Who are the Women of DRG? CPC

When some of the women's ministry leaders of the DRG met on April 14, we came up with the metaphor of a Prayer Shawl to illustrate our diversity. As I've considered this further, I think the image of a Quilt is more apt. We are multiple quilt squares that together make up a comforting cover. We are prayer warriors and students and diligent liturgical workers. We are young and not so young, single and married, professionals and stay at home moms-a diverse group to be sure! Like the little Sunbonnet Sue quilt girls, we are individually, and in our ministries, made up of many pieces that together become beautiful and useful.

The more we know about who we are, the ministries and stories we share, the better we'll come to understand each other.  To assist in learning about one another's ministries, today we'll start a series spotlighting various ministries Women in the Diocese of the Rio Grande are involved in. We may even learn about ministries opportunities we didn't know existed!

We start with a ministry that is not very well known: CPC or Church Periodical Club. I had read about the ways the Women's Auxiliary of the Cathedral supported CPC in the 1940's. At the time the Women's Auxiliary collected magazines that were “taken to the [7] hospitals, jails, Old Folk’s Homes, Salvation Army, Air Base, Community Center, USO, Traveler’s Aid, Indian Center, Carrie Tingley Hospital, Rural Teachers, and as far as Val Mora Sanitorium.” (From A Grain of Mustard Seed, by Cynthia Davis) To be candid, I didn't realize CPC was still in operation!

The CPC was founded in 1888 by Mary Ann Fargo at the Church of the Holy Communion, NYC. She and a small group of women began sending church periodicals, prayer books, and Bibles to missionaries in the Far West (the Dakotas!). CPC depends entirely on contributions to fund grants to hospitals, missionaries, Sunday schools, seminarians, prisons, libraries, and many other institutions. 

All ministries are more beneficial if we work together. Connie Osbourne, Province VII CPC board member, clergy wife, and member of St. Christopher's, Lovington, says this is clearly true with UTO and CPC. They are ministries that work hand-in-hand. "UTO builds the shelves, CPC fills them."

Grants are made through the National Book Fund to "meet religious and secular needs by providing printed and audio-visual materials to individuals, churches, and organizations affiliated with the Anglican Communion." According to Connie, a recent grant helped Sunday schools in Navajoland. Another grant she assisted with helped a seminarian obtain funds to purchase hymnals and other books for his church in Nigeria where "ten people were sharing one hymnal."

There are many ways you can become part of the CPC ministry.

• Collect used books and magazines for hospitals, schools, nursing homes, etc.
• Purchase newspaper subscriptions for local institutions or college students and magazine subscriptions for clergy and other church workers. 
• Fund the purchase of devotional materials and/or for prayer groups and the home bound as well as adult education and Sunday school classes in churches or missions that cannot do so.  
• Suggest that your parish Sunday school participate in the Miles of Pennies drive which provides books and grants for children's needs from pre-school through grade 12.
• Participate in the annual CPC Sunday collection (May 1) and give throughout the year by collecting spare change. These funds provide monies for CPC grants. Information about recent grants is found on the CPC website.

Any of these should be reported to our Diocesan representative (Connie Osbourne), if you chose to undertake them as a project, so the CPC office can keep an accurate record. If you are interested in learning more about this interesting ministry, contact Connie Osbourne.  She would be delighted to talk to you in more detail about how you can share this information with your parish. She is also hoping to find a representative to help spread the word to churches around the state, esp. in the northern half.
If you have ever contributed to or been helped by CPC or know of someone who has, feel free to comment about it.
Next time we'll take a look at UTO, a ministry that is a little better known-at least by name, around the diocese. Meanwhile, add the important work of the CPC to your prayer intentions:

Bless 0 Lord, The Church Periodical Club, that it may be an instrument for the spread of your Word throughout the world. Grant to its officers wisdom and patience, to its members perseverance and the spirit of sharing that asks no return. Bring more to take part in its mission and ministry. Bless our gifts and those who receive them, to the enrichment of individual lives, that we all may be servants of the risen Lord. Amen.

Dear Heavenly Father, We ask for your continuing guidance for The Church Periodical Club. Help us all to know your will in this ministry of the printed word. Help us all to see where there is need and to fill this need in the spirit of Christian People Caring, remembering always that our Lord Jesus Christ came not to be served but to serve. Make us aware: Help us to hear the voices of word-hungry people in your world, and to respond. This we ask in the name of your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.