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May 2010 Memo
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MAY 2010 IOWA CHAPTER MFSA MEMO

Tickets Now Available!
Tickets to MFSA’s Annual Awards Banquet are now available from Rita Carter, 7218 El Rancho Ave., Windsor Heights, IA 50324; 515-633-0037; or ritaac@mchsi.com. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear Dr. Barbara Lundblad, Joe R. Engle Professor of Preaching at Union Theological Seminary in New York. Her topic will be, “They Say You Can’t Command People to Love (Except Jesus Did).” The Banquet will be held on Sunday, June 6th, at 5:30 PM at Scottish Rite Consistory, 519 Park Street in Des Moines (easy walking distance from Hy-Vee Hall). Cost of the buffet meal is $20.00. Awards will be given to Doug and Rita Swan, members of Grace UMC in Sioux City and to Paul and Janet Linn, members of West Des Moines UMC. Please use the flyer to publicize the event in your church and community, and to order your tickets.

A New Thing!
MFSA and the Conference Board of Church and Society are doing a new thing at Annual Conference this year. At the Noon break on Monday, June 7th there will be a March for Peace and Social Justice. It will begin at Hy-Vee Hall and proceed a short distance to Nollen Plaza (corner of Locust and 3rd Street) where a short prayer service will be held. For those attending Annual Conference, there will still be time for folks to get a bite to eat and be back at Hy-Vee Hall in time for the afternoon session. We hope many others from churches and peace groups will bring signs of peace and justice and join us for this exciting event!

Please Help at the IAC Table!
Annual Conference this year will be held at Hy-Vee Hall in Des Moines, June 5 – 8. As usual, MFSA will have a display table. We always need volunteer help for that, but this year the need is critical. Due to our winter weather and the make-up school days, Rita Carter, table leader, is unavailable Monday and Tuesday, June 7 and 8. So we need people who can help for an hour or two, or a day,or half day to be at the table. Please contact Rita or Eloise if you can help. In addition, we need help this year in setting up for the Banquet at Scottish Rite Consistory on Sunday, June 6th. If you can come a little early to help with that, please contact Jim Pemble or Eloise.

Caucus at the Firestation
Always wanted to slide down a fire pole? This year may be your chance. MFSA will caucus each evening of Annual Conference (June 5, 6, 7) at Chet Guinn’s home in Old Firestation # 4, corner of 8th and Day, just west of the Holiday Inn downtown. It’s not far from Hy-Vee Hall, and MFSA members will be glad to meet you at our display table following the evening session to be sure you can find it and have a way to get there. Besides talking about Annual Conference business, rumor has it that there might even be popcorn! Hope to see you all there!

Urgent Action Needed:
Now is the time to contact legislators urging them to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Good legislation should at the very least include an earned pathway to legalization for undocumented immigrants, family unity and enough work visas for low-skilled and high skilled immigrants to fill the needs of US employers. Write your letters and make your calls TODAY! For information, please contact Doris Knight.

JFON Lunch at Conference:
Justice for our Neighbors (JFON) and Hispanic Ministries Standing Committee invite you to lunch at Annual Conference on Saturday, June 5th, at Trinity UMC, 1548 8th Street in Des Moines. The program will feature JFON lawyers, Trina Scott Zuor and Gary Walters. Send your check for $10.00 to Justice for Our Neighbors, c/o Judy Kading, 803 Golden Shores, Creston, IA 50801.

Seeing for Myself: Gaza, May 2009:
S usan Johnson, a Philadelphia Quaker, traveled to Gaza in May, 2009 as part of a UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) delegation. She will speak at Friends House, 4211 Grand Ave., in Des Moines on Thursday, May 6th, at 7:00 PM. Her presentation will focus on the impact of “Operation Cast Lead,” December 27, 2008 to January 17, 2009, on the children of Gaza. For more information, please contact Kathleen McQuillen at: Kmcquillen@afsc.org.

Renewable Energy Training Series:
Workshops, to be held in Cedar Rapids, include introductory classes and site assessor training in solar photovoltaics, solar hot water , and small wind systems. Classes will begin on May 8th, and will be held every month through October. For more information, please call: 319-338-1076.

Latinos Unidos Scholarship Dinner
This dinner will be held at Grace UMC, 3700 Cottage Grove, in Des Moines on Saturday, May 8th, 6:00 – 8:00 PM, with proceeds to go to fund scholarships or latino/a students. The meal includes traditional dishes from many Latin American countries. Please contact Lena Robinson at: 515-979-0770, or iowalatina@msn.com.

Cool Congregation Workshop:
This workshop is for people of faith who want to care for God’s creation and address climate change. Participants receive the training and tools they need to make a difference in their homes, congregations and communities. Cost is $20. It will be held on May 15th, from 9:00 AM – Noon at Community of Christ Church, 2121 South Ridge, in Coralville. For more information, please contact Dr. Lisa Martin at: 319-338-9930 or 319-330-4565.

It’s Cultivate Hope Season Again!
Mark your calendars for the Big Event on May 15th, 9:00 AM – Noon at 225 K Ave. NW in Cedar Rapids. Celebrate the grand opening of Matthew 25’s new location with Block by Block and the Tool Library. Activities will include flower potting, a tool sale and a plant sale. For more information on how you can participate, please contact info@hub25.org.

Just Partners: Just Partners invites you to participate in the third annual “Weekend Work in the City Project” repairing homes in the inner city of Des Moines. Sponsored by ten UM churches and ministries in the greater Des Moines area, this project is making a difference in the lives of low-income homeowners who are members of one of the inner city churches. This VIM mini-work trip experience will be June 25-27 in Des Moines. Volunteers of every skill level are needed. They are asked to contribute $25 to help purchase materials. Donations of materials and grants to purchase materials are also needed. For more information, and to receive an application form, please contact Brian Carter at briancar@dwx.com.

Mission Camp for Youth:
Matthew 25 is offering two weeks of a summer Missions Camp for youth. Time is spent working on houses, in social service agencies, summer youth activities and more. This year’s dates are: July 11 – 16 and July 18 – 23. Cost is $200. For more information or to get a registration form, contact info@hub25.org.

Volunteer for Matthew 25: Matthew 25 needs volunteers to help with their growing ministry in Cedar Rapids. Areas where they could use assistance are: marketing and communications, fundraising, grant writing, human resources and event planning. Please contact info@hub25.org if you can help.

Please Send Information:
Friends, we would like to publicize events around the state that might be of interest to MFSA folk. Please send information to Eloise about events in your area by the last week of each month for inclusion in the next month’s memo. Also, please notify her if your address changes: ecranke@mchsi.com