TPCC Outreach

LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS SUPPORTED BY THE OUTREACH OF TORREY PINES CHRISTIAN CHURCH

TPCC now has 20 members volunteering at the school on a weekly basis to tutor and mentor children or work in the library or school office. TPCC members have also volunteered at PTA events such as the 50th anniversary celebration, Halloween Carnival, Teacher Appreciation luncheon and campus clean-ups. Additionally, members have been very supportive of the library by donating books and volunteering at the semi-annual book fairs. This is an on-going relationship and members are encouraged to participate in some way.

Please visit http://new.sandi.net/schools/Whitman for more information about the school. Please email Grace Smith at grace.v.smith@earthlink.net for information about volunteering as a tutor or mentor and contact Shari Sapp at sappsharilynn@aol.com for information about helping at PTA events.

Community Christian Service Agency (CCSA)

CCSA is a local San Diego based ecumenical organization of 27 Christian churches providing assistance to individuals and families with emergency needs. For over 35 years, CCSA has made available food, clothing, counseling and assistance with emergency shelter (through Interfaith Shelter Network) to people in crisis and to homeless people. CCSA has two service centers.

The Clairemont (main) office serves approximately 600 housed families and individuals per month. The Joyce Snyder office in Pacific Beach primarily serves nearly 500 homeless individuals per month and encourages families to go to the Clairemont Family Center. However, families will not be turned away.

TPCC has been involved with CCSA since its inception and provides substantial financial support annually through Outreach and Disciples Women. TPCC is also involved in several of CCSA's ongoing programs such as monthly food donations, the Hunger Walk, Back-to-School backpacks and the Christmas program. Several TPCC members volunteer regularly at the CCSA service sites.

TPCC has been involved with TCM almost since the beginning as member Ken Huff was on the founding board. As part of the church's 50th anniversary celebration, members participated in a church-wide service project that involved making care packages for each resident, praying for a child, participating in a work project at the Rosarito campus, sponsoring a child for the year, and providing Christmas gifts.

There will be approximately four mission trips to Tijuana Christian Mission this year and anyone is invited to participate. Please visit www.tijuanachristianmission.org for more information about the organization and on how to sponsor a child.

Veterans Village of San Diego

Veterans Village of San Diego (VVSD) provides services to homeless veterans. It operates a residential Rehabilitation Center on Pacific Highway, which can currently accommodate 224 veterans who are receiving treatment for drug addiction. In addition to the recovery center, VVSD operates 5 other residential programs located throughout SD County, including the Welcome Home Family Program where homeless veterans and their children are housed in a drug and alcohol-free environment. Nonresidential services include employment assessment, training, and placement; the annual Stand Down held for homeless veterans in July: and the winter shelter for veterans; and the newest program, Warriors Tradition, which helps returning veterans and active duty recognize and deal with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury.

TPCC has been involved with VVSD for just over five years. Member Rod Stark works at the facility and is passionate about their mission. TPCC gives annually toward the cost to erect the winter shelter near the Sports Arena. The church has also organized a Christmas caroling outing to the winter shelter for the past two years.

Please visit www.vvsd.net for more information about Veterans Village San Diego.

Responsibility, Inc.

Responsibility is a non-profit organization with offices in San Ysidro which operates a pre-school, computer center and summer camp for children whose parents support their families by scavenging recyclable materials from the Tijuana dumps. For over 25 years its schools have given more than 6,000 children a chance for a better life by providing them with an early education. It has also provided an opportunity for American students to do hands-on projects for children who are less fortunate than themselves.

TPCC has been involved with Responsibility for many years donating annually toward their worthy work. Please visit www.responsibilityonline.org for more information about how to serve and help.

San Diego Rescue Mission

Established in 1955, the Mission offers long-term, Christ-centered rehabilitation and educational programs in downtown San Diego to prepare 270 homeless, abused, addicted, and poor men and women for employment and independent living. These programs assist those in need to become productive members of society. The SD Rescue Mission also runs an overnight shelter, the Partners for Hunger Relief food recovery program, an outpatient psychotherapy clinic and a facility to care for those who have no home to go to when discharged from a hospital.

TPCC has had various degrees of involvement with the San Diego Rescue Mission over the years. At one point volunteers provided the Sunday evening worship service for the residents. Collections of clothing and furniture have also occurred, however, at this time TPCC primarily supports the Mission financially. San Diego Rescue Mission is supported by a very large broad-based group of local churches, and TPCC member Bert Wahlen has been a board member of SDRM in previous years.

If you want to know more about the San Diego Rescue Mission and how you might help please visit their website at www.sdrescue.org.

Care House

Care House is an organization in Chula Vista that strives to serve some of the neediest yet underserved kids of San Diego County. Whether it is through their mentoring program, tutoring program, outreach programs throughout the year, Bible club meetings or the outreach center, they strive to serve the kids who are living well below the poverty line. There are an estimated over 2,000 homeless children in San Diego. Care House serves many who are ashamed because they are living in cars, temporarily living in one hotel then another hotel, have no money to clean their clothes before going to school or have no money for a decent meal before they go to bed at night. Care House brings hope to these needy young people through the love of Christ.

TPCC has been involved with Care House for many years. For the past two years the church youth group and other TPCC families have held a Christmas party for over 30 homeless youth in Hashinger Hall. The party has included a meal, dancing to a DJ, clothes for the party and a Christmas present for each young person.

For more information about Care House please visit their website at www.carehouseinfo.org.

Ecumenical Council of San Diego

The Ecumenical Council of San Diego County is an association of Christian congregations established, maintained and conducted to assist, extend, coordinate and unite the work of churches and social agencies in the service of God and community through dialogue, prayer, service, study and worship. This council runs the Interfaith Shelter Network which encourages and empowers San Diego County religious congregations and community groups to volunteer their facilities and other resources to provide shelter, food and support to people without homes in search of permanent solutions.

TPCC participates in the "Rotational Shelter Program" which provides emergency shelter to singles, couples and families countywide. In January each year, TPCC members supply meals and overnight companionship to those being housed in a local church on a temporary basis.

For more information please visit www.ecsd.org.

Chris Deng's Chinese Ministry

Christ Deng runs the San Diego affiliate of Chinese Outreach Ministries (COM). COM is a national organization of Americans and Chinese who serve students, scholars and their families from China studying at universities in North America. It is not a church but a Christian group that works with local churches in sharing Christian love. Everyone from China is welcome to participate whether they have religious beliefs or not.

COM and Chris Deng believe that by exposing Chinese students to Christianity, and in many cases bringing them to Jesus, that these same students will return to China and become leaders with Christian values. Chris Deng is active at UCSD and SDSU and holds a weekly bible study at TPCC. TPCC also donates a small amount toward his ministry on an annual basis.

For more information about Chinese Outreach Ministries please visit www.chineseoutreach.org

WIXIM Ministries

WIXIM is an acronym for What is Christ in Me? TPCC financially supports the ministry of the Rev. Chuck Workman through WIXIM. Chuck Workman, a long-term member of TPCC, is a chaplain at the county's two juvenile detention centers and ministers to the needs of the young people incarcerated in these facilities. In past years, TPCC members have visited the young people in the detention center to teach a class, sing Christmas Carols, and have donated books for the detention centers' libraries, in order to provide the residents with appropriate reading material.