THE INTERFAITH COUNCIL OF MANCHESTER AND DORSET
The Interfaith Council of Manchester and Dorset is a community of faith born out of respect for the religious traditions each congregation represents, and committed to the enhancement of love and social care. Regular monthly meetings of the Council are held to discuss common concerns and to seek avenues to enrich the spirituality of the entire community. Out of these meetings we have been able to sponsor the following activities this year.
ANNUAL REPORT 2006
Our annual Harvest Dinner/Annual Meeting, held on November 13, 2005 was again hosted by St. Paul's Parish. After the meeting, we had a wonderful potluck dinner and auction, which raised about $1500 for the Emergency Needs Fund.
Emergency Needs Fund has been used by those with no where else to turn. It has been used for heating, electricity, rent as well as other needs.
The Community Thanksgiving Service, which was hosted by the Dorset church on November 22, 2005. Rev. Chris Smith was the preacher for this uplifting service. About $600. was raised for the Emergency Needs Fund and much food was donated.
Holiday Project in December provided toys & clothing for 31 families and 56 food boxes were passed out. Special thanks were given to the Lion's Club, which did all the food shopping. In Dorset, Community Sharing provided 99 families with food and gifts.
Martin Luther King Day was observed with a service at Israel Congregation on January 15, 2006, with Ken Davis, author of the "Don't Know Much About…" books, speaking on Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King. Rabbi Bob selected quotes from MLK to be read by congregants during the service, which expressed "faith with action." Special music was provided by Jeff Linebeck's singers.
Simple Suppers were held at Barrows House, Dorset, on Wednesday nights during Lent, with meals being served by members of different congregations. The $10 donation went to Community Sharing and the Community Food Cupboard.
Interfaith Seder: A wonderful Seder meal for the whole community was hosted by Israel Congregation on Sunday, April 9, 2006.
Kid's Summer Lunch Program: At the December meeting, it was brought to our attention that children who get subsidized or free lunches during the school year tend to have very poor nutrition during the summer. In deciding what we could do to address this, much discussion and study, along with input from the schools and the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger ensued. It was decided that despite the late start, something should be done. A committee from the Interfaith Council worked out a cooperative plan with the Community Food Cupboard and provided an extra bag of food for each child for families who wanted it. Members of the Council raised the money, collected the food and prepared the bags. Age appropriate activity sheets were included for each child. 54 bags with food for 5 lunches were given out weekly. This included a weekly delivery to Mettowee School to feed 8-10 kids.
Faith and Nature Camp, held from June 19 - 23, 2006 served 40 kids from grades 3 - 8. Alex Gray was hired as coordinator, and an exciting camp with the theme of "Energy" included, among other things, building a solar water heater. The emphasis was on how holy and sacred the world is.
Crop Walk, held on October 15, raised about $9500. at last count. The Council voted to use 25% for hunger relief locally.
Auto Angels, started in 2001, has processed and delivered 53 cars to date. We have not been able to give out as many cars this year, because our donations have been fewer.
Faith in Action/Neighbor To Neighbor was initially funded in 2004, but the initial grant has expired and fund raising efforts are needed to keep this amazing program going. It is growing by leaps and bounds, with 40 volunteers and 47 care recipients. New care recipients are being interviewed and more volunteers are starting training. Kate Coss, the director, has started scheduling "social" days, where volunteers and care recipients get together for food and a program, a movie or a visit to SVAC. This, along with the regular visits by volunteers, has given isolated people a feeling of being in a community. One care recipient said, "We have been tucked up in the hollows, and you are going around untucking us." Other help has included transportation, yard work, and so on.
Storage Facility: A Safe Place, courtesy of Andy Tarentino, is where we store donated furniture and large items for those in need. Roger Poulin moved, so we need someone to help with transportation. Recently, a family got many needed items from the facility.
ANNUAL REPORT
October 24, 2004
Regular monthly meetings of the Council are held to discuss common concerns and to seek avenues to enrich the spirituality of the entire community. Out of these meetings, we have been able to sponsor the following activities this past year.Our Annual Harvest Supper and Raffle, preceded by a short Annual Meeting, was again hosted by St. Paul's Parish on November 9. Good food and conversation was shared by all, with substantial funds being raised for the Emergency Needs Fund.
The Community Thanksgiving Service was held on November 25 at the Israel Congregation with Rev. Steven Berry delivering the sermon. Once again the Interfaith Choir provided music.
In December, the Manchester/Dorset Holiday Project provided food cartons and gifts to families in need, working out of St. Paul's Parish. This community-wide project, with collection boxes widely distributed in local establishments, reaches a large contingency. The Council deeply appreciates the generosity of local individuals and corporate entities who work with us each year to make this holiday project a success.
On January 19, we sponsored the Martin Luther King Commemoration at the First Congregational Church. School children participated with posters and essays. Doug Wilhem, author of "Bullying," provided inspirational insight into this important problem.
A Lenten Study Series was again offered in March, with weekly gatherings distributed among the participating congregations, led by four different clergy leaders, culminating with a Passover Seder at the First Congregational Church.
A Square Dance Fund Raiser was held on April 3rd, with the Fraternal Order of Eagles offering their facilities and a meal. The event was sold out, and the Emergency Needs Fund was restored to enable the Council to continue meeting emergency needs of our neighbors.
The Council secured a small grant for our Faith and Nature Camp, and hired a part-time coordinator. The day camp ran from June 21 to June 25, with the congregations providing snacks and volunteer shepherds. Around 50 youth participated and were most responsive to the curriculum .
The Auto Angels Program, started in April 2001, is in its fourth year. We seek "road worthy" cars with some life left in them, to be provided to families needing to get to work. To date, we have turned over 38 cars, and have just received 4 more needing minimal repairs. There are 12 applicants, carefully screened, who are awaiting the opportunity to own their own car. We also received and were able to turn over one mobile home, to a young mother with 2 children. The demand is always greater than the number of available cars. Please consider this as an option when you are ready to replace your automobile.
Seventh Generation: In an effort to show concern for the environment, the Council voted to use only "environmentally friendly" paper products in their houses of worship. These were purchased in bulk, stored at Zion Episcopal Church, and disbursed as needed.
The Special Needs Emergency Fund, derived from charitable contributions to the Council, enables us to help our neighbors who have run out of other resources. These funds are used for electric bills, rent, food, etc. Recipients often try to make some repayment when their circumstances improve.
The Rhys Evans Community Medical Assistance Fund also relies on contributions, and referrals for assistance are made through the houses of worship.
Faith In Action Project
The greater part of this year has been spent in preparing a formal proposal to be presented to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for a $35,000 grant which will put our faith into action by voluntarily reaching out and serving one another as friends and neighbors in our community. Our proposal was accepted and initial funding received in May to hire a part-time Project Director for 30 months. Volunteers will be serving the Northshire, offering transportation, shopping, errands, visiting, telephoning, reading, and minor chores. A FIA Steering Committee, composed of representatives from the Interfaith Council and members at large, will oversee the project. Dora Cecchini has been hired as Project Director, an office set up, volunteers secured from all the participating congregations, and initial training sessions held the end of October. Serious fund raising, to sustain the Project beyond the initial grant, will be an immediate challenge for the Steering Committee.
Home
