Friday, October 28, 2011
Newsletter Oct 28 2011
The Caller – newsletter of Fairlawn West United Church of Christ “offering hospitality to all God's children”
Fri, October 28, 2011
Spaghetti Supper for Williard Food Pantry Fri Nov 11
Each year we do the spaghetti supper to raise a significant amount of support for the Williard Food Pantry which is the 2nd largest serving food pantry in the Akron-Canton Regional Food Bank. For many years the money we raise for the food pantry is the largest annual single donation for their work. We need all of you to help out with the dinner. Contact Minnette Beeson or John Gossett. You can become patrons and donors with gifts in the $25 to $100+ range and have your name listed in the program. Tickets are now available on Sunday mornings and by contacting the church office. The seatings for the dinner are at 5:30 and 6:30 pm. The Spaghetti Supper is always a great time and its helps hundreds of hungry people in our community.
In prayer...
· Jane Davis, Life Care Center of Medina 2400 Columbia Road, Medina, OH 44256
· John (& Julia) Glass, 647 Cliffside, Dr, Akron 44313. 330-836-4418.
· Florence Steigle, 1047 Edgemere Ct#1, Akron 44321 (Sumner on Ridgewood)
· Bill Barr, father of Erin Nash is in the Cleveland Clinic
Family Promise host week Sun Oct 30 to Sun Nov
We will be hosting Family Promise overnight for the week of Oct 30th 4 families with a total of 8 children who are seeking permanent housing since they lost their previous residences. We were the founding congregation of Interfaith Hospitality Network which became Family Promise some 8 years ago. We now host families in the network every 9 weeks along with the other hosting congregations and over 50 other congregations in the Akron area. We are responsible for van drivers every day of each hosting week morning and evening to transport the families to the Family Center in south Akron at the corner of Miller Ave and Edison Street. We also take children to their various schools and child care settings in the mornings. We open up our building and make sure things are ready in our kitchen every day at 4:30 pm. Marian Bickley has done this almost exclusively. This week due to family commitments she is not able to do it on Friday and Saturday. We provide the meals, evening hospitality and overnight hosts every Sunday and Saturday night. The Unitarian Universalist congregation in Fairlawn and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church over the other nights of the week. We do the set up of the bedrooms in rooms in our bldg on the 1st Sunday and then to take down the beds on the last Sunday and transport them to the next hosting congregation which is Northwest Church of Christ in Tallmadge. We take the beds each time in a rented U-Haul truck that we pay for and also take the Family Promise van to them. Also, the Family Center must have a paid staff person or a volunteer from the host church in the day time with the families every weekend. We pay $80 for each day to have a staff person cover. Thanks to all of you who have made this mission possible for people in our community who are scared, and seeking safe shelter. “When did we see you homeless? When you did it for one of the least of these….”
“Here and now…”
You can read the latest edition of David Loar’s reflection on daily life as a disciple of Jesus at http://discipledavid.wordpress.com. He just posted the latest letter today on walking by faith rather than by moral rules…on living from trust to trust rather than frustration to frustration.
Quilt Raffle
The Sewing Group (Marian Bickley, Bonna Thompson, and Dorothy Morra) is providing their annual quilt for raffle to raise money for ministries of this church. You can buy tickets in the front lobby on Sundays or by contacting the church office. With money from last year’s quilt they helped to buy our new commercial refrigerator. The old one would seem to conk out every week we hosted homeless families for Family Promise.
Lunch on Us at Miller Ave UCC for the people in the neighborhood
Lunch on Us is held the last two Saturdays of each month at Miller Ave UCC in the Summit Lake neighborhood as folks often find their food running out towards the end of the month and as a way to just sit down and visit with one another. We are hosting LoU on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Nov. 26th. We will probably be serving around 100 people. We will prepare the meal on Friday the 25th in our kitchen or portions of it prepared by those of you who offer, at your homes. We will leave the Fairlawn West bldg on the 26th to go to Miller Ave. We will serve the meal and share the tables with all those who come. Even if you can’t serve, we would like folks just to be at table to eat and visit. We will end up between 1:00 and 1:30 pm. We haven’t planned a menu yet. Help us to help others. Mark the Connection Card on Sunday or contact the office, if you can help.
Fairlawn West Meals
We began last month twice a month meals for the Fairlawn West community. We will continue in November. On Sunday, November 13th we will do the Soup and Salad lunch after the worship service in the Fellowship Hall. If you can, bring a soup or salad to share. Last time some of stayed and cleaned up the courtyard. This time, if you are so inclined, we will clean up the wood chips from the four stumps along the front on Market Street. But mainly, come and eat.
We will share in our Community Potluck on Wednesday, November 30th at 6:00 pm in the Fellowship Hall and then decorate the building for Advent and Christmas afterwards.
Fairlawn West Preschool
We have had a major transition in the Preschool. This has caused some serious issues which has meant that we have been represented by attorneys from Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs. Our two new Co-Directors, Janet Black and Pam Stanley have done an unbelievable job over the past three weeks. Megan Gossett of our congregation who is a teacher in the preschool has withstood some serious harassment. David Loar has had some serious threats and derogatory comments made to him and about him to others. The leadership of this congregation has been united and steadfast in making sure that the preschool is both secure for children and a nurturing, growing setting. The Preschool Board is presently seeking one additional member to join Mary Austin and Martha Loar. Thanks to Ellen Beckle who is the director of a preschool at Columbia UCC in Barberton who is a member of our church and is giving great assistance to our co-directors. We are starting to work in developing a curriculum since the school has not had an intentional curriculum which also includes a clear spiritual center to it that reflects the core values and bedrock beliefs of this congregation. We have had the unbelievable gift of two of our new folks around our church who have volunteered in the last week to work with us. One has a master’s degree in young child curriculum development and the other is working on his PhD in early childhood education! God surely makes a way!!! Both Janet and Pam are on the same page with the church and our direction for the preschool. As rough as it has been for the past three weeks, each day things are leveling out…AND we are very excited about the steps we are beginning to take for the future of the preschool. We ask for your prayers. If you have any interest in helping with the preschool in reading, working with children and so on, please contact the preschool at preschool@fairlawnwest.org or 330-864-4685. Here is the letter that was sent home to parents at the time of the transition 3 weeks ago.
Other activities:
Transgender Support - Group 4th Thursday of the month
Centering Prayer gathers the 1st Sunday of the month at 10:45 am and the other Sundays of the month at 8:45 am in the Fireplace Room
Bible Reading & Reflection – Thursdays at 9:30 am in the Vista Room. We are now reading the letter of James.
Food Pantries-bring in staple foods, paper products and personal hygiene products for the Miller Ave UCC and Williard UCC Food Pantries. Miller Ave can use dry cereal, pop tarts, canned foods with pop tops, toilet paper, and corn bread
Sunday Worship
Sun Worship 9:20 am in the sanctuary
Fairlawn West United Church of Christ, 2095 W Market St, Akron, OH 44313
an Open and Affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ
330-864-2179 office@fairlawnwest.org http://www.fairlawnwest.org
Info updates, Twitter, Facebook, Blogs
The Rev. David Loar is in the Pastor’s study Mon 8:30 am to 10 am & 11:15 am to 12:30 pm, and Wed, & Fri from 9am to 12 noon and at the Nervous Dog Coffee Bar, 1520 W Market Street on Fri from 1:30-4:00pm for conversation. He can be reached other times at 330-760-7169 pastor@fairlawnwest.org
Ministries of Outreach and Service
-Family Promise hosting homeless families every 9 weeks in our building for supper, overnight sleeping, and transportation. Contact David Loar if you would like to help. pastor@fairlawnwest.org; 330-760-7169. Next time we host is the week of October 30th.
-Fairlawn West Preschool. Janet Black & Pam Stanley, Co-Directors. 330-864-4685, preschool@fairlawnwest.org
-Williard Food Pantry, 742 Johnston St, Akron. Serving the 3rd Tues of the month & the following Saturday, 9 am-12 pm
-Donate canned and staple foods, and personal hygiene items for the Williard UCC and Miller Ave UCC food pantries in the front lobby. The need is great!
-Lunch on Us on Saturdays throughout the year at the Miller Ave UCC Mission in south Akron for around 125 individuals who are homeless and/or low-income. We are hosting Nov. 26th and will need your help in meal preparation and serving.
