Photo: Members of Clark UMC pose with staff from the White Buffalo Calf Woman Society in Mission, SD with the boxes of Christmas gifts, quilts and pillowcases delivered. Photo courtesy of Clark UMC.

Clark United Methodist Church mission committee members went to Tree of Life in Mission, South Dakota to help sort Christmas gifts, in the fall of 2015. While there, the team saw a need for gifts for the White Buffalo Calf Woman Society (WBCWS). WBCWS provides services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. The primary purpose of WBCWS has always been to offer safe shelter to victims of violent crimes on the Rosebud.

The members of the mission committee presented to the church. The members of the congregations at Clark, Henry and Kellerton United Methodist churches decided to sponsor the WBCWS by supplying the Christmas gifts for 2016. The churches applied for a $500 Bremer Grant from the Dakotas United Methodist Foundation to help fund the project.  The congregations, through a free will offering rummage sale at the church, matched funds from the grant. The total raised by the local churches was over and above the amount needed for the project.

In July, Clark UMC put up a Christmas tree in the narthex; covering it with hearts listing all the gifts needed.  Church members took hearts from the tree, purchased and returned the gifts under the tree.  Henry and Kellerton churches bought presents to help fulfill the project.  Any hearts that were not filled by church members were by mission committee members. Committee members went to the local store and purchased the gifts to complete the list.

Photo: Rev. Joy Tracy visits with a young congregant at the Christmas tree, set up in July at Clark UMC,  that displayed hearts with the description of items that could be purchased for women at WBCWS in Mission, SD. Photo courtesy of Clark UMC.

In the meantime, God’s Piece Makers, the churches quilting group, started making quilts and pillowcases. The quilters wanted each resident to have a blanket to cover up with and a new pillowcase.  The result, 55 quilts were delivered.

“We are thankful to the Piece Makers, individual church members, and the Bradley/Crocker Lutheran Church sewing group, who made this happen,” said Rev. Mark Tracy,  who serves the Clark, Henry and Kellerton United Methodist churches. “Everything was delivered the end of November to the White Buffalo Calf Woman Society and accepted with great joy and many thanks.”

Photo (Above right): Members of the Piece Makers Quilting group pose with the 55 quilts and pillow cases made and donated to the WBCWS. Photo courtesy of Clark UMC.