News

Society of St. Andrew opens western headquarters in Kansas City
The Society of St. Andrew (SoSA) has opened its Western Headquarters in Kansas City, Mo. Its goal: to fight hunger by salvaging excess produce grown west of the Mississippi and getting it to those in need.

The Society of St. Andrew (Advance #801600) salvages wholesome, nutritious produce that is destined to be wasted and transports it to food banks and agencies that feed people in need. SoSA works with farmers, growers and produce packing plants at two crucial points—in fields and orchards after the harvest and during the produce grading process—to salvage nutritious, edible fruits and vegetables that don’t meet the aesthetic standards of many produce vendors.

Though the Society of St. Andrew sends produce to all of the 48 contiguous states, the bulk of its work has been concentrated east of the Mississippi River. SoSA West in Kansas City is its gateway to the West.

Read the entire press release at www.endhunger.org/press/pr_sosa_west.pdf.

Subscribe to SoSA’s e-newsletter at www.endhunger.org/news.htm to learn more about how you can help.

Open House Month resources available now
September is “Open House Month,” an observance that focuses on welcoming strangers into our churches. This year’s theme is "Share Your Gifts."

A handbook, "Basic Welcoming," provides tools to help assess where your welcoming efforts are today and where you may want to make changes. Download the free handbook at www.ignitingministry.org/pdfs/handbook4_welc.pdf.

Free downloads for new door hangers are available at http://mediawarehouse.ignitingministry.org/search.aspx?act=start&searchtxt=twine.

Free downloads for the matching worship graphics and bulletin covers are available at http://mediawarehouse.ignitingministry.org/search.aspx?act=start&searchtxt=gift1. The bulletin covers may be produced on a regular printer, or the files may be sent to a professional printing service.

Young Adult Network
Transition can be difficult at best, unmanageable at worst. For those times when young people are experiencing transition in all facets of their lives, the church is faced with two options. Take advantage of the opportunity to step up and be an amazing constant presence in the lives of young people or be an unobserving, unnoticing, self-absorbed fixture that allows key moments to pass by.

Graduation from youth group is often the beginning of a long absence of young adults from the life of the church.
The Young Adult Network keeps young adults connected to each other and to the church through forums, e-newsletters and online resources.

Find out more at http://www.yanetwork.org/.

Older adult ministries request
The Task Force on Older Adult Ministries of the Kansas East Conference is creating a resource list of successful Older Adult ministry programs for the Conference Adult Ministries web page.

If your church has a ministry serving seniors that you would like to share, please send a short article about the ministry to Michael Maroon at michael.maroon@cor.org. For questions, call Michael at 913-544-0215.

‘Choosing Between Gas and Choir’
American drivers are reeling from gasoline price increases. The church is also affected by the gasoline prices its members must pay.

Read Dean McIntyre’s article at www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=46461&loc_id=17,823.

Announcement: New baby
Shelly Petz gave birth to a new baby girl June 17 at Olathe Medical Center. Shaylin Grace weighed 7 lbs. 15.3 oz. and was 20.5 inches long.

Shelly and her husband, Dustin, are associate pastors at Grace UMC in Olathe.

Featured Events

Workshop for caregivers of aging parents
Kari Berit, author and educator, helps baby boomers who are caring for aging parents develop creative dialogues on difficult, emotion-laden topics. She will give a workshop July 19 at the North Central-Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging. She encourages caregivers and parents to attend together.

The cost is $30 for the first person and $15 for each additional registration submitted in the same envelope.

Get more information at www.kansaseast.org/event_detail.asp?PKValue=2324.

Jurisdictional Conference breakfast reception
Those attending Jurisdictional Conference are invited to attend a breakfast reception to welcome back Bishop Scott Jones or welcome a new bishop if Jones is assigned to another area. The breakfast will be hosted by the Kansas Area General Conference delegations. The breakfast will be at the Hilton Anatole hotel in the Batik A room at 7 a.m. July 19. The cost is approximately $30.

RSVP to Rev. David Livingston by July 8 at burlingtonpastor@embarqmail.com.

For more events, check the conference calendar at www.kansaseast.org/calendar.asp.

Praise and worship dance camp
A praise and worship dance camp for children in first through sixth grades will be July 21-25 at Countryside UMC in Topeka. Participants can get a taste of different worship dance styles and see dances by Topeka worship dance groups.

Early enrollment (by July 9) is $20; late enrollment (due by July 16) will be $25.

Get more information and download a registration form at www.kansaseast.org/event_detail.asp?PKValue=2325