Gethsemane has begun a new program called The 4th Saturday Cafe, created to provide a healthy, free breakfast one Saturday a month for our hungry neighbors.
All are welcome to come every 4th Saturday for a free breakfast of eggs, French toast, cereal, coffee and more. There are no reservations required. Kids are welcome. Breakfast is served from 9 am - 10:30 am. The next date is May 25.
This initiative is made possible through the support of ICA and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.
Have you seen the new Social Ministry brochure? You’ll find details about eleven initiatives available to help you live out your faith through acts of Service and Justice.
This may involve serving a meal at a homeless shelter, delivering a meal to the homebound, helping build adequate housing for a family, or something else that fits your skills and interests. The eleven current initiatives were not selected at random. Not too long ago our Social Ministry Team spent time identifying priority issues of focus for GLC's efforts. These are:
- Replacing homelessness with adequate housing
- Eliminating hunger by providing adequate food
- Helping our neighbors in need, especially children and families
In order to more effectively impact these issues of focus, we frequently work in partnership with five organizations:
The Social Ministry Team encourages everyone of every age to add some service and justice to your life. Imagine ... then take a leap of faith and ACT!
Gethsemane has a long-standing partnership with Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity. Our first work project was in 2000 and since then we’ve sent crews to one or two build sites each year. This includes two Hopkins homes for which we were Contributing Sponsors.
Our 2013 Work Project will be on Monday, July 8 and Tuesday, July 9 at a Thrivent Builds with Habitat site in Chaska. Some of you may recall that we’ve worked at homes in this general area before. Ground-breaking is in mid-June.
The Social Ministry team organizes our annual Habitat initiative and there are several different opportunities for you to be involved. We need:
• 15-18 Crew Members to work each day
• People to provide food for the crew
• Volunteers to deliver the food to the site
• Financial donors to support the work of TCHFH
Anyone age 16 or older is eligible for the work crew. NO special skills are required, just a willingness to learn and be part of a team. Of course, it’s very helpful to have a few experienced volunteers as part of each crew.
For questions or to get on the crew list, contact Donna Anderson at 952-933-0453 or danderso@ties2.net. Invite friends, neighbors and relatives to join you!
Sign-up for Crew and Food Providers will begin on Sunday, June 9.
Financial donations to Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity are also appreciated. Checks should be made to Gethsemane and clearly marked for TCHFH.
Together let’s continue our support of Habitat’s mission to "eliminate poverty housing from the Twin Cities and to make decent, affordable housing for all people a matter of conscience."
Information & Conversation about Key Issues of Today
Gethsemane is hosting three summer community forums. These are free and open to all. Each will be held in the Fireside Gallery from 7-8 pm. Come and invite others!
Wednesday, June 19
Islam: Challenges to Peaceful Co-existence in the West
How do Muslims adjust to and co-exist in a pluralistic society? How do they cope with the added burden of being viewed as a threat?
Dr. Fatma Reda is a psychiatrist and consultant physician, with a PhD in Comparative Religious Studies. Born in Egypt, Fatma has lived in Minnesota since 1970 and has been a U.S. citizen since 1977.
Wednesday, July 17
Sex Trafficking in Minnesota: Who, What, Why and Where?
Christine Stark is an award-winning author, researcher, activist, visual artist and survivor. Currently, she is completing a research project about trafficking in the Duluth harbor.
Wednesday, August 21
Climate Change: Minnesota Impacts and Solutions
J. Drake Hamilton is Science Policy Director for the nonprofit Fresh Energy. She is an advocate for clean energy solutions to global warming that will maximize economic opportunities for the Midwest.
The Social Ministry Team is collecting items for the Veterans' Home at Fort Snelling. The government supplies the residents’ basic needs, but we are suggesting items that will improve their quality of life even more. Following is a list of requested items. Please place your donations in the barrels near the church entrances.
- sheets of 100 stamps
- CD-R's
- white tube socks (crew length)
- sweat pants - any color, sizes M-XXL
- manicure supplies for women - nail polish, nail polish remover, emery board, cotton balls
- seasonal and holiday paper goods, i.e. plates, cups, napkins, table coverings, to accommodate 100
- metal BBQ tongs & flippers for picnics (must be all metal/no wood allowed
- newspaper subscriptions to St. Paul Pioneer Press & Mpls. Star Trib.
The Vets' Home, as it is usually called, provides permanent food and shelter for men and women who served our country during previous wars and now are in need of 24/7 care. The Veterans Home-Minneapolis is the oldest, serving our veterans for 125 years. It is also the largest, caring for 341 veterans and their spouses who qualify.
Each 3rd Sunday of the month Gethsemane sends a team of 4-5 people to the People Serving People homeless shelter in downtown Minneapolis to serve supper to the residents.
Anyone 12 or older can volunteer. Time commitment is 3:30-6:30 pm, including travel time. New volunteers are always placed in a group with those who "know the ropes."
To volunteer call Barb Krig at 952-474-2041.
On the second Monday and Tuesday of each and every month, Gethsemane volunteers deliver hot noontime meals to the homebound in our community. Don and Lorraine
Carlson recently ‘retired’ from this duty after many years of faithful service. On behalf of our congregation, the Social Ministry Team recognizes and thanks Don and Lorraine for their generous gift of time.
Could you serve as a regular driver? We have many volunteers who are able and willing to help as occasional substitutes. However, we need people who could be ‘regular’ drivers on the first Monday (or even the first Tuesday) of each month. If your schedule fits that timeframe, please contact Jan Quist at 952-474-8194 for more information.
We live in an increasingly diverse community. Gethsemane has the opportunity and responsibility to discern the most effective ways to be a church in this changing environment. These facts were the motivation for this summer’s Congregation Read and our hosting of two community events. It was wonderful to see so many get involved in a variety of ways.
Over 70 families purchased the book, close to 95 people attended the July Outcasts United and 55 people the August Neighbors United events. Plus many more likely read information about the events or issues in the Gethsemane News, local newspapers and various websites. It’s hoped that the learning, dialogue and community connections have only just begun.
By the way, did you know:
Research has found that inhabitants of very diverse communities tend to withdraw from collective life, volunteer less, distrust neighbors regardless of skin color, and huddle unhappily in front of the TV. (Unless, of course, a community takes strategic actions to prevent this from occurring.)
After hearing presentations about what’s currently happening in relations to our area’s growing immigrant and refugee populations, those attending Neighbors United brainstormed answers to the following question: What are some actions, big and small, that each of us might engage in to help build a healthy, united community? Here are just a few of the responses for your consideration:
- Smile and say hello, especially to those who look different from you
- Attend community ethnic festivals
- Go to the new ethnic restaurants and cultural markets in our area
- Introduce a new neighbor to your neighborhood
- Open a conversation with an immigrant or refugee. Try to find out what you have in common.
- Consider volunteering at Adult Options, Alice Smith or Eisenhower Elementary
- Support ResourceWest, ICA, and Lutheran Social Service
The Gethsemane Social Ministry Team in partnership with local non-profit organizations would like to provide household furnishings to people in need in our community.
If you have items such as tables, chairs, lamps, dishes, utensils or linens in clean and safe working order, we may be able to provide a family with much needed items for their home.
Additionally, we may be able to accept some recycled products such as appliances, doors & windows, lighting fixtures and miscellaneous cabinetry including hardware and doorknobs, plumbing fixtures and more.
We may provide some pickup and delivery, or for small items we can set up a convenient time for you to drop your items off. (The non-profit organization is in Hopkins.)
Contact LaVerne Anderson at 952-544-3062, or email andrs691@aol.com, using the word “Gethsemane” in the subject line.
Watch this Lutheran World Relief video of our own LaRee Shebeck as she shares the story of why she became an LMI supporter.
Learn more about the Lutheran Malaria Initiative at www.lutheranmalaria.org
Lutheran World Relief Fair Trade coffee, tea and olive oil is sold every 3rd Sunday of the month in the Lobby at Gethsemane.
Gethsemane serves Fair Trade Coffee every Sunday during fellowship time in the Gathering Space. Fair Trade ensures that more of the money spent on coffee reaches the farmers who actually grow it. Visit www.lutheranworldrelief.org to learn more.
By Brian Furan, Facilities Supervisor
These days, you can’t turn on the news, go online or open a newspaper without seeing more and more about the environment and being "green" (environmentally friendly.) By doing what we can to conserve energy here at Gethsemane and at home, we are contributing to a much larger effort that can produce massive results!
What can we do here at Gethsemane? We can ALL make an immediate difference by just doing a few simple things when we are at church.
- Simply wiping your shoes well on the way in can make a difference in the energy and resources needed to keep the carpets clean.
- Turn off lights, fans and air conditioners when you are finished using a room.
- Recycle instead of just tossing in the nearest garbage can. We have aluminum can recycling containers around the building, and containers for paper, glass and plastic are located next to the walk-in cooler in the kitchen, as well as a large red barrel for paper in the work room.
- Ink cartridges, cell phones and cell phone batteries can be recycled in a container located next to the front desk.
- Cardboard can be recycled in the paper dumpster located behind the garage, or left next to the maintenance office downstairs.
Other steps being taken include using paper products such as towels and tissues from recycled materials and certified "green" industries, and researching bio-degradeable cleaning products and methods to reduce cleaning waste.
Together, we can all take little steps towards making a big difference at Gethsemane, and hopefully be an inspiration for others in our community to work toward a cleaner, better environment for our future generations to enjoy!
