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Partners in Hope
The River’s focus in November 2008
As The River works towards transforming
ourselves and the world around us, we realize we can’t do it alone.
God’s calling to us is great, and the challenges facing the world today
are complex. To be effective, we need to draw work and encourage
one another, so that together we can realize positive change. Our
focus this November is on partnerships and how they help us reach our
goal of making an impact in society, both at home and abroad.
Program
Friday October 24 - Youth
Movie Night - SERVE presents a screening of the
Lost Boys of Sudan - an award-winning documentary that looks at the daily
struggles and triumphs of young men, orphaned in the Sudan conflict, who
find themselves sponsored as refugees to America.
Sunday November 2 -
Theme Kick-off. Message entitled: "Lets Roll"
Sunday November 9 -
River on the Road - following the success in our spring project, The
River once again ‘leaves the building’ and hits the road to live out
church through action at a number of roadstops:
- Jasper Place Health and Wellness Centre - come
to the homeless drop-in centre on Stony Plain Road to meet the
clientele, help serve some food, make music and have fellowship.
Last year the centre’s founder and a client gave an impactful talk at
The River, now’s the chance to serve at the centre itself.
- Devonshire
Care Facility - come spend a morning with our elders in the
community, who were impacted by our last visit. Activities include
helping seniors make their way to the meeting place, singing, sharing a
snack and visiting.
- Youth Activity - Child Soldiers
Promotion - youth will be out at public places, dressed as ‘child
soldiers’ to promote The River’s Dallaire Event.
- Organizing Donations at George H. Luck - all Riverites can bring in clean, washed used clothing (children and adult)
as well as small, working and useful household items (toasters, kitchen
utensils, etc.). These items, along with ‘baby packs’ will be
organized and delivered to the Multicultural Health Brokers Cooperative
- the local agency we’re supporting this month.
- Small group initiatives - we encourage home groups to
identify their own initiatives so that they can ‘take the church to the
street’ in their own neighbourhoods. Possible ideas
include raking leaves for neighbours that can’t, food bank drives, etc.
Talk to us for more possible ideas.
Immersed - the evening of
the 9th, the first
Immersed gathering of the season. The theme is Worship Around the
World, and it will be a great chance for The River to come together and
celebrate their experiences of ‘leaving the building’ that day.
Sunday November 16 - Report on the Zambian
Partnership - during the service we welcome back our
team of Riverites who have just spent two weeks in Zambia, southern
Africa, laying the foundations of The River’s long term partnership with
the Matsomoi Community League. Hear their initial thoughts and
observations on community life there, and thoughts they have on how the
partnership can influence the way The River makes a difference in
community here in Riverbend / Terwillegar.
Sunday November 23 - Local Focus
- the service will centre around the local struggles and signs of hope
refugees face in adapting to life in Edmonton, based on an interview
with an ‘education broker’ who works with our local partner.
Sunday November 30 - Wrap-up
- the service will reflect on the learnings and messages of the month,
and cast a vision forward of how we can continue making strides towards
the kind of world God wants for us.
Partners
The two partners we are focusing on, both
through awareness raising and fundraising, are:
●
Multicultural Family Connections - a program that supports immigrant
and refugee families in Edmonton by providing culturally and
linguistically relevant early parenting and early childhood development
support to families with children 0 – to 6 of refugee background within
7 communities: (partnership of Edmonton Centre for Newcomers and the
Multi-Cultural Health Brokers Cooperative).
●
River’s Zambian Partnership - a new initiative being launched at The
River, where we partner with communities in Zambia with a focus on
improving our communities through mutual learning, inspiration and
support.
To get involved in this months’ activities,
or in any of SERVE’s projects and initiatives,
Click Here to contact us.