East Heights Nooma

August 6 - BBQ & Fall Kick Off

Hello NOOMA group!

Jess McNeely and I have been talking off and on about how we might reorganize our class for fall. Without the Calhouns and the Edens, who will or have already moved on to their new ministries, we need to organize ourselves if we want to keep this going.  One of the ideas we had talked about was having a table for our class at the Fall BBQ & Kick Off which is August 6, from 6pm – 8pm in Hedrick Hall. 

The McNeely’s will be out of town, so I am organizing a table for us which will feature the attached flyer, a sample Ruth Kit, a NOOMA video playing on my laptop, and maybe some other things if I get any better ideas.  I will also have a sign up sheet to collect contact information for people who may be interested in joining our group.  I’m hoping our table will be near the Foundations class table.

This is an open invitation to anyone who would like to join me at our table. 

Please mark your calendars - our class will start back up on Sunday, September 7^th at 11am in the Undercroft.  We’re looking forward to being back together, and to reorganizing for the coming  year.  There are now 20 videos in the NOOMA series, so we should have plenty of material to keep us busy. 

Hope to see you tomorrow night and/or on September 7!

Angie Claney

Download kick_off_flyer.pdf

kiva.org - Loans that Change Lives

Listed below you will find a couple of links to the Kiva site.  They are the little non-profit start-up company that have been receiving boatloads of press for their attempts to change the world.

Kiva.org allows individuals to make $25 loans to low-income entrepreneurs in the developing world (microfinance). By doing so, individuals like you provide affordable working capital for the poor (money to buy a sewing machine, livestock, etc.), empowering them to earn their way out of poverty. 

It's a new, direct and sustainable way to fight global poverty. 

www.kiva.org

Link to Kiva Brochure

Ruth Kit Update #4

Folks, we are in the last few days of collecting items for Ruth Kits and are once again blessed by witnessing the generosity of East Heights and the community beyond. All told, we collected 427 items plus cash donations. We were also blessed by a nice article in the Wichita Eagle's Faith & Values section outlining our mission with Ruth Kits. http://www.kansas.com/194/story/242451.html

This Sunday is the second to the last collection weekend. For this week and next, we are concentrating on bus passes, Quik Trip cards and McDonald's Arch Cards - basically the cash portion of the kits. This is likely to be the hardest part of completing the kits but we have faith that the Lord will provideth.

We can do this one of two ways:
1. Write a check for however much you'd like to contribute. We'll get these ourselves and your work is done!
2. Make a mental note to grab these when you are gassing up at QT, grabbing lunch at Mickey D's or grocery shopping at Dillon's,

Here are the deets on these items:
McDonald's Arch Cards - We'll get these in $10 increments and include one with each kit. This obviously meets a very fundamental need for folks who are not able to access community services.

Quik Trip pre-paid cards - Again, $10 on a card will provide food, a warm cup of coffee and more.

Bus passes - A free ride means a lot. It means getting to a job interview, to GraceMed Clinic for medical attention, or to a shelter when it's too cold to walk. In the article this past week: "The Rev. Deann Smith, executive director of United Methodist Open Door...said that although all the items will be useful, the bus passes will be particularly helpful. 'That's one of the hardest things for agencies to afford right now,' she said. The passes will help the homeless 'really be able to do some job searches, or access some services. That's going to be a real benefit for them.'" Bus passes can be purchased at Dillon's customer service centers or at the bus station.

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All of the cash donations we've received will go to completing the kits wherever we've fallen short in our collection weeks. While we'd like to focus at this point on the gift cards and bus passes, it would also free up cash flow if these items were donated. If you would still like to contribute to Ruth Kits by donating other items, here's what we still need to complete the kits.
• 18 Men's average-size crew socks
• 10 Women's average-size crew socks
• 16 Men's travel-sized deodorant (Please look for men's, we're doing great on women's deodorant!)
• 19 Shampoo (travel-sized)
• 30 knit hats
• 86 scarves
• 45 pairs of gloves

The Dollar Tree has scarves, hats and gloves for $1!! The best deals we've found on the other items are at Walgreens and Target.

Ruth Kit Mission Project hits the Eagle

Click here to read Joe Rodriguez's article in the Wichita Eagle....

Ruth Kit Update #3

East Heights, you continue to amaze me! Last week, we received some generous donations including ziploc and trash bags (things we use to assemble the Ruth Kits) and a good samaritan left 44 hats and gloves for the cause. Overall, we collected more than 250 items. Way to go!

While the hats and gloves give us a good chunk to start with, we have a ways to go before this coming Sunday, Dec. 2, our official collection day for knit hats (stocking caps), gloves and scarves. The best deal we've seen is at Target where they have a 2-pack of gloves or one hat for $1.49. Target also has a 3-piece set (hat, gloves, scarf) for $6.99. If anyone else out there found better deals, let us know so we can spread the word. Right now we have 30 hats, 0 scarves and 17 pairs of gloves. Our goal is 100+ of each.

In addition to collecting hats, gloves and scarves this Sunday, we're still short on some other items from weeks' past:
• Hand towels (or kitchen towels, bar mop towels, etc.) We'll even take the gently used kind!
• 42 Men's average-size crew socks
• 46 Women's average-size crew socks
• 77 Small hairbrushes or combs
• 31 Men's travel-sized deodorant (Please look for men's, we're doing great on women's deodorant!)
• 21 Shampoo (travel-sized)
Remember, we can always take a cash donation if you'd like us to do the shopping. For example, a $22 donation would get all the shampoo needed. $40 would cover the mens' or womens' crew socks. $32 would bring in the men's deodorant. If it's easier for you to just write a check on Sunday, we'll put it to good use.
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Ruth Kits In the News!
Check out the Faith & Values section of this coming Saturday's Wichita Eagle (Dec. 1). We landed an article about this mission project and a photographer came by yesterday to take some pics of the Nooma group sorting the week's donations. Let's hope it brings good results and attention to this need in our community.
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Ruth Kit / Fellowship Opportunity
Wanted to call your attention to a new tradition here at East Heights:  our first Family Tree-Trimming Party!  Here are the details:
When:  Sunday, December 2, at 5:00p.m.
Where:  Holy Grounds Coffee House
What to bring:
1.       A special ornament that you (and your family) have made (or bought) that you would like to share with your church family.  We’ll decorate the large tree in the coffee house with our “family” ornaments.  The more ornaments we have, the more beautiful the tree will be!
2.       Your favorite holiday treat to share with everyone – we’ll have the hot chocolate ready!
3.       A donation for the Ruth Kit project – we are in need of gloves, hats, scarves, men’s and women’s socks, hairbrushes/combs, or donations for Quik Trip and McDonald’s gift cards and bus passes.
This is a REALLY BIG tree, so…we REALLY need you to be there!

Ruth Kit Update for Thanksgiving week

Greetings Friends

 

In the tradition of giving thanks, I want to extend a huge thank you to all who acted on our email last week with where we stand in Ruth Kit collections. We received an amazing 457 items! Your response to the need is greatly appreciated and it is such a blessing to see this outpouring of giving. 

This weekend, we drew much closer to our goal of 100 items in each category. The items of the week were snack food and bottled water. Thanks to you, we met our goal in snack food collecting a whopping 213 snacks for a grand total of 291. Go East Heights!

 

This coming week will be a catch-up week where we hope to meet goals in categories from past weeks. If you happen to be out this week getting ready for your turkey dinner, please consider grabbing some of the following. We still need:

    28 hand towels ($7.99 for a set of six from Bed, Bath & Beyond )

    42 pair of men's crew socks ($9.96 for a pack of 12 at Wal-Mart)

    62 pairs of women's crew socks (2 for $10 for pack of six (12) at Walgreen's)

    79 small hairbrushes or combs ($1.99 at Walgreens for a multiple set)

    18 men's travel-sized deodorants ($. 99 at Target)

    31 travel-sized shampoos ($ .99 at Target)

 

The weekend after next, Dec. 2, we are collecting knit hats, gloves and scarves. So while you are out hitting the big sales this Friday, if you see any great buys on these items, grab some and then let us know so we can spread the word.

 

Thanks for any help you can provide and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

 

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Most of these items can be found inexpensively at the Dollar Store and in the travel sections at Target, Wal-Mart and Dillon's. Please print off the list above and when you are out shopping this week, considering helping us meet these goals. If you would like to just make a cash donation and have us purchase the items, we are happy to do so. Each fully assembled kit costs around $50. Travel-sized items cost around a dollar each. 

For more information about Ruth Kits, please see

http://ehumc.typepad.com/nooma/ruth-kit-main-page.html

Ruth Kit Update #2

Ruth Kit update from Amanda....

We are making some terrific progress on these kits. I think in this second week, people are starting to get into the rhythm of grabbing the "item of the week" while they are out. It's evident in our collection this week. We've hit our goal for mens crew socks, got a hefty donation on womens' and almost 25% of what we need for wet wipes. We also got some additions to last week's items - hand towels and wash clothes. AND, with a donation discovered this morning in the Mission Center, we have now made our goal for toothbrushes. In all, we collected about 250 items and more than $700 in cash donations in just one weekend!

I've attached a pdf of where our inventory currently stands. This week, we are collecting travel-sized deodorant (men's and women's) and bar soap. When you are spreading the word around, please note that we could use more men's than women's deodorant and need a whole bunch of soap.

Keep up the good work. We're definitely getting somewhere. Go Team Jesus!!!

For more information, and to check our Kit status click here...

Anne Marie Olson

From Adam...

Please welcome me in joining the newest member to our family.

Anne Marie Olson  7 lbs  6 oz, 19 inches, some blonde hair and a cute little smile.  Born at 2:37 AM on 10/23

Both Meredith and Anne Marie are doing awesome.  Pics to follow soon.

Adam

Thinking Theologically...

Here is a pretty good post from Dan Kimball about thinking theologically for ourselves and striving to be "self-feeders of scripture."

Theology Pub #2

Theology Pub #2

Where to start about the second Theology pub?

The gladiators - Mark, Toby, Travis, Jeff, Amanda, Chris

We enjoyed food, drink, and a warm Fall evening breeze from the Loft 150 veranda.

The discussion avoided the easy stuff. You know, "what did he mean in this passage," or, "Can you believe that Ruth chick?". No sir, nothing easy for that group.

Instead...

"So, let's start this discussion off with something I've been wondering since my mom died. It comforts me to believe that God intended to take her at that moment, for a reason. That she didn't suffer for nothing. That Hehas a plan for everything. But then, does that mean I still can make choices, that I still have free will?"

And we were off to the races. Some of the high points:

Mark's insights on the definition of the purpose of creation, and what the word "reconcile" means in that context.

Amanda offering that she's not sure there is a personified Satan, and Travis' questions challenging Amanda's statement.

And Amanda, challenging Travis back.

Then there was our group discussion of the status of the Bible - Literally the Word of God, or no? Does it incorporate imagery and poetry, or does "It rained cats and dogs" mean cats and dogs are falling from the sky?

Somehow, we kept getting back to that Satan guy.

And finally, we dove into whether it is appropriate to attempt to come to a discussed, group understanding of God within an eating/drinking establishment. Further, whether there is any Godly reason to be in such an establishment at all - or does the physical surroundings cause confusion and sin?

It was a great time - well worth it.

Reported by the Clan Eden