March 17, 2011 South Central Mission Area Minutes

President Toma Lord called the meeting to order at 6:10 pm.

The following members were present: Toma Lord; Karl Stevens; Sister Nadine from the Convent of the Transfiguration in Glendale, OH; Joe Ashby; Jo Richards; Kay Ashby; Robert E. Bennett; Helen Svoboda-Baber; Mike Lowe, Barbara Traven and June E. Hulit.  Guests included:  Sister Nadine from the Transfiguration in Glendale, OH and Deacon Gretchen Greene, who spoke on the Commission on Global and Domestic Mission.

Each attendee was asked if they had any current situations or issues to be offered in prayer. Rev. Karl Stevens lead us in prayer after each person reported on the activities of their parish.

One of the first items on the agenda, June Hulit resigned as treasurer and requested the position of secretary for 2011-2012. Karl Stevens greeted this suggestion with delight, and the Chair accepts and is pleased to nominate June for the position of Secretary for the year 2011-2012. It was voted unanimously. Other offices for MAC will be discussed further and confirmed at the May 5^th meeting in Shelby.

Sister Nadine from the Convent of the Transfiguration is staying at Tabor Cottage in Butler, Ohio. She discussed the possible plans that Tabor Cottage may be turned into a retreat house.

Parish Reports as follows:

Grace Church – Mansfield Contract has been approved for new construction.  Original stone wall being torn out and stone will be sold to support the Bricks for Haiti project.  Concerns were stated that during the construction, the Food Pantry may be interrupted and folks will hopefully  work around the construction with patience and without any problems.  Labyrinth walks on Fridays in Lent.   $330.00 was made on Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper. Dresses made it to Haiti.  Currently 13 states and 3 countries are involved in making dresses for the children of Haiti.  They are in the very preliminary conversations of Shared Ministry to bring in a young deacon for Mansfield, Marion and Shelby areas.  There are approximately 5,000 students in the area and no chaplains.   The food pantry in Mansfield has received an ECSF grant.  Joe and Kay will be celebrating their 30 year anniversary.

St. Matthew’s – Ashland The Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper had 85 attendees.  Lent – One big thing – Passover will be held evening of Palm Sunday.  Mark Robinson will be at St. Matthew’s on Palm Sunday and will talk about Haiti.   Talking about family (adult and children’s) VBS. St. Matthew’s now has a web site which is http//www.stmatthewsashland.org.  Ashland would like to have more children/families attending St. Matthew’s.

Harcourt Parish – Gambier Robert Bennett lost his partner of thirty years, The Rev. Jerry Townsend, who entered into new life on 2/26.   Rev. Townsend was a priest in our diocese.  Several people from other parishes, including members from various choirs, joined in the celebration of his new life at Trinity in Cleveland.  It was a great tribute to Rev. Townsend.   Our heartfelt sympathies go to Robert.

Currently there is a gender-based competition to support Harcourt Parish.  There are two vials used to collect pocket change…one vile for men and one for women.   Own a former home for Outreach.  Has a garden – student outreach called the Parish House.  Harcourt is in mid-sabbatical mode.  Rector Helen Svoboda-Barber is taking a break but has laid out tasks for the congregation and meditations with a timeframe for the parish.   Once they both reconvene they hope to share their experiences, joy and grow. Coming up is a prayer retreat with catered meals.  Two topics on Saturday.  Hours are 4 pm to 6 pm and 6 pm to 8 pm.  Various types of prayer on Palm Sunday weekend. Choirs from the SC MAC will host a Solemn Evensong at 4 pm on Sunday, March 27 at Harcourt Parish in Gambier.

St. Paul’s - Mt. Vernon provides a homeless shelter November thru April.  Last year there were seven people to stay all season.  Three weeks ago there have been 40 to 50 individuals to stay which entails, men, women and children.  People have lost their homes, out of work, etc.  This homeless shelter received an ECSF grant.   Very hard economic times for the small town of Mt. Vernon.  To staff both sides of the shelter; need two sets of volunteers, need rules in place, and background checks on men.  Fire code is now compliant.  There are also Laundry facilities.   When there were only seven people; there were ten volunteers and not any problems.  When there are 40 to 50 people in the shelter; volunteers have to learn to enforce rules…institutional shelter.  The board is almost together.  There is a lawyer doing pro bono service.  St. Paul’s is receiving lots of community support from other Churches.   Pastorily, there are many concerns.  How do we help the people of our parishes in this economic crisis? Possibly when clergy meet with Mark Robinson he might be able to suggest some answers.

St. Marks - Shelby is having basic Lenten services; nothing really planned for Palm Sunday.  Have 30 to 40 in attendance each week.   Just completed recarpeting and painting in the church.   Have two apartments; in the process of remodeling one; and getting it ready to rent.    Outreach 1% donated to St. Paul’s last year.  Donated $3,500 money to the Nazarene Daycare in Shelby.    All of this is done with part-time clergy and what is received weekly.  Do not do pledges; nor fundraisers.   On Mondays; there is a prayer group that meets for one hour and St. Marks also has a Book club.   Had a Rummage sale; monies to buy toys and clothes for the kids at Christmas.  Outreach has helped Shelby Help Line; Shelby Christian Outreach, Hospice; Richland County Habitat for Humanity; First Church of God in Shelby; Thursday Meal Program; North Central State College.  A committee is being put together to create a $5,000 scholarship for an outstanding student in Richland County.  Donated the 10% to diocese; 22% to Outreach.  Part-time clergy which was to be temporary; Rev. Sipes has now been at Shelby for ten years.

St. James – Wooster Beginning March 18^th and 19^th the annual Rummage Sale is being held.   St. James’ annual “Ton of Love” was held in February.  Parishioners donate canned, nonperishable food in an effort to raise 2,000 lbs. (a ton) of food for our local food bank, People to People.  On the last Sunday of the event, we weigh each item and this year we donated a total of 1,554 pounds of food.  Evelyn is currently at a conference in Atlanta and Damon and his wife are on vacation.  We, too, have been talking about Bricks for Haiti.  The one person who is interested in heading this up is currently working on the Rummage Sale so a name will not be stated at this time.  St. James has an apartment above the church office which will be used for retreat purposes.  Believe there is someone already signed up.  The apartment is within walking distance of many establishments/restaurants in downtown Wooster.  We, too, had a Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper and made approximately $300.

Toma Lord passed out two handouts:  One handout was regarding the Bricks for Haiti and the other was in regards to Diocesan Summer Internships.  A form was passed around asking each MAC member to provide their name, church, email address and a phone number where they could be reached.  She also passed around a sign-up sheet asking MAC members to sign up to host future MAC meetings.  MAC meetings will be held the first Thursday of every other month and will meet at 6 pm.  The dates of the meetings will be May 5, July 7, September 1, November 3 in 2011 and January 5, 2012.

Deacon Gretchen Greene - Global and Domestic Missions Deacon for the Diocese of Ohio spoke and handed out information on “Seven Habits of Highly Effective Outreach” which is to be held April 2 at Trinity Cathedral, the fee of $20.00 per attendee, and information on the 2011 Request for Support for Global and Domestic Mission Projects.  Where Debra Sudy’s name appears on these handouts; replace her name with the name of Mark Robinson.  Debra Sudy has resigned from the Diocese.

CDGM (Commission on Global and Domestic Mission) was formed approximately two to three years ago.   .7%  pledges of the Diocese are for the Millenium Development Goals (MDG).  Last year CDGM decided there are many needs in our own country itself.  Thought it would be projects outside of our diocese but decided they need to be able to focus on needs within our diocese as well.  Monies are set aside for that and they don’t want to duplicate the work of other services but at the same time, CDGM wants to be flexible enough to consider things.  Gretchen stated in listening this evening about some of the issues St. Paul’s is having with their shelter, there is a shelter in New Philadelphia (East Central Mission Area Council) and they are struggling with some of the same struggles that are going on here.  She suggested St. Paul’s consider calling the folks at Trinity in New Philadelphia and speaking with them.  What the Council has decided to do is to hold a single-agenda item meeting in April to see, how they, as a council, to see all the churches come together to see what they can do to help support the work that is happening in one parish but that is a concern for the wider church and probably, as a council, apply for some of the domestic mission funds.   Don’t know where it is going to go but hoping, as a community of faith in the Diocese, that we cannot expect everything to be handled by one individual parish but coordinating efforts is a large part that Bishop Hollingsworth is hoping we will do through our MAC.

So CDGM is looking at MDG and also the Presiding Bishop’s eleven domestic poverty challenges so those are the two areas.  In addition, with the Bishop, CDGM is exploring the possibility of a diocesan companion or relationship with both an African and a South or Central American Dioceses.  The two that they are looking at are Tanga, Tanzania and Fred Denobblock’s niece is down in this area to speak to the area churches and did speak at the convention and he has quite a bit of stuff going and Gretchen believes they are going to be able to send a shipping container of medical equipment and supplies and a small group of medical personnel to a particular small hospital in Tanzania.  That is not actually coming out of the commission dollars.  CDGM does not have the dollars to do that but has some monies coming out of another fund.

The other thing CDGM is looking at is a partnership or companionship with Belize.   Dick and Cindy Shaffer from Toledo are there.  Have been there several times and have several relationships already built.  Very interesting country and English speaking country.  Has a lot of beautiful resort areas along its coast but poverty as well.

Bishop Wright, Episcopal Priest of Belize, has come to our Diocese.  A group from St. Peters in Ashtabula went to Belize in January.  In Belize, the churches run the schools not the government.  They have the responsibility but not a lot of money.  So there are things underway in a lot of areas.

As far as the mission goes, there is the money designated for mission projects which SC MAC might like to access.  Check out and take a look at the application forms.  The deadline for applying for funds is June 30^th.

Last year was the first year CGDM asked people to consider a domestic project and last year CGDM got exactly one request.  They have sent Gretchen out to make folks aware.

Fred Shurley  wants to start an EFM group at the Matrion Correctional Institute.  Diocese was interested in Ministry this year.  Costs money.  Prisoners are charged….looking for funds.  Robert can talk to Fred Shurley and collaborate with him and EFM about this event.

SC MAC is a way for us to begin communicating, collaborating and coordinating.  We can work together or something we want to do together.  Example, Habitat for Humanity.    Each parish in SC MAC are all doing good things.

Joe would like to take summer youth group on a mountain trip southeast of Richmond, Kentucky.  Take approximately ten kids for only $600 dollars which would include supplies.  This could be a project for SC MAC to consider.

Susan Lau, ECW representative, not present.  Joe Ashby has been talking to St. Paul’s in Marion.  Joe will talk to Mark Robinson.

Grace owns seven acres of land they would like to develop as a retreat.

SC MAC would like to have one of their meetings at Tabor Cottage in Butler which is currently scheduled for September 1, 2011.

Treasurer will possibly be receiving $1,500 or 2,000 for SC MAC.  Jo Richards stated she would volunteer to be Treasurer for 2011-2012.   SC MAC will consider the convenience of being able to sign checks.  Possibly Robert Bennett as chair and Karl Stevens as Vice chair or Mike who is lives in Shelby could be vice chair with Jo Richards as Treasurer then the place of financial record would be Grace in Mansfield.  Toma will see what is expected and contact the Diocese.

Sister Nadine stated she is happy to hear our enthusiasm and caring for others.  She appreciates all the work that has been done for Haiti.

The Sisters have been in the Dominican Republic which was devastated.  Sisters are okay but friends are not.  They do not have many connections to Haiti.  One of the Sisters may be able to give us a talk.  Possibly Sister Rachael could speak on a Sunday.

If the two sisters, Sister Nadine and Sister Rachael would reside at Tabor Cottage in Butler, SC MAC would like to present them at Convention and include them as part of

SC MAC.

Next meeting May 5 at St. Mark’s in Shelby.  The following items to be addressed at that meeting:

Nominations and election of the remaining officers will be voted on/determined for 2011-2012 for SC MAC.

Damon, as Liaison to the Diocesan Council, to present his information.

Who will be the Missionary coordinator for Bricks for Haiti on behalf of the SC MAC?

Sending SC MAC children to visit a parish within SC MAC.

College student as chaplain.

Talk about the seven acres north of Mansfield being a nature spirituality center.

Meeting was adjourned at 7:45 p.m.