|
Playgroup Fun!
Our Youngest Mission Workers!!!
Special Women's Activities:
This year we would like to run a few programs that are especially designed for the DRCC WOMEN! If you are a woman of the DRCC please plan to join us for a special movie night on October 22nd when we plan to watch “Soul Surfer” at 7pm in the Upper Room. We will provide some juice and popcorn and we encourage people to bring some snacks to share. If you have any questions you can always contact Emily.
At the same time we are hoping to plan a Women’s Retreat for the spring of 2012. We have volunteers who are interested in teaching classes on reiki, soul collages, meditation, and knitting. We also plan to have a book club leading up to the retreat that will provide some reflection throughout the weekend. If you have some sort of special talent that you would like to teach, or you are interested in attending the retreat please contact Emily. And please continue to look for details in upcoming Messengers!
Playgroup Fun for Everyone!
DAY OF SERVICE!
On October 15th we will be taking a group of Junior and Senior High PF participants to the nationally recognized “Day of Service.”
Please mark your calendars and let Emily know ASAP if you want to participate in this activity.
The 2010 "Countdown to Noon" playgroup!
Kayaking at Camp Claire during our mother's day weekend.
Making Connections at the Eddy Shelter
This past year the Board of Christian Service and I are working to make connections at the Eddy Shelter, a local non-profit organization working to help the homeless. As of late the economy has been especially hard on non-profit organizations who have seen their budgets slashed as demand for their services soars.
Over time we would like to partner with the Eddy Shelter in many ways. They may be able to accept some items from clothing drives and they welcome any food and company we could provide for their residents. Throughout the last year we have worked to bring a meal to the Eddy Shelter once per month. If you are interested in this ministry please contact the Board of Christian Service.
We've had many youth from our church join us in this very meaningful ministry. We have had members of the 6th and 7th grade Sunday School classes bring a meal. We've also had members of our confirmation class attend a dinner at the shelter. We would like to continue to encourage youth and young families to get involved. It doesn't take much time to make a huge difference in the lives of the residents at the Eddy Shelter.
If you are a member of the Junior PF please feel free to join us for the next meal - on January 5th.
 |
Mothers Day Weekend at Camp Claire!
"The work of the world is common as mud
Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.
But the thing worth doing well done
Has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident
Greek amphoras for wine or oil
Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums
But you know they were made to be used.
The pitcher cries out for water to carry
And the person for work that is real"
--From Marge Piercy's Poem
"To Be of Use"
|
2012 Mission Trip Opportunities!
Below are the two options we are offering for the summer of 2012. The 2012 trip will be open to anyone who is currently in grades 8-12. For now I need everyone to read the options, discuss them with your families and ask any questions you may have. Then I'll need you to email me your preference. I have spoken to leaders at each of the following two sites and they have confirmed open dates. The available dates are either June 24-30 or July 8-14. Please let me know which one of these dates you prefer and which of the following two sites you would rather go to:
The first site is called The Laughlin Memorial Chapel in Wheeling, WV and the second site is The Appalachian South Folklife Center in Pipestem, WV. Details are below:
The Laughlin Memorial Chapel (Wheeling, WV)
Contact: Danny Swan
P.O. Box 6195
Wheeling, WV 26003
Web site: www.laughlinchapel.org
Work Needed: Service assignments are determined on a group-by-group basis, based on volunteer preferences and current community needs. Primary service sites include:
Housing Rehabilitation: Work alongside experienced building professionals to restore ilapidated and inadequate housing in the East Wheeling neighborhood.
Laughlin Chapel After-school/Summer-school Program: Tutor and mentor in our K-12 programming, directed towards at-risk and low-income youth.
Catholic Neighborhood Center: Prepare, serve, and deliver meals to the homeless and homebound in the Wheeling area.
YWCA: Help to sustain the most active family violence prevention program in the area through housekeeping and repair projects.
Community Gardens: Assist with the popular and successful East Wheeling urban agriculture program and its upcoming greenhouse project. (www.eastwheelingcommunitygardens.org)
Applachian Outreach: Help relieve the immediate needs of natural disaster victoms throughout WV.
Time: Year-round.
Group Size: Up to 50 people
Minimum Age: 12 years
Adult to Youth Ratio: 1:5
Conditions: For larger groups, The Laughlin Chapel places lodging directly in the midst of multiple ongoing community service, outreach and educational activities. The chapel's modern kitchen and bath facilities will be fully available as the group cooks meals and reflects in the chapel's large meeting and activities room.
For groups less than 14 persons, the Bishop Pitts House has been designed to make lodging itself a meaningful component of the community service experience. It is home for resident staff who have come togerther in an "intentional community", producing an atmosphere of simple, homespun values in which to reflect and replenish after a hard days' work. This includes dormitory-style sleeping arrangements (bunk beds) and home cooking while participating in the simple daily chores shared by the resident staff.
Cost: $45 per person per night (which is negotiable).
Educational/Advocacy Components: While group leaders are responsible for daily reflection and worship, we do provide cultural presentations and activities to engage the minds as well as the godies of our volunteers. Often inlcuded are: presentations on Appalachian environmental issues, opportunities to dine with social service and community leaders, community fun activities and special events.
Appalachian South Folklife Center (Pipestem, WV)
Contact: Shelli Osborne
P.O. Box 10 Rocky Mount Road
Pipestem, WV 25979
Web site: www.folklifecenter.org
Work Needed: Work is mainly focused on home rehabilitations for people in need but also includes other community development work such as stream clean-up, helping other nonprofits and working around the center supporting on-going work in the community.
Time: Registration is ongoing, but fewer opportunities are available in the winter months.
Group Size: 10–50 people
Minimum Age: 13 years
Adult to Youth Ratio: 1:5
Conditions: Dorm-style lodging in Folklife Center buildings. Fully stocked kitchen provided. Group must also provide bedding or sleeping bags. Chapel on-site. Ample recreational opportunities available.
Hook-ups for recreational vehicles also available.
Cost: $175 per person per week includes lodging, worksite supervision, and education programs.
Educational/Advocacy Components: Center staff will provide work in community and at Folklife Center, develop field trips, and evening cultural programming. Sessions on Appalachian culture are provided.
As always please contact Emily with questions. I need feedback from all of you on which week is best (June 24-30 or July 8-14) and which program you would rather participate in. We need to make a final decision by Sunday October 2nd and I will need deposits of $100 by Sunday October 16th in order to secure our spots. THANKS EVERYONE!!!
 |
Working Together!
Joy Fellowship:
For the 2011-2012 year Joy Fellowship will include grades 4, 5 and 6. We are so blessed to have Bess Ensinger, Liz Tracy and Heather Mudge taking charge. If you are interested in joining Joy Fellowship you can see one of these talented ladies or email Emily at yandfm.drcc@snet.net. If you are a parent of a 4,5 or 6th grader please let us know when you can volunteer to help keep the program running strong. We are so excited to have such talented volunteers working with our youth! The schedule of events is listed below. Let us know if you have any questions!
October 2nd – “Get to know you” pizza party and games at 11:30 in lower fellowship hall.
November 13th – “Giving Thanks and Giving Back” Food pantry organization at 1:00pm at the Deep River Food pantry.
December 4th – “The Christmas Story” Read at the Ray of Light Farm in East Haddam at 2:00pm.
February 5th – “Bring a Friend to Pizza and Movie Night” at 5:00pm in the Upper Room.
March 4th – “Spread JOY” at the Chesterfields Nursing Home at 2:00pm.
April 1st and May 6th – To Be Determined with input from the participants of Joy Fellowship.
We are really looking forward to a fun year and we hope to see you all at our upcoming activities!
 |
Mission Work at its BEST!
Mark Your Calendars - Here are upcoming Junior and Senior High PF Activities:
November 13th – The Annual Harvest Dinner. This is a very important fundraiser that goes directly into our Youth Mission account. Anyone who is interested in youth missions – either now or in the future – should plan to participate. We depend on these funds when we go out into the wider world to serve.
December 11th – Las Posadas. Every year, in the Mexican Tradition, Tim leads a parade down Main Street in Deep River knocking on doors and asking for someone to provide a room for Mary and Joseph. At the end we all congregate in Upper Fellowship Hall for juice, cookies and a piñata. It is a wonderful time and is open to anyone who wants to join us!
January 29th – The Annual Medieval Dinner. This is a very fun tradition where we ask members of the congregation to eat without any utensils while they enjoy some very medieval style entertainment. Proceeds go to the Youth Mission Fund. Please plan to come and help out or simply support us by buying a ticket!
February – The Midnight Run happens each year during February but the date will remain “to be announced” until December. In the mean time we will be collecting coats, hats, gloves, scarves, pants, belts, socks, shoes, bags and blankets. We appreciate the congregations continued support in this important mission.
 |
The Whole Camp Claire Crew!
More Mission Work!
The Midnight Runners...
The Midnight Run
I couldn’t help but think of Marge Piercy on the night of the Midnight Run in the City of New York. In her famous poem “to be of use,” Piercy wrote the following:
“The people I love the best
jump into work head first
without dallying in the shallows
and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight.
They seem to become natives of that element,
the black sleek heads of seals
bouncing like half submerged balls.”
It would be hard for anyone to believe that the teenagers from Deep River could become “natives of the element” on the streets of New York City at midnight on a cold February evening. But that’s exactly what they did.
There is a certain magic about watching our teenagers on the midnight run. They lose themselves – and lose each other – as they dart around the sidewalks with arms full of clean socks, toothpaste, blankets and cups of chili. They forget about the needs that they have in order to care for the needs of others. I can tell that they are cold – but they do not complain. They bounce and sway and hug one another to keep warm. They think nothing of taking off their own gloves to give away – and spend the rest of the evening blowing hot air into their chilly fingers. They don’t simply park on the street corner and wait for people to come. They fill up cups of chili and take them directly into the cardboard homes of the ones who dwell on the street.
I was proud of the service that our teenagers provided that night. They gave away 200 sandwiches, 100 bags of snacks, 5 gallons of chili, 3 gallons of coffee, 40 coats, 35 pairs of pants, over 100 shirts, and countless belts, hats, blankets, gloves. But even more than their service I found myself in awe of the manner in which they provided it. The grace and the love and the patience that they showed that night were breathtaking. They served a population that is often “invisible” to the rest of the world – and they were able to do so with the kind of tender care that begins to restore humanity to those in need.
It was a privilege to be a part of the midnight run this year. I want to thank all those who made it possible by donating food and clothing or by driving and chaperoning. But most of all I want to thank the midnight runners. You inspire me every single day. Thank you all!
 |
Getting ready for the midnight run!
|
