Social Ministry Committee News
God is able to do far more than we would ever dream.
Ephesians 3:20
May 2008
HOPELINK
Thank you for all the food collected during our March food drive for
Hopelink. We will continue to have
a basket just inside the front entrance of the church for ongoing food
donations to this food bank. Please continue to remember them on your
trips to the grocery store.
During the summer, children no longer have access to breakfast or lunch
programs at school. This makes it a time of greater need at food banks to
provide items for these meals.
In mid-May we will start a “brown bag” food drive for summer breakfast or
lunch items. This will include a shopping list with these items and a
special “brown bag” for money donations to Hopelink.
December 2007
CHRISTMAS SHARING - Watch for the signup sheets for the following
“Christmas Sharing” opportunities.
LATCH (Northlake Grove)
Angel Tree
Compass Center
Charity Auctions
LATCH
(Northlake Grove)
The sign-up poster for Christmas gifts for the LATCH families at Northlake
Grove is in the Narthex. Please bring the gifts to church before the
deadline mentioned on the poster -- the poster date is when the gifts must
be delivered to LATCH.
Thanks so much!
Children from
Angel
Tree
Traditionally we have provided gifts for DSHS children, but this year DSHS
has changed its Christmas gift program. We can no longer provide gifts to
individual children. So this year we will obtain the names of 12 children
from Angel Tree, a program that coordinates gift-giving to children who
have a parent in jail. With this program we will provide a gift and a
Bible to each of our named children, and they will be delivered directly
to the children by members of Northlake.
Please
note: The gifts must be brought to church by December 16th.
There will be a gift wrapping party on December 18th. And, there will be a
sign-up to help deliver the gifts.
What is “Angel Tree” Ministry?
The following is reprinted from the January 2002 issue of the Salem
Lutheran Church (Connecticut) “Messenger” Newsletter. The reflections
shared are those of Marianna (Mickey) Shea, who participated in the
program. It was written December 24, 2001.
Angel Tree Ministry? “What in the world is that,”
I thought when I first heard about it in church last year. Oh, you buy
gifts for children whose parents are incarcerated. No, not interested, got
enough to do and gifts to buy. But then in January 2001, I finally picked
up my December issue of Good Housekeeping to read. (I told you I was
busy.) There was a wonderful article all about the Angel Tree Ministry. As
I read it I realized I had missed a golden opportunity by so flippantly
tossing the idea out. But, not to worry, the program was explained in
detail one recent Sunday and I realized I was given a second chance.
It truly is a wonderful program. I was given the
name and age of a little girl to buy a gift for. She requested a Barbie,
clothes for the Barbie or anything with Winnie-the-Pooh on it. Well, it’s
been a few years since we had a little girl to shop for so my husband and
I headed out. We both enjoyed choosing just the right Barbie, outfits for
her, and we still had not gone over the amount of money suggested by the
ministry for each child. We searched and my husband spotted the perfect
gift -- and umbrella with a Winnie-the-Pooh handle. Great! But that’s not
all. I volunteered to go out with Pastor’s wife to help deliver the gifts.
Believe me, I now know what it means when people say it’s easier to give
than to receive. Some adults were embarrassed, some met you outside of
their home and thanked you and one invited us in for cookies. One stop
stands out in my memory. We went to a house I knew well, up to the second
floor, where a very young mother with two little children - a boy about
six and a little preschool girl - cautiously opened her door. The mother,
while appreciating the gifts clutched her daughter’s hand and stared at
the floor. It was the children who were open and talkative. You can be
sure there will squeals of joy in that house on Christmas morning.
You never know how your paths will crisscross with others’. I knew by the
name and address of one home that I had had each of this family’s children
in my kindergarten classes. It was the children of this mother’s brother
that we were delivering gifts to. Would she recognize me? Would it make
her uncomfortable to see me on her doorstep?
When the door opened Mary and I were greeted warmly and when she saw me it
was instant recognition, followed by hugs. I had known this mother, but
didn’t really “know” her. She is a beautiful and generous woman who opened
her home to her brother’s three teenage children, providing them with
love, warmth and stability even though she herself is dealing with a
difficult situation with her middle child.
Each of those children decided to open one of their gifts while Mary and I
were there. Each received a Bible with the inscription, “Given by the
People of Salem Lutheran Church.” They were genuinely thrilled with their
Bibles. It was a wonderful moment.
I was also surprised by the number of mothers who were incarcerated.
If you haven’t been involved in the “Angel Tree” ministry and you have the
opportunity, try to participate. Your Christmas will encompass another
dimension and be much merrier as you celebrate the season with your loved
ones. I guarantee it!
The “Angel Tree” Program is part of “Prison Fellowship Ministry,” which is
an international Christian organization dedicated to ministering to those
who are incarcerated, in America’s prisons, as well as prisons in 14 other
countries.
Compass Center
Gifts from the Compass Center gift wish list must be delivered to them by
December 17th.
Items can include:
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Gift Cards to Starbucks, McDonalds & grocery stores
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Backpacks
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New men’s and women’s bathrobes and slippers
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New men’s and women’s sweatshirts
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New flannel shirts and winter coats
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New men’s and women’s underwear & socks
(Many clients wear LG, XL, XXL sizes)
CHARITY AUCTIONS
Charity auctions are a fun way to support charities.
Northlake has provided great gift baskets to the
Foss Home and the
Columbia Home auctions.
Members that have attended charity auctions have reported that they are
great fun.
The Columbia Home auction is on Saturday, February 9th, and the cost is
$50 per person. This price includes the auction, dinner and wine tasting.
There are a limited number of seats. Please let Bev Peterson know, if you
are interested in attending.
November 2006
OUR TROOPS
We have collected a lot of “stuff” for our troops during
October. Thank you all for your response to this program.
CHRISTMAS ADOPT-A-KID
We will be providing Christmas gifts to six DSHS children this
year. The sign-up poster will be in the narthex in early November. The
gifts will be wrapped at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, December 12th. Bring some
wrapping paper, tape & scissors and join us for the fun.
NORTHLAKE GROVE CHRISTMAS STORE
Instead of a Christmas store for the children of Northlake
Grove, this year we will join the Ruth Circle in adopting a couple of
LATCH families and providing gifts for them. Please watch for the sign-up
poster.
Bev Peterson
Share your life with a child!
Permanency planning foster care is a wonderful option to welcome a child
in need to your home-- perhaps for a year, perhaps forever. It is an
amazing gift to provide a safe place for a child, and you may be surprised
at the gifts the child brings to you! You can learn more about the joys
of fostering at Lutheran Community Services Information Night on Monday,
November 13th at 6:00 pm, at our office in Seattle. For more information,
please call Sarah Johnson at (206) 694-5713. Lutheran Community Services
works with singles and couples in King and Snohomish County who are
considering foster parenting as a way to grow their families.
October 2006
Hopelink
There is a basket just inside the front entrance of the church that is
used for ongoing food donations to
Hopelink. Hopelink needs
non-perishable foods, medium-size packages (it’s hard to distribute most
bulk items to many families), soap, paper products and baby products.
The Troops
During October, we will be collecting items to send to our troops.
There will be a shopping list with suggested items in each Sunday
Bulletin. Some of the items are beef jerky, corn nuts, protein bars,
Chapstick, baby wipes, chemical hand & foot warmers, Q-tips and disposable
cameras.
Also we understand that packets of lavender chase away sand fleas. So if
you have lavender in your yard and you want to harvest the flowers for us
to dry and make into packets, please talk to Bev Peterson or Nancy Martin.
September
2006
Update
During the summer, Northlake has . . .
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Provided gifts to Foss Home for their clients’ who have July birthdays.
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Provided the prizes and operated the fishing pond for Fircrest Fun
Festival in July.
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Provided school supplies for the children at Northlake Grove
Thank you to all the volunteers that participated!
What’s New
In October, we will be collecting items to send to our troops. More
information about this will be in the October Northlights. Be sure to look
for it.
July 2006
SOCIAL MINISTRY COMMITTEE
PLANS SUMMERTIME ACTIVITIES
THANK YOU! Thank all of you who donated to the baby layettes for
Life Choices and for giving gifts for July birthdays at Foss Home. Many
are thankful for these donations.
FIRCREST FUN FEST – Thursday, July 27th, Fircrest will hold its
annual Fun Fest. There is a parade at 10:30 am, followed by a BBQ at 11:30
am. Northlake Lutheran again is sponsoring the “Fishing Pond” for the
residents and children of the staff. The fishing pond will be open from 1
- 2 pm. We need:
Volunteers to work the “Fishing Pond”
T-shirts (large and extra large sizes), for prizes.
Baseball caps, for prizes.
To volunteer, please call Nancy Martin 425-823-5935 or Bev Peterson
425-775-6345.
It’s a great joy to see the smiling faces of the Fircrest residents as
they pull that fishing pole back and see a prize. Come and join the fun.
SCHOOL SUPPLIES – We will be collecting school supplies for the
children at Northlake Grove again this year. The appreciation of the
parents and kids makes this a really fun project. Watch for the poster in
the Narthex on August 6th. The deadline to bring the supplies to church is
August 20th, so they can be delivered to the kids before school starts.
HOPELINK - Remember summer is a time of greater
need at food banks. There is a basket just inside the front entrance of
the church that is used for ongoing food donations to Hopelink.
Hopelink needs non-perishable
foods, medium- size packages (it’s hard to distribute most bulk items to
many families), soap, paper products, and baby products.
~ Bev Peterson
May 2006
Life Choices
During
the month of May, we will be collecting new baby layette items for Life
Choice. Life Choice is an agency located in Kenmore (close to Kenmore City
Hall). They provide a great program for pregnant single women. There will
be brochures about their program available in the Narthex.
Soldiers
Just a heads up
.... this summer we will be collecting items to send to soldiers in
Iraq. We will provide a list of items needed; shipping will be provided.
Compass Center
Thank you for the
nice collection of socks, pillows and twin sheets for the Compass Center.
They will be greatly appreciated.
Springhill
On April 9th
before the afternoon worship service, we hung “May Baskets”, which held
fresh flowers, on all the door knobs of the residents’ apartments at
Springhill. Then we joined the worship service led by Pastor Marvin.
Thank you to all who participated.
April 2006
Compass Center
We are still collecting new white socks
for the Compass Center. Look for the blue container in the narthex. The
Compass Center is also in need of new or very gently used twin sheets and
pillows.
Springhill
On April 9th
at 1:30 PM, we will have a special event at the Springhill worship
service. The Sunday School has been decorating and preparing “May Baskets”
to hold a fresh flower. These will be hung on the door knobs of each of
the apartments. They also will include a spiritual message. This is a
combined project of the Parish Education, Evangelism, Worship and Social
Ministry committees. Please come and be a part of this special event and
worship.
March 2006
Compass Center
An ongoing need of the Compass Center is
new white socks. We will be collecting new white socks during March. Look
for the blue collection container.
Columbia Home
Wine Tasting & Auction
On February 11th,
several on us had a great time at this annual event. Northlake provided
two large gift baskets for their auction.
All of the proceeds go to support the
Columbia Home, which is a Lutheran nursing home.
Our next Social
Ministries planning meeting will be March 14th
at 7:30pm. Come and join us.
October 2005
Two social agencies
that we work with are having dinner auctions in October — LATCH and Foss
Home. Invitations and details for these events are posted on the
Fellowship Hall bulletin board Northlake, through the Social Ministry
Committee, provided two gift baskets for the Foss Home auction.
September 2005
LATCH News
Congregational Member Receives Award
At its Annual Meeting a couple of months ago, the
LATCH (Lutheran Alliance to Create Housing) Organization presented the
15th Anniversary
Milestone Award to two individuals, one of whom was our own
Jerry Wagner.
Quoting from the LATCH newsletter,
“The award was given to two individuals who have made significant
contributions to LATCH’s programs. They have made their contributions
over many years, always working out of the spotlight, with little fanfare
and without any desire for recognition. The first Milestone Award was
presented to Jerry Wagner, of
Northlake Lutheran Church, who, in addition to serving as a
three-term board director and as his congregation’s Liaison to LATCH, is
also responsible for creating and sustaining an ongoing relationship
between his congregation and the residents of Northlake Grove
Cooperative. Jerry has been a community representative on the Northlake
Grove Cooperative Board since the community was formed in 1997. Before
school starts each year, Jerry and other members of his congregation
present brand new backpacks filled with school supplies to every child
living at Northlake Grove. Jerry and his congregation also create a
Christmas store for the Northlake Grove kids each December where they can
“shop” for and wrap gifts for parents and siblings.”
Congratulations, Jerry!
More LATCH news
2005 Auction coming in October
The date for this year’s annual event is
Saturday, October 15 from 5 - 10 pm at the Atrium at the Seattle Design
Center in Seattle. The evening consists of a silent and live auctions and
a wonderful meal. Tickets are $60 before October 1 and $85 after October
1. All proceeds benefit the affordable housing ministry of LATCH
(Lutheran Alliance to Create Housing). For more information about this
event or to donate items for the auction, please talk to Jerry Wagner.
School Supplies
We collected and delivered school supplies for all the kids at Northlake
Grove again this year. The appreciation of the parents and kids makes this
a really fun project. Thank you to all who participated. And a special
thank you to Nancy Martin, our super shopper, who stretched the cash
donations into lots of school supplies.
July 2005
Fircrest Fun Fest
The Fircrest Fun Fest will be on Thursday, July 28th.
There is a parade at 10:30 am, followed by a BBQ at 11:30 am. Then the
fishing pond will open at 1:00 pm and close about 2:00 pm. Northlake has
traditionally sponsoring the “Fishing Pond” for the residents and children
of the staff.
To volunteer, call Nancy Martin at 425-823-5935 or
Bev Peterson at 425-775-6345.
It is hard to come back from Fircrest without a smile
on your face. The residents always give you so many of their own.
School Supplies
We will be collecting school supplies for Northlake
Grove again this year. The appreciation of the parents and kids makes
this a really fun project. Watch for the poster in the Narthex on July
24th. The deadline to bring supplies will be August 21st, so we can
deliver them before school starts.
Hopelink
Remember summer is a time of greater need at food
banks. There is a basket just inside the front entrance of the church that
is used for ongoing food donations to Hopelink. They need non-perishable
foods (medium size packages, as it’s hard to distribute most bulk items to
many families), soap, paper products and baby products.
Bev Peterson
Social Ministry Committee
January 2005
Water and Lutheran World Relief
Doctors recommend drinking eight glasses of water
each day. Yet in many places up to 95 percent of people don't have access
to safe, reliable sources of water. Women and children, instead of
working or going to school, spend hours every day fetching water for
livestock and family members. Often the water they bring home is
contaminated, causing illness and even death. Poor land management
practices, sometimes handed down from generation to generation, contribute
to the degradation of water sources. Droughts kill crops in one region of
the world, while floods wash away others. In nearly every country,
managing poverty means managing water.
From digging wells in Mali to protecting natural springs in Honduras to
catching rainwater during the monsoon season in India, LWR's work with
water means healthier children, improved food production and better
managed natural resources.
During January there will be more information available on the specific
ways LWR helps communities so that residents will have enough water for
their needs.
Marla Blaser
December 2004
Christmas Adopt-a-Kid
We will be providing Christmas gifts to six DSHS
children this year. The sign-up poster is in the narthex. The gifts must
be to the church by 11:00 am, Sunday, December 12. The gifts will be
wrapped at 1:30 pm that same afternoon. This is a different time and date
than was announced in last month’s newsletter, and the change was
necessary because DSHS needs them earlier this year. So…. bring some
wrapping paper, tape & scissors to church that day, and join us for the
fun.
Following tradition, we will have the Christmas Store
for the Northlake Grove children to pick a gift for their parents and
siblings. The store will be open from 7 - 8 pm on Friday, December 17.
This will be another opportunity to have fun wrapping gifts. We will need
as many volunteers as possible to wrap the gifts. We can also use help
setting up the store from 6 - 7 pm.
Columbia Home Wine Tasting & Auction
Several of us had a great time last year at this
annual event. This was also the first time Northlake provided a large gift
basket for their auction. This year the event will be on Saturday,
February 5, 2005, and Northlake will be providing two large gift baskets.
The theme is “Romance”. There will be more details about this in January,
but now is a good time to pencil in that date for a fun evening and maybe
bidding on a great Valentine’s gift for that someone special. The
proceeds go to support the Columbia Home, one of our Lutheran nursing
homes.
Bev Peterson
Committee Chair
2008
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