NOTES FROM MORAVIANS IN MISSION:
- TO CHRIST WITH LOVE this year will be to jump-start the fund-raising for the planned January, 2021 mission trip to Ahuas, Honduras. The goal of $1,500 per person will needed by mid-summer to early fall to pay for the trip.
- DECEMBER’S JOYFUL NOISE OFFERING will be designated for the Salvation Army and will accompany the items placed on the Hat and Mitten tree.
- FAMILY CENTER CHRISTMAS FAMILY: We are again sponsoring a family for Christmas. Please sign up on the “Wish List” board found in the Social Room. Presents this year are to be placed in garbage bags, NOT WRAPPED.
- NOTE FROM THE FAMILY CENTER:
Thank you so much for helping us make the holiday season brighter for a family affected by domestic violence or sexual assault. With this letter, you should see the corresponding wish list. Please remember that you can buy anything and everything on the list or you can buy nothing on the list and buy what you feel each person would like. How much time, effort, and money you put into the gifts is up to you, the donor! These wish lists are exactly that- just a list of wishes, and some of our clients truly write what they wish for and know that they could NEVER provide themselves, never expecting that a sponsor would purchase it for them either. It is just a wish. We always have a conversation with our clients that they could receive nothing on their list and our clients understand and are very grateful for whatever they do receive. Please know that there is never an expectation that our sponsors buy what is written on the list. The lists are used to paint a picture of an individual's interests.
This year we are asking that you put each individual client’s gifts in a black garbage bag and put tags with the family number, individual letter, and the advocate’s name on the corresponding bag for each individual. An example of this would be 1A Rasa, 1B Rasa, 1C Rasa, etc. This will help us know which presents go to which person in each family. We also ask that instead of wrapping the presents, you donate a roll or two of wrapping paper per person so that parents have the opportunity to wrap presents for their children. Please have the unwrapped presents returned to the Family Center by Wednesday, December 11th.
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GIFTS FOR PEOPLE IN NEED2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the “To Christ with Love” program in our congregation. It began as an experiment to try to change our approach to giving at Christmas time. In an effort to change the waste, commercialism and needless spending at Christmas, the idea was born to celebrate Christ’s birthday by giving gifts to Him and in turn those gifts were given to someone who really needed them.
Suggestions in 1969 besides the congregational Christmas card included cutting down on gift giving in items or cost, wrapping gifts in newspaper or paper bags, putting up a “Charlie Brown Christmas Tree,” and matching the price of the gifts given to family and friends by an equal amount given to Christ. This year, our gifts will be used for the 2021 mission trip to Ahuas. If you wish to be a part of the congregational Christmas card, please sign the sheet on the |
THANK YOU AND MERRY CHRISTMAS
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The season of Advent is often thought of as a journey...a four-week journey toward the stable where we will greet the newborn Christ child. We can imagine the Magi traveling across borders, following a mysterious star, to find something most unexpected: a poor, homeless child born to peasants, who is about to change the world. The presence of those Wise Men from afar hint that this newborn child is the beginning of something bigger than we can imagine; a reaching out of God’s love to ALL people on this good earth. Of all the gifts that God gives, Jesus the Christ is the most precious of them. Christmas is indeed the celebration of God’s abundant and amazing grace and generosity.
The season of Advent invites us to make this journey to the manger and to ponder how we can be generous to others in Jesus’ name. We live in a world that is in desperate need of God’s love and at the Board of World Mission we celebrate that we are all journeying together in God’s mission. We take this sacred moment to thank you for your support of the Board of World Mission through your prayers, your service, and your giving, and look forward to continuing our partnership into the new year ahead. We wish each of you a very blessed celebration of the Advent and Christmas season. |
CLEANSING WATERS UPDATE
The Cleansing Waters Committee meets as schedules permit. Between meetings, we of course, meet with clients to assist them with their laundry. We have been visiting referring agencies or agencies who we hope will do referrals to keep them updated or bring them into the program and are putting out posters in the hopes of reaching those who need us. We have expanded our hours to include Saturdays and evenings.
We would like to share with you a letter from Michelle Waldvogel, the Wisconsin Rapid Public Schools Homeless Liaison:
Dear Moravian Church ~
I wanted to take this time to say thank you for your continued support and perseverance with the Cleansing Waters program. Being in the “helping profession” for many years in a neighboring county, when attempting to connect clients/families to services there always seems to be one lack of assistance options available for those in need - laundry assistance. When I began my journey as a School Counselor and Homeless Liaison for Wisconsin Rapids Public Schools, I was amazed and proud to be part of a community that was working together to close this gap in services.
I had the pleasure of informing the School Counselors and School Social Workers when the Cleansing Waters Program was beginning a year ago. There was a collective sigh of relief and look of amazement on everyone’s faces. I still remember one social worker saying “I have been praying for this!” So, it is also shocking to us the lack of participation and people using this service. A change on WRPS’s part is using the updated flyer to help spread the word of this mission; we provide and mention it to every family who qualify under our homeless program, have it posted in our schools, and are working on getting the flyer in every school’s newsletter.
One thing as the Homeless Liaison I have observed or thought about is, that I think we (as helpers in the schools and others in the community) need to have a mind shift of how to best help those families with clothing needs. Historically, since there never has been a laundry assistance service, when those in need of “clean” clothing they may state that they need clothes, and with the Cleansing Waters Program we need to be more mindful of digging deeper to resolve the problem; verifying if they are in need of clothing or clean clothing.
While most can identify laundry support as a lacking need, there are not many models available to help guide us. I speak on behalf of those working day in and day out with those in need and wanted to let you know that we do feel as though our prayers (for many years) have been answered by the Cleansing Waters Program. We graciously appreciate your patience as we figure out together how to successfully fulfill this need to those who are in need.
Thankfully,
Chelle Waldvogel
WRPS Homeless Liaison
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Dear Moravian Church ~
I wanted to take this time to say thank you for your continued support and perseverance with the Cleansing Waters program. Being in the “helping profession” for many years in a neighboring county, when attempting to connect clients/families to services there always seems to be one lack of assistance options available for those in need - laundry assistance. When I began my journey as a School Counselor and Homeless Liaison for Wisconsin Rapids Public Schools, I was amazed and proud to be part of a community that was working together to close this gap in services.
I had the pleasure of informing the School Counselors and School Social Workers when the Cleansing Waters Program was beginning a year ago. There was a collective sigh of relief and look of amazement on everyone’s faces. I still remember one social worker saying “I have been praying for this!” So, it is also shocking to us the lack of participation and people using this service. A change on WRPS’s part is using the updated flyer to help spread the word of this mission; we provide and mention it to every family who qualify under our homeless program, have it posted in our schools, and are working on getting the flyer in every school’s newsletter.
One thing as the Homeless Liaison I have observed or thought about is, that I think we (as helpers in the schools and others in the community) need to have a mind shift of how to best help those families with clothing needs. Historically, since there never has been a laundry assistance service, when those in need of “clean” clothing they may state that they need clothes, and with the Cleansing Waters Program we need to be more mindful of digging deeper to resolve the problem; verifying if they are in need of clothing or clean clothing.
While most can identify laundry support as a lacking need, there are not many models available to help guide us. I speak on behalf of those working day in and day out with those in need and wanted to let you know that we do feel as though our prayers (for many years) have been answered by the Cleansing Waters Program. We graciously appreciate your patience as we figure out together how to successfully fulfill this need to those who are in need.
Thankfully,
Chelle Waldvogel
WRPS Homeless Liaison
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We are encouraged by her suggestion of a “mind shift” and are convinced that if we remain faithful to God our efforts will be blessed, and more and more clients will avail themselves of our Ministry.
In the meantime, we must do all we can to be God’s hands and feet. If you feel called to be a part of this Ministry you can:
In the meantime, we must do all we can to be God’s hands and feet. If you feel called to be a part of this Ministry you can:
- Pray the Prayer of Servanthood daily, if you are not already doing so.
- Let us know of any place we might put up a poster.
- Volunteer a Saturday or weeknight evening.
- Donate quarters. (or any currency that can be converted to quarters)
- Marilyn Hutter
- Diane Klawikowski
- Trudy Knipple
- Bill and Noi Mohr
- Rosemary Mooney
- Jean Morgan
- Diane Renner
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ONE NOTE AT A TIME - UPDATES COMING SOON! |
Please pray where you could fit into these outreach ministries and help our community!
