April 2022
Ministerium Social Outreach and Planning Meeting
4/7/2022
CPOW Campus
· Welcome & Prayer- Doug Lamb
· Introductions
· Community Updates:
o Continue to pray for our police officers.
· Informative Updates:
o Elizabethtown Area School District- Jenn Fields, Amy Robinson, Brandon Aukamp
§ UDS trains and provides the dogs. Handlers are trained every year.
§ Offers support with training and even brought in extra dogs when there were deaths in the high school.
§ Helps students with anxiety, death, and in general happiness.
§ Currently the dog, Murphy is in the high school.
§ They’re looking to get a dog for each building.
§ May 12th East High Elementary School will get their therapy dog. Already sponsored by the
§ The Middle School will get a dog next; Bainbridge has their application in for one, and then Bear Creek.
§ Pray for students and teachers. It’s been a hard time over the past 2 years.
o Elizabethtown Area Communities That Care- Gail Viscome
§ Tutoring in the Middle School is going well.
§ Club Ophelia has started in the Middle School
§ Turn Around Program- recognition for those that turned around their grades or choices. They’ll be recognized at an event May 25th.
§ Opioid Epidemic in our community- The No Shame Pledge will be the next awareness campaign. To spread awareness that addiction is a disease and that you’ll help others get the help they need.
o The Community Cupboard of Elizabethtown- Doug Lamb
§ Food Bank isn’t growing but is getting new clients.
§ United Churches would like to figure out a way of finding out why clients are no longer needing food.
§ Need volunteers for the Post Office Food Drive, which is the weekend after Mother’s Day.
o The Elizabethtown HUB- Doug Lamb
§ They’re still in transition, but still around.
o ECHOS- Doug Lamb
§ Homestead Housing Program
§ Had the first successful guest get a job and an apartment.
o Bear Bags- Jenn Fields
§ Has moved into the CPOW campus and will be at the Open House today from 4-6.
o Police Chaplaincy- Doug Lamb
§ Looking for new Chaplains!
o United Churches Elizabethtown Area- Bruce Riefenstahl
§ Etown Share and Care- Transportation Program
§ Volunteer program with helping people get to their doctor appointments.
§ March-May is the pilot program.
§ Started with Norlanco because they have the greatest amount of need.
§ 7 Drivers (3 hrs. a week).
§ Have business cards for Norlanco to hand out to potential clients. Also have cards at Sycamore Square, Hope Within, PennState Health Etown, and Jewel David Minstries.
§ They’re then vetted to see what their needs are, what their accommodations may be, and where they live.
§ Services the Elizabethtown Area School District.
§ Pray for ideas with helping refugees from Ukraine. Exploring ideas with Church World Services and YWAM.
o Elizabethtown Ministerium- Doug Lamb
§ Carry the Cross- April 15th at 5pm [starting at Elizabethtown Mennonite].
§ Community Good Friday Service 7pm at First Church of God of Elizabethtown.
§ Prayer with the Borough Police Chief 3rd Wednesday [April 20th] at 6:45am.
§ Pastor Prayer and Spiritual Enrichment at LifeGate April 21at 8:30am.
§ National Day of Prayer: Pre-rally May 4th at LifeGate. May 5th prayer at Borough Hall at 6:30am.
§ Compassion Month: July 2022- if your church is interested in serving the community with service projects contact Love, Inc. and let them know what talents your church members have. Projects will be done through the month of July.
§ Elizabethtown Block Party- Doug Lamb
§ Free Food and entertainment for the community.
§ October 1st- 1:30pm to 4pm
§ Looking for funds and to be able to pull this off. In the past churches have
o Love, Inc.- Jay Raririgh
§ Gathering a list of churches, the next 5 weeks, to see who would like to help with Love Month in July.
o New Culture- Doug Ruhl
§Celebrate Etown 5/7/22 11am to 6pm.
§Looking for nominees of people within the community to honor.
§ Looking for a connection for hot dog rolls and drinks for Celebrate Etown (May 7: 11am to 6pm).
§ Any sports equipment churches can loan, would be helpful.
o Naaman Center- Peter Graustein
§ Expanding their facilities, one in Lancaster and one in York.
§ Gospel concert at Leffler Chapel this Saturday, all proceeds will go to PA Adult & Teen Challenge: Naaman Center.
o GOAL Project- Peter Graustein
§ Helps to educate churches about addiction
§ Looking for a church to help host a healing through recovery workshop. It’s a one-day event 10:30-2, lunch provided. This would be done late summer/early fall.
o Prayer Requests-
§ Word of Life Chapel- Anne Aungst
§ Mark Habecker, pastor- is retiring
§ Dave Dilworth, - has resigned and is moving to Maine to be with family.
§ Pastors needed for Good’s Mennonite and Elizabethtown Mennonite.
§ Shaun O’Brien has been confirmed as the new pastor of West Green Tree Church of the Brethren.
o Closing Prayer- Doug Lamb