Solidarity Delegation Arrived

Pastor Lyle wrote to say that they arrived and are staying at the Sister Parish headquarters in Guatemala City while receiving some orientation to the history, customs, etc. He writes:

Guatemala City is warm and much like other places in Mexico and Central America in terms of development and look. We took a walk for lunch at a nice local place (plaintain and a blackberry drink were the only departures from what might be expected in the U.S.). We also walked to the city center to view the cathedral and palace.

No one is experiencing any ill effects yet from food, climate, altitude, or insects. We depart for UPAVIM tomorrow.

We will indeed be visiting with representatives of Chichipate! That's very good news. They will travel with us to Tierra Nueva Dos on Saturday. So we will give them our several gifts for the community then, discuss how things are going with the school, and talk about what we might do related to solidarity/advocacy.

With hopes that all is well with you and the folks at St. Thomas.

Grace and peace,
Lyle

Solidarity Delegation Updates

I'll try and post updates as I get them from the delegation. I just heard that they arrived safely and are in their orientation in Guatemala City right now. We continue our prayers for safety for all involved and a fruitful time walking alongside the communities they visit.

Winter Shelter Seeks Volunteers

St. Thomas passed motions at both the mission committee meeting and the council meeting to support the interfaith low barrier shelter through weekly volunteers and financial support.

The Interfaith Winter Shelter, a low barrier overnight shelter designed to provide homeless people a warm and safe place to sleep, depends totally on volunteers and is actively seeking volunteers as it gears up for the winter season, which begins Nov. 1. IWS operates as a "rotating site." Three congregations take turns providing space and bedding. Community members serve as volunteer staff.

All volunteers are required to attend one three hour training session. Upcoming training dates are: Wednesday, Oct. 14, 6-9 p.m. First United Church, firstunited@firstunitedchurchbloomington.org
Monday, Oct. 19, 6-9 p.m. Trinity Episcopal Church, admin@trinitybloomington.org
Sunday, Oct. 25, 2-5 p.m. First Christian Church, fcc@fcc-blmgtn.org

Volunteers may train at any location and serve at any location. They do not have to be a member of a faith community in order to volunteer. Volunteers must be 18 or older, or must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian while volunteering and at orientation. Online registration and detailed information is available at interfaithwintershelter.org/volunteer/ ,or email one of the training sites.

CROP Walk

Thank you to everyone who supported CROP Walk through prayers, donations and walking. If you didn't get a chance to donate, you can still do so for the next couple of weeks. A special thank you to our youngest "walker" here and his family for participating!

Solidarity Delegation to Guatemala

Please keep the Solidarity Delegation in your prayers. They depart Wednesday of this week and return the following week on Friday (Oct. 30). We pray for safe travels, a time of learning and growing, and that it will provide us as a community a window into the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ who live in Guatemala. We also keep the community of Chichipate in our prayers with the recent violence there.

Mission Fair Sunday September 20

Do you have a mission project or issue you are passionate about and would like to share with others? Consider reserving some space at the St. Thomas Mission Fair! This is an opportunity to learn from each other about local, national and global issues important to various members in our community. Please note that nobody will be asking for money - this is simply a way to raise awareness and enthusiasm! Join in!

EPAM - Every Person a Missionary

The first of several EPAM sessions from the I-K synod and sponsored by the Mission Committee will begin this week to focus on the key questions, "What's God up to and how can I help?" Look for more information and consider joining in. It's a fun way to re-energize and focus our Christian lives with an intentional way of looking at each day and the opportunities it brings for sharing grace and love.