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WHAT YOU CAN DO

MISSION OF THE MONTH
SEPTEMBER 2010

GOOD SAMARITAN DAY
September 25, 2010

It’s time for our Fall Good Samaritan Day and we have something for everyone! Children, parents and grandparents of Lewinsville – come join for a half-day of missional service, fun and fellowship. This is a GREAT opportunity to serve our Lord Jesus Christ in a very practical way.

We will meet at the church at 8 a.m. for coffee and breakfast snacks provided by Men’s Squares. From there, we will break into four teams to dedicate three hours of light work, 9-12, at your choice of four local projects.

You can join the team assisting at Lewinsville Retirement Residence. There will be two types of activities. Two types of activities are planned for volunteers working at The Lewinsville Retirement Residence. One team of volunteers will assist individual residents who are requesting help with small household chores (e.g. turning mattress, hanging pictures, cleaning the inside of windows, clean under/behind furniture, clean kitchen/bath floor, organize closet, etc.). A second team of volunteers will install new landscape plants and mulch in the front and rear driveway circles near the main lobby entrances – this should help give LRR a fresh look when people arrive for LRR’s 30th anniversary reception the following day, September 26. (For any questions, please contact Alan at avslc11@verizon.net.)

You can go to SHARE – Self Help and Resource Exchange at Mclean Baptist Church to assist clients shopping from the food and clothing shelves from 9:15-12:30. There may be a need to help a few clients to their cars with groceries and clothing items. (For any questions, please contact Renie Ruehlin at iruehlin@verizon.net.)

Try something new and join the group that will help with Bethany House’s “Let’s Take a Book” event. You will get to read to children and parents and assist with reading activities. (For any questions, please contact Kathy Porterfield at kwporterfield@gmail.com.)

Join the team that works on at Alternative House’s Emergency Shelter for Teens in sprucing up the place by painting the living room and kitchen. (For any questions, please contact Pattie Gunter at pngunter@cox.net.)

CLICK HERE to sign up online, or sign up at the staffed tables on Sunday mornings in September. We look forward to bringing together all generations of Lewinsville congregants in one event. With so many people working together, the three hours will fly by, and the work we will achieve should be impressive.

In addition, all volunteers are invited to gather in The Lewinsville Retirement Residence dining room for a soup/salad/sandwich luncheon and time to share their experience with other volunteers. There will be a modest charge for the luncheon.

SIGN UP ONLINE >>

 

SHARE’s shelves are bare.  When you go to the grocery store to stock up this week think about picking something up for the SHARE of McLean pantry shelves.  With food reserves wiped out and demand for all services at an historic high, SHARE struggles to keep up with the pantry demand. Items most needed include:  breakfast cereals, canned fruit, juices, grape or strawberry jelly, rice, sugar, flour, pasta, cooking oil, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, toothbrushes, dish detergent, laundry detergent, diapers, paper towels and toilet paper.

Nonperishable food items can be brought to the SHARE rooms around the side of McLean Baptist Church, 1367 Chain Bridge Road. During off hours, donations can be left in the box outside the door to the rooms.  Or, if you leave your SHARE donation at Lewinsville we will make sure it gets to SHARE.

CHRIST HOUSE  – is running low on clothing!  There is a need for men’s t-shirts, casual pants or jeans, and lightly-used sneakers, especially in medium and large sizes.  Please place your contributions in the container in the volunteer room labeled CHRIST HOUSE.   Many thanks for your support of one of Lewinsville’s oldest and most active mission programs that provides medical services to the neediest of God’s children in the District of Columbia.  Please contact Janet Jacewicz to learn more about Christ House and the volunteer opportunities available. 
  
CHRIST HOUSE House – is the recipient of a $50,000 challenge grant from the Kaiser Permanente Community Benefits Program.  Every dollar received by August 31st will be matched up to $50,000.  The funds raised will be used to offset the costs of the new Kairos House expansion.  Kairos House currently houses up to 37 formerly homeless men and the expansion will provide housing for another 15 individuals.  Lewinsville provides and serves dinner to Christ House residents and the men from Kairos House on the second Sunday of each month.  If you wish to help support the Kairos House expansion, checks may be sent to Christ house, 1717 Columbia Rd. NW, Washington, DC  2009-2803, annotated KAIROS.  If giving online, (www.christhouse.org) please write KAIROS in the comments section.  To learn more about the Kaiser Permanente grant and the Kairos II expansion program, access the website.  Point-of-Contact: Janet Jacewicz (703-534-7004, janetjacewicz@cox.net). 

CARITAS PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY

In Christian theology, caritas means an unlimited loving-kindness toward others – this is the goal of Lewinsville’s prayer shawl ministry. Our newest outreach ministry will provide the opportunity for knitters and crocheters to gather on a regular basis to create shawls that will provide both warmth and spiritual comfort to those who receive them. We meet on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month from 10:00 am to Noon in the chapel. We welcome knitters and crocheters of all skill levels to enjoy this time of mission, fellowship and learning. If you cannot attend the gatherings for the entire time, please feel free to come and stay as long as you can. Regardless of your ability or desire to attend scheduled meetings, we hope that as many knitters as possible will contribute their talents to creating prayer shawls for our frail members who will know they are loved and remembered by our Lewinsville Congregation. To learn more about how you can contribute to this very special ministry, please contact either Nancy McGuire (703-759-2224 / ngmcguire3@verizon.net) or Janet Jacewicz (703-534-7004 / janetjacewicz@cox.net). Learn more about the prayer shawl ministry movement at www.shawlministry.com.

Contribute Non-perishable Food Items, Used Clothing, and Other Items

Non-perishable food items are collected on the first Sunday of each month for SHARE. Canned goods and dry items requiring no refrigeration, please. Staples such as tea, sugar, vegetable oil and cereal, toothpaste, laundry detergent and bar soap are always needed. Place your donations  in the boxes that will be found in the Narthex.

You Can Volunteer for a Project in a Role Tailored to Fit Your Personal Schedule and Situation

See the complete listing of projects on this website:

You Can Support  Special Campaigns and Collections When They Are Announced

Special campaigns will be conducted to meet unforeseen needs and emergencies, in particular for natural disasters.  Relief efforts for hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters will be the subject of special appeals, because funds for such contingencies are very limited in the current budget.

 

Look for our Mission Handbook, available at Lewinsville Presbyterian Church. All information in the Handbook is also found on these Outreach webpages. There are approximately 25 separate activities listed under four major headings: Housing, Hunger and Poverty, Social Services, and National and International. This Mission Handbook contains information about all the Mission projects that Lewinsville supports as of August 2009.

Updated August 31, 2010