Letter from Bill Downs
Nowhere to Mail
For the first time in over 14 years, the FUMC PX does not have an address to send our toiletries and snacks.
The most recent recipient, the Base Chaplain at Al Asad Airbase in Iraq, sent me a kind email thanking our church for its support over the past five years. He shared that with the drawdown of troops and better access to supplies through a well-stocked PX, he believes it would be better for us to direct our resources elsewhere.
Following his advice, I’ve recommended to the Missions Committee that we place a moratorium on collecting further donations until we can identify a new way to support our troops or veterans—if one arises. Otherwise, we may consider this the official closing of the FUMC PX ministry.
What began with six boxes and $300 has grown into a ministry that, by God’s grace, has shipped the equivalent of 1,824 large USPS flat-rate boxes to 25 different military units around the world—including Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Bahrain, Germany, South Korea, and Alaska—as well as 40 additional boxes to members of our own church family on active duty.
It has been my great honor and privilege to serve as the messenger on behalf of our church, delivering your generosity to those serving our country. Every donation, every dollar, every note made a difference. And I’m proud to say that, to the best of my knowledge, no church or Missions Committee funds were ever used—this was a ministry funded entirely by YOUR gifts.
The praise and the honor belong to you—the members and friends of our church—who gave so faithfully, and who allowed us to share God’s grace, one peanut at a time, with men and women defending our freedom.
It is YOU who made it all possible.
Thank you for your support, your generosity, and your confidence in this ministry.
God bless our troops and veterans.
Love to all,
Bill Downs
At the Older Adult Luncheon in November, the UMC Plano Quilters honored Bill with a Quilt of Valor, recognizing his many years of dedicated service.
