CROSS Ministries Video is Online

The video played at the Des Moines Presbytery's August 21, 2010 meeting held in Leon, Iowa, on the CROSS Back-to-School Backpack Giveaway may now be viewed online and/or downloaded. Scroll down through the photo icons and click on “School Giveaway 2010.”

There are also a few DVD copies, if you’d like one, contact the Des Moines Presbytery Office or the Rev. Dr. David Madsen, Cottage Grove Avenue Presbyterian Church in Des Moines at 515-279-8877 or cgpresby@mchsi.com.

CROSS Ministries Food Pantry to have Open House This Week

On Thursday, June 3, 5-7 p.m. CROSS Ministries will have an Open House at DMARC's new Food Pantry location at Cottage Grove Avenue Presbyterian Church, 1050 24th St., Des Moines. Then a Grand Opening of their new Food Pantry will be held Saturday, June 5, 8-Noon.

The new food pantry is an outreach to working people who need to access emergency food outside of standard working hours. The new pantry will be open Wednesday evenings from 4 p.m.–7 p.m. and Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to 12 Noon. CROSS Ministries will continue to provide rent, mortgage, and utility assistance during standard business hours from Tuesday through Friday. Clients seeking food assistance through DMARC will still be directed to the closest Pantry within their geographic boundaries. However, if they are unable to go to that pantry because it conflicts with their work schedule, they will be directed to the CROSS Ministries/Cottage Grove Food Pantry. The pantry will be open to anyone living in the Greater Des Moines area. Routine intake procedures will restrict individuals from receiving food from more than one DMARC Pantry during a 30 day time period.

The new pantry, located at Cottage Grove Presbyterian Church, will operate with a volunteer staff, which means they need many dedicated folks to help. DMARC is providing the food. Other pantry site needs include:

• Several moveable room dividers
• Childproof gate to block stairway
• 2 new large ceiling fans
• Window air conditioner
• Carpeting or floor covering
• Curtains or mini-blinds for the windows
• Heavy duty 2 wheeled cart for carrying boxes of food
• Volunteers to prepare the pantry space
• Volunteers to work in the pantry

Please share these needs with your congregation, civic groups, etc. To volunteer in the CROSS Ministries/Cottage Grove Food Pantry contact Joyce Hoffman at 515-225-9868. For questions or donations contact: Dr. Roberta Victor, Executive Director of CROSS Ministries, 1050 24th St., Des Moines, 50311 or 515-279-8877.

For more information about the DMARC Emergency Food Pantry, which services 10 neighborhood pantry sites, contact Elisabeth Ballstadt, DMARC Food Pantry Director, 515-277-6969.

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!

Check Out CROSS Ministries New Website!

CROSS Ministries is proud to announce the unveiling of our new Web site designed to keep you more informed on this vital ministry to the poor! The home page offers our mission statement and some of the facts and figures identifying the many ways CROSS meets the needs of low and no income households throughout the Des Moines and Greater Des Moines communities.

If you look to the right on the top black bar on the home page, you will also find headers that lead you to four additional pages.

• The “Assistance” page advises families of the appropriate paperwork and documentation they need to bring to the CROSS office if they are seeking financial assistance for rent, rent deposits, mortgage or utility payments.
• The “What’s New” page shares current information on volunteers and other events in the life and work of CROSS Ministries.
• The “School Supplies” page gives an overview of our Annual Back to School Giveaway event.
• Last but not least, is the “Donations” page listing items that we need to fill our personal hygiene pantry or for the Back to School Giveaway. This page also offers a new opportunity for donating to CROSS. Simply click on the “donate” button so that you may use your credit card or even a PayPal account for a simpler, faster method of donating. We will send you an email “thank you” shortly thereafter as well as a year-end statement of your donations next January for tax purposes.

The work of CROSS Ministries, supported by the Presbytery of Des Moines, makes a difference in the lives of “the least of these.” We want to share that exciting ministry with you and this is just one more avenue to do so. Thank you for your ongoing support.

Roberta Victor,
Executive Director
CROSS Ministries

Multicultural Church Pastor finds help under the Big Top

June 14, 2009

In the Big Tent, like the three rings of the Big Top, there is a conjuncture of three circles of opportunity to learn and to celebrate being a Presbyterian: worship, seminars, and networking.

The worship has been inspiring and centered around the preaching of two professors. of preaching. who obviously know their stuff. With over 150 workshops to choose from addressing a myriad of issues facing local congregations and the denomination, some are very helpful and some not so much.

Tomorrow I'm attending a workshop led by the G.A. Moderator Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow on "Social Media 101". Bruce is my 'friend' on Facebook, an online social networking Web site.

I also had a good long discussion with the person staffing the committee charged with reviewing the Form of Government (FOG) section of the denomination's Book of Order. This conversation allowed me to share some of my concerns about how the FOG could be more welcoming of refugees and immigrants like the Sudanese.

I get back in Des Moines at 11 p.m., Saturday night. And with three worship services on Sunday (today), I will probably have forgotten everything by Monday, well, maybe NOT!

- Rev. David Madsen
Cottage Grove Avenue Presbyterian Church
Des Moines

National Health Ministries MOM Visit a Success

The Health Mission on the Move van rolled into Des Moines June 15, and ‘set up shop’ in the parking lot of the Cottage Grove Avenue Presbyterian Church – the church attended by the majority of the areas Sudanese population. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m, over 15 adults and well over 30 children were served by doing Health Assessments, blood pressure checks, and blood glucose testing, followed by a discussion of those findings.

Darlene Shepherd (Oskaloosa First) and Kim Coulter (DM Westminster) coordinated the efforts of our Presbytery volunteers. Those who helped were: Denise England RN (Audubon First); Melissa Schnucker RN (Clive Heartland); Rev. David Madsen, Jaden Oriho RN, Ikram Kachu and Batul Chol (DM Cottage Grove); Lisa Whitmarsh Peterson (DM Park Avenue); Rev. Adam Nardini and Sarah Mapes LPN (DM Union Park); Nancy Hampton RN, Karen Sanders RN and Jan Siwinski RN (DM Westminster); Dru McLuen (Indianola, Trinity United) and Judy Harvey.

The Sudanese population struggles to obtain adequate medical aide, as well as their daily needs. The Health Assessments done through the National Health Ministries and our area volunteers was an invaluable ministry.

Originally funded by the Birthday Offering of Presbyterian Women of PCUSA, National Health Ministries receives no direct support from congregations or offerings. The funding comes through Extra Commitment Opportunities (ECO).

To learn more go online to: www.pcusa.org/nationalhealth.