[Lekooks] Your Input is Requested Please - Time Sensitive

Tue Oct 17 12:15:06 CDT 2023

I think this is a wonderful idea and a very good way to provide help to those who need it.
I'm deeply concerned, however, about whether this is the time that our struggling church should be providing the services and money to support it.
Do we really want to make a commitment of our financial resources to this when we're predicting a $48,000 budget deficit this year and continue to see declining membership?  Based on what I heard at our stewardship committee meeting last Sunday, we're looking at a looming financial crisis.  In times like these, it's very important that we focus on committing our resources to healing our church's problems.  Heal the patient, then let them go out and help the world.

If we were a thriving community with a healthy budget surplus, I'd be 100% for this.  I really have to wonder, however, if it's realistic for us in our currently weakened condition.
Trying, perhaps unsuccessfully, not to be "Debbie Downer,"Mike

Nehru to Gandhi, on his deathbed: "Mahatma, in your lifetime, you have turned the world utterly upside down. How must that feel??" 

Gandhi: "Yes, I turned the world upside down. I stood on my head."

    On Tuesday, October 17, 2023 at 11:24:34 AM CDT, Kerry Duma via Lekooks <lekooks at lekook.org> wrote:  

 First of all, I want to thank Gina Magnus for all her many (10?) years of outstanding leadership on coordinating our involvement with Family Promise.  Gina has done the huge lion's share of our involvement with the program since we started, and without her willingness to take charge and do whatever needed to be done, we wouldn't have been able to keep up our commitment to date.  
That said, as the program has changed since Covid, and as our church has also changed, it is really important for us to consider what our level of commitment to Family Promise will look like  going forward.  I know we all understand the huge challenges to being able to afford housing these days, and the overwhelming need for support for people who are unhoused.  I'm sure we all feel like supporting Family Promise is a good idea --  and being responsible for one meal a month doesn't seem like a big ask -- but the question is whether or not we actually have enough people willing to commit to making food and bringing it where it needs to go each month.  Since Covid, the number of people who have been involved is quite small, and I know Gina has made a lot of the food herself.
With this new model, people can make and provide food without being trained, so everyone in our congregation could contribute.  
I would like to see us continue our involvement going forward.  I am willing to continue to make food and help, but of course I, like many of us, am retired and am traveling often.  I think I can realistically commit to providing food in January and March.  I would also be happy to help with coordinating the Signup Genius or help deliver the food to the shelter.  
I think Gina needs to hear from many of us that we are committed to making food or helping in another way in order to decide that we are willing and able to be a part of this program.  
Thanks to all who have responded.  I hope we hear from enough of us to justify a decision to remain committed to Family Promise!
Kerry

On Tue, Oct 17, 2023 at 10:43 AM Gail Ostler via Lekooks <lekooks at lekook.org> wrote:

Gina, I'm willing to help.  Gail OstlerFrom: Lekooks <lekooks-bounces at lekook.org> on behalf of Paula Hillmann via Lekooks <lekooks at lekook.org>
Sent: Monday, October 16, 2023 11:54 AM
To: Gina Magnus <gmarksonmagnus at gmail.com>
Cc: Tammara Wolfgram via Lekooks <lekooks at lekook.org>; minister at lcuuc.org <minister at lcuuc.org>
Subject: Re: [Lekooks] Your Input is Requested Please - Time Sensitive Hi Gina,Thank you, as always, for all you do!I see the pros and cons, as you mention.I'm all for helping support families who need the encouragement that Family Promise provides.I'm happy to donate food if that's the way we decide to go.But to be honest, my favorite part about Family Promise has been the way we've supported families both socially and emotionally by having direct interactions - "feeding the body and the spirit" by spending time with the families.Might this FP change be something that no longer matches our mission, and our capacity to serve in this way?I hope everyone chimes in - I'd like to hear what others have to say.Paula
On Mon, Oct 16, 2023 at 10:57 AM Gina Magnus via Lekooks <lekooks at lekook.org> wrote:

Good Morning All,
I will try to keep this as brief as possible while trying to give you the information you need to help with this decision regarding our participation in the "new" version of Family Promise.  I am very proud of our congregation for being the first church to sign on with the program in 2014 and for our continued support of the program as the model changed in response to the pandemic. The staff at Family Promise has proposed a dramatically different model for the upcoming winter/spring months.  For the sake of brevity, I will bullet point the rest of the information.
*  Family Promise of Waukesha County (FP)  has partnered with Hebron House in Waukesha to manage the Emergency Overflow Shelter (EOS) for families and singles experiencing homelessness in Waukesha County from Nov '23 - March '24.*  The EOS is located at 1210 Sentry Dr. and can house up to 35 people.
*  Families and Singles will be placed in the EOS only after every other available shelter bed is full. 
*  We have been asked to provide a meal once a month for the shelter (5 times).  Our day is currently the third Thursday of the month.  The census will change and is weather dependent, but we should plan on feeding 35 people.  We will have census data prior to our host date, but again, it can change quickly. 

Pros:*  This is a very vulnerable group of people who will benefit greatly from having a safe place to stay and meals provided.*  Trained staff from HebronHouse and FP will be onsite daily.  *  No training is required to provide the meal.  Only trained volunteers will be able to stay and serve the food.*  It is a 5 month commitment at this time and if enough people sign on to provide food or $$, I believe it is doable.   

Cons:*  Feeding 35 people will be expensive and take some organizing.
*  This is an atypical volunteer experience in that we will not have many opportunities to build relationships with other volunteers or our guests at the EOS.
*  This is radically different from the model of FP that we signed on to in 2014. (con or simply the truth?)
I met with Rev. Matt and Phil Smith yesterday and we decided that the best thing to do is to pose the question to all of you.I would like you to respond as to whether or not you think we should sign on to provide a meal once a month for 35 people for 5 months. IF you think we should, please also let me know if you are willing to commit to providing meals/food or $$ to support the effort.  I am willing to continue to coordinate our volunteers and the meals, butI cannot do this without significant help from all of you.  

FP is looking for our answer by midweek this week.  I appreciate all input on this matter.
Thank you, and as always I am so grateful to this congregation for the support that you have provided for FP over the last 10 years.

gina markson magnus262-424-7640_______________________________________________
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-- 
Paula Hillmann
paula.hillmann at gmail.com
cell: 262-366-5991_______________________________________________
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