urban.outreach: August 2006

Monday, August 28, 2006

Charter Partners

...we have 22 Charter Partners. Below is a preliminary list of Charter Partners. If you are a partner and your name is not here, if your name is misspelled or if your spouse is not listed, please email me at urban.outreach@gmail.com so I can make corrections. Thanks Jeff

Libby Barnhart
Pete and Norma Blue
William and Judith Brown
Ed and Pat Catron
Tom and Charlene Grant
Glen and Jeanne Harland
Ron and Liz Harper
Gary and Dee Hostetler
Stan and Sandy Hurst
Rev. Barbara Kinsler
G. L. Laflin
Boyce Morris
Jeff and Chris Newton
Richard and Susan Newton
Grant Poynter
Ben and Olivia Rineheart
Dave and Jody Shaw
Tom and Emily Streeter
Travis and Lisa Taflinger
Jennifer Tarner
Gilbert and Eileen Thomas
James Williams
Tina Williams

Your gifts are working to provide the following:

36,500.00 salary for the Director per year
6,000 for medical insurance for one year
2,800 Social Security tax
1,500 liability Insurance per year
46,800

After this there are other administrative and program expenses. To cover our budget completely for a year we would need about $70,000.

As a partner you would allow me to work full time in the Outreach and part-time in the church I pastor. Presently, I am receiving 75% of the salary working toward 100%. To supplement my income I substitute teach at the Kokomo Academy.

When you partner with KUO you are partnering with me personally to create a culture of hope to those who have little hope. When you partner with me, you are allowing me to have time to work with other churches that desire to move into their neighborhood. When you partner with me you are working with me to expand the outreach until someday the whole city will be covered and transformed. When you become a Charter Partner, you will be one of the first on board to partner with us. Presently, we have 22 Charter Partners who have been giving monthly many since the beginning.

I know God is raising up women and men who are willing to step out in faith and become a partner. All I am asking is that you ask God about what you might be able to provide. Please email at urban.outreach@gmail.com to get more information or call 461.9618.

Checks may be sent to:

Kokomo Urban Outreach
Box20122
Kokomo, IN 46904-0122

Thanks for your consideration and support

Churches of the Month

Financial support, food, volunteers, and Board of Director Members who are the Chair(Pastor Kevin Miller from St. Luke's) and Sec./treasurer Ron Harper. Both Churches have been invaluable to us this summer. St. Luke's initiated Vacation Bible School and made it happen. Pastor Mike suggested "back to school Backpacks" to hold hygiene items(gave away 200 plus). St. Luke's has been represented well at the Sunday Night Cookouts with Ben taking the prize of being there the most Sundays. St. Lukes is also providing a fried chicken dinner on the last night of the cookouts(Sept. 10).

Grace Church also provided crafts supplies and curriculum for VBS, as well as food on Sunday Nights. Grace church sent many, many Sunday Night volunteers. The last Sunday in July there were over 30 volunteers from Grace an older Sunday School Class and the youth group. This was our first intergenerational group. Many weeks a different group from Grace pitched in to help out. The individual who rarely missed a Sunday is Jim Williams. Jim is my "unofficial" right hand man and will be providing an orientation meeting each week we have new volunteers to prepare them for their experience.

Thank you to both churches for all your support. Your strong sense of missions is evident and your mission leaders: Patty Cohee and Susan Garner are great!!!! Thanks again for being the churches of the month.

Transforming a community through collaboration

One of my personal goals for 2006-2007 is to gather churches/organizations from particular geographic areas that have a desire to address issues within their community. Please be in prayer in ways this might be done. Below is something I put together some time ago. Please feel free to leave comments. Jeff

Ways of Engaging with the Community

Community Service

(Stream one of Kokomo Urban Outreach Vision)

Caring services or activities are provided to those who want them; receivers use what is offered, without having been directly involved in shaping or delivering those services.

Positives

Provides services for those in need
helps people to cope with their present circumstances
good in crisis situation
possibly of working with other organizations where there are common goals
more opportunity to share Christian faith
clear identification of who is providing the services

Negatives

tends to focus on effects rather than root causes of problems
can create over- dependence on the helper
can leave the cause of problems unaffected

Community Action (Stream two of Kokomo Urban Outreach Vision)

Collaborates more directly with local individuals, churches and other organizations to plan and deliver a focused caring in some way or to tackle more immediate needs through cooperation.

Positives

addresses issues that directly effect an identified segment of the population
organizes many groups to work on issues or provide services
more responsive to "real" local needs
helps people work together for lasting improvement of quality of life in the community

Negatives

Sometimes more focused on tasks to be done
Can be short term that does bring change but often is not followed up adequately
More difficult to share Christian Faith

Community Transformation (Stream Four of Kokomo Urban Outreach Vision)

Works to organize local people to take responsibly for and act in response to perceived local social needs or issues.

Positives

Draws agenda from people's immediate experiences and needs, not from the perceptions of need by others
Helps people discover their own and the community's resources, using discovered resources to address issues at hand
Enables people to take control over their own lives and to participate in the making of decisions which affect them
Provides possibility of long term change within the community
New community leaders can incorporate community service and community action within their new group--serving others in the community
Helps by focusing on community relationships

Negatives

Issues can arise around how much of the Christian faith can be shared

Secondary Vision

I envision churches and organizations to cooperate and collaborate with one another to address community issues.

"The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body..."
1 Corinthians 1:12-13

Positive Ideas for Cooperation and Collaboration

Local Churches/organizations

looks beyond the activity of any one congregation
consider the church as the whole body of Christ across a city or neighborhood.
move from information sharing to collaboration and problem solving

Potential

the church is the largest voluntary organization in Kokomo
the church is full of people who are willing to give up their free time to serve their community
church members are already involved in a large number of community projects
there is a great deal of resources available for community outreach, not only people, but finances too

When there is unity among churches

There is improved and renewed relationships with:

God
the wider community
other Christians

Let me know what you think....

Neighborhood Church

help participants understand Biblically and theologically what it means to be a sent church. Participants will learn how to become a mission base within their neighborhood. Practical ideas and steps will be generated to discern how, to move beyond the walls of the church into the community. To schedule a date or to get more information please call Jeff Newton at 765.461.9618

A Missional or Neighborhood Church is a community of believers who understand that they are called to be God’s hands and feet in their community. A missional church has an on-going passion and longing to see every person transformed by the wonder of God’s grace and become part of the Kingdom of God.

Volunteer Opportunities

We have the following volunteer openings scroll down for more information about each:

Volunteer Administrative Assistant
Table Mentors
Sidewalk Sunday School Worker
Behind the Scene Workers
Newsletter Editor
E-Bay Consultant

Descriptions of Open Positions

Volunteer Administrative Assistant

Purpose
The administrative assistant provides a variety of clerical support services for Kokomo Urban Outreach.

Responsible to

The Director of Kokomo Urban Outreach

Description of duties

Organize and manage the day-to-day activities of the office and ensure the efficiency of the office operations.
Establish and maintain files and records for organization.
Provide clerical and secretarial support for the director
Compile and interpret information from various sources and prepare reports when requested.
Prepare Thank you notes
Answer questions and provide information concerning organizations functions and activities.
Take messages
Maintain general calendar.
Prepare and send out notices for meetings, and prepare agenda items and materials.
Keep database of volunteers
Operate a personal computer and related equipment (such as printer and scanner).
Utilize software for word processing, database management, spreadsheets, and presentations.
Use word processing program to create a variety of printed materials, such as reports, correspondence, newsletters, and other forms with accuracy and attention to detail.
Operate other office equipment, including photocopier, fax machine, and calculator.

Qualifications, skills, and gifts

Considers this position a ministry
Has basic understanding of office organization and operations.
Has good awareness of office equipment and methods.
Knows principles of preparing correspondence, forms, reports, etc.
Possesses good communication and organizational skills.
Understands principles and procedures of record-keeping.
Has good command of the English languge
Is able to perform services independently and without direct supervision.
Has the ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing
Has the skills to create and maintain record-keeping and filing systems.
Time requirements
Fifteen -Twenty hours per week days and times can be negotiated.

Table Mentors

Purpose:
To be a support/example to children as they eat dinner on Sunday Night.

Description of Duties

To sit with children at meal time
To have a conversation with the children
To help the children learn table manners
To help the younger children, cut up food etc.
Skills Needed
Love of children
Listening ear
Positive attitude
Patience

Time Commitment
Sunday Nights from 4:45-5:30. Can volunteer each week or monthly and everything in between.

Sidewalk Sunday School Workers (Pine Valley)

Purpose: To serve children through Sidewalk Sunday School at Pine Valley.

We are looking for people who can fill the following roles:

Storytellers: retelling a Bible Story
Song leader: lead singing using at least a CD, it would be great to have a guitar etc.
Chaperones: to encourage the children to participate through positive reinforcement.

Persons need to:

have a servants heart
have a love for children and relate well to them
be kind, yet be able to help children learn to follow simple rules

Time Commitment
Saturday's from about 1:30PM -3:15 PM actual program runs from 2-3PM.
Sidewalk Sunday School helpers can come every week or once a month or any time in between.

Visitation/Getters Team

(Pine Valley and Garden Square)

Description:
To visit each child that attends Sidewalk Sunday School at Pine Valley and Garden Square each week. And to pick-up children at Garden Square that need to be walked across the street to Trinity Church. We would like to see 8 teams of 2 join the team.

At Garden Square there will be two people per row of apartments. The Getters would pick up children and bring them across the street and at the end of the night return them to their home. Getters could also be table mentors or help in the Sunday School after the meal.

Time commitment for this ministry: 4:30PM-6:30PM on Sunday Nights. In the best case scenario Getters would be able to Get most weeks as to build up a relationship with children and families.

We need two teams of two to go into Pine Valley once a week and deliver a flier to children in the complex to invite them to the next Saturday's Event. Over time relationships would be built with the families of the children. The time commitment is unclear right now but would only take one late afternoon or early evening per week. If two teams are recruited, each team should have to visit 7-10 apartments.

Behind the Scene Workers

There are several "Behind the Scene Worker" opportunities:

Stocking and organizing shelves
Designer/Artist/construction worker to build set for children's room (see related article
Cleaning the areas of the church that are used for the outreach (handful of rooms)
A receptionist that will volunteer for a morning or afternoon that can greet people that delivering items the church and logging in items received.
Need occasional trucks and drivers to pick up larger items (sort of on call and arranged at your convenience)

Newsletter Editor

Description: Produce a high quality monthly Newsletter. The newsletter is produced on-line with Constant Contact program (very easy to learn). The Newsletter can be done from your home, with articles and pictures sent to you by email. The newsletter takes me about 15-20 hours (a month) to produce, someone with good typing and computer skills may be able to do it much quicker.

Skills needed:

Have a command of the English language grammar, spelling etc
Comfortable with a computer
Have access to computer, internet and an email address
Attention to detail

Ebay Consultant

We have an idea to use Ebay as a fundraising tool. We are looking for someone to bounce the idea off of, that has an understanding of how exactly Ebay works and can give advice on how to get started.

Prayer Needs

Please pray for:

Sidewalk Sunday School

Families in the Community

Mary Ingle as she leads as new Children's Outreach Director

An expanded financial base for KUO

I would be glad to pray for you. Just leave your concern by clicking the comment button and leaving it for everyone to pray for or click the envelope and send me an email so I may lift up your prayer concerns. Jeff

Artists and carpenters needed to design and paint the town

We are looking for an artist to design and paint a cartoonish town in our new children's room. Some of the set can be three D and built out of wood. The stage area is about 20 ft wide and 8 foot high with an actual stage to be built off the floor about six inches. The stage will look something like a sidewalk, the children will sit on tarps in front of it thus making an indoor Sidewalk Sunday School. We will need a screen built in somewhere for words of songs to be projected and one of the buildings be built in such a way that it will accommodate some puppets. We have little money to do this, we could purchase paint, brushes and lumber. I know God has gifted folks in this area and that there are people that are willing to share their gifts as we reach out to the unchurched in the neighborhood.