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LSS Circle Christmas Outreach 2019

December 27, 2019
27 Dec 2019

This year’s outreach to provide needed items for the Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota (LSS) Metro Homeless Youth program was a huge success.
We coordinated our efforts with LSS, which provides support for youth who are homeless. We are grateful to have a way to reach young people to show them that there are so many who care for their well-being.

The total value of gift cards, items, and cash donated was $15,553.

Again, a big “Thank You” for your continued support of this important effort. It is very much appreciated.

in Lutheran Partnership Outreach News, Nativity in Review, News /by

ELCA Good Gifts

November 22, 2019
22 Nov 2019

An idea from the Nativity Hunger Outreach Team

The average American spends more than $700 on Christmas gifts each year.

  • When we think about the best gifts we have given or received, it is often not the gift itself but the meaning behind it that makes it significant.
  • Rethink traditional gift-giving this Christmas with ELCA Good Gifts. Give in honor of friends and family members and help support people in need and perhaps inspire recipients to help people in need.

How to participate starting the weekend of November 30/December 1

  1. Select an ornament from the Advent Tree inside the front door of the church. Each ornament represents a gift item. Some of the over 50 gift options include $30 for a piglet, $30 for a water filter, $40 to send a girl to school, $10 for chicks, and $20 for manure.
  2. Checks can be written to Nativity Lutheran Church.

Pick up an ELCA Good Gifts catalog at the welcome desk to see all the gift options

Faith Formation-Grades 1-4 got a head start by collecting $90 toward ELCA Hunger in October. They plan to purchase a goat, honeybees, and chicks for families in need around the world.

in Hunger Outreach News, What's Happening /by

4 Ways To Decolonize Thanksgiving

November 22, 2019
22 Nov 2019
Stories told about the first Thanksgiving often perpetuate harmful stereotypes and racism. It is important to set the record straight, acknowledge Native Peoples, debunk myths, and show Native Americans as contemporary people with dynamic thriving cultures. November is National Native American Heritage Month and offers many opportunities to move past one-dimensional representations.  Thanksgiving is an opportinity to also go beyond the harmful “pilgrims and Indians” narrative and focus on common values:  generosity, gratitude, and community.
1. Learn the Real History. 
Thanksgiving, like Columbus Day, serves as a reminder of the genocide and violence Native communities experienced and continue to experience.  Learn about Thanksgiving and early colonial history from Native perspectives.
 
2. Decolonize Your Dinner.
Native chefs have created a culinary movement with the goal of getting Indigenous people to honor their ancestors through their dietary choices. Bring Native American dishes to the dinner table.

Sean Sherman’s 10 Essential Native American Recipes

3. Listen to Indigenous Voices.
It was the Wampanoag People, the People of the First Light,  that encountered the Pilgrims when they arrived in Turtle Island from Europe in 1620. Since 1863, Thanksgiving has been celebrated as a national holiday in the United States, mythologizing the violent events that followed European arrival into a story of friendship and mutual sharing. But the reality is that the Wampanoags’ generosity was met with genocide, and this truth has been systematically suppressed in the US education system, government, and popular culture. Listen to an interview with Cedric Cromwell, the Tribal Council Chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Nation.
4. Celebrate Native People.
Watch and Share MTV World’s Rebel Music: Native America
Finally, mainstream media is focusing on the amazing Native talent Indian County has to offer.  Check out these talented artists: Frank Waln, Nataanii Means, Mike Clifford, and Inez Jasper.
 
Rebel Music offers Common Core-based curriculum. Share it with the teachers in your life! 
 
Read The Works of Native Authors
For many years, Native people were silenced and their stories were marginalized. That’s why it’s especially important to read stories about Native characters, told in Native voices. Celebrate Native American Heritage Month with these great books by Native writers.
in Social Justice, Social Justice /by

Abundant Harvest – Chef-Inspired Recipes

November 20, 2019
20 Nov 2019

On Saturday, November 9th we filled our Fellowship Hall with both wonderful people and wonderful smells for our Abundant Harvest Meal.

We know that some were not able to attend and those that were able to attend loved the food so much that we had numerous requests for the recipes.

Ask and you shall receive.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE RECIPE BOOKLET.

in Hunger Outreach News, Nativity in Review, News, Sustainability Outreach News /by

World Kindness Day

November 13, 2019
13 Nov 2019

World Kindness Day is celebrated annually on 13th November. On this day, participants attempt to make the world a better place by celebrating and promoting good deeds and pledging acts of kindness, either as individuals or as organizations.

World Kindness Day was first launched in 1998 by The World Kindness Movement, an organisation formed at a 1997 Tokyo conference of like-minded kindness organisations from around the world. There are currently over 28 nations involved in The World Kindness Movement which is not affiliated with any religion or political movement. The mission of the World Kindness Movement and World Kindness Day is to create a kinder world by inspiring individuals and nations towards greater kindness.

Source: https://www.awarenessdays.com/awareness-days-calendar/world-kindness-day-2019/

in Social Justice /by

Palmer Hermundslie Fund – Grant Application

November 6, 2019
06 Nov 2019

Courtesy of the Hennepin County Library

Grant Award Criteria

Sponsorship
In order that use of the fund be an expression of concern for people on the part of the Nativity congregation, each application for a grant-in-aid must be sponsored (or requested) by a member of Nativity.

Stewardship
The awarding of the grant will not have a negative impact on the stewardship of the congregation, i.e., the fund must not be used to do those things that are considered the inherent responsibility of the congregation. In general, the grants-in-aid are sponsored by the membership of the congregation for use outside Nativity. Priority is often given to grants to individuals or to smaller organizations for whom alternative sources of support are not readily available.

Timeliness
All application forms must be completely filled out and received by the church administrator by November 15.  Secondly, consideration is given to various time elements which may be involved in the grants. Some priority may be given to grant requests involving “seed” money used to initiate projects or support programs in their early stages of development.

This Application is Due, November 15, 2019


in News, What's Happening /by

Youth Mental Health First Aid Training- November 2019

November 1, 2019
01 Nov 2019

Kelly Sherman-Conroy – CYF Social Justice and Advocacy

At the beginning of November, I attended an eight-hour, evidence-based public education program designed to equip those who work with youth ages 12-18 years, with the knowledge we need to know how best to respond in a mental health emergency and how to offer support for someone who is in emotional distress.

When someone is choking on a piece of food and can’t breathe, most of us would know to perform the Heimlich maneuver. And if we came across the victim of a gunshot wound, we’d instinctively try to stop the bleeding with a tourniquet. However, what if we came across a youth suffering from a panic attack, or who was beginning to hear voices, or who was depressed and contemplating suicide? Most people don’t know what to do in these situations. It’s just as important to know how to help in a mental health crisis as it is in a physical health crisis.

This is where Youth Mental Health First Aid training comes in. We learned risk factors and warning signs of mental and how to recognize them. Information on mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, trauma, psychosis, and substance use disorders. An action plan for helping someone who is developing a mental health problem or is in crisis and how to reach mental health professionals.

This was a useful training which I was able to gain knowledge of signs, symptoms, and risk factors of mental illnesses and substance use problems and foster increased mental wellness. If you have the opportunity to attend a class, please do!

in Social Justice /by

​Summer Youth Trips

October 31, 2019
31 Oct 2019

Service & Learning Trips

On a Service & Learning Trip, we serve and we learn.

We come into a community to serve with our brothers and sisters in that community; not to do something new, but to participate in the beautiful and unique ministries that are already happening there.

We come into a community to learn from our brothers and sisters in that community; to learn about history, cultures, and context and to engage in relationship building.

On these trips, we are proud to partner with Serve Boldly; a young and growing church youth trip non-profit with roots in the ELCA. Check out their website: serveboldly.net

2020 Service & Learning Trip Destinations:

  • Middle School – Milwaukee – June 6-12 [FULL – contact Ben to be placed on a waiting list]
  • High School – Philadelphia – June 19-27

Cost:

  • $100 deposit is due upon registration
  • Total cost for Service & Learning Trip participants:
    • $300 if they fully participate in fundraisers
    • $650 if they don’t participate
    • (Scholarships available if needed; please indicate in registration)

Wilderness Backpacking Trip [FULL – Please contact Glenn to be on a wait list]

  • Who: Youth – Adult (youth must have completed 8th grade)
  • Where: Hells Roaring Basin 15 miles SW of Red Lodge, MT
  • When: August 2-9, 2020
  • Level of Difficulty:  Beginner to intermediate
  • Cost All Inclusive: $325 (Scholarships available if needed; please indicate in registration)​
  • Leaders: Pastor Glenn & Heather Anderson

SIGN UP!

2020 Youth Summer Trip Registration

    consent for Nativity pastors and staff to contact this student via facebook, email or other social media avenues. (Parent/Guardian will be copied in all communication)
    give permission for any pictures taken of my child to be used in Nativity Lutheran Church Publications. Nativity uses photography and videography to promote and celebrate children's and youth events and programming. Worship services and special events are Live-Streamed. We will not name your child or children featured in promotional communications unless we have your express permission. If you are concerned about images of your child participating in Nativity activities appearing in Nativity press and web publications, please speak with Pastor Ben or Heather.
in News, What's Happening /by

LSS Metro Homeless Youth News & Needs

October 15, 2019
15 Oct 2019

Metro Homeless Youth Services

There are many exciting things happening in our services that support children and youth across the Twin Cities metro area. Below are some highlights from the past few months, and ways you can help by volunteering or contributing items to support youth in your community. 

What’s New

  • StreetWorks received a grant from the Minnesota Department of Human Services to support the purchase and distribution of Narcan, a medication that can reverse an opioid overdose. It will also allow training for outreach workers and community partners. 32 individuals attended the first training in September.
  • StreetWorks also received a grant from the Pohlad Family Foundation for Housing Affordability to create two new full-time outreach worker positions. They will provide targeted outreach and case management to youth disproportionately represented in our homeless response system.
  • One young woman at Safe House has shown remarkable growth in the past few months. From the beginning of her stay, she set high standards for what she wanted to accomplish. She recently received a promotion at her job and never stops looking for ways to get involved in her community. She is taking steps to enroll in Saint Paul College and is on her way to living independently.
  • LifeHaven expanded two basement bedrooms in the winter of 2018 – 2019 in order to increase our capacity to serve up to eight children and six mothers. This means that a mom who has two children can continue receiving the service. The expansion also allowed us to update our basement play area, which is an inviting space that gets a lot of use now!
  • Irreducible Grace Foundation spent three weeks leading inspiring workshops on self-care with youth at LifeHaven and their staff.
  • Two youth living at Rezek House started classes at Saint Paul College. Two others are attending high school and working towards graduation next year.

Winter Gear Needed

As the weather chills, we are gathering essential winter items for youth experiencing homelessness. You can make a difference for youth by donating or coordinating a winter donation drive. The youth we serve need items that will last, so we can only accept new items.

  • Winter coats for men, women, toddlers & infants
  • Snow suits for toddlers & infants
  • Boots for men, women & toddlers
  • Sweatshirts, sweaters for men & women
  • Thermal shirts, long underwear for adults
  • Hats, gloves and scarves for adults & children
  • Hand warmers
  • Gift cards for safe shelter at 24- hour/late night locations during freezing temperatures such as McDonald’s, Perkins, Denny’s or Metro Transit bus cards (sold at Cub Foods).

Holiday Meals, Donations & Volunteer Opportunities

  • LifeHaven
    • Childcare volunteers are urgently needed.
    • Sponsor a meal for the Thanksgiving celebration.
  • Rezek House
    •  13×9 inch cake pans.
  • Two Santa volunteers for our holiday parties.
  • Make-a-Meal Volunteers for LifeHaven and Rezek House.
  • Unloading volunteers are needed for our Sponsor A Youth gift donations this year. (More details about Sponsor A Youth will be coming soon.)

To stay connected and informed on news and events for LSS Metro Homeless Youth follow them on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/MetroHomelessYouth/, or visit their web page at: www.lssmn.org/blog/youth-homelessness

in Lutheran Partnership Outreach, Lutheran Partnership Outreach News, What's Happening /by

Suicide Awareness Symposium

September 25, 2019
25 Sep 2019

Pastor Ben Schori- Children, Youth and Family Ministry

In Late September, I attended the Suicide Awareness Symposium presented by Mental Health Connect at Bethlehem Lutheran Church Twin Cities in Minneapolis. It was a fantastic and incredibly valuable event, which dove into a topic that our society, and especially the church, far too often pushes to the margins. Rev. Dr. Rachel Keefe, Pastor of Living Table United Church of Christ, gave a powerful and engaging presentation on suicide through the lens of scripture, theology, and the church, and gave very practical ideas of how to talk about and engage with the reality of suicide in our contexts.

I also attended two workshops. The first was with Melissa Dau, Youth Suicide Prevention Coordinator with the Minnesota Department of Health. She introduced and educated us on a plethora of secular resources available for combating youth suicide and welcomed us to discern how these resources might be utilized in our congregational contexts. The second workshop was with Rev. Emmy Kegler, Pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in NE Minneapolis. She spoke on Suicide and Faith in LGBTQ+ People and shared some incredibly valuable history of the church and queer population in this country, as well as some ways that we in the congregational setting can be welcoming and inclusive of LGBTQ+ people and help prevent the suicide of these beloved Children of God.

in Social Justice /by

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