Des Moines Area Religious Council / MovetheFood
1435 Mulberry Street
Des Moines, IA 50309
515-277-6969
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| Take Advantage of 2 Special Giving Options to Benefit DMARC's Food Pantry Network |  |
Today until April 30, 2014, you can increase your giving impact with two donation matching offers partnering with Des Moines Area Religious Council's Food Pantry Network. The goal: to help fill the new DMARC food pantry warehouse shelves!
Douglas M. Woods $10,000 "Challenge Hunger" Gift
This is the second year that local philanthropist Douglas M. Woods has generously committed to provide 50 cents for every dollar donated to the DMARC Food Pantry Network, up to the first $20,000 in donations. This challenge comes during a season when donations to the food pantry are historically low. Yet, the need for food assistance continues year-round. As part of the Challenge, your $10 becomes $15, $50 equals $75, and so on. During the "Challenge Hunger" offer, a $10 gift will help provide a week's worth of meals for a family.
The "Feinstein" Foundation & DMARC Team Up to Knock Out Hunger!
In 2013, the Feinstein Challenge resulted in over $99,000 in donations, or about 109,000 meals, designated for the DMARC Food Pantry. This year's goal is $100,000. Each gift or pledge will help boost DMARC' s portion of the $1 Million Feinstein grant which is distributed to all eligible organizations proportionally, based on cashpledges and donations during the "Feinstein Challenge". Consider designating a DMARC food pantry gift or pledge as a match for the 2014 Feinstein Challenge.
Cash gifts can be designated for both challenges. Simply write the word "Challenge Hunger" and/or "Feinstein" on your check or donation card. For online gifts, designate "Challenge Hunger" and/or "Feinstein" in the Additional Instructions field.
If you prefer to pledge a future gift or if you need additional information, contact Development Director Kristine Frakes.
Donate online at: www.dmreligious.org/donate, or mail your donations to: DMARC, PO Box 12278, Des Moines, IA 50312-9405. Phone donations are also welcome at 515-277-6969.
Businesses, congregations, and other groups may download a flyer to post or a bulletin insert from the DMARC website. This is the prime time to contribute to DMARC's Food Pantry Network-gifts will grow to even more food for the hungry in our community!
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The Des Moines Area Religious Council responds to meet basic human needs in Greater Des Moines and Polk County Iowa.
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DMARC does not require participation in religious services as a condition to receive assistance, and does not engage in religious proselytizing or counseling. DMARC practices non-discrimination in accordance with applicable federal and state regulations. All services and programs are provided to consumers without discrimination in regard to family size or structure, religious or cultural beliefs, race, gender, age, or disability.
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 Community Calendar We are pleased to point you to the community calendar on the DMARC website. You may access it at any time. Feel free to upload your own events! Scroll down the calendar page and click "Submit an Event". Mickle Center Cookbook-Exchange & Open House Come join the Iowa Food Cooperative on Thursday, March 27th, from 4-6:30pm to learn about and sample local foods; enjoy local foods; enjoy locally roasted coffee; bring a cookbook, take a cookbook; buy a cookbook; meet local farmers and other friendly faces. The Mickle Center is located in Sherman Hills, 1620 Pleasant St., Des Moines. Use north entrance from Pleasant St. Look for a sign! Dr. Bruce Levine at Plymouth Congregational Church The Plymouth Church Board of Christian Social Action welcomes noted clinical psychologist and author Dr. Bruce Levine to discuss his book Get Up, Stand Up: Uniting Populists, Energizing the Defeated, and Battling the Corporate Elite. The program will focus on the problems of political passivity, how we break out of that pattern, and how we can work together for successful activism. All are welcome. Refreshments provided. Saturday, March 29, 2014 from 9:00 to Noon at Plymouth Congregational Church at 4126 Ingersoll Ave. in Des Moines.  Agriculture and Climate Change Panel is March 30
Join Iowa Interfaith Power & Light as they co-sponsor a panel discussion on how climate change is impacting agriculture in Iowa and elsewhere. On Sunday, March 30, 2014, 2pm, at
Bethesda Lutheran Church, 1517 Northwestern Ave., in Ames, IA. Panelists include Christopher Anderson, climate scientist at Iowa State University; Joan Fumetti, retired UCC clergy and former staff of Foods Resource Bank; Matt Russell, Drake Agricultural Law Program's State Food Policy Project Coordinator and co-owner of Coyote Run Farm; and Arlyn Schipper, Grundy County grain farmer. For a flyer you can share, click here.
"What's New Since 1492" This is the title of a presentation to be given by Eugene Fracek for Methodist Federation for Social Action's (MFSA) Spring Statewide Gathering, to be held on Saturday, April 5th, at 10am, at Sheridan Park United Methodist Church in Des Moines. Mr. Fracek, a retired principal in the Des Moines school system, is an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in South Dakota. He is a story teller and a singer.  Palm Sunday, April 13, at 3pm A procession for Peace, led by our children and a donkey followed by a prayer service for peace. We will raise our prayers and strengthen our resolve to end the war in Afghanistan, prevent war against Iran, seek a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Paslestine, Israel, Syria, North Korea and other places and we will insist that "War is not the answer." Procession begins on the Capitol West Terrace and ends at First United Methodist Church, 1001 Pleasant St., where the service will be held. Call 515-782-3054, for questions. Way of the Cross is April 18, 2014 This solemn event commemorates the life of Jesus in a visually symbolic way. During this Good Friday remembrance participants walk quietly through the city in a spirit of reflection. Along the way there will be Scripture readings and short devotions. Individuals may take the opportunity to carry the cross for a small part of the walk. Sponsored by the Bridge, an ecumenical ministry of four downtown churches; First united Methodist, St. Paul's Episcopal, St. Ambrose Catholic and St. John's Lutheran. Further information: Christine@dmfirstchurch.org. Celebrating the Spring Festival of Baisakhi - An invitation to learn more about the Sikh community in Greater Des Moines  The Des Moines Area Religious Council invites you to visit the new Sikh Gurudwara, April 11, 7pm, at 4820 NW 59th St., in Johnston. Dr. Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh, Crawford Family Professor of Religion at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, will be speaking about the Sikh faith tradition and about the Spring Festival of Baisakhi, which is being celebrated this year on April 13-14. The Sikh community will also be conducting Akhand Paath, an uninterrupted recitation of their holy book, Sri Guru Granth Sahib, in the main hall and attendees are welcome to experience it. Please note: We will gather in the entrance area and, as a sign of respect, remove our shoes and cover our heads with a scarf (scarves are provided by the temple) and proceed downstairs for the presentation. It is the custom to cover one's head within the Gurudwara precincts; the Gurudwara provides coverings for visitors if you forget to bring something along. |
 Need Help Filing Taxes?
Families and individuals who earned $51,567 or less in 2013, may be eligible to receive Free Tax Preparation! You also may be eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or Child Care Tax Credits. Call 2-1-1 for more information. 211 is free and available 24/7. Or go to: www.internalrevenueservice.tumblr.com for more tax filing tips.
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Thursday, March 27, 7:00 p.m.
Cowles Library Reading Room, Drake
Translating the Ineffable: How Hunters Hear and Talk to the Dead in Côte d'Ivoire
Joseph Hellweg, Associate Professor of Religion, Florida State University
Friday, March 28, 12:15 to 1:45 p.m.
Black Box Theater, Harmon Fine Arts Center, DrakeWest African Dance Workshop
Diadié Bathily, dancer and Caph Guéï, drummer with introduction and interpretation by Joseph Hellweg
Thursday, April 10, 7:00 p.m.
Cowles Library Reading Room, Drake
Expressing the Inexpressible: Language and Experience in Sikh Mysticism
Dr. Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh, Crawford Family Professor of Religion, Colby College
(See DMARC invitation article above.)
The Comparison Project is sponsored by:
- Drake University Humanities Center
- Humanities Iowa
- The Medbury Fund
- Drake University
- Principal Financial Group
- Center for Global Citizenship
- Des Moines Area Religious Council
- Cultivating Compassion: The Richard Deming Foundation
For more information on The Comparison Project:
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Faith Community News
 Leadership Alliance Seminar hosts Dr. Steinke in Pella The Vermeer Charitable Foundation and Leadership Alliance invites you to When God does a new thing, what do you do with the old things? Conference with Dr. Peter Steinke on March 31-April 1, 2014, at the Vermeer Global Pavilion, 2110 Vermeer Rd. East, in Pella, Iowa. Consider using this conference as a growth/learning opportunity for leadership teams at your church. Perhaps you could attend with your church council or other staff on Monday, March 31, 7pm, for the free lecture, or if more of your team is available during the day, join the full-day event on Tuesday, April 1. Dr. Steinke serves as a speaker and consultant for churches in crisis and helps them move through change. Advanced registration is $25 by March 25, after that cost is $35, for the Tuesday April 1, 8:30-4pm workshop. Questions? Contact 641-628-3141 or charitablefoundation@vermeer.com. Rabbi Irwin Kula, President of Clal, the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership at Tifereth Israel Synagogue, Friday, April 4th and Saturday April 5th An internationally sought-after speaker, Rabbi Irwin Kula inspires people worldwide by using Jewish wisdom to speak to all aspects of modern life and relationships. Friday Evening, 6:00pm: Shabbat Services followed by dinner and talk "Beyond the Tribe: Jewish as a Path of Human Flourishing". Saturday Morning, 9:30am: Shabbat Services and brief Torah discussion followed by Shabbat Café with talk "Israel: Loving the Messiness". Saturday Evening, 8:00pm: Havdalah event with talk "Happiness, Love, Meaning, and the Pew Report". Tickets for Friday evening dinner and program are $25 in advance. Reservations are required; contact the Tifereth Israel office at 515-255-1137.
at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Saturday, April 5th
6:30pm - hors d'oeuvres and wine; program begins at 7:30pm. Keynote speaker, author and Oscar nominee, Jeremy Scahill. Award recipients are Rita Hohenshell (posthumously) and Iowa Chapters of Veterans for Peace. Jeremy Scahill is the author of the best selling The Rise of World's most Powerful Mercenary Army, Nation Books, 2008. Scahill is also a producer, writer and lead character of the film vesion of Dirty Wars. As National Security Correspondent for The Nation, he has reported from Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Yemen, the former Yugoslavia and elsewhere. Anchor Coffee House Season Continues! Join us at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 4114 Allison Ave., Des Moines on April 5, 2014, for Amy Finders and the Jet Set, beautiful voice, lively mandolin, quick wit. Tickets are $15 at-the-door price. Baptismal Living Day at Episcopal Diocese of Iowa Anthony Robinson, author of Changing the Conversation...a third way for Congregations, will lead the Baptismal Living Day, a day of reflection and planning. There will be opportunities for small group work and local visioning. Register now for the Baptismal Living Day on Saturday, April 5 at St. Timothy's Episcopal Church in West Des Moines. Discounts available for group registrations. Registrations close Monday, March 31.  Attend Holocaust Remembrance Day Lecture on April 27th The Jewish Federation, the four Des Moines area Synagogues, and the Iowa Council for Holocaust Education present a Holocaust Remembrance Day Lecture with Prof. Harold Kasimow, Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies, Grinnell. His lecture on Jewish Theological Responses to the Holocaust, will be held on Sunday, April 27, 2014, 2pm, at Temple B'nai Jeshurun, 5101 Grand Ave., Des Moines. The event is free and open to the public. For additional information, contact jcrc@dmjfed.org. Save the Date! The Morning Rises Concert is May 1
Rising Sun Church of Christ will be hosting THE MORNING RISES Tour featuring Aaron Shust, Mike Schair, Jonny Diaz, and Lauren Daigle on May 1. General admission tickets are $15, at: www.risingsunchurch.org. Questions? Contact Office Administrator Kris Wolf, Rising Sun Church of Christ, 515-265-7393.
Save the Date: The 2014 Greek Food Fair is June 7 & 8
This annual food fair will be held on Saturday, June 7, from 11am-8pm and Sunday, June 8, from 11am-5pm, at the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Geroge, 1110 35th St. (35th St. and Cottage Grove Ave.), in Des Moines. For questions, call 515-277-0780. www.stgeorge.ia.goarch.org
Diocesan Summer Ministry School & Retreat
at Grinnell College
The Episcopal Diocese of Iowa holds its 25th Annual Summer Ministry School & Retreat from June 27 to 29 at Grinnell College. Fun, learning, and worship for the whole family. Go to the Diocesan Website Page for complete information and online registration. Discounted registration before May 23.
IONA: A Celtic Pilgrimage of Renewal
is Saturday, July 12 - Saturday, July 19, 2014
Location: Bishops House (Anglican Retreat Center), Island of Iona, PA76 6SJ, Scotland.
Retreat Description: On behalf of lay and ordained leaders who are renewing our congregations and restoring our world, we invite you to join us for a special week-long retreat at historic Bishop's House on the beautiful island of Iona in the western Hebrides of Scotland, where a group of 24 spiritual pilgrims will go in search of that "fugitive faith we have allowed to run away from ourselves." Inspired by the enduring wisdom of Celtic Christianity, this Regenerative Leadership Retreat will both feed the longings of our souls in the good company of others on the pilgrimage, and help us shape the emerging future of a regenerative society that is now being born inside our communities of faith as they become local centers for spiritual, environmental and community renewal. In our efforts to encourage a community of practice in our home congregations, groups applying together will be given a 10% discount on the retreat deposit by the application deadline of March 31st.
Sponsored by: Center for Regenerative Society (CRS)
Facilitators: Rev. Benjamin & Sarah Webb, CRS
Retreat Fee: $1,300 for tuition, room, board (travel to and from Iona is the responsibility of each retreatant)
Application Deadline: March 31, 2014 (with $700 deposit)
More details: See "Iona Retreat" for more details.
Contact Info: info@regenerativesociety.org
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Job / Volunteer / Training Opportunities
Childcare Position - Capitol Hill Christian Church, Des Moines
We have an immediate opening for an energetic child care provider on Sundays from 9:45 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. E-mail ehcc25@msn.com, or call Pastor Candice at 515-988-4023.
Director of Children and Family Ministry -
Faith Lutheran Church, Clive
Ministers to children (ages birth through 6th grade) and their families, creating energy around the word of God while helping the youngest members of our congregation begin a life-long relationship with Christ. Responsibilities: Coordinate all aspects of Sunday morning and Wednesday evening educational and ministry activities including: curricular needs; recruitment, training and support of volunteers; and administrative needs. Oversee special program areas. Supervise and manage work of the Coordinator of Children and Family Ministry and the K.I.C.K. Music Coordinator. Prepare and coordinate correspondence with children and parents. The Director of Children and Family Ministry is a full-time salaried position with benefits. Salary is competitive and is commensurate with qualifications and experience. Candidates interested in applying shall submit a cover letter, resume, and names/contact information of three references either electronically or by mail. Electronic documents may be to sent to kalazanoni@faithlc.org, with "DCFM Application" in the email subject line. Applications sent via mail should be sent to: Faith Lutheran Church, Attn: DeLane Duval, 10395 University Ave., Clive, IA, 50325. Preference will be given to applications submitted by April 8, 2014.
Communication/Marketing Manager - DMARC, Des Moines
The Des Moines Area Religious Council is looking for a person to ensure timely and effective communication to all DMARC audiences/constituencies in measurable ways to drive engagement in DMARC's programs and initiatives. Responsibilities include: Competence in standard word-processing, spreadsheet, database, and publications software; Experience with content management systems; Excellent verbal and written communication skills; Demonstrable social networking experience; and College degree with focus in communications and/or marketing. Work hours: 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Send applications to Executive Director Sarai Rice at sarai@dmreligious.org. Click here for a printer friendly version.
Volunteer to Teach English as a Second Language - Lutheran Services in Iowa, Des Moines
Do you have a desire to help people from all cultures and
backgrounds gain the skills and tools they need to thrive
in a new country? Volunteer as an ESL teacher and make a
difference! With your everyday knowledge, you can make
a profound difference in the life of a refugee. In return, you
will gain a chance to interact with people from a variety of
countries and cultures, and develop new insights into your
own local community. For more information, contact: Volunteer Specialist Lauren Gentry, 515-271-7387.
Candeo, Johnston is now accepting applications for:
Business Liaison = full time salaried. Work with clients to develop resumes, build interview skills and find jobs in the community. BA in Marketing, Sales or related field.
FT Employment Consultant - evenings and weekends + Monday 3-5pm
Community Living Coordinator - coordinate residential services of clients with Intellectual Disabilities
Instructor of Brain Injury ServicesDirect instruction to clients
Supported Community Living Instructors - provides direct Instruction to clients
Team Leader - Assist Service Coordinator - lead staff in providing direct support to clients.
Habilitation Instructors = Support clients with mental health disabilities to achieve personal goals
Pay based on education and experience. Full benefits package.Candeo is an Equal Opportunity Employer and a Drug Free Workplace. Visit www.candeoiowa.org/careers to apply or send a resume and cover letter to hr@candeoiowa.org.
Volunteer - St. Mary Family Center, Des Moines
St. Mary Family Center needs volunteers in the afternoon on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, or both! Learn how you can get involved. Email Bernadette.
Part-time Office Coordinator, Covenant Presbyterian Church, West Des Moines
Will provide a church office operation that is effective, efficient and allows Covenant to meet its goal of offering a meaningful Christian community to its members, visitors and friends. In addition to the business operation of the church office, the Office Coordinator will professionally represent Covenant as a caring and Christian environment. See the church website for the full job description at www.wdmcovenant.org.
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Who are we?
The Des Moines Area Religious Council is an interfaith organization with a core membership of over 130 congregations from four faith traditions. Recipient of the 2012 LIVE UNITED Advocate Award from the United Way of Central Iowa, DMARC provides a common means of responding to basic human needs and a context for interfaith dialogue.
The DMARC Food Pantry Network consists of 13 separate pantry sites, a centralized warehouse, and numerous community partners. It is the largest food pantry network in Iowa. Pantry sites are located in West Des Moines, Ankeny, Johnston, Urbandale, and nine sites in Des Moines. In 2013, the DMARC Food Pantry Network assisted more than
34,000 individuals in the greater Des Moines community; half who are children and youth.
MovetheFood is a DMARC-led initiative to address the entire food system in Greater Des Moines, building on more than 37 years of the Food Pantry Network, catalyzing fresh generations, and engaging new constituencies to further support a vision for a day when everyone in Polk County has enough to eat.
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