Among the ten grants the Mission and Outreach Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth awarded in early October, 2014, was a matching grant of $3,000 to Christian Community Assistance/St. Christopher, Fort Worth, for a new telephone system.
Recently Bishop Rayford B. High, Jr., received a letter of thanks from Chestene Weeks, the director of Christian Community Assistance.
“Christian Community Assistance has once again been blessed with a diocesan grant. The grant we received in 2013 so energized our organization that we are now serving 257% more people than we were this time last year. In the third quarter of this year alone we served over 1,400 people with food, clothing, and assistance with rent and utilities, as well as a concerned and compassionate ear.
“Our telephone system, like so many things in a non-profit, was a hand-me-down that is quite old. First of all we do not have enough phones to cover the offices that have been created out of empty areas. Secondly, the intercom works only when it feels like it; finally, we have only one line, so clients complain all the time about not being able to get through (they are routed to our voice mail.) We petitioned your Grants Committee for money for a new telephone system, and the $3,000 given us will be used specifically for that purpose. We know that the new system will simplify our lives and allow us to serve our clients more effectively.
“On behalf the Board of Directors, Volunteers and Staff of CCA, we give thanks to you and praise to God for the many blessings we have received from our association with The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth and St. Christopher Episcopal Church which has supported us for many years.”
The letter is signed, “With deepest gratitude.”
The diocesan Mission and Outreach Committee puts out a request for grant proposals in late spring or early summer each year.