Communal Work of Service

KIVA

Our first meeting to extend loans through KIVA was held on  Saturday, November 9. We received over $2,500 in donations. The committee had decided to make ten loans of $100 each in our first session.  The session went well and the group of 12 participants agreed on loaning to ten individuals and groups from various regions worldwide.   We will feature one recipient at a time in our updates.

The first loan was extended to Zanoubia, who lives in Lebanon where the average annual income is $5,900. 

Zanoubia, age 40 and divorced, is the mother of three children, for whom she sacrifices her whole life in order to provide them with the best living conditions she can offer them.  

Her goal is to one day open her own children's daycare center. She intends to work hard to make her dream come true. This will significantly improve her family's socioeconomic situation.

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The Kiva group expects to meet again sometime in January to extend more loans. Anyone who is interested may join us.  The date will be announced in the future.  If you have any questions or want further information, please contact Clarence Heller (marclar123@aol.com, 636.256.6515).

Guests This Week

From Our Sister Community in Little Rock

Fred and Sarah Ball are visiting us this evening from San Damiano ECC in Little Rock, Arkansas.  Fred is the pastor there; Sarah is a past president of the ECC House of Laity and currently serves on its steering committee.  

Both of them share a passion for the Franciscan way of life.  Fred heads up the ECC's Franciscans of Reconciliation (www.eccfranciscans.org), and Sarah is a member as well.  They are on their way back from Chicago where they had their "general chapter" (read, national Franciscan gathering) and are staying with Art and me.  They will be with us for mass on Saturday and for dinner afterwards and would like to speak with anyone who may be interested in Franciscan spirituality.  So plan on buttonholing them after mass and/or going with them to dinner if you are interested...or if you just want to meet some really terrific people.  

Frank

Canned Goods Collection

Marilyn Heller will be collecting canned goods every Saturday before and after Mass until Thanksgiving. The canned goods will be donated to Good Shepherd Food Pantry, a mid-Missouri food pantry that does not receive much support.  Please help by donating a few or MANY items.  Every little bit helps relieve a family's hunger!   Thanks for your help!

Update: 

Presiding Bishop Nominating Committee

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

As promised, this is an update on Presiding Bishop Nominating Committee's progress since our last communication to the Communion of August 13, 2013. 

As you are aware, the nomination process closed as of September 15, 2013.  Prior to the deadline for nominations several candidate names were brought forward, each nominee took the opportunity to discern whether he/she was called to stand for election as the Communion's next Presiding Bishop.  Following this discernment, a number of candidates agreed to continue thereby continuing a period of prayerful discernment and active participation in the evaluation process established by the PBNC.  We are in the process of scheduling interviews with each of the candidates.  These interviews will be held in early December.  The PNBC believes the process is going smoothly and that we are on target to announce our nominees in early January as specified in our constitution.

As we indicated in our previous letter to the Communion dated July 25, the names of the candidates will not be made public by the PNBC prior to the announcement in January.  The decision to maintain strict confidentiality protects the privacy of the candidates, so that they will continue to have the opportunity for prayerful discernment without outside influence or distraction.   We ask for your continued prayers and patience as we complete this very important work.

Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

Peace,

Carla Altepeter and Rev. Kedda Keough

Presiding Bishop Nominating Committee, Co-Chairs

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Why Bother

Exploring a Sustainable Spirituality

This event has been postponed to a date to be identified later.