Outreach Ministry
Engaging in Mission

Acknowledging the Great Commission given to us by Jesus Christ to make disciples of all people, San Marino Community Church uses not only our finances, but also the time and talents of members in support of a wide variety of both regional and international mission causes. Under the direction of the Session Committee on Outreach, opportunities for reaching out with the love of God promotes both congregational participation and the ability to grow as God’s faithful stewards.

SMCC supports the Presbyterian Church (USA), Synod of Southern California and Hawaii, Presbytery of San Gabriel and those Presbytery ministries supported by the Presbytery Vitalization Grant Program and the Presbytery General Mission Budget. We also continue to fund a scholarship at San Francisco Theological Seminary in memory of Fred and Ruth Cropp, a former pastor of SMCC and his wife.

We affirm the relevance of the Great Commission not only in Pasadena, in the San Gabriel Valley, and in the United States, but to all parts of the world, recognizing that God calls us to active ministry in all of these venues acting as the living links between Jesus and those who do not know him. Internationally, SMCC supports mission hospitals and programs in Nepal, and most recently, Malawi, Africa, where a team made up of both church staff and members, were called to be faithful stewards of God’s love.

Intergenerational mission work projects have also taken our members as far as Alaska and Mexico, and as close to home as San Gabriel Valley. These “hammer and nails” projects provide for cross-cultural experiences and the opportunity to work side by side in mission.

Through prayer, stewardship pledges, special offerings and direct personal involvement, SMCC supports local mission and community service. Some of the many local programs sponsored by San Marino Community Church are: La Casa de San Gabriel, Project Angel, Union Station and Self-Help Groups.

Our annual Christmas Mission Market also offers support locally, as well as, nationally and internationally, and the opportunity to buy and give alternative gifts, gifts of love in the name of others, bringing joy and hope to those in our country and around the world. Each participating agency is selected for the valuable assistance being provided to people living in hardship, their ongoing relationship with San Marino Community Church, and the opportunities to church members and friends to become personally involved in ministry. The programs and agencies represented at this year’s Christmas Mission Market are: Church World Service, Habitat for Humanity, Harambee Christian Family Center, Heifer International, Hispanic American Outreach Ministry, Mary Magdalene Project, Medical Benevolence Foundation, Project Angel, Union Station Foundation and African Team Ministries.

Finally, we are Christ’s disciples when we follow the commandment “to love one another.” It is the realization of God’s boundless love for us, demonstrated in Christ, that motivates us to move beyond thoughts and intentions to true service of others. This attitude of selfless love for the other marks our mission.