You can help – Haiti Earthquake Relief

The United Church of Christ responded immediately to the catastrophic January 12 earthquake in Haiti.

One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) money and resources are already on the way.  The United Church of Christ is sending disaster relief gifts to assist with the widespread needs in Haiti.

These resources are available because of our church’s annual One Great Hour of Sharing Offering Appeal. Thanks be to God that these resources are already in place!

More will surely be needed.

In addition to what is already being sent to Haiti, your SPECIAL GIFT is needed now.

Visit the UCC Disaster web site and click on the red DONATE box.

Or mail your gift to:

“OGHS – Haiti Earthquake Relief”
Wider Church Ministries
United Church of Christ
700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115

Please designate gifts in the memo portion :
“OGHS – Haiti Earthquake Relief”

Thank you for your generosity and for keeping the victims of this disaster in your prayers.

Ivy brightens Christmas for area families

A big thank you to all of the member of Ivy Chapel who gave gifts, money and grocery bags that were given to Joint Neighborhood Ministry for the annual “Adopt a Family” program. This year, our congregation adopted five families, a total of nineteen people. On Sunday, December 13, we loaded three vans packed with gifts and groceries – including four bikes and a tricycle.

The pink grocery bag fundraisers also netted a check to JNM for $81.

The mitten tree — an Ivy tradition — overflowed this year with mittens, hats and scarves, which were divided between JNM and Circle of Concern. Both of these organizations said how much these items were needed, especially this year.

Your generosity made Christmas brighter for many families in our area! Thank you!

Christmas resources from the UCC

Advent is an exciting season in the church as we prepare for the celebration of the birth of Christ. The United Church of Christ has a a variety resources to help you and your family experience the true spirit of the season.

• Free Advent Guide

• Christmas Kit

Follow this link for an even wider variety of Advent resources.

Starting November 28 and extending throughout Advent, visit the UCC’s Feed Your Spirit page, filled with reflections on the season and a virtual prayer chapel.

Undie Sunday brings warmth & comfort

Ivy Chapel’s Ark Youth Group (7th & 8th Graders) called upon the congregation for help… and we responded! The youth collected 291 pairs of underwear, 19 pairs of socks and six baby t-shirts for our annual Undie Sunday. The items will be donated to Joint Neighborhood Ministry, who will pass them along to children in need. Thank you to all who reached out to help.

Ivy youth contribute to Festival of Sharing service project

Hats off to members of the Ivy Chapel Lambs & Genesis youth groups (and, of course, their parents) who collected almost $200 for the Festival of Sharing Layette Service project. The youth collected money in church, and then went shopping for baby care items. They returned to church and assembled the kits, which will be given to new moms who are having trouble affording the things they need to care for their babies. The groups collected enough money to assemble four full kits and to purchase several extra boxes of diapers, which will be donated to Joint Neighborhood Ministry in St. Louis.

Come to the Ivy Chapel HarvestFest, Oct. 24

It’s an auction. It’s a huge fellowship event. It’s a wine tasting. It’s Ivy Chapel’s HarvestFest, and it’s one of the biggest “fun raisers” on our calendar.

The 2007 event raised $9,000… and we need your help to make this year’s event even bigger. A portion of the proceeds from HarvestFest ’09 will benefit the Joint Neighborhood Ministries in St. Louis and Circle of Concern food pantries in St. Louis County.

How can you help?

Download the official Ivy Chapel HarvestFest Invitation, and pass it along to your friends.

Become a sponsor…

Take a look at our starter list of donation suggestions for the auction…

Or check out our list of businesses we’ll be contacting for donations. If you have a personal contact with any on the list and would like to ask them for help, let us know.

And if you have any ideas or questions about the event, please contact Deb Washburn.

Stay up-to-date with the HarvestFest blog!

Stay up-to-date with the latest and greatest developments about HarvestFest! This is our third HarvestFest, and we’re aiming to make it the best ever. We need everyone’s help to make this event a success… so check the blog often for ideas about what you can do to help, and for news updates (including a preview of auction items!).

Visit our new blog page here.

Welcome to the HarvestFest 2009 Blog.

Check back to this page for the latest updates on the 2009 HarvestFest!

Update from Instituto El Rey

Every year, Ivy Chapel’s members support several students at Instituto El Rey, a Christian high school in Rio Viejo, Honduras that serves the rural poor.

The mission of Instituto El Rey is “to provide an oasis of hope and love in a region plagued by poverty, violence, abuse, superstition and ignorance.”  Every student comes from a situation where there would be little chance for high quality education.

Recent events, including political upheaval and an earthquake, have hit close to the school.

Following is an update from Sharon Washburn, the school’s administrator.

The school was established in 2001, and now serves 170 students in grades 7 through 12. It celebrated its first graduated class in 2006, and to date 61 students have graduated from Instituto El Rey. 60% of graduates are seeking college degrees or professional training. Among the most recent graduates are four students seeking medical degrees, three studying nursing, two pursuing systems engineering, one studying business administration, and one aiming to become a lawyer.

Students at IER come from 15 villages in the mountains south of La Ceiba. Many overcome tremendous obstacles to get their education – some just to get to school every day. Scholarships, family sacrifices and support from friends enable all their schooling. Each student’s family is required to pay a token amount (less than $5 month); the total cost per student is actually around $70 per month.  Students who cannot afford the small monthly tuition can work at the school on weekends to earn that amount.  A high percentage of students are supported through a sponsorship program administered by a separate foundation.

The faculty includes salaried Honduran teachers, plus American volunteers Earl & Sharon Washburn, who serve as both administrators and teachers. Earl’s brother, Russ, is a member of Ivy Chapel and over the past 7 years dozens of church members, including youth, have gone on mission trips to IER to help with construction and other projects at the school.

Subjects taught at the school include Spanish, English, math (incl. statistics & physics), science (including chemistry & biology), several computer classes including programming & design, social studies, accounting, art, music, P.E. and some practical skills such as carpentry, sewing and gardening (which will help them earn a living if they opt out of further education).

Click here to learn more about Instituto El Rey.

Supporting Joint Neighborhood Ministries & Circle of Concern food pantries

The current economic downturn has meant that many that families who were previously able to keep up with their bills and feed their families are now finding the only way they can manage is to come to food pantries for help. Ivy is proud to support food pantries in our area, including Join Neighborhood Ministries in the City of St. Louis, and Circle of Concern in West County. We are collecting basic food items, along with monetary donations to help families in crisis with utility payments. In addition, a portion of the proceeds from our Oct. 24 HarvestFest will go to benefit these two organizations.

If you want to help, contact our church office for information at (314) 434-4991 or via e-mail.

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