Saturday, June 01, 2013
Father’s Day Blankets for CWS
Thinking of giving your Dad another tie for Father’s Day? How about warming your Dad’s heart instead! Through Church World Service share the gift of warmth with those who need it most.
While a tie won’t keep your Dad or any dad warm during a crisis, an emergency blanket from a Blankets+ Sunday would. Warmth during a time of disaster is essential to survival. Your congregation can provide that hospitable affection by holding a CWS Blankets+ Sunday in honor of dads everywhere.
Through the help of congregations like yours CWS was able to distribute over 22,000 blankets during times of need in 2012. This includes the more than 10,000 blankets that went to help victims of Hurricane Sandy.
Schedule your Blankets+ offering now. When your congregation or group partners with CWS it lets people know in times of catastrophe that they are not forgotten. We are eager to provide your Blankets+ resources today and to assist you in any other way we can. Contact Heather Willson at the CWS Regional office at 888-297-2767 or email at hwillson@churchworldservice.org
Find out more at www.blanketsplus.org.
Notes from the Moderator: Mark Flory Steury
One way that congregations are experiencing renewal is through the Vital Ministry Journey. This is a program developed by the Congregational Life Ministry Team of the Church of the Brethren. During this journey, individuals meet in small groups to study the Bible, pray and discuss questions together. How is God speaking to us a congregation? Where is God leading us? You’ll be hearing more about this at district conference!
We’ll be hearing several stories of renewal during district conference. We hope you can join us! May you and your congregation continue to experience renewal in the months ahead.
Material Resources ships 27,000 pounds of clean-up supplies to Illinois, CWS appeals for help to restock
In response to storms and the flooding that has
plagued the state of Illinois this spring, the Church
of the Brethren’s Material Resources program has
begun shipping clean-up supplies on behalf of
Church World Service. Material Resources, based at
the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md.,
works on behalf of ecumenical partners and other
humanitarian organizations to process, warehouse,
and ship disaster relief materials
Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2013/material-resourcesships-supplies-to-illinois.html
Reprinted from NEWSLINE a Church of the Brethren e-mail service.
Read the full story at www.brethren.org/news/2013/material-resourcesships-supplies-to-illinois.html
Reprinted from NEWSLINE a Church of the Brethren e-mail service.
Cws Emergency Cleanup Buckets Now Reaching Illinois
More Buckets Urgently Needed To Fill Demand
May 3, 2013--Over the past 10 days, Church World Service has shipped nearly 1,500 CWS Emergency Cleanup Buckets to Illinois for flood-affected households and expects to ship thousands more, thereby creating an urgent need for additional supplies.
The buckets shipped included 500 that were quickly distributed to people cleaning up after storms and floods by the DuPage County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management in Wheaton, Ill. An additional 992 CWS Emergency Cleanup Buckets are slated to arrive at the American Red Cross in Rolling Meadows Friday for distribution to area households on Saturday.
“With needs assessment ongoing, CWS expects to respond to additional requests from Illinois for Emergency Cleanup Buckets next week,” said Barry Shade, CWS associate director for Domestic Disaster Response.
Heavy precipitation from early 2013 storms and floods in Illinois has resulted in widespread,and severe flooding. The state has declared 48 counties as disaster areas. Flooding has occurred on numerous rivers and their tributaries, including the Mississippi, Illinois, Green, Spoon, Rock, DuPage, and Sangamon rivers.
The need for CWS Emergency Cleanup Buckets in Illinois is quickly outstripping CWS’s supply. Shade is urgently appealing for congregations and other community groups to assemble and send buckets. “The Ferncliff, Ark., warehouse is now empty of buckets, and the supply in the New Windsor, Md., is rapidly being depleted. We are in urgent need of replenishment,” he said.
Go to this website for CWS Emergency Cleanup Bucket contents and instructions: www.cwsglobal.org/get-involved/kits/emergency-clean-upbuckets.html
Contributions to support CWS emergency response efforts may be sent to your denomination/communion or to Church World Service, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN 46515. (REF: EARLY 2013 STORMS, FLOODS and TORNADOES APPEAL {U.S.} # 627- X.). Donations to our emergency response efforts around the globe may also be made online. See CWS Appeal #627-X, www.cwsglobal.org/newsroom/appeals-and-updates/update2-us-storms-2013.html
CWS Emergency Response Specialist Susanne Gilmore, based in Manhattan, Kansas, is the point of contact for CWS assistance in Illinois. sgilmore@churchworldservice.org; 785-477-7823
May 3, 2013--Over the past 10 days, Church World Service has shipped nearly 1,500 CWS Emergency Cleanup Buckets to Illinois for flood-affected households and expects to ship thousands more, thereby creating an urgent need for additional supplies.
The buckets shipped included 500 that were quickly distributed to people cleaning up after storms and floods by the DuPage County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management in Wheaton, Ill. An additional 992 CWS Emergency Cleanup Buckets are slated to arrive at the American Red Cross in Rolling Meadows Friday for distribution to area households on Saturday.
“With needs assessment ongoing, CWS expects to respond to additional requests from Illinois for Emergency Cleanup Buckets next week,” said Barry Shade, CWS associate director for Domestic Disaster Response.
Heavy precipitation from early 2013 storms and floods in Illinois has resulted in widespread,and severe flooding. The state has declared 48 counties as disaster areas. Flooding has occurred on numerous rivers and their tributaries, including the Mississippi, Illinois, Green, Spoon, Rock, DuPage, and Sangamon rivers.
The need for CWS Emergency Cleanup Buckets in Illinois is quickly outstripping CWS’s supply. Shade is urgently appealing for congregations and other community groups to assemble and send buckets. “The Ferncliff, Ark., warehouse is now empty of buckets, and the supply in the New Windsor, Md., is rapidly being depleted. We are in urgent need of replenishment,” he said.
Go to this website for CWS Emergency Cleanup Bucket contents and instructions: www.cwsglobal.org/get-involved/kits/emergency-clean-upbuckets.html
Contributions to support CWS emergency response efforts may be sent to your denomination/communion or to Church World Service, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN 46515. (REF: EARLY 2013 STORMS, FLOODS and TORNADOES APPEAL {U.S.} # 627- X.). Donations to our emergency response efforts around the globe may also be made online. See CWS Appeal #627-X, www.cwsglobal.org/newsroom/appeals-and-updates/update2-us-storms-2013.html
CWS Emergency Response Specialist Susanne Gilmore, based in Manhattan, Kansas, is the point of contact for CWS assistance in Illinois. sgilmore@churchworldservice.org; 785-477-7823
2013 District Conference
November 1 & 2, 2013*
Hosted by: Mt. Morris Church of the Brethren
Assisted by Pinecrest Community
Moderator: Mark Flory Steury, Neighborhood Church Of The Brethren
Friday evening speaker: Jonathan Shively
Please watch for registration information in the coming weeks.
*Note change in the conference schedule to Friday and Saturday only.
Silent & Live Auctions at District Conference
Benefiting a variety of Ministries
This year we are
doing things a bit
differently. For the
Silent Auction we
are asking each
Church to provide
a basket of goodies
with a theme, such
as kitchen, movie night and so on. We are also asking
for baked goods for the Silent Auction. For the Live
Auction we are asking people to provide nice Arts
and Crafts items, such as woodworking, paintings,
maybe pottery. We would like to have a dozen or so
items in the Live Auction. If you would like to
provide an item, please let me know ahead of time
what you are planning to bring.
For more information, please contact Rick Koch at 815-499-3012 or at revrick-dutchtown@jcwifi.com.
For more information, please contact Rick Koch at 815-499-3012 or at revrick-dutchtown@jcwifi.com.
Bus to NOAC at Lake Junaluska
Don and Patti Weirich
will be coordinating a
bus to the 2013 National
Older Adult Conference
(NOAC) this September.
Since the NOAC
registration brochure
was printed and mailed before the travel arrangements
were finalized, we want you to know that there
will be a bus for people from the Illinois-Wisconsin
District. Some will have to travel to the nearest stop
but they can avoid driving all the way to NOAC.
We will need at least 35 people to confirm their space on the bus which will travel from Mt. Morris, Illinois (need a commitment of 10 people there), stop at Timbercrest in North Manchester, and travel on to Dayton, Ohio, before heading to NOAC. The return trip will be in reverse order.
A note about additional stops for this bus: If there is interest they will stop in Elgin, IL, after Mt. Morris; and they do plan on a Middlebury, IN, stop before going on to Timbercrest. This provides lots of options that people can use to their advantage.
Contact Don and Patti Weirich for more information: theweirichs@frontier.com
phone: (574) 825-9185 * (574) 825-9185 FREE
We will need at least 35 people to confirm their space on the bus which will travel from Mt. Morris, Illinois (need a commitment of 10 people there), stop at Timbercrest in North Manchester, and travel on to Dayton, Ohio, before heading to NOAC. The return trip will be in reverse order.
A note about additional stops for this bus: If there is interest they will stop in Elgin, IL, after Mt. Morris; and they do plan on a Middlebury, IN, stop before going on to Timbercrest. This provides lots of options that people can use to their advantage.
Contact Don and Patti Weirich for more information: theweirichs@frontier.com
phone: (574) 825-9185 * (574) 825-9185 FREE
Information Reporting
All ordained ministers, licensed ministers, and
congregations need to keep the District Office
informed of changes in contact information.
Changes include: phone number, cell phone
number, email address, mailing address, and
congregational email or website. Please email
Beth Carpentier, bethc.iwdcob@att.net or call
(309)649-6008 with your updates. Your effort
will save valuable staff time trying to track
down these changes. Other information to
share: changes in key leadership positions at
the church or the death or serious illnesses of
minister, retired ministers, or spouses. Help
us serve better!
Remembrance
James "Jim" E. Renz, 94, died
May 19 at Pinecrest retirement community in
Mt. Morris, Ill. He was a former director of
social welfare for the Church of the Brethren,
and founder of the Renz Addiction Counseling
Center in Elgin, Ill., which now serves
thousands of people through treatment and
prevention programs. The Daily Herald newspaper
notes that when Renz started the center
52 years ago it was a one-man operation in a
small office on the second floor of a downtown
building. It was Renz hard work and
dedication as a Church of the Brethren pastor
with a lifelong commitment to service, that
propelled the center to become one of the
largest nonprofits that serve northern Kane
and western Cook Counties of Illinois, said
the newspaper. Renz was a pastor in Ohio,
Indiana, and Illinois before he moved to Elgin
to serve on the denominational staff in 1952.
Read the full article at
www.dailyherald.com/article/20130529/news/705299653.
A memorial service was held at Highland
Avenue Church of the Brethren on June 2.
CEU Credits for Ordained Ministers
Do not wait to begin to log your Continuing Education
Units. The 2015 Five-year Ordination Review
process for ALL ordained ministers will launch in
2014. Ordained ministers are required to produce
verification of 5 CEU credits for this five-year period.
It is your responsibility to secure certificates, letters
or verifying documentation regarding CEU credit.
Retired clergy are exempt from this requirement with
the exception of those retired clergy actively involved
in Interim Ministry.
CEU Notation: The district does not grant CEU credit for personal study and/or self-designed experiences you have had and/or books you have read. It is the minister’s responsibility to secure a CEU certificate, Letter of Verification, and/or authentication document for completed training, seminars or workshops, or learning experiences offered by the presenting organization. This verification should always state the number of hours of the training – 10 hours of training equals 1.0 CEU credits. Please take personal initiative to become a life-long learner and increasingly effective minister of the Gospel.
CEU Notation: The district does not grant CEU credit for personal study and/or self-designed experiences you have had and/or books you have read. It is the minister’s responsibility to secure a CEU certificate, Letter of Verification, and/or authentication document for completed training, seminars or workshops, or learning experiences offered by the presenting organization. This verification should always state the number of hours of the training – 10 hours of training equals 1.0 CEU credits. Please take personal initiative to become a life-long learner and increasingly effective minister of the Gospel.
Church of the Brethren care for Children in Disaster Areas
Children’s Disaster Services sends teams to Oklahoma; Brethren urged to support the work of child care volunteers through donations to the EDF
Children's Disaster Services (CDS), a department within Brethren Disaster Ministries, has sent members of its Critical Response Team to care for children and families affected by the powerful tornado that struck Moore, Okla., Monday May 20 causing 24 confirmed deaths including at least 9 elementary school children.
The American Red Cross has confirmed the need for CDS volunteers to care for children in their Family Assistance Centers. CDS has mobilized two teams to be at work in Oklahoma, including four Critical Response Childcare volunteers, several regional caregivers, and a project manager. The Critical Response Team has additional training to help children and families cope with extreme trauma and loss of loved ones.
Established in 1980, Children’s Disaster Services works cooperatively with FEMA and the American Red Cross to provide care for children and families following disasters, through the work of trained and certified volunteers who set up child care centers in shelters and disaster assistance centers. Specially trained to respond to traumatized children, the volunteers provide a calm, safe, and reassuring presence in the midst of the chaos created by disasters.
Donations to the Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) of the Church of the Brethren will support the response by Children’s Disaster Services. Go to www.brethren.org/edf or send a check to the Emergency Disaster Fund, Church of the Brethren General Offices, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120.
Copied from NEWSLINE The Church of the Brethren e-mail news service
School Supplies at Annual Conference
2013 Witness to the Host City Classroom Central – Charlotte, North Carolina
Following last year’s overwhelmingly successful drive to bring school supplies for St. Louis schools in need, we will again be collecting school supplies this year for Classroom Central in Charlotte.
Their Mission
Classroom Central equips students living in poverty to effectively learn by collecting and distributing free school supplies. Functioning as a Free Store for teachers, Classroom Central serves as an invaluable resource for area students and classrooms.
Their Vision
Classroom Central ensures that all children living in poverty have all the tools they need to not only learn but to succeed. When equipped with the proper supplies, we believe there’s no limit to what children can achieve.
Their Program
Classroom Central serves high-poverty schools in six school districts: Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Gaston, Iredell-Statesville, Union, Kannapolis & Lancaster. Teachers and other school personnel in qualifying schools “shop” for free school supplies throughout the academic year. All materials distributed are given to students who do not have basic school supplies.
Their History
The Classroom Central dream began in early 2000. business leaders set out to provide free supplies to children living in poverty. After conducting a feasibility study to gauge the level of need and after two years of planning and a generous gift of $200,000 in seed money from the Carolina Panthers Children’s Charities, the Free Store opened its doors.
Last school year, Classroom Central distributed more that 379,000 pens, 632,000 pencils, and 67,000 oce-subject notebooks! The Annual Conference ooicers are asking those coming to Conference bring much needed supplies to help keep this vital program well-stocked. The items most needed are:
Their Mission
Classroom Central equips students living in poverty to effectively learn by collecting and distributing free school supplies. Functioning as a Free Store for teachers, Classroom Central serves as an invaluable resource for area students and classrooms.
Their Vision
Classroom Central ensures that all children living in poverty have all the tools they need to not only learn but to succeed. When equipped with the proper supplies, we believe there’s no limit to what children can achieve.
Their Program
Classroom Central serves high-poverty schools in six school districts: Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Gaston, Iredell-Statesville, Union, Kannapolis & Lancaster. Teachers and other school personnel in qualifying schools “shop” for free school supplies throughout the academic year. All materials distributed are given to students who do not have basic school supplies.
Their History
The Classroom Central dream began in early 2000. business leaders set out to provide free supplies to children living in poverty. After conducting a feasibility study to gauge the level of need and after two years of planning and a generous gift of $200,000 in seed money from the Carolina Panthers Children’s Charities, the Free Store opened its doors.
Last school year, Classroom Central distributed more that 379,000 pens, 632,000 pencils, and 67,000 oce-subject notebooks! The Annual Conference ooicers are asking those coming to Conference bring much needed supplies to help keep this vital program well-stocked. The items most needed are:
- Pens (one package)
- Pencils (two packages)
- Crayons (24 count box)
- Erasers (8-count)
- Markers (one package)
- Back Pack (gender-neutral in color)
Camp Emmaus Schedule for 2013
The theme for this summer's camps is "All Things New". A list
of the camp dates is listed below. The registration form is available for download from the camp website, www.campemmaus.org
| July 13-14 | Counselor-in-Training Event 7pm Fri - 2pm Sun Director: Jewel McNary (630-917-4210) | Finished grades 9-12 or older no fee |
| July 13-14 | Elementary I Camp 2pm Sat - 2pm Sun Director: Mallory McPherson (815-677-0643) | Finished grades 1 & 2 $60 per pair |
| July 16-19 | Elementary II Camp 4pm Tue - 2pm Fri Directors: Lisa Fike (815-275-5188) & Carol Fike (815-275-1562) | Finished grades 3 & 4 $130 |
| July 21-27 | Senior High Camp 4pm Sun - 2pm Sat Directors: Sara Garner (630-456-4291) & Aaron Gerdes (815-991-5230) | Finished grades 9 - 12 $250 |
| July 28-August 3 | Junior High Camp 4pm Sun - 2pm Sat Directors: Heidi Gerdes (815-991-5230) & Jim Miner (847-741-9804) | Finished grades 7 & 8 $250 |
| August 4-9 | Elementary III Camp 4pm Sun - 2pm Fri Directors: Elvira & Jim Lawdenski (630-640-3759) | Finished grades 5 & 6 $200 |
| August 9-11 | Women's Camp Director: Sally Medearis (224-622-8933) | 18 and older Contact Sally for details |
| August 30-September 2 | Labor Day Family Camp Director: Mark Royer (847-888-4258) | all ages Contact camp about rates |
| August 31 | Appreciation Dinner | RSVP to Camp |
| November 9 | Leaf Raking 8 a.m. - noon | all ages |
Matthew 7: 1 – 2 NIV
Pastor Alan Smith writes in the Brownsville, Md. Church of the Brethren Newsletter, “How many times do we find ourselves judging others? There are too many times that Christians are seen as a judgmental group of people. There are times that we earn that reputation.”
“There is a problem of holding others to a standard and thinking one sin is greater than another.. In God’s eyes all sins are equal.. Sin is what separates us from Him.”
Calendar of District Events
June
5 - World Environment DayJuly
8 - Leadership Team Meeting, Peoria
7-9 - Camp Emmanuel Women's Camp
9-15 - Camp Emmanuel Sr Hi Youth Camp
14-16 - National Jr Hi Conference, Elizabethtown, PA
16-22 - Camp Emmanuel Junior High Camp
21 - First Day of Summer
21-27 - Song and Story Fest, Camp Myrtlewood, Myrtle Point, Oregon
23-29 - Camp Emmanuel Junior Camp
27 - CODE Meeting, Charlotte, NC
27-29 - Camp Emmanuel Pre-Junior Camp
28 - Mission and Ministry Board, Charlotte, NC
29-July 3 - Annual Conference, Charlotte, NC
June 29-3 - Annual ConferenceAugust
4 - Independence Day
9 - Ramadan Begins
13-14 - Camp Emmaus Counselor-in-Training Event
13-14 - Camp Emmaus Elementary I Camp
16-19 - Camp Emmaus Elementary II Camp
21-27 - Camp Emmaus Senior High Camp
28 - Parent's Day
28-August 3 - Camp Emmaus Junior High Camp
July 28-3 - Camp Emmaus Junior High CampSeptember
4-9 - Camp Emmaus Elementary III Camp
9-11 - Camp Emmanuel Men's Camp
9-11 - Camp Emmaus Women's Camp
10 - Leadership Team Meeting, Pinecrest @ Mt. Morris
30-Sept 2 - Camp Emmanuel Family Camp
30-Sept 2 - Camp Emmaus Labor Day Family Camp
31 - Camp Emmaus Appreciation Dinner
2 - Labor DayOctober
2-6 - National Older Adult Conference @ Lake Junaluska, NC
8 - Grandparent's Day
13 - Yom Kippur
15 - Bethany Sunday
21 - International Day of Peace
22 - First Day of Autumn
Domestic Violence Awareness MonthNovember
6 - World Communion Sunday
12 - Leadership Team Meeting, Neighborhood
18-21 - Mission and Ministry Board, Elgin, IL
19 - Camp Emmanuel Fall Work Day/Camp Closing
24 - World Disarmament Day
24 - United Nations Day
27 - Reformation Sunday
31 - Halloween
1-2 - Ill.-Wisc. District Conference @ Mt. MorrisDecember
3 - National Junior High Sunday
3 - Daylight Savings Time Ends
9 - Camp Emmaus Leaf Raking
11 - Veteran's Day
15-16 - Leadership Team Retreat, Camp Emmaus, Mt. Morris, IL
24 - Christ the King Sunday
27 - Hanukkah Begins
28 - Thanksgiving
1 - First Sunday of Advent
1 - World Aids Day
8 - Second Sunday of Advent
15 - Third Sunday of Advent
21 - First day of Winter
22 - Fourth Sunday of Advent
25 - Christmas Day
31 - New Year's Eve
