We welcome donations for our Christmas Celebration. The donations will be used for Christmas greens, poinsettias, trimmings, and outdoor lighting.
An idea from the Nativity Hunger Outreach TeamThe average American spends more than $700 on Christmas gifts each year.
How to participate starting the weekend of November 30/December 1
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.
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.
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/
Courtesy of the Hennepin County Library
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
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!
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:
Cost:
Wilderness Backpacking Trip
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
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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.
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
Interim Pastor – Vladimir Poveda
In October I was able to attend a worship service at Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, and a book reading later that evening with the author of the book DEAR CHURCH: A LOVE LETTER FROM A BLACK PREACHER TO THE WHITEST DENOMINATION IN THE U.S., by Pastor Lenny Duncan. It was amazing to see the different focus and message geared towards two different groups, yet about the same topic. The mourning and cry of sadness, anger, frustration and unconditional love for this ELCA church, that we call our mother church.
As Pastor Lenny led the worship service, his sermon focused on the fact that church leaders have focused for years on personal, institutional or corporate interests. It is this narrative that has created a sense of “a dying church”, dying at the hands that are supposed to love it and protect it like Lenny tried to protect his mother from his abusive father.
Later on during the evening to a packed house, the focus was more on Lenny’s life and calling. He spoke about the passion and determination that towers our church, the ELCA, and the need to do something.
The challenge I found in this experience is hearing the issues and being inspired, but now the question is, “how do we heal our community?”
Show Us Some Love!