners in Health (PIH). PIH is
operating the large Hôpital de l'Université d'état d'Haiti (HUEH), or University Hospital, in the capitol
city.
• Project C.U.R.E. volunteers prepared a sixth load that left Nashville on Wednesday, Jan. 28 en route to
Florida, then to Haiti. This load was received by PIH and sponsored by Rock-It Cargo.
• Leaving Denver on Feb. 1, a load filled principally with first aid and hygiene supplies donated by
community members then went to Florida, where it was repacked into a private charter plane provided by
Rock-It Cargo, delivered to Haiti, and distributed to PIH.
• The eighth load of Help for Haiti supplies left Houston on Feb. 1 en route to Florida, from which it was
transported by Rock-It Cargo to Port-au-Prince to be received by PIH.

English as a Second Language Classes Flourishing, More Teachers Needed
Moving the ESL classes taught by Hunter members to the Valley Library on Versailles Road has worked very well. The library staff is supportive and the library itself is a joy to see as it is always buzzing with young readers and students. The ESL classes for this semester are just beginning and there are nearly twenty students, all from Mexico. All of the students are
eager to learn and a pleasure to get to know. If you have thought about teaching English as a Second Language, now is the time. You can teach as a partner with one of the more experienced teachers. If you would like to know more contact Suzi Kifer or Cathy Reilender.

Hunter's Response to Those Needing Assistance

Hunter is always a generous supporter to those who need assistance.  We are currently joining Transylvania Presbytery's call to assist those harmed by the recent flooding in Eastern Kentucky and, within the past three months, we have provided cooking utensils to Wholesome Table cooking classes at the Cardinal Valley Center.  We also are providing or have provided recent assistance to God's Pantry and the Federal Women's Prison.

Building a United Interfaith Lexington through Direct Action

B.U.I.L.D. (Building a United Interfaith Lexington thru Direct- Action) is the only organized group in Lexington that brings over 1000 people from various religious, racial, and social classes together into one annual assembly to do large scale justice within Fayette County. B.U.I.L.D.’s power comes from the large number of diverse people who attend the Nehemiah Action Assembly held in March to help persuade elected officials like the Mayor and the School Superintendent that it will be in this community’s best interest to support B.U.I.L.D.’s justice issues. For example, B.U.I.L.D. researched the school system and discovered a huge disparity in the middle school suspension rates between schools. B.U.I.L.D. asked the School Superintendent, Stu Silberman, to find a way to lower the extra high suspension rates in the five middle schools. Mr. Silberman already knew of programs in the other middle schools that worked to lower the suspension rates. He agreed this program was needed for these 5 middle schools as well. The middle school programs designed to lower the suspension rates should already have been implemented in all the middle schools, but by pointing out this injustice, B.U.I.L.D was able to speed up this process.

B.U.I.L.D. is a non-profit organization that relies on several sources of funding to continue to work for justice for all the citizens in Fayette County. The 2009 Support Drive is currently underway. If you would like to invest in doing justice work, please consider placing a check made out to “Hunter Presbyterian Church” in the offering plate with “B.U.I.L.D.” in the bottom description line. If you have any questions please contact Ann Freytag

Hunter contributes to God's Pantry, Hope Center and Cardinal Valley. We receive the 2-cents-a meal Presbyterian Hunger Offering monthly, and the youth group publicizes and collects cans of soup and money offerings for "Souper Bowl" Sunday.