December 18, 2009

More responses for the Huron 2009 Week2Serve
In some congregations, the Deacon gathered the W2S reports and summarized them in an email. Deacons Ken Brooks and Karen Kovats submitted the following reports.

Parishioners at St. Anne's, Byron did the following:

• 2 hours - driving friend to appointment, then to groceries and then home
• 2 hours - making pies for fundraising effort, Bethany's Dream Fund
• 7 hours - selling CDs for PWRDF at Three Cantors concert in Exeter
• 1 hour - wrote 3 letters to friends in nursing homes
• 8 hours - went through kids toys, clothes, books and brought them to Salvation Army, Good Will (adult clothes as well)
• 1 hour - wrote 2 letters to friends, gave gift cards to homeless for food/coffee
• 7 1/2 hours - called an old friend who hadn't been seen in years, then took a large carton of food to relatives in Hamilton who are living in poverty
• 3 hours - met with organizer of a seasonal homeless shelter in another city to get ideas on how to do the same project somewhere else.

 Parishioners at St Thomas the Apostle in Cambridge did the following:
“Most people did not put down their names and some would not let me record their service as they said they wanted to give glory to God not to themselves. It's a pity because I find that when challenged, people will find wonderful ways to support the community and it's encouraging to others to hear about it.”
Here is what I did receive:

• Visited with a shut-in and will be visiting another.
• Prepared, Decorated and Served 2 cakes to celebrate 2 confirmations - HCN - yes
• Did dishes following the service 2 weeks in a row - HCN - yes (this was given by an 8 year old boy)
• Did volunteer security at the Seniors Centre in Cambridge - HCN - yes
• Helped move furniture to be used for refugee family - HCN - yes
• Served lunch to seniors at a Long Term Care Facility - HCN - yes
• Worked on the committee to bring a refugee family ot this area - HCN - yes
• Helped an elderly neighbor - HCN - yes
• Raked people's leaves - HCN - yes - (this was given by a 10 year old boy)
• Found an opportunity to talk about his beliefs at a pub - HCN - yes
• Gave away some clothing (this was given by a 15 year old girl)
• Helping for one day at the Cambridge Self Help Food Bank - HCN - yes
• Baked and gave cakes to "The Bridges" Homeless shelter - there were 3 children living there at the time of the donation - HCN - yes (this individual will return with Christmas cookies later in December - HCN - yes
• Spent 2 hours at the Cambridge Self Help food bank packaging items and filling shelves - HCN - yes
• Did Volunteer work - tours etc. at the Seniors Centre in Cambridge - HCN yes
• Volunteers by doing magic shows for Seniors - HCN - yes
• Did volunteer security at Seniors Centre in Cambridge - HCN - yes
• Volunteered at the annual turkey raffle for the Lion's club - HCN - yes
• Volunteered at a Long Term Care Facility moving residents to different activities as well as feeding one of the residents - HCN - yes
• There was also a woman who bought a homeless young man a sub sandwich and spent time talking with him and driving him to The Bridges homeless shelter. Another man and woman together with our youth, made two baby quilts to be donated to a shelter.

Church of the Messiah, Kincardine
Church of the Messiah congregants demonstrated creativity in the challenge presented to
"do two hours of ministry in their community that they have never done before". It is evident that many congregation members contributed far more than the suggested 2 hours as demonstrated by the following reported ministry tasks:

• Helped pickup, sort & put away food donations from several locations throughout town.
  
• Picked up donuts and delivered
  
• Read the inspiring life journey and contribution of Greg Mordenson documented in the novel Three Cups of Tea.
  
• Helped Church Secretary with bulletins
  
• Planned Dinners for 8 schedule and delivered envelopes to participants
  
• Visited resident in retirement home
  
• Led a Bible study at community seniors' residence
  
• Removed neighbours rotting wood pile and replaced with 1 bush cord of dry split wood at own expense. Stacked 1/2 the wood cord outside entrance to home for easy access and cleaned/raked the debris.
  
• Called and spoke with a friend I had not talked to in quite a while.
  
• Read book about the lost boys of the Sudan and their trip to Ethiopia, Kenya and eventually North America.
  
• Purchased and passed out 7 copies of Greg Mordenson's life journey "Three Cups of Tea", with a challenge that those who received the books would read them and pass them on to others as part of a personal inspiring educational challenge. Greg, through his own initiatives, has brought education to girls in Afghanistan.
  
• Read "Cruel & Unusual Punishment" by Nonie Darwish — a woman who grew up in a Muslim world under Sharia law and has converted to Christianity.
  
• The Church of the Messiah Outreach Committee had a luncheon after the 11:00 a.m. service to recognize and give thanks to our choir members and organist.
  
• Approached neighbours and offered to babysit their young children so the parents could have an evening to themselves.

St. Edmund’s, Tobermory sent in 13 reports, one of which was a group activity involving their youth group.

St. Paul’s, Port Edward reported 21 projects including a group of 20 women who supplied food for two community functions.

St. James, Westminster in London reported three projects including cookie bake by the Junior Disciples youth group for the St. John the Saturday Evangelist community dinner.

St. Thomas Church in Walkerton reported 23 projects involving 9 congregants for totaling approximately 40 hours of service.

St. James, Stratford reported 26 projects involving 11 congregants.

St. Thomas, Owen Sound reported 6 projects involving 2 congregants.

Holy Trinity, Chathom reported 2 projects by one parishioner.

Clearly these reports are just a smattering of all the service done during our first Week2Serve event. Thanks to all of those who filled out reports (and to those who sent them to the diocese) as well as to all the untold others who did the service quietly and transparently.

“Week2 Serve” was a new diocesan initiative announced at this year’s Diocesan Synod and culminating on the last day of the Church year, the Feast of Christ the King. The purpose of Week2Serve was to encourage fresh ventures of service and outreach for congregations and individuals at a time of great social and financial need in our local communities.
The Week2Serve report forms are beginning to arrive with some amazing and heart rendering stories. As of this writing (November 31), nearly a hundred forms have been received at Huron Church House.

Christ Church in Lions Head has (so far) responded with the most number of report forms. Christ Church clearly made this a major initiative in their congregation.

All Saints’, Windsor used the Week2Serve opportunity to do some new congregation wide service projects: “Parishioners at All Saints’ Church in Windsor embraced the challenge extended through Huron Week 2 Serve with a variety of community and individual activities.  We kicked off the week by making more than 150 sandwiches for the Downtown mission with bread donated by the community and ‘fillings’ provided by the ACW.  Later in the week, representatives from All Saints’ spent time at the women’s homeless shelter – the Well-Come Centre for Human Potential doing some basic repairs and painting.  As well, donations from All Saints’ were delivered to a local drop-in centre to establish a reading room and promote literacy among low income families and new immigrants.  Finally, in support of our extensive skate program, a group of parishioners spent an afternoon organizing skates in preparation for another season of skate lending and lessons. Reported individual activities included:

• visiting at nursing homes;
• taking a senior to get groceries;
• reviewing philanthropic grant applications from non-profit organizations;
• making a black history presentation;
• writing thank you letters to student poetry competition judges and sponsors;
• chairing a non-profit board meeting;
• baking cookies for ACW events and shut-ins;
• working at the local food bank clothing cupboard and preparing stamps for Bible society;
• knitting for children’s charity;
• Helping 3 women find pajamas and coats in the clothing cupboard;
• Taking a hungry person out for lunch;
• Helping someone buy medicine (who had no money);
• Playing piano and violin at care home;
• Helping to train our new treasurer;
• Arranging donations of computer equipment to Glengarry drop in centre, a family in need and Computers for kids.

As one member wrote in their report: “we are always grateful to have the ability to volunteer and serve.  Thanks be to God.”

Twelve members of the diocesan staff at Huron Church House worked together to give all of the usual volunteers  at St. Paul’s Cathedral Daily Bread and Fellowship Centre feeding programs a day off. 151 people were served a hearty soup and salad lunch on Huron’s staff day of service. Last year the Fellowship Centre served 29,617 meals. Bill and Eve Sutherland have been supervising the Fellowship Centre program for the past six years, and Jane Moffet has run Daily Bread for a similar length of time. During HCH’s day of service Bishop Bob had a chance to meet Kevin who after eating at the Centre joined the ranks of the volunteers.  Kevin now acts as “security” for the Centre and has begun to help in repainting the walls. Bill and Eve believe that the Centre helped to transform Kevin’s life.

Christ Church, Markdale; St. James, Hanover and Trinity, Durham reported a number of personal initiatives involving volunteer work at feeding programs, organizing and implementing community gatherings, making and giving quilts to spouses of veterans, etc.

Thirteen members of ELAM, London did a lawn raking cleanup for a neighboring service center.

St. Matthew’s, Florence responded to the H1N1 flu epidemic: “With all of the media coverage of the flu season, we opened our Parish hall to the Lambton Health Unit for delivery of H1N1 and other shots. The line of people wanting this service filled all available chairs in the hall, wound out to the road and down the sidewalk. Our parishioners came in shifts to provide coffee and treats to the providers and to help with crowd control. Because we had such a large turnout we think we will be doing this again; but next time we will offer treats to those waiting in the long waiting line.”
Service and compassion can be contagious. Today’s London free Press ran a story about five year old Hannah Taylor whose empathy for a man eating out of a garbage can turned into a multi-million dollar charity organization: “At age five Hannah saw a man eating out of a garbage can. And it bothered her. So she started asking questions, and visiting shelters, and collecting cash for the cause by making ‘ladybug’ donation containers (she likes ladybugs) out of baby food jars, red paint and pipe cleaners. And now, after eight remarkable years, she’s become the face of the Ladybug Foundation, a registered non-profit charity that has raised more than $2 million for more than 40 shelters, soup kitchens and food banks across Canada.”

A profound thank you to all who supported and participated in this year’s Week2Serve drive. With Hannah, we continue to learn that little acts of charity can lead to significant societal healing and change. “Thanks be to God!”