Friday, April 30, 2010

Dont' Forget Spring Clean-up at Cottage Grove Avenue Church

Celebrate spring by helping our Sudanese neighbors at Cottage Grove Avenue Presbyterian Church with some Spring Cleaning!

The church has just come through a very cold winter without heat for much of the time, but a new boiler has recently been installed. Now, they are ready to begin sprucing up their beautiful building, but they could use some help. As good neighbors, you can organize a group from your church and come to Cottage Grove Avenue Church to help with Spring Cleaning! Details Below:

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:
  • Up to 20 workers – youth and/or adults

  • 1 supervisor/coordinator from your church
TASKS INCLUDE:
  • Clean out and throw out trash/debris from various rooms in the church. (Includes sorting and carrying items upstairs/downstairs to an outside dumpster.)

  • Sort books and items for future rummage sale.

  • Sweep and clean up rooms after items have been removed.

DATE/TIME/LOCATION:
Pick a Saturday morning this spring from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Options include:

  • April 24, 2010

  • May 1, 2010

  • May 8, 2010 (CANCELLED)

Cottage Grove Avenue Presbyterian Church, 1050 24th St., Des Moines. Park in the north parking lot of Cottage Grove Avenue Church and enter the north doors.


MATERIALS NEEDED:

  • Work gloves

  • Brooms and dustpans

  • Hefty garbage bags
FUN PERKS:
  • Free lunch, Pizza and pop provided

  • Great exercise and a sense of accomplishment!
SIGN-UP INSTRUCTIONS:
E-mail Ginny Hancock at ginnyvah@aol.com with the date you want to reserve from the options listed above. In the e-mail, please note your church name, contact person, contact information (e-mail and phone) and number of participants. Your date will be confirmed within a week of your request.

THANK YOU!

Monday, April 19, 2010

Don’t Miss Between a Rock and a Hard Place, April 23

The Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center is sponsoring a full-day workshop on Friday, April 23 at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 4114 Allison Ave., Des Moines. The event is open to pastors, other church staff, chaplains, spiritual directors, Stephen Ministers, mental health and other health care professionals as well as interested laypersons.

Loretta Ross, an ordained Presbyterian pastor, spiritual director, and founder of The Sanctuary Foundation for Prayer in Topeka, Kan., will present Between a Rock and a Hard place: Obstacles, Resistance, and Pitfalls to Spiritual Growth. Loretta was a guest speaker at PrairieFire a 2- to 3-year program in spiritual renewal and formation last November.

Cost is: $50 (includes lunch) and the event is from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Register by contacting the Center 515-274-4006 or info@dmpcc.org, or by completing the registration form (copies are available at the Presbytery Office) and mailing to: DMPCC, 2929 Westown Pkwy, Ste. 110, West Des Moines, IA 50266.

Additional information can be found on our website: http://www.dmpcc.org/ under the Special Events tab. Questions about this workshop, the center’s Pastoral Care Specialist program, or PrairieFire can be directed to: Kathy Reardon, RN, MS, Spiritual Director at kreardon@dmpcc.org or 515-274-4006.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Monroe Church Walks Shoes Down the Aisle for Hope Ministries

For the last few weeks, the Monroe Presbyterian Church has been the drop off point for the “Share A Pair” project for Hope Ministries. This unique project allowed them to give both new and not-so-new shoes to Hope Ministries as they have plans to do three things with the shoes. First, they will distribute them to Hope Ministries guests and residents.

Secondly, they will sell them at the Hope Bargain Center in Pleasant Hill. The shop allows community members to purchase affordable shoes and gives Hope Ministries an income to continue their ministries with the homeless. Finally, if the shoes are not fit for giving or selling, they will be recycled and the proceeds will again benefit the ministry to the homeless.

On Sunday, March 14, the high school and middle school kids of the Monroe church arranged a portion of the shoes to “walk” the aisle of the sanctuary. While no official count occurred of shoes received, a van load of shoes made its way to Hope Ministries.

Now that’s a lot of shoes!