Missional Network Notes for May 16th

MMN Meeting for May 16th at Liberty UMC.

We first opened with prayer.

Then we got an update on the Summer Food Bags from Blair Routh.  This is our 8th year doing the Summer Food Bags program.  Note the dates as it’s delivery time; June 14th is delivery day.  We will need help at Cooleemee Elementary School (the time to be announced).  Our first feeding day is June 15th.  Please call Blair at 336-403-9586, or email Don at drouth46@roadrunner.com, or call him at 336-403-9586, or at home at 336-936-9178.

• We will need people to unpack the truck
• We will need people at Mocksville to get the food ready for the next day
• Volunteers and money is still needed, please get with Blair ASAP!

Next we learned about Partners in Learning from it’s Development Director Amy Vestal.  

PIL is a non profit whose physical location is in Rowan County but serves many counties in our area including Davie.  It is also an accredited 5 Star center.  It specializes in helping children who have special needs, are low-income, foster families, and no child is turned away.  In it’s community services it organizes in-home visits with therapists to help children in the home who have developmental delays or other troubles and help them and their caregivers.  At it’s physical locations it provides childcare and PreK learning up to 5 years old with after school programs for kids up to 5th grade.  

Amy shared with the group the stories of 3 alumni; 

• Jacob, a young boy with special needs who passed away recently at the age of 7.  A memorial garden is planted in his honor
• Alisha, a staff member who came to intern at PIL when she was a teen and an expectant mother.  She worked hard, got her degree while working at PIL, and now plans to open a childcare center of her own.
• Megan, who came to PIL as a foster child in the summer program.  Megan was then adopted by the director Norma Honeycutt and now is grown with a family of her own.

PIL needs volunteers to help with various needs.  Examples; books for its free book program (kids - adults), toys for the in-home visits.  Also volunteers to help in the classroom, even reading to the kids is a huge deal for them.  Chad Shoaf was able to visit PIL and was impressed by the quality of care and the diversity of the kids.  

• Some other stats; PIL at it’s childcare centers run from 6am - 6pm.  
• Current enrollment is over 200 children.

                       

With Brad Cunningham moving, Rev. John Erwin agreed to serve as the new chairperson.  Tony Owens will serve as secretary.  Thank you, we love you both!

Here’s a Family Promise update;

• They are currently doing interviews for a director, may have one soon.
• The projected start date is still June 1st, which will be kept or changed after the Board of Trustees meet next week.
• Once Family Promise starts, it will likely be 8-10 weeks before it begins serving families.
• Over 21 churches are helping including at least 15 host churches.
• The Day Center located at Liberty UMC is still being worked on.

The next meeting will be held on Aug. 15 at 7pm at Concord UMC.  

Cooking Critic Cleric: Helping Special Needs Kids

Mocksville Missional Network, Feb 21, 2017 Meeting & News

Good morning all, Brad here.

I have the minutes/notes/news from our meeting last night of our Missional Network for your info.  Please note the dates, and here we go.

I opened with prayer.

Then we talked about having joint Lenten services, so be a "network."  What a concept!  Rev. Tony Owens has spearheaded this, and it has been met with great enthusiasm!  Here are the Lenten dates;

• Ash Wednesday Service: at 1st UMC Mocksville at 7pm.  
• Maundy Thursday Service at Liberty UMC at 7pm.  It will be a reenactment of the Last Supper called, "Is It I."  We dress up as the disciples, and you don't have to memorize any lines (your script is on the table itself), just volunteer, clergy and laity!  Tony Owens has already signed up, so technically there are 11 spots left!  Please email or call/text Brad at 980-521-3531, bcfishjedi@yahoo.com if you are interested.
• Good Friday Service at Hardison UMC at 7pm.  
• Details regarding these services will be forthcoming as the dates come near.  Till then, please keep your churches informed with these dates.  

Next our guest speaker Spencer Santiago came to share with us about the Vineyard Camp, a nearby camp in Stokes County.  It has been around for 34 years and they want to make connections with area churches to offer its services.  It has 300 acres of property and is modeled as a International Christian Sports Camp (many of its international campers come from as far as France & China).  There are 3 needs that the Vineyard has that we can tap into;

1. They need quality staff, 18 years old and up.  They are the ones to share the Gospel, and help bridge the gap between the US and international campers.
2. The Vineyard would like to offer its facilities for our church needs (1 week for a 75% discount).
3. Also the Vineyard is open for us to use it for a Retreat Center (such as a weekend, a single day, etc.).  They would feed us and man the activities, we just bring the chaperones. 

If you are interested please check out their excellent website at vineyardcamp.com, or email Spencer at spencer@vineyardcamp.com

Then me, Rev. Brad Cunningham shared about a new ministry he volunteered at called Buddy Break.  Buddy Break is a free church ministry for kids with special needs.  Here is how it works; for one day a month for 3 hours kids come and literally hang out at the church.  It is unstructured time, as kids with cognitive disabilities (such as autism, severe ADD) and also children with physical disabilities enjoy being able to do as they wish within the church.  Each child is assigned a "buddy," and lunch is provided by the parents.  Those 3 hours are a gift to the parents who are usually overworked and overwhelmed.  The need is great as 20 million children in the US have a disability.  Perhaps this is something the network could do, to meet this need?
Please check out the website at www.nathanielshope.org/events-programs/buddy-break.  The 5 minute YouTube video explains it very well, which you'll find on the page.  Note this was the first time I have ever presented, so it's a big deal for me as I have an autistic child and know how tough it can be.  Please check it out!

Then we talked briefly about the Summer Food Bags via Danny Cartner.  So far financing is going very well with Don Routh getting some excellent grants.  We are still asked to help with finances and manpower in the next few months.

Also 1st UMC is hosting a Wednesday Dinner on April 5th at 5:30 pm, with the proceeds going to help Family Promise.

Finally our next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 16th at 7:00 pm at Liberty UMC.

Thank John for the notes, I just type them!  God Bless, Brad