Glen Cary Lutheran Church

Update - Week ending June 3

Here is my weekly update for all of the happening things with FPAC this week.

• It has been a very busy couple of weeks at the day center. Nothing like having a house full of energetic children to keep things fresh and lively.

• A big THANK YOU to Greg & Annette Olson and their team of volunteers at Zion in Anoka for hosting last week. And a big THANK YOU to Marsha Berg & Mona Glesne and all of the volunteers at Redeemer Lutheran for hosting this week. There has been quite a bit of transition over the last two weeks and Allisen and I appreciate all of the hard work and flexibility the volunteers have displayed! Thanks again to the owners of Embers in Fridley for opening their restaurant to FPAC and our families. FPAC families will sleep a little later tomorrow morning and then the volunteers at Redeemer will take the over to Embers for a first class breakfast at NO CHARGE to us! Big shout out to Embers, Fridley.

• Did you know that FPAC has a Facebook page? I try to update our page with stories, facts and wish list items. I would love it if you could LIKE Family Promise of Anoka County on Facebook. This would be a great place for you to comment on your experiences with FPAC or to read about new things that may be happening with us. The short story I shared this week was. It's the small things that make a big difference. I gave a guest in our program a supply of shampoo, conditioner, lotion, toothpaste, etc. She gave her 4 year old daughter a bath and brushed her teeth. The four year comes into my office, tells me to smell her breath and proceeds to blow with a big smile on her face and says "it's okay to smell my breath, I just brushed my teeth!" She was proud of her new supplies.

• Today, a mother and her 13 year old daughter stopped by the day center looking for shelter. We have one more opening, so we began the intake. The mother looked very stressed as she was evicted from her apartment at 2:30p today. This mother had no idea of what her next steps are or what she will do. She decided not to stay at FPAC because her 17 year old daughter did not want to move into a shelter and this mother did not want to separate her family. My heart completely felt for this mother. So she left the day center with her 13 year old daughter with no place to go. I know things can get hectic and a little crazy with four families and loads of children milling around their new home known, the church building. Just remember that some of the families are in high crisis and very near the end of their rope and the smiling, warm face of a volunteer might just give them a reason to forget about their problems if only for one minute.

• The day center got a little bit of a facelift. Sandy Forrest has worked really hard to plant flowers and other plants to make our space more inviting. So far so good! Thanks Sandy for all of your work with the FPAC garden.

• FPAC on YouTube? That would be correct. In December of last year, we had a short feature completed about FPAC and our then host congregation, Peace Lutheran. I have included the link for you to take a look. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGSmkfL2ttA. Let me know what you think.

• Our next coordinator's meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 13^th at 6:00-8:00p at the Salvation Army. I will send the agenda prior to the meeting. If you are unable to attend, just let me know and be sure to send any FAQs or concerns and I will be sure to discuss them during the meeting.

• Thank you to the many congregations that have sent their summer programming schedules. This information will be very useful as new families join us during the summer months. If you come across any additional summer programming opportunities, please let Allisen or I know about it and we will make sure to pass the information along to the families.

• So far, it seems that our new air mattresses are working out very well. Mattresses can be picked up anytime during the week before you are scheduled to host and can be returned by Monday the week after you host. Mattresses and pack 'n plays are stored at the day center in the hallway closet. Please notify your church representative that they should be able to pick up the beds from the hallway closet inside the day center.

• If you have anything that you would like for me to add to the "almost" weekly update, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I welcome any ideas or suggestions that would enhance our agency operations.

A few reminders. 

• Important dates

• June 13^th -6:00-8:00p FPAC Coordinator's Meeting
• July 11^th -6:00-8:00p FPAC Volunteer Training at Salvation Army

I think that's it for now! Have a great weekend.

Junita 

Update Weeks Ending June 24

Here is my weekly update for all of the happening things with FPAC this week.

• We have had a lot of things going on at the FPAC Day Center. A BIG thank you to all of the volunteers that have given of their time to make each host week a success. John and Pam Schlemmer lead the Grace e-Free host week last week and the families felt very welcomed at the church. The parents are still talking about the steak and potatoes dinner they had and the kids loved all of the equipment in the gym. They were pretty excited that a church had a gym just like the one at their school. Jill Discher and Michelle Behrends from Constance Free are hosting a great week this week. One of the moms stopped in my office and said that they felt liked they were being spoiled by all of the volunteers and everyone was so nice. It was also exciting to see the group of middle school students from Constance extend their hospitality to the day center when they stopped over this week and lead some table games and provided an afternoon snack. The two children that were leaving for an appointment with their mother, cried because they wanted to stay and play games. Next week, Kathy Lund & Deb McPeck will host the families at St. Timothy’s. Can you believe it…next week marks the half-way point for our calendar year.

• Last week, we started our school age activity group on Tuesdays from 10:00a-12:00p and it was a great success. Thanks to our current Parent Educator and the Anoka-Hennepin School District for making this opportunity available to us. To make sure the group activity is a success, we had two volunteers stop by the day center with a bag full of assorted sports balls and other outside toys for the kids to enjoy. We are grateful for all of the gifts that are shared with us!

• A flash from the past: I spoke with a former FPAC guest, Justyna and she is doing well. She wanted me to let everyone know how much she misses FPAC. She talks about us to everyone. She also asked me to pass on the message that she has just started the nicotine patch to try and quit smoking. She said she is pretty excited about this new venture. She remembered quite a few volunteers by name. Thanks for making a former guest’s time at FPAC a positive and memorable experience.

• At the coordinator meeting, I asked everyone to look out for stories from guests and volunteers and pass those along to me. Here’s what one coordinator shared in her church newsletter…

  • From the FPAC committee members, getting involved in such a huge project and setting it up from scratch was a scary decision, especially with all of our family commitments and on-going life challenges. But God has a way with nudging and pushing each of us. This time was no different as each person joined at just the right time they were needed and with just the right talent, idea, willingness or enthusiasm to keep us going. Then encouragement and help from parishioners also helped keep us motivated. A few things I’ve learned from Family Promise: 

• I’m more capable than I thought.
• Let go-don’t worry 
• With God-anything is possible

• At the coordinator’s meeting, I talked about having the opportunity to share our gratitude with each host and partner congregation during weekend services. I have heard back from a couple of coordinators so far, please let me know if this is possible. I would like to hear back from each coordinator either way. We can either speak, have a FPAC table in the lobby area or a combination of the two. Let me know what works best for your congregation and we will make sure to make it happen. We now have an awesome Speaker’s Bureau that is ready to share FPAC. If you still need a copy of the notes from the meeting, let me know and I can send them to you.

A few reminders… 

Important dates

• July 11^th -6:00-8:00p FPAC Volunteer Training at Salvation Army

I think that’s it for now! I think I should wrap it up as I may have just spotted the sun!

Week Ending July 1

Here is my weekly update for all of the happening things with FPAC this week.

• A BIG thanks to Pastor Lyndy, Sue Dergantz & Naomi Peterson along with their team of volunteers from UMC-Anoka and First Congregational Church. They hosted June 5-12^th and I forgot to say thanks for all of their hard work. They had a great host week. During their week, we had the extreme weather temps…60 degrees one day and 103 degrees the next. The building did not have air conditioning, so after some quick thinking and schedule rearranging, the enjoyed the extreme heat while having dinner in a fully air conditioned restaurant, Sammy’s Pizza. Of course everyone had a grand time.

• Thank you to Kathy Lund, Deb McPeck and their team of volunteers at St. Timothy’s Catholic Church for hosting this week. They had a full week with a couple of changes, but they managed everything smoothly. Among the many activities offered for guests, Bingo night was a very popular night. Kathy and Deb were also very gracious to provide a brief introduction about hosting FPAC and a tour of their space to 9 volunteers from the Great River Family Promise in Elk River as they prepare to host a network of their own. Kathy and Deb will pass the baton to Len & Mary Powell along with their team of volunteers at Epiphany.

• On Thursday, a mom and her three children received exciting news that they were accepted for a three bedroom apartment. She was so excited about her new housing opportunity, but she also received more good news. After two years of hard work, she finally received her high school diploma. She shared her diploma with everyone at the day center. She said that she was very proud of herself for achieving this accomplishment even though she waited until she had three children. She will be starting school at MCTC in September. This mom and her family came to FPAC from a referral through an Anoka County social worker in the Adult Mental Health Department. The social worker was also very happy, because in the past when she had families that were experiencing homelessness, she had ZERO shelter options for them within Anoka County.

• SAVE THE DATE: Tuesday, August 16, 2011-TPC Rose 2^nd Annual Women’s Golf Invitational

The TPC Rose Group has chosen FPAC as the non-profit organization to receive all of the proceeds from their 2011 fundraising events. This is great news and we need your help to make each event a success. Mark your calendar, grab your best girlfriends and plan to hit the greens. More information will follow and I am hopeful that you can include the information in your weekly bulletin. I will be sure and forward the official e-vite once I receive it.

• Thank you to those of you that have inquired about a 3-4 minute FPAC talk during weekend services. We have several booked, but we want to try and cover each of our host and partner congregations. Send me an email with potential dates. The presentation can be during the service or it can consist of a table in the fellowship hall/lobby area. We want to make sure your congregation knows how much we appreciate your support and partnership.

• Just a reminder to send me dates that your congregation is available to host in 2012. I have started receiving information from some congregations, but I still need more. Once I have an idea on availability from each congregation, I will begin planning the 2012 calendar.

• FPAC day center is getting a facelift. FPAC received a grant to tear out the old patio and have a new one put in. The project will start July 7^th. Stay tuned for the before and after photos. This will be a great gathering place for families to chat while their children run around and play to their heart’s content. So what would be a nice addition to the patio…I’m glad you asked! We could use a nice patio table and chairs. If you have a gently used patio set that you were thinking of donating consider sharing it with FPAC. Give me a call or send me an email.

• Let’s face it, social media is all the rage and we want to get in on the action. FPAC has a Facebook page with 86 friends and we want more. First, we would like 150 friends by the end of July. Second, we would like for you to share your thoughts and personal experiences with FPAC on our Facebook page. Third, we will have at least one new post per week. So, if you like to be “in the know” or you just want to remain connected to FPAC when you are not hosting stop by our Facebook page and join us!

A few reminders… 

Important dates

• July 11^th -6:00-8:00p FPAC Volunteer Training at Salvation Army

I think that’s it for now! Have a happy July 4^th holiday and may you take in all of the “sun-sational” smells of summer…backyard grills, freshly cut watermelon and sweet tea!