News – Churches in Mission

Giving Tuesday $7,500 Match!

Thanks to several generous donors, we are able to match $7,500 in donations leading up to and including Giving Tuesday on Dec. 3. Donations may be made online at ChurchesInMission.org by clicking on the “donate” tab or by dropping off donations at either Churches in Mission location or at any Citizens Bank branch any day from Nov. 26 thought Dec. 3.

Funds will help with overall operations of Churches in Mission, which is experiencing overwhelming increases in need. In November 2023, 984 food orders (including canned goods, breakfast items, produce, bread, and meats) were distributed. More than 1,200 will be filled by the end of November 2024.

This could not be possible without the support of the Overton family, Life Pointe Church, Citizens Bank, Carlisle-Branson Funeral Service, and Churches in Mission Volunteers!

Generous June Building Match Fundraiser

Thanks to a generous donor, up to $25,000 raised for the Churches in Mission construction project will be doubled this month. With the “Generous June” fundraiser, donations will receive a dollar-for-dollar match for contributions to work at the former St. Thomas More Clinic building.

In this first phase of construction, the former clinic building is being transformed into a new space for Churches in Mission’s expanding Hope House programs. Due to the age and non-ADA setup of the building, the interior is being updated to hold a variety of transformative classes on budgeting, cooking, healthy lifestyles, family resiliency, and much more for those in need. The creation of a new space for Churches in Mission clients will also allow for more one-on-one coaching and other important services for our neighbors in need.

Last year, Churches in Mission served 2,340 Morgan County households with more than 14,450 acts of assistance, including food, clothing, rent and utility assistance, hygiene and basic household items, classes, coaching, and Christmas assistance.

Donations may be made to the current Mooresville Churches in Mission location at 27 S. Indiana St., Mooresville, IN, 46158, or Donate Online. Contact Executive Director Adam Rawlins at [email protected] or 317-831-3987 for more information.

2023 Community Impacts

The need for Churches in Mission’s services continues to grow, with 14,468 acts of assistance being given in 2023. The 10,011 food orders provided last year was a 25% increase in the number of carts of food going out our doors. Looking back, Churches in Mission distributed 5,026 food orders just five years ago in 2018.

A total of 2,340 households with more than 7,500 people (including 2,868 children and 657 seniors) were served.

Learn more about our impact and our services here.

Preparing for Christmas

Each year, as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, we are blessed to help our clients at Christmas. This assistance is coordinated with dozens of churches, agencies, businesses and families from across Morgan County to serve our neighbors in need.

Many families are sponsored by local churches, businesses, and families. To learn more about sponsoring, please visit our Sponsoring a Family Information Sheet. Those who are not sponsored will be invited to visit the Churches in Mission Christmas Shop in Mooresville or Martinsville. The shop experience includes gifts and clothing for children as well as the makings of a Christmas dinner.

Items needed most for our Christmas Shop include:

Clothing for Children and Teens – boys and girls sizes 8-18 as well as men’s sizes S-XL
Family Games & Puzzles for older children & teens – Battleship, Monopoly, Apples to Apples, Clue, Uno, etc.
Gifts for Teen Boys – Axe & other cologne sets, dart boards, basketballs, footballs, camping gear, skateboards, wallets, etc.
Food for Christmas Dinner – and to help families while children are home from school

Other ways to help include:

Volunteer for Salvation Army Bellringing – funds raised at our locations help Morgan County families with rent and utility costs for our clients (locations include Mooresville Kroger & Walmart; Martinsville Kroger, Walmart, & Rural King)
Volunteer at Churches in Mission – we need help at both locations with Christmas food orders, Christmas gift sorting, and organizing our regular food and clothing distributions.
Donate funds for the purchase of needed items. Consider making a recurring gift to spread giving across the year.

Churches in Mission Adds New Property

The Churches in Mission Board of Directors has announced that the organization has acquired the former St. Thomas More Clinic location in Mooresville and plans to use the site for its countywide headquarters.

The property, located at 1125 N. Indiana St., includes roughly three acres as well as the 3,000 square foot clinic building. As the St. Thomas More Clinic was winding down operations, the two organizations worked together, forming an agreement for the transfer of the property, with Churches in Mission paying off the existing mortgage.

“This property truly provides an amazing opportunity for Churches in Mission to better serve our clients across Morgan County,” said Churches in Mission Board President Tammy Parker. “We are indebted to the St. Thomas More Clinic board for their belief and trust in Churches in Mission to continue using this property to serve our neighbors in need.”

Churches in Mission has begun the planning process. An additional warehouse facility will be needed on the property as well as additional driveway and parking space. A groundbreaking is anticipated in the summer of 2023.

Learn more about the project and read our Q&A here.

Preparing for the Future

As we prepare to celebrate 35 years of serving Morgan County families in need from our 27 S. Indiana St. location, we at Churches in Mission also know that it’s time to seek a new space to serve northern Morgan County.

The original space we occupied, the addition of the warehouse in the back, and the multiple reconfigurations of space in our current facility helped us grow to meet many needs. Through the pandemic, we were able to re-set operations, expand offerings, and increase food distribution with additional shelving, re-wiring, new industrial refrigerators and freezers, and finding as many ways as possible to tightly pack goods and services.

While we are truly blessed and thankful for our current location, we know that current facility limitations are keeping us from being the best stewards of our mission. To improve service our clients and community, we need better access for food delivery and disbursement operations as well as a site which can encompass the classes which help our families move forward. All operations would move to a new location and the old location would be sold.

We need our community’s help as we search for a lot or lot and building to serve our future needs and the funding to make this a reality. The ideal location would be at least two acres in Mooresville town limits, include space for a building of at least 8,500 square feet, parking for 40+ vehicles, turn-around and unloading/dock space for large trucks, and an area for multiple cars to form a drive-through line.

Anyone with a potential site or in need of additional information should contact the Mooresville Churches in Mission at 317-831-3987 or [email protected].

The 2022 Christmas Season Is Upon Us

Items needed most for our Christmas Shop include:

Clothing for Children and Teens – boys and girls sizes 8-18 as well as men’s sizes S-XL
Family Games & Puzzles for older children & teens – Battleship, Monopoly, Apples to Apples, Clue, Uno, etc.
Gifts for Teen Boys – Axe & other cologne sets, dart boards, basketballs, footballs, camping gear, skateboards, wallets, etc.
Food for Christmas Dinner – and to help families while children are home from school

Other ways to help include:

Volunteer for Salvation Army Bellringing – funds raised at our locations help Morgan County families with rent and utility costs for our clients (locations include Mooresville Kroger & Walmart; Martinsville Kroger, Walmart, & Rural King)
Volunteer at Churches in Mission – we need help at both locations with Christmas food orders, Christmas gift sorting, and organizing our regular food and clothing distributions.
Donate funds for the purchase of needed items. Consider making a recurring gift to spread giving across the year.

February 2022 Newsletter

We’re excited to share Churches in Mission’s 2021 impacts and news about our ongoing work to help Morgan County families in need. Thank you for being part of our mission! Read more in our February 2022 Newsletter

2021 Community Impacts

Throughout 2021, Morgan County families in need were able to count on Churches in Mission to assist with basic needs as well as provide educational opportunities. With all assistance categories included, 1,578 households with 5,225 family members received 8,597 acts of assistance through Churches in Mission in 2021.

Our mission is to provide for the basic needs of individuals and families who face tough financial circumstances. We prepare those we serve to enjoy healthy lifestyles, meaningful pursuits, and promising futures.

Read through our 2021 Community Impacts to learn more about our work and how you can be part of our mission.

Preparing for Christmas

Each year, as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, we are blessed to help our clients at Christmas. This assistance is coordinated with churches, agencies, and families from across Morgan County and beyond to serve our neighbors in need.

Many families are sponsored by local churches, businesses, and families. To learn more about sponsoring, please visit our Sponsoring a Family Information Sheet. Those who are not sponsored by Dec. 1 will be invited to visit the Churches in Mission Christmas Shops in Mooresville and Martinsville. The shop experience includes gifts and clothing for children, the makings of a Christmas dinner, and a useful household gift for the family.

Items needed most for our Christmas Shop at this time include:

Clothing for Children and Teens, for boys and girls sizes 6-18 as well as men’s sizes S-XL
Pajamas for Children and Teens, for boys and girls sizes 6-18
Family Games & Puzzles for all ages – board games as well as card games (please note we already received a large supply of Candyland games)
Gifts for Teen Boys – Axe & other cologne sets, dart boards, basketballs, footballs, camping gear, small electronics, etc.
Bath towels and full-sized blankets for our household gifts.

Other ways to help include:

Volunteer for Salvation Army Bellringing – funds raised help with rent and utility costs for our clients.
Volunteer at Churches in Mission – we need help at both locations with Christmas food orders, Christmas gift sorting, and organizing our regular food and clothing distributions.
Donate funds for the purchase of needed items.

The 2020 Experience

The 2020 experience changed families’ lives in many ways. At Churches in Mission, we’re proud to say that we were able to remain open all year, despite the pandemic, despite food shortages, despite a tornado and weeklong power outage at our Mooresville location, and despite the many lesser challenges that occurred. Changing our format to drive-through assistance, providing proxy food deliveries to the homebound, and increasing cleaning and hygiene protocol throughout our buildings became the norm for us in 2020.

While 2021 opened with many of the same issues, we look forward to increasing our in-person classes and interactions with our families. We strive to help our families better their situations as best we can. And most of all, we thank the volunteers, partners, and donors who helped get us this far. We could not do it without you.

November 2021 Newsletter

We are so thankful at Churches in Mission for the churches, businesses, civic groups, and neighbors who have helped us share blessings throughout 2021. Even before the holiday rush, we’ve completed more than 6,200 acts of assistance with food, clothing, and basic needs, helping more than 4,000 people in 1,200 households. Read more in our November 2021 Newsletter.