Presbyterian Women (PW) is an inclusive, caring community of women committed to working toward God’s promise of wholeness for all people. It is the women’s organization of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Guided by a stated purpose, participants in Presbyterian Women 1) nurture their faith through prayer and Bible study, 2) build community, 3) work for justice and peace, and 4) support the mission of the church.
These commitments are lovingly carried out in Presbyterian Women groups in congregations, presbyteries and synods. At the national level, Presbyterian Women provides the resources, direction and opportunities to fulfill the organization’s mission and ministry. Presbyterian Women has a connectional structure that allows you to participate as deeply and/or broadly in the organization and its commitments as you wish.
PW Circles
At Mt. Horeb, there are currently two active women's groups called Presbyterian Women (PW) Circles. These Circles meet ordinarily on the first Monday (The HOPE Circle at 1:30pm and the JOY Circle at 7:30pm ) of each month. These Circles are open to all women.
The two PW circles provide opportunities for women of any age to grow in their knowledge of Christ and be strengthened as members of the Church, so that they may faithfully live out their callings at work, in families, in our community, in our congregation, and around the world.
Local Mission of the PW at Mt. Horeb church
The PW at Mt. Horeb are actively engaged is a variety of outreach and community projects aimed at fulfilling the greater purpose of the organization. Some of these projects include:
Cardinal House Group Home: an assisted living facility located in Waynesboro, VA.Several times throughout the year HOPE Circle takes a bingo party with prizes and refreshments to the residents. At Christmas they provide each resident a gift from Santa & the Christmas story is told in scripture & song. It’s always a blessing to visit there!
CWS Disaster Kits: PW contribute hygiene kits, school kits, and cleanup buckets. The impact report from CWS for the period January-June 2019 tells that 21,574 blankets, 6,060 hygiene kits, 1,520 school kits, and 4,342 emergency cleanup buckets were distributed in the United States.
Apple Butter Project: Hosting Community Fellowship Meals:
PW Birthday Offering: The Birthday Offering of PW was born in 1922 when Hallie Paxson Winsborne challenged each member of the Woman's Auxiliary of the Presbyterian Church in the United States to give a penny for each year of her life as a "birthday gift" for Mrs. Dowd's School for Girls in Japan. Since then, PW, through the Birthday Offering have contributed more than $36 million to help improve lives at home and around the world. While the projects and donation amounts have changed, PW's commitment to caring for others has not.
Church World Service Blanket Sunday: One Sunday in February is designated "Blanket Sunday" sponsored by Church World Service, Mt Horeb PW contributes monies to buy blankets at a cost of $10 per blanket. This support makes a difference in the lives of children and families all over the world who have been impacted by disasters.
Other outreach projects: The PW supports various projects such as CWS hygiene kits and Cleanup buckets, used their Least coin collection to support the Summerlee Mission projects, and assist a family with groceries each month.