Missions

At FVPC, we believe that God calls us to work beyond the doors of our church building in order to make a difference in the world, for Christ’s sake. Mission and ministry to our neighbors both near and far are essential to living out Jesus’ commandment to love one another as God has loved us.

The members of FVPC are involved in a variety of missions throughout our community and our world. From making sandwiches for the residents of Lazarus House, to inviting the entire community in for dinner every second Sunday, to assisting those who need home repairs in neighboring Aurora, we are making a difference and living out our faith. Regardless of how you are called to serve, we want to help you to find a way to serve God and God’s people here at FVPC.

If you have questions about the missions below or other missions of Fox Valley Presbyterian Church, please contact Michelle Hwang, Acting Head of Staff, (630) 232-7448.

EMPTY BOWLS

Be sure to save the date for our Empty Bowls fundraiser on November 15, 2025. Last year, FVPC raised close to $6,000 for the Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry and the Lazarus House meal programs with a new event, the Empty Bowls Fundraiser. It was a wonderful evening, and we are asking you to join us in raising $7,000 this year.

Empty Bowls is a ticketed, artisan evening where folks enjoy live music, an arts and crafts raffle, a pottery demonstration, dine together in the Great Hall, and take home a hand-made ceramic soup bowl. Local restaurants donate specialty soups and bread, and ceramic studios donate bowls.

Supporting organizations that combat food insecurity has long been one of FVPC's missions, and we know many folks in the Fox Valley will experience cutbacks to food programs such as SNAP and others. The Empty Bowls Fundraiser for Food Insecurity is one way we can donate a significant contribution to help address this critical need!

Click here for more details and ticket info.

Organizer for this event: Karla Lynch

(Updated 10/15/25. Source: Karla Lynch’s 10/15/25 email.)

CHRISTMAS PARTY FOR ELGIN MENTAL HEALTH CENTER RESIDENTS

Participating in the Christmas Party for the residents of Elgin Mental Health Center is a beloved, long-standing tradition at FVPC. This year, the Mental Health Center staff has requested donations of puzzle books, plain white crew socks, playing cards and Christmas or New Year's greeting cards. The staff tells us that the residents enjoy sending Christmas cards to their friends and family. Small wrapped candies are also welcome - no nuts or peanut butter, please.

If you wish to donate the requested gift items, please drop off your donations in the Lower Gathering Space, now until December 7. As the Mission Committee is organizing this program, please email your questions to Pat Sage.

LAZARUS HOUSE

The Lazarus House Center for Transitional Living in St. Charles is the ONLY Transitional Housing Program in the tri-cities area. Lazarus House serves men, women and children connected to the school districts of St. Charles, Geneva, Batavia and western rural Kane County who are homeless or are at risk. Their mission is to provide hospitality, food, safe shelter and support services to persons who are homeless or in need. FVPC serves this mission by providing lunches and dinners.

Once a month, FVPC provides sack lunches and dinner for Lazarus House guests. Watch the church publications for dates and details.

ADULT GO AND SERVE MISSION TRIP

FVPC members and friends recently participated in an Abara Encounter in El Paso/Juarez, where they learned how we can make a difference in the lives of people caught in difficult circumstances.

All are welcome to attend the adult education class on Sunday, November 2, when the Adult Go and Serve mission team members will share their thoughts on the trip. The class will meet at 9:00 am in Rooms 2 and 3.

Organizer for this event: Mission Committee

REBUILDING TOGETHER AURORA

It is said that many hands make light work.

For the past several years, FVPC has used its many hands to transform the lives of people in our community through Rebuilding Together Aurora. RTA helps homeowners living on, near, or below the poverty line make repairs to their homes that they would be otherwise unable to attend to, because too often families must choose to address other basic living needs instead. For those who are low-income, costly home repairs are essential to the family’s health and living but are rarely financially feasible. FVPC in partnership with Rebuilding Together Aurora helps make that happen.

Every last weekend in April, FVPC and RTA volunteers work together to assist families with needed home repairs. We always need volunteers to assist – both with skilled and unskilled labor.

SEWING CIRCLE

The Sewing Circle of Fox Valley Presbyterian Church was formed in 2009. Its purpose is to provide a creative way to show God’s love and care to people in need. The Circle creates pillowcase dresses for Guatemala, school bags for Church World Service, quilts for the children baptized at FVPC, and prayer shawls. Pictured at the left is a recent Sewing Circle creation, lovingly assembled from donated fabrics.

The Sewing Circle meets year round on Mondays in Rooms 2 and 3, 10:00 am-2:00 pm. Over the years, quilts have been produced at the rate of about 100 per year. Circle members enjoy picturing the happiness their creations bring to the recipients and like to say a prayer of blessing over the items before they are distributed.

New members are very welcome and do not need to know how to sew. There are many tasks such as pinning and tying with yarn that do not require sewing. Knitters are needed to make prayer shawls as well. For more information or if you have questions, email Anne McManus.

UPDATE ON LIVING WATERS FOR THE WORLD

In the spring of 2023, FVPC sent a team to Guatemala to install a water purification system at Escuela Oficial Urbana Mixta Elisa Molina de Stahl, a school serving 622 students. In addition to installing the system, the team provided health lessons to teachers, ensuring students could fully benefit from access to pure water.

One year later, in the spring of 2024, our team conducted a follow-up visit to provide further support. However, due to limited funds, FVPC was unable to send another team for the final year of our covenant with the school. Instead, we equipped our in-country coordinators to complete this final stage on our behalf. They carried out this responsibility on March 25 and 26, 2025, with the FVPC Living Waters for the World (LWW) committee participating via Zoom (see photo at left). The system operators and educators shared the following updates:

Aside from one minor issue that has been resolved, the system has functioned flawlessly. Plans are in place to further protect it for long-term sustainability.
The school purifies approximately 12 bottles of water daily for its kitchen, eliminating the need for staff to boil water over a hazardous wood-burning stove.
Additional purified water is provided as needed for each of the 31 classrooms.
About 60% of teachers and many students’ families are purchasing water for home use at a fourth of the retail cost.
Thanks to continued reinforcement of health lessons, drinking only purified water has become the norm on campus.
Teachers report noticeable health improvements among students.
System operators are exploring ways to increase production and expand outreach, including potential partnerships with other local schools.

As our formal covenant with the school concludes, we rejoice in knowing that this project has empowered the community with a lasting source of clean water. The dedication of the teachers, students, and system operators ensures that the impact of this mission will continue to grow. Though FVPC’s direct role is ending, our connection remains strong, and the seeds planted through this mission will continue to bear fruit for years to come. Thank you for your prayers, support, and commitment to sharing the gift of clean water.

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

Those seeking assistance are invited to call 211, a free resource provided by United Way. Trained staff are available 24/7 to assist with information on various community programs.

Our helping hands brochure includes details on the 211 program along with church sponsored programs, which are generally not included in the 211 database. Click here to view it.

LOY WILLIAMS’ STORYWORTH INTERVIEW

FVPC Parish Associate Loy Williams was very active in the civil rights movement, along with his wife Linda, a FVPC member. His involvement in the civil rights movement began while he was a student at Southern Methodist University, where he led demonstrations for civil rights and protested segregation. In March 1965, Loy coordinated student participation in the march on Selma, Alabama and fed on-the-ground updates to Dallas radio stations. While the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was leaving Selma, Loy received a telegram from Dr. King, saying “Come to Montgomery and bring everyone you can.” Loy rented and filled a 65 passenger Greyhound bus which he and other students took to Montgomery to join the march. Use the link below to listen to the NPR Storyworth interview of Loy and Linda and learn more about their involvement.