The Advocate : January 2010

Welcome to this month's issue of The Advocate! If you are having trouble viewing the newsletter, you can view the full HTML version of the newsletter online.

I have a goal for 2010. It’s more than a resolution. It’s a project with which I will need all of your help. Have you ever sat down and added up all of the ministry activities and outreach projects that are going on at Advent Lutheran Church? Try it some time. It is amazing and incredibly encouraging. It’s like counting your blessings (which I would also recommend).

Something else might surprise you as you begin to add up all of the various groups, ministries, fellowship events, and outreach opportunities; you might wonder how it is that all of these things were going on that you didn’t really know about.

My goal for this year is to help every person involved at Advent Lutheran Church to also become at least aware of and supportive of every ministry and group we have going on here.

The Christian Service Commission and Stewardship Commission have already gotten us off to a great start with their outstanding PowerPoint presentations in worship. I know that our Stewardship Commission has plans for other groups to give similar presentations this year.

But I’d like to go even farther.

In fact, I’d like to ask you a favor. Would you ask your group to consider how they might invite other groups or individuals to experience your ministry first hand?
Perhaps you could select some people you each know and invite them to one of your activities, just so that they can see and experience what it is that you do.

Perhaps you could challenge another group to an exchange. You would join them for one of their events and they would agree to join you for one of yours. (I picture the 9:30 am Worship Band and the Men’s Group being an exciting possibility.) Perhaps you can come up with an even better way to promote interaction and godly connections and support between our many groups.

Imagine how wonderful it could be if each group, as different as they may be, could fondly and with a knowing smile, tell stories about the great time they had with that totally different group. Imagine how we could pray for, support, and encourage each other.

I know it sounds crazy, but who’s willing to give it a try? I’m guessing it could be great fun and a lot of uplifting, unifying, fellowship.

Serving with you,

Unfinished Business

From the annual meeting, there was one item of unfinished business on which I feel it is important to report to the congregation.  It is our Christian Serving.  As I indicated in the meeting, Advent does indeed give a much higher proportion of its income than reported from our Operating Account.  There we reported having given $15,744 out of an income of $513,546; approximately 3% of our income.

However, because we also give to local and world benevolence out of our Restricted Accounts, giving from the operating account grossly understates Advent’s actual giving.  From our restricted accounts, Advent conservatively gave an additional $22,151 in 2009.  Adding these two sums yields a total giving of $37,895.  This combined giving is 7.1% of a combined income of $535,000.  This level of giving is far more respectable than that reported in the Operating Account only. 

Yet this still understates what Advent gives to local and world benevolence.  For example, we donate the bulk of the cost of operating and maintaining the education building for our preschool ministry.  We charge fees considerably lower than expenses for organizations like AA to use our facilities.  Our youth on their mission trips perform work to improve the towns they visit.  Our staff supports VBS and other community activities.  In other words, there are many expenses that we incur as part of our operating budget that we are not counting in Christian Serving and there are many uncounted contributions of time and talent made by our staff and our members to the community.

So, what am I saying?  Most importantly, I want everyone in the congregation to understand what we are actually doing.  From that common understanding, we can have an informed debate about our giving.  In addition, I want the congregation to know that we are again committed to making further improvements in our reporting, which will make it easier for all of us to have that common understanding.  We have already begun meetings to make these improvements. 

Am I advocating that we are giving enough?  No!  Should we be giving more?  Yes!  However, we are far from shirking our responsibilities to help those in need and, as we regain our financial footing, I am confident that we will do more.  We are a congregation with a great heart and our combined local and world benevolence of treasure, time and talent are evidence of that heart.

Yours in Christ, 

Bill Stanton
President, Advent

Advent’s Council Report on
The ELCA National Assembly’s Decisions Regarding Human Sexuality

As a most important prelude to the discussion on our recommendation to the congregation concerning the ELCA National Assembly decisions on human sexuality, we, the Council, want it to be clear that we are committed to keeping Advent focused on God’s work and to not be distracted from that work by any single issue.  We are called to do no less.

As many of you remember, after last summer’s National Assembly of the ELCA, we held three forums to offer our members an opportunity to share their feelings and opinions on the decisions made there regarding human sexuality. It was decided by our Council (after those forums) that we would compose a congregational response to the ELCA actions which would be based on the input, feelings, and opinions we received from our members.

Our first attempt was based on what we heard at the forums themselves. After the forums were over we encouraged everyone to write or email their thoughts to us so that we could be certain every point of view was heard.  Although we are still receiving a few responses, we have a pretty good idea of the trends in the thinking of our congregational membership.

All of the responses had one thing in common. It is clear we want Advent to be a congregation that is welcoming to all people, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation. It is also clear from what everyone said or wrote that we believe God’s love is not bound by our differences.

From there, our congregation tended to be divided along the same lines as the rest of the ELCA.

Some of our members believe that the ELCA made good decisions regarding sexuality at the assembly and that they were long overdue.

Some of our members believe that the ELCA has made a grave mistake and that the decisions made at the National Assembly should be reversed.

Some of our members are only uncomfortable with the idea that congregations (who choose to do so) can call pastors who are in lifelong, monogamous homosexual relationships and, therefore, that there will be ordained clergy in the ELCA who are openly living in this kind of relationship.

All of the responses we received were sincere and deeply felt.

Since we have such a diversity of opinion on this issue it is impossible for us to form a statement that fairly represents the congregation as a whole.

As far as policy is concerned, as a Council we are inclined to go with our areas of strong agreement and say that:

• Advent is a congregation that is welcoming to all people, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation. God’s love is not bound by our differences.
• When it comes to hiring staff or calling clergy, we believe our congregation will continue to search for people with the gifts, skills, beliefs, and lifestyle that will best serve God in this congregation and community.
• Advent’s members recognize that we are not of one mind on this matter but are committed to respecting the conscience-bound beliefs of others and are committed to work together to assure that God’s mission and ministry is faithfully accomplished.

Because of the diversity of the heart-felt opinions of our members, and because this diversity of opinion reflects the same diversity of opinion enunciated by the ELCA in its statement on Human Sexuality, the council has concluded that Advent’s interest is not served by preparing a response to the ELCA and that this report to the congregation will conclude its work on this issue at this time.  We want to thank everyone who participated in this process. It is an honor and a joy to serve God together as members of Advent Lutheran Church.

Sincerely in Christ,
Your Congregational Council

Many of you may be wondering where we are in our task of finding a new staff person to head up our Youth and Christian Education ministries.

Some important steps have been taken and several more lay ahead:

• We have generated a job description which has been approved by our Youth and Christian Education volunteers as well as our Council.
• We are in the process of constituting a Search Team to take a final look at the job description and then begin the process of distributing the job posting to several key networks within which a large number of qualified Youth and Christian Education candidates will see it. (If you are interested in being a part of the Search Team, contact Pastor Dave ASAP.)
• Once the job description has been posted, the Search Team will meet on a regular basis to discuss the résumés received and begin the process of elimination so that the best qualified candidates can be found.
• Once the top three or four candidates have been determined, interviews will begin. These will involve the normal interview process as well as meeting with kids, adults, and volunteers involved in our various programs. If a qualified candidate is located in another state, the initial interview may be done by conference call.
• After this thorough vetting process, the top candidate will be presented to the Council for approval.
• If the Council concurs with the decision of the Search Team (almost certain, since the Council will be kept apprised of all candidates as the process is ongoing) the Council will hire the candidate and initiate the process of bringing them on board as a staff member of Advent.

Keep the Search Team, the Council, Pastor Dave, the staff, and the whole congregation in your prayers as we continue this part of our journey. God has good things in store!

HELPFUL NOTE # 25:  If you are not in church for a Sunday or more, there is no need to hand in all your envelopes plus individual checks for the missing weeks when you return.  Simply use the return Sunday's envelope and one check to cover all missed contributions.

JANUARY RESULTS:
Required contributions to meet our approved budget:   $ 50,961
Contributions received:                                                $ 45,198
Difference:                                                                - $   5,763

March 28th - Palm/Passion Sunday - Regularly scheduled times
March 31st - Healing Service - 11:00 am & 6:00 pm
April 1st - Maundy Thursday - 6:00 pm followed by a Christian Seder Dinner
April 2nd - Good Friday - 12 noon & 6:00 pm
April 3rd - Saturday Easter Vigil and First Communion - 5:00 pm

April 4th - Community Easter Sunrise Service - 6:30 am
POW/MIA PARK (formerly Pineda Landing Park)
5995 N US Highway 1, Melbourne
(From the Pineda Causeway (SR-404), 0.3 miles north on US Hwy 1, on the right.)

Easter Sunday
Regularly scheduled times

First Communion will be held on April 3rd  at 5:00 pm as a part of the Saturday Easter Vigil service. 

First communion class will be held on Palm Sunday, March 28th at 12:15 pm in the Knoedler Center for third grade children and older.

Lunch will be provided. 

Please call the church office at 259-8515 ext 221  if your child will be participating.

NEW MEMBER ORIENTATION
SATURDAY, MARCH 20TH AT 9 AM
Please call Doris Jannke at 952-8740 if you are interested in becoming a member!

NEW MEMBER SUNDAY
March 21st at 11:00 am
All new members will be introduced at the services they attend the following weekend.  Please join us for cake and coffee after the 11 am service to welcome our new members!

NAME TAG SUNDAY!
Please wear your name tags as we welcome our new members into the Advent family.

ACT would like you to participate in dramatic readings of the Passion.  The dramatic readings will occur on Sat-Sun, Mar 27-28th at all 4 services.  Practices will be held on Mon, Mar. 22nd at 7 pm and Sat, Mar 27th at 9 am.  For more information please contact Julie Lima at julielima@cfl.rr.com.

Advent donates to those in need through SVAAC.  Financial aid and food is distributed here at Advent on Thursday nights. We need food donations for this food pantry. 

We need the following food items:

• Pasta sauce
• Pasta
• Peanut Butter  and Jelly
• Cereal
• Soups
• Rice
• Tuna Fish

We also need toiletries:

• Toilet Paper
• Soap
• Diapers (especially!)

Please leave the items in the bin located in the Knoedler Center. If you have any questions or would like to help, please call Kristina Petrik at 321-684-1420.

The Evangelism commission is working on welcoming visitors and publicizing our church events. The new banner was installed on a light post where it can be seen from Wickham Rd and Forest Lake Dr.  Don Hagen ordered postcards advertising our Holy Week Services. The postcards will be sent right before Palm Sunday. There was an article about Advent’s ministries in the most recent newsletter of the Brevard Interfaith Coalition.

Publicity for the Blessing of the Bikes on Feb 20th was submitted to area newspapers and radio stations. It is also on the Advent’s Facebook page.

The new Advent brochure, designed by Rob Palumbo, will be available soon. It is a tri-fold brochure that highlights many of our programs. Along with our Facebook page and our website, people are finding out about the wonderful ministries at our church.

There will be a New Member Orientation on Saturday, March 20th at 9:00 a.m. The new members will be welcomed March 21st at the 11:00 a.m. service. All members are encouraged to wear their nametags that day and to bring a friend. There will be a cake after the service to welcome the new members. The following Sunday, March 28th new members will be welcomed in to the service that they attend.

Anita Unrath for Doris Jannke, Acting Evangelism Commissioner

Save The Date:  April 18, 2010

We are getting a group together to go see Sanctus Real at the Palm Bay Christian Church on April 18th at 7 PM. Read your announcements for more information to follow!

I am collecting gently-used or new men’s jeans for our homeless veterans.  These jeans will be distributed to  veterans at the Brevard Stand Down event on March 20th.  Women’s and children’s jeans will also be accepted.  This is a project that I am involved with for one of my classes at UCF and will be attending the event to help with the distribution.  Until I became involved with this project I did not realize the need was in our own community.  These jeans can either be left at the church office or I will be glad to pick them up.  I can be contacted at 321-259-4464.  If I am not home, please leave a message so that we can set up a convenient time.  

Thank you!
Diane Marks

Thank you notes were received from the following people:
Jean Ott and The Spina Family

The notes are posted on the bulletin board outside of the main office. 
Please drop by and read them!

(We would love to print everyone’s notes but we are limited in space!)

Wednesday FROM 7 Pm to 8 pm
 (childcare is provided!)

The Flock has recognized an increased desire among our community to have a time to explore our faith and Christianity mid- way through the week. The Flock is open to ALL AGES and will come together on Wednesday evenings  from 7-8PM in the Knoedler Center. Bring your small group, friends, family, co-workers, etc...

Most ages* are welcome to join us for a video study of “Who Was Jesus?” every Wednesday in Lent, culminating with a full viewing of “The Passion” on March 31st.  We want to make this an opportunity for anyone in the church or friends of the church to come together to learn more about Christ and each other. Bring the family! Nursery care available (love offering suggested) and short film and crafts in the adjacent library for children 3 and up.

*Some content may not be suitable for all ages and is up to parental discretion.

We love our new website at adventsuntree.com!  So many of our ministries are posted there with great pictures.  Because it is so large and the information important, we are asking our kind members and friends to keep an eye out for information that may become outdated.  We don't want stale news out there!  Also, keep a look out for any misspellings -- surely these would be rare!

Unfortunately we are not able to make as many updates as we like – only 12 free updates per year, so we try to keep our postings pretty generalized to avoid stale news.  If you see something that really needs to be changed, please email Carol Stanton at adventlutheran@bellsouth.net by the 15th of each month.

Working in God’s kingdom has always been a blessing for me…and the men in the Men’s group. Whether it’s singing in the choir, reading the Sunday Lessons, greeting in the narthex, or weeding around Advent, we do it for the Glory of God. Our goal is to be the “hands and feet” of Jesus. We know that by faith we are saved, but we have this inherent desire to work…and what better place to express it, than at Advent.

Now that the Men have worked around the church, on the monthly Work Day, and the various ministries in the church, we are going to the Space Coast Stadium to watch Washington Nationals Spring training game. We will be going to the Mets game on Saturday 6 Mar 2010. The start time is 1:05 PM. The tickets cost $17 plus $5 for parking…we’ll carpool to save this cost. Unfortunately, by the time this gets into the Advocate we’ll have already bought the tickets for the group, but you can still buy them close to where we’ll be sitting…some Advent people did that last year. Hopefully, it will be warmer by then.

We will also be serving a Lenten dinner on Wednesday 10 Mar 2010, prior to the Lenten service. Please come and eat the food for your body, then the food for your soul.

The Men’s group is a great place to learn about God, work around Advent, and enjoy the local attractions with friends from Advent. I invite you to come to the next meeting on Saturday, 20 Mar 2010, at 9 AM in the Knoedler Center kitchen. Let me know if you’re coming so we can have enough food and coffee…very important to have a lot of coffee.

Take care of yourselves.
Mahalo,
Rudy Pacarro  

Our next meeting will be Saturday, March 20th at 9:00 am!

1st      Business meeting at 10 A.M. in Knoedler Center
8th      Advent Quilters at 10 A.M. in Knoedler Center
15th     Bible Study at 10 A.M. in Library
22nd   Advent Quilters

Here are the numbers of the kits and quilts that were put together throughout 2009:
30 Quilts, 43 health kits, 80 school kits, 38 sewing kits, and 33 layettes.  There were also two boxes of soap sent this year.    There were 29 cartons and 609 pounds.  Last year, there were 18 cartons and 453 pounds, so ladies, we accomplished much more this year. This is the month to start  the collection of soap and layettes for Lutheran World Relief.  The list for layettes is on a collection bag to be handed out after the services in March."

We thank you for all your help!

Advent Kids:
Our backpack project continues….

In February, we collected flashlights.  We are continuing the collection of adult white socks, flashlights and will start the collection of can openers. 

The children of Advent, with the help of our church family, are collecting items to place in backpacks, and giving to the homeless here in Melbourne at  Christmas time. 

Preschool News:
Registration for next year is ongoing.  We offer a two day class for 2-year-olds, a three day class for 3-year-olds and a five day VPK Class for 4-year-olds.  All classes meet 9:00 am - 12:00 pm throughout the school year. 
Stop by and meet the staff and tour the school or call Chris at 254-7139 for more information.

God’s Fun House
MARCH 21, 2010
12: 30 PM—2:00 PM
Are you a 3rd - 5th Grader?  Have you experienced the fun of God's Fun House? This is a time for you as a kid to have a super awesome, amazingly fun time while learning about God.  God's Fun House runs from 12:30 to 2:00pm once a month. Check out our website at  www.adventsuntree.com for dates.   It doesn't cost anything except the gas to get you here. You are guaranteed to have a blast and have fun!!  Hope to see you soon. 
Please contact Josh Jesse for details.

Set Sail for VBS Fun!
Save the dates!
June 21 thru June 25th, 9am to Noon
We are looking for crew members!

Children who finished preschool through grades 5.

If you would like to volunteer, please call Kelly Cook at 610-7565 if you would like to help.

My name is Kristina Petrik and I have offered to help continue this awesome ministry at Advent Lutheran Church with your help. My family has helped with the distribution of these backpacks at Daily Bread for the last 3 years. It is a heart wrenching experience to see the line waiting for us to give these backpacks out in December. These people look at these backpacks as Christmas gifts. Where a lot of us and our children receive electronics, movies, CD’s, video games etc., these men, women, and children receive a backpack with basic items as sweatshirts, socks, toothbrush and toothpaste, etc.

What Is a Homeless Person?
A homeless person is more complex than the stereotype of a jobless, lazy person begging for change on the corner of the street. People become homeless for a variety of reasons, like being cut off from public assistance or losing a job. Homelessness can affect anyone at anytime. A homeless person is not necessarily a drug addict, a mentally-disabled person, or someone who lacks employment. Every homeless individual has his own life story and reason for becoming homeless. Many people equate homeless people with panhandlers but not all homeless people panhandle and not all panhandlers are homeless. All these traits are stereotypes, not realities, of the lives of people who are homeless. It's not a condition or an illness. It's a temporary situation anyone can fall into.

Even though most homeless people are single adults, the fastest growing segment of the homeless population is families with children. Veterans are also represented in the homeless community. According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, one out of every four homeless people are veterans. Some homeless individuals experience addictions, have criminal records, or are mentally disabled and others are not. Some have college degrees, a lengthy history of employment, or have been famous at one time. Though there is not one general description of a homeless person, people living in poverty are at a higher risk for losing their home and often find themselves on the streets. Twenty-two percent of homeless parents became homeless as a result of domestic violence.

I NEED YOUR HELP in continuing this wonderful ministry. In January we collected socks and February, flashlights.  We would like to continue getting those items in. This month we will collect quart and gallon Ziploc bags. There are collection bins in the narthex under the bread table. If you have any questions, please feel free to call Kristina Petrik (321) 684-1420.

The Adult Youth Leadership Team includes:

Rick Rowe, Karen Jesse, Alberta-Jo Parker, Sarah Gould, Eddie Wolchick, Cindy Gordon, and Terri Gordon

Pastor Jahn is working with this Youth Leadership Team to coordinate both Junior (grades 6 – 8) and Senior (grades 9-12) Youth activities.  Some of the activities the Advent Youth will be doing in March are:

Hosting the Silent Auction on Saturday, March 13th.
Hosting the Lenten Meal on Wednesday, March 17th.

In addition, the Youth meet weekly on Sunday for two hours.  These meetings consist of having fun with games, group discussion on issues facing youth today, and small group Bible study.   In addition, one Saturday per month is dedicated as Monthly Mission Opportunity which involves giving back to the community by people and in places where extra help is needed.

Silent Auction, March 13, 2010:  This is the Youth’s primary fund raiser for their Summer 2010 Mission Trip.  To this point, the Youth Silent Auction Committee has secured over 250 items and the committee is continuing to secure more items in the community.  Members of the Silent Auction Committee are – Rick Rowe, Sarah Gould, Jyl Lee, Karen Jesse, Alberta-Jo Parker, Megan Dickman, Chris Dickman, Amanda Jones  and Kelly Neeley.

Youth Mission Trip, July 3-10, 2010:  Chris and Megan Dickman, have volunteered to help lead the 2010 Youth mission trip.  Alberta-Jo Parker has volunteered to be the point person for the mission trip fund raising. Alberta-Jo will work closely with the Youth to ensure those tasks performed by Matt will be completed.

Respectfully Submitted
Bob Borchers
Church Council Representative for Advent Youth

Congratulations to our members who are celebrating a birthday or anniversary this month!

March Birthdays:

March Anniversaries:

Needs for Christian Care
When was the last time you heard someone say, "That is the pastor's job," when referring to some aspect of ministry? Ministry is not just the job (or, better yet, the opportunity) of the clergy. The opportunity and responsibility for doing ministry has been given to all Christians. The upcoming Stephen Ministry training class is a chance to be trained and equipped for doing ministry. Talk to any of our Stephen Ministers; they will tell you that it is a joyous privilege to share Christ's love with others. Is this chance for ministry the one for you? Think about it.

Every day you see people who are hurting: those who have lost a job, lost a loved one, gone through a divorce, or are battling a terminal illness. Stephen Ministers are God's representatives who bring his love to those who are hurting. God is waiting to make a difference in their lives through you! If you want to find out more about how you can be involved in this one-to-one care giving ministry, contact Kristina Petrik 684-1420 today.

Sympathy

Our condolences go out to Rob, Joanna and T.C. on the loss of their beloved mother & mother-in-law, Fran Spina, who passed away on January 24, 2010.  She is dearly missed not only by her family but also her church family.

Memorial Giving

A donation to the organ fund was made by Harlan and Audrey Nassen in memory of Harlan’s sister, Ruby Triggs.

A donation to the organ fund was made by Bernie Blumhagen in memory of
Don Welker, a former Advent choir member.

Donations were made by the following people in memory of Fran Spina.
Baumgartner, Charles & Heather
Bittner, Arthur & Wendy
Blumhagen, Bernie
Caswell, David
Clark, David & Sandra
Czerepinski, Helen
Czerepinski, Peter
Eddington, Brian & Jodi
Hammer, Bruce & Eileen
Heitzman, Don & Ruth
Jannke, Doris
Klein, Ron & Li
Mele, Elizabeth & Frank
Piper, Bill  & Shirley
Porada, Tony & Bette
Simone, Sue & Vincent
Smith, Bryan & Gerry
Smith, Jo
Spina, Alice
Spina, Bob
Spina, Joanna
Stanton, Bill & Carol
Tangen, Dick & Carol
Thayer, John & Renee
Walsh, Andrew & Margaret
Williams, Ellen
Diane Marks Small Group

Hello from your Property Commissioner Pete Jolly.
The property work day for February was held on Saturday, February 9th.

Work accomplished included:
repair of the parking lot “barrier fence” next to the Memorial Garden
shrubbery trimming along the driveway
cleaning and waxing of the Knoedler Center kitchen floor

Thanks to Don Hagen, Don Rydeen, Al Steen, Rudy Pacarro and Pete Jolly for a good work day. Thanks also to Audrey Nassen who did some work on the parking lot planters and to Tony Porada who worked on cleaning and arranging the dumpster enclosure area.

The next scheduled property work day is March 13th. Please note that this is the second Saturday of March. This change was made due to the Habitat for Humanity Strawberry Festival being held on the first Saturday. Several of the Property Committee members are involved with Habitat.

Work scheduled may include shrubbery trimming, sidewalk pressure washing and other outside jobs (weather permitting). There may be other unscheduled work sessions called as necessary during the month. If anyone is interested in getting on my e-mail list for these work sessions or joining the Property Committee please feel free to contact me.  My contact information is as follows:
Phone                      321-610-7790
Cell                          703-283-0716
E-mail                       old_plane_man@yahoo.com

God Bless,
Pete Jolly
NEXT PROPERTY WORK DAY IS  March 13th at 8:00 am!

We welcome Dee Schilling as the newest member of our commission. 

1.  Habitat for Humanity. Don Rydeen reported that there will be no HFH project for Advent this year.

2.  Since Advent has begun its own Food Pantry the commission decided to suspend support of the Sharing Center and use all donated food for our local ministry.

3.  Serene Harbor. Shirley Piper reported purchasing and delivering a two month supply of toiletries to Serene Harbor.  This is a great need and Shirley will continue monthly purchases and deliveries.

4.  Angel Food. Tammy Leahy.  It was decided to suspend this program due to a lack of interest in our congregation.  If anyone is interested in ordering a package they can go online to Faith Fellowship church and use the Angel Food forms.  The three frozen food packs delivered to seniors at Booker T. Washington will be replaced by bags of non-perishables from our Food Pantry.  The commission will contribute $ 50 per month to the Food Pantry to continue this ministry.

5.  SVAAC Community Care and Advent Food  Pantry.  Kristina Petrik reported that $500 was given out in January to support the needs of folks who have come to Advent on Thursdays from 6 to 7 PM.  Many food packages were given out as well.  The pantry is well stocked at this time but there are always shortages of certain items such as tuna fish and peanut butter

6.  His Place.  Ron Klein reported delivering knitted hats and $ contributions to this church for use on cold nights.  His Place is a cold night shelter and feeds and houses up to 100 homeless folks when the temperature is predicted to be below 45 degrees.

7.  Hacienda Girls Ranch, Jeanne Bedwell.  Kristina reported that Alberta Jo Parker is now in contact with the Ranch to set up some joint activities.  Jeanne will provide a prioritized list of needs at our next meeting.

8.  Homeless Veterans Shelter in Cocoa, Tammy Leahy reports that she purchased needed items for this shelter and delivered them.  Tammy will bring a prioritized list of needs to our next meeting for consideration.

9.  Brevard Interfaith Coalition.  Tammy Leahy purchased clothing and other necessities for 2 young girls who were taken into foster care with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

10.  Brevard Neighborhood Development Coalition (BNDC).  Ron displayed a folder outlining a Breakfast Fund Raising event to support the operation of the D.O.C.K. and Greater Heights apartments built and operated by BNDC in the Booker T. Washington neighborhood.  The commission decided to contribute $500 to this ministry.

11.  Women’s Center.  Shirley Piper reported that this counseling ministry for women can use the same items as Serene Harbor and that she will deliver supplies to them.

12.  Kristina passed out “Homeless Handout” packages to each member.  She encouraged people to giver them to the homeless while on their travels.  She will purchase additional items and ask the Youth group to fill the packages.  These will be made available to the congregation.

Ron Klein
Acting Commission Chair

Please direct all concerns member/attendee and extended family & friends to the office (x 221) or Pastor Dave (x 222).    The cards are in the pew racks. Fill one out and place it in the Prayer Box located near the Baptismal Shell.

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