Dogs have owners. Cats have staff.

Transcription

1 Volume 26 Number 9 September 2013 Ecumenical Encounters News from Lehigh County Conference of Churches Dogs have owners. Cats have staff. I ve never given much thought to the need for pastors to come up with an interesting, compelling sermon every Sunday. I assumed that they took courses in sermonology, that there were books that gave guidance. So I thought, when I thought about it all, that pastors do what we all do. They learn how to perform one of the essential tasks listed in their job description. They practice their craft. And eventually they become proficient. I m only required to give one sermon a month. Writing this page is my opportunity to share my thoughts, to motivate, to be profound. I have found that even doing so once a month can be a daunting task. As I struggled to find a topic for September, I went downstairs from my den to the kitchen. What could be a better motivator than a quick snack? One of the magnets on the fridge caught my eye - a picture of my newborn grand-niece, just 18 hours old. I stopped for a moment and perused the various magnets, cartoons, and scraps of paper that I suppose are typical refrigerator adornments. There were other pictures of family and friends, of children growing older. There were mementos of vacations. But mostly, there were cats. When they learn to use the can opener, they will have no further need for us. WORLD GRATITUDE DAY September 21 This house is run for the convenience of its cats. There s a cartoon of a hunter with a smoking gun, pointing and saying, Fetch. At his feet is his cat thinking, In your dreams I realized that in the search for the profound, I had discovered the ridiculous. More than that, I had learned that we are all prisoners of our natures. Have you seen those videos of dogs going berserk with joy when their soldier/ owners return from a lengthy deployment? Touching. But when my wife and I return from our vacations, our cats emerge from where ever they ve been napping, take a look to see who has come through the door, yawn, and go back to sleep. Do our cats love us any less than those viral-video dogs? I think not. It is simply not in a cat s nature to be demonstrative. What has all this to do with the Lehigh County Conference of Churches? Service is in our nature. If you are on our mailing list, if you are reading this, service is in your nature too. Thank you for that. We probably don t say that often enough. Thank you for your commitment to service. And have a nice day. A day without laughter is a day wasted. ~Charlie Chaplin Page 1 Thank You Day This Issue Page 2 We are Moving, Together We Can Ira Faro Interim Executive Director Page 3 Hunger Action Month & Crop Walk Page 4 Kits for a Cause, Daybreak Fundraiser Page 5 Community Events

2 We re Moving! Changes are afoot at the Conference of Churches. We are excited to announce that our five housing programs Pathways, Linkage, Homeless Supportive Services, Homelessness Prevention, and Clearinghouse have merged into Pathways Housing Services. This change will allow individuals and families in need to participate in a continuum of care designed to address homelessness and the risk of homelessness. Individuals and families searching for housing help will be able to access many of the services they need in one location. Pathways Housing Services new location will be 1031 Linden Street, First Floor. The 5,000 square-foot, handicap-accessible office space will house 18 staff members, almost half of our staff. Deanne Malacsics-Best, who has been the Director of the Pathways program since 2005, will now oversee all five housing programs as the new Housing Director, I am very excited about this opportunity. Putting all these services in one location will make access to housing opportunities more user friendly for our clients and improve our customer service. Our neighbors in need will go to the Linden Street office for rental assistance, access to case management services, assistance with money management, and access to healthcare benefits as well as toiletries, bus passes and clothing. Currently these services are divided between three locations: 534 Chew Street, 544 Hamilton Street, and 542 Hamilton Street. A new central intake worker will serve as the first point of contact, helping men, women and families connect to the services that they need the most as quickly as possible. Conference Housing programs will continue to rely on the help of volunteers to hand out toiletries and bus passes in addition to making referrals to area shelters, food banks and other supports. An anticipated move date is set for late fall. Be sure to look for an invitation to the ribbon cutting ceremony. Page 2 TOGETHER WE CAN END HOMELESSNESS Our annual Together We Can fundraiser broke the mold in If you did not attend, you missed an incredible evening. We had a fashion show on roller skates!! The Lehigh Valley Roller Girls took center stage to model thrift store clothes. More than 300 guests gave rave reviews on an evening full of fun, fellowship and successful fundraising for an important cause. Community leaders, business people, elected officials, and friends of the Conference lined up to buy the works of local artists, to bid on a wide array of gift baskets and other silent auction items. The Lehigh County Conference of Churches will hold its 11 th annual Together We Can benefit at Asbury United Methodist Church at 6:00PM on Friday, October 25, This encore evening of roller derby fashion and live entertainment will raise support for our mission to end homelessness in the Lehigh Valley. You can make a difference for individuals and families facing homelessness. Over 3,300 of our neighbors in need arrived at our door last year. Your partnership allows us to help these people and their families firmly back on their feet. Please join us. Purchase your tickets now by calling or register online

3 September is National Hunger Action Month Did you know 1 in 6 Americans struggle with hunger. That s 14.9 million households nationally. Children and senior citizens are the most vulnerable to hunger. 8.4% of seniors are food insecure Families with children are almost twice as likely as families without children to experience hunger In 2012, we served 63,560 meals Soup Kitchen served 36,943 meals to hungry individuals and over 1,642 meals were served to hungry children Daybreak served 26,617 meals to disabled adults and the elderly So far this year, Soup Kitchen has served 25,137 meals including 1,508 meals to children Daybreak has served 17,041 meals What can you do to end hunger in our area? Support the Allentown CROP Hunger Walk. There is still time to form a team, register to walk or make a donation. All proceeds support hunger initiatives locally and abroad. Help Daybreak keep fresh and healthy meals on the plates of our members. They are in need of fruit, vegetables, non-sugar cereals and low-fat salad dressing. Host a food drive at your place of worship or place of business to benefit our Ecumenical Soup Kitchen. Educate yourself. Learn more by visiting our website or CROP WALK FOR THE HUNGRY Sunday, October 13, 2013, 1:30 p.m. Registration Begins at 12:45 p.m. St. Timothy s Lutheran Church, 140 S. Ott Street, Allentown. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink Matthew 25:35 For information contact Co-Chairpersons Debi Olphin, or njoyeveryday@rcn.com or Linda Held or jucc3441@ptd.net Page 3

4 Kits for a Cause Care Care Packages for the Homeless The Local Housing Options Team of the Lehigh Valley (LHOT) in conjunction with the Partnership for a Disability Friendly Community invites members of the faith community to help build survival kits to be distributed to our homeless in the Lehigh Valley. The Local Housing Option Team is a coalition that brings together stakeholders on the regional level to identify local housing needs and solutions for people with disabilities. Beginning now through the end of November, the LHOT s idea is to engage the faith community to collect items identified as most needed by individuals who have no home and sleep outdoors. The Lehigh County Conference of Churches will distribute the kits as part of the point-in-time homeless counts that the conference conducts every January. New Bethany Ministries will donate the kits to individuals most in need as they come to the homeless drop in program. Please consider becoming a collection site and making Kits for a Cause a project in your congregation or place of employment. The steps are straightforward: Form a small committee of one or two persons, post or circulate the attached flyer, promote the project during worship services and provide a collection bin or box. Collect items and store them until Thanksgiving. After November 30th, contact LHOT to arrange for the pickup of the donations. Volunteers will assemble the survival kits in backpacks and deliver them to the Lehigh County Conference of Churches in Allentown and New Bethany Ministries in Bethlehem for distribution to homeless individuals and families. To register your congregation in the Kits for a Cause campaign, please contact: Bob Wittman, Chair of Lehigh Valley Local Housing Options Team at or at bob@hadcallentown.org. To arrange a tour of local homeless services, contact: Ryan Vernick, Lehigh County Conference of Churches, x6102 Pamela Lewis, New Bethany Ministries, Spaghetti Dinner to Benefit Daybreak All you can eat spaghetti, meat and plain sauce, salad, bread, homemade desserts, tea & coffee. When: October 4 5:00-9:00 PM Where: First Presbyterian Church, 3231 W. Tilghman St Allentown, Meal Tickets: Adults $12.00, Children ages 5 to 10- $5.00 Please come out and support us as we break bread together for our Daybreak Members who are in need of a safe and supportive place to come together. Tickets can be purchased at the door or an advance by contacting Daybreak Page 4

5 Community Events Hope Gospel Quartet Concert Sunday, September 15, 2pm - 3pm St. James UCC, 15th & Walnut Streets, Allentown There will be a love offering taken to the Hope Gospel Quartet who donates the money to cancer research. This will be followed by an open house and tour of the church along with cookies and cider. There will also artwork displayed by our very own member artist Michael Sincavage. Join us for a wonderful afternoon. Medicare 101: An Overview Wednesday, September 18, 1:30pm - 2:30pm Sacred Heart Hospital, 2nd Floor Conference Center Auditorium Parking is available at 4th & Chew St or 5th St Parking Decks A free presentation by The Apprise Program to help you understand your health insurance options. This is a federally funded program designed to answer questions older adults and people with disabilities under 65 have about Medicare, Medigap, Medicaid, long-term care insurance and preventative care. Presentation will include: Introduction to Medicare, Medicare Savings Program, Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap), Medicare Advantage Plans (Part C), Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage (Part D), and much more. To register call Denise Musselman, Lehigh County Apprise Coordinator, Lehigh County Office of Aging, at or denisemusselman@lehighcounty.org. Join the Financial Community s Fight Against Homelessness in the Lehigh Valley The Financial Community has united to fund a re-entry system for homeless people back into the work community. Currently 19 employers are hiring homeless people who undergo training while in the homeless shelters, and are then moved to a reduced rent facility while they get back on feet. Sign up to have fun and help end homelessness in the Lehigh Valley. Join us for a 5k run on Sunday, September 29th, 8am start. $30 entry fee. Register at Proceeds to benefit Sixth Street Shelter and Lehigh County Conference of Churches in Allentown, New Bethany Ministries in Bethlehem and Safe Harbor in Easton. Full Listing of Community Events Our friends and partners send us too many events to list individually. Visit and go to Community Events to learn the wide range of opportunities for fellowship, fun and scholarship that our community provides. Uodated frequently. Visit often. Page 5

6 Lehigh County Conference of Churches 534 Chew Street Allentown, PA Non-Profit Organization U. S. Postage Paid Permit #1409 Lehigh Valley PA Ecumenical Encounters September 2013 Published by the Lehigh County Conference of Churches Ira Faro Interim Executive Director Tom Smith Operations Director Together We Can End Homelessness in the Lehigh Valley Friday, October 25, 6pm to 9pm Tom Walker Human Services Director Deanne Malacsics-Best Housing Director Lehigh County Conference of Churches Telephone: Fax: Page 6