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The Youth of our church participated in the "No Room at the Inn--Homeless Sleepout on Saturday, January 26. Fox News CT visited on Sunday to learn more about this awareness event. Here are the links to the newsclips that were shown on their Sunday newscast.
Senior High Pilgrim Fellowship
This year's Sr. High PF is being led by Emily Bjornberg and Ashley Campbell as well as a number of parent volunteers. If you are a teen who would like to sign up or a parent who would like to volunteer please see Emily or email her at yandfm.drcc@snet.net
Please join us Saturday January 26 for "The Homeless Sleepout." The DRCC will be working in conjunction with several area churches to bring awareness to the plight of the homeless people who exist right here in our own backyard of Middlesex County!.
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Local Mission Opportunities
Sometimes we hear folks say that they think mission work is only for teenagers - or only people who can give up a week of their time to travel far away. NOT TRUE!! There are plenty of opportunities right here that are quick and easy ways to experience mission work. Below are a few examples. For more information on any of these activities please speak with Emily or any member of the Board of Christian Service!
The Eddy Shelter
For the past 4 years the Board of Christian Service and I have worked 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.
We have now committed to providing one meal per month to the Eddy Shelter as well as helping to meet other needs that arise. This year the BOCS sponsored new mattress covers for all of the beds at the Eddy Shelter. If you are interested in this ministry please contact the Board of Christian Service. It doesn't take much time to make a huge difference in the lives of the residents at the Eddy Shelter!!
The Shoreline Soup Kitchen
The DRCC is now a host site for the Shoreline Soup Kitchen. Every Thursday a group of volunteers comes in to serve dinner to residents of the shoreline who are in need of food and fellowship. If you would like more information about this ministry please contact Shirley Rutan at 860-767-8295 or 860-227-7724..
The Deep River Food Pantry
On the first Sunday of each month the DRCC does a collection for our local food pantry. As you head into church just look for the truck parked in front of the sanctuary and toss in a few non-perishable items. Your donations are greatly appreciated - especially at this time of year!
The Giving Tree
If you are interested in helping to make sure all of the children in Deep River have a little something under their tree on Christmas morning then this opportunity is for you! Every year the DRCC adopts several local families and provides them with Christmas gifts. If you would like to help with this please speak directly to a member of the Board of Christian Service.
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Kayaking at Camp Claire during our mother's day weekend.
"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"
Mothers Day Weekend at Camp Claire!
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South Dakota 2013 Mission Trip
Below is some helpful information for the participants of the 2013 mission trip to South Dakota. As always please see Emily if you have questions!
Contacts for Questions:
Emily Bjornberg: yandfm.drcc@snet.net
Marjorie Russell: Marjorie.russell@sbcglobal.net
Dates of Upcoming Meetings
Although we do not require perfect attendance we do ask that you try to attend as many meetings as possible! Please put these upcoming meetings on your calendar.
January 13th 11:30am
February 10th 11:30am
March 10th 11:30am
April 14th 11:30am
July 14th 11:30am
July 28th 11:30am
Payment Schedule:
We have set forward the following schedule as a guideline for trip payment. All checks can be made out to DRCC and given to Emily or dropped off at the church office for Dayle Larson.
October 1st - $150 Deposit
December 1st - $200
January 15th - $200
March 1st - $200
April 15th - $200
June 1st – $200 (or the remaining balance)
We are rapidly approaching the “halfway point” in terms of the payment schedule. Although this schedule is only a guideline it is important to try to stay as close to current as you can! If you have any questions about your balance please contact Emily. As always youth participants can apply for scholarship help from the Youth Mission Fund. However, the deadline is fast approaching so if you have not yet filled out your application please see Emily soon!
Fundraisers
Below is our list of major fundraisers. We expect each participant to be a part of at least one fundraiser. Please see the list below and think about which fundraiser(s) you would like to be a part of. After each fundraiser is a name or two in parentheses. These are the people who are in charge so please email them or speak to them directly if you would like to volunteer:
Car Wash in May (Gina Sopneski)
Wine Tasting on March 8th (Deb Van Wyngaarden, Phyllis Haut and Grace Krick)
Food, Fun & Folk Music Barn Party in April (Marjorie Russell and Emily Bjornberg)
Take Stock Program/Letter Writing Campaign (Deb Van Wyngaarden)
Rummage Sale in August (Jane Moen)
More Information
If you want help finding reading material to shed light on the history and culture of the Lakota People please see Emily. I have a stack of books in my office that I am happy to lend out!!
You can also visit the Simply Smiles website at www.simplysmiles.org
Working Together!
Joy Fellowship:
For the 2012-2013 year Joy Fellowship will include grades 4 and 5. We are so blessed to have Bess Ensinger and Heather Mudge taking charge for the second year in a row. 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 4th or 5th 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! Let us know if you have any questions!
December 2nd – “Games and Songs" At the Aaron Manor nursing home. We will play games with residents and perhaps sing a few Christmas Carols!
February 3rd – “Bring a Friend to Pizza and Movie Night” in the Upper Room.
March 3rd and April 7th – 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!
Junior PF 2012-2013
This year we have new leadership for the Junior PF! Peter and Cathy Smith will be heading up this youth group which is open to all 6th, 7th and 8th graders! If you have any questions please email Emily and yandfm.drcc@snet.net or speak with Cathy and Pete directly. Junior PF will meet on the second Tuesday of each month. Below are some of the activities for the year:
January 26th – "The Homeless Sleepout." Come help us raise awareness of the problem of homelessness right here in Middlesex county. We will all sleep outside in cardboard boxes for the night and then tell the congregation about our experiences during the church service the next day. We will also learn about "An End In Ten" and other organizations that are working to put an end to homelessness.
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. This year the Junior PF has asked to help with the collections, fundraising and organization that goes into the run. If you'd like to help with this let us know!
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The Whole Camp Claire Crew!
The Midnight Run
In her famous poem “To be of Use,” Marge 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 do.
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 am always proud of the service that our teenagers provide during the run. They give 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 find myself in awe of the manner in which they provide it. The grace and the love and the patience that they show are breathtaking. They serve a population that is often “invisible” to the rest of the world – and they are able to do so with the kind of tender care that begins to restore humanity to those in need.
It is a privilege to be a part of the midnight run and I would encourage anyone who has never gone to give it a try!
If you would like more details about the run, including how you acn get involved, please email Emily at yandfm.drcc@snet.net. THANK YOU!
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Getting ready for the midnight run!
The Midnight Run Donations Needed
Starting January 1st the youth of the DRCC will start collecting items for the Midnight Run. We can take and sort any food and toiletries, but below is a specific list of items we need:
• Warm clothing: jackets, hats, mittens, gloves
• Nice clothing: dress shirts, khakis (things you might wear to a job interview)
• Socks, underwear, belts, shoes
• BAGS – anything that can help them carry their belongings – even reusable shopping bags!
If you have donations please bring them to the Nellie Prann room after January 1st. On the midnight run we see all kinds of men and women but we do not see children. If we get kids’ clothing donated we will bring it to the Hallie House in New London. Any adult clothing we cannot take on the run will be donated to the Eddy Shelter.
Along with clothing we hand out 5 gallons of hot coffee, three gallons of chili, 200 sandwiches and a hundred bags that contain fruit, chips and juice. If you would like to contribute to our food efforts here is a list of the non-perishable items we STILL need:
• 2 jars of Mayo, 2 jars mustard, 1 large can of ground coffee, creamer
• 100 juice boxes, 10 big bags of chips
• 100 brown paper lunch bags, 200 “fold over” sandwich bags, 200 Ziploc bags for chips and cookies, 200 Hot drink cups
• For the 3 Gallons of Chili: Beans, Corn, Tomato Sauce
If you would like more details about the run, including how you can get involved, please email Emily at yandfm.drcc@snet.net. THANK YOU!
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