Make A Difference

Troy Food Bank Flooded

2011-01-17T16:27:00.000-08:00

We've all heard reports in the last year or two of food banks being flooded with more requests for help than usual. This weekend the Sojourner's Alliance Food Bank in Troy Idaho was flooded, literally, with the rising waters of the adjacent creek. They need help, and here's the request from Bev Bafus, Sojourner's Alliance board member,

Today's experience gives new meaning to the saying "Lord willing' and the creek don't rise". Anyway, the creek did rise, and the Troy Food Bank has water in it. Not much we can do for the next 24 hours, as the creek is supposed to rise some more. We have a cleaning party planned for the Troy Food Bank on Tuesday at 3:30pm. We need shop vacs, towels, mops and fans. If you can help call 208-874-2939.

Bright Spots in the Neighborhood

2010-09-18T09:11:00.000-07:00

Rick McKinley, a pastor of Imago Dei in the city center of Portland, commented once that "People are doing Kingdom things in your neighborhood, but they don't know why. They don't know the King." He said this in a discussion about how the Christ-followers of Imago Dei have worked with and alongside explicitly secular organizations in the redemption of downtown Portland, and in the process have won a new hearing for the message of the kingdom of God as their view of the urban population shifted from an "us versus them" mentality to a "we, together" one.

Here on the Palouse we have our own challenges in food security, homelessness, domestic violence, addiction and substance abuse. And like Portland, we have some neighbors who have been busy about the kingdom work of meeting these needs. You'll find links to descriptions of their work and their visions for the Palouse in the sidebar. We'll try to highlight these bright spots throughout the year, and encourage you to join us in doing kingdom things to make a difference in our neighborhood.

Make a Difference Goes National

2009-09-22T16:26:00.000-07:00

No, this is not a national debut for the CLC MAD Team. Saturday, October 24 2009, is the National "Make a Difference" Day, and our friends at the Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Institute (PCEI) in Moscow have four different projects planned for stream clean-ups and garden winterizing. Visit the PCEI webpage for directions to these sites. *Please remember to wear work clothes and sturdy shoes. Be prepared for both sun and cool weather. Remember sun-block, hat, water bottle, sunglasses, etc.* Some snacks will be provided. Contact Laura Milewski for more details or to RSVP.

These are great opportunities to make friends in a context of service to our community. Check the PCEI site (on the sidebar) for more details and information on other watershed restoration projects.

Sojourner Sunday Update

2009-09-20T13:52:00.000-07:00

Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon a old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup–where does that get you? Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense? James 2:15,16

Bev Bafus, board member and treasurer for Sojourner's Alliance, brought these words from James to the Gatherings at CLC this morning, as well as a short list of opportunities to assist in the mission of SA to help our neighbors on the Palouse.

Contributions from individuals (that's us) make up about 25% of the income for SA. In the last year that source of income has fallen off dramatically.
SA heavily relies on the guidance and expertise of it's 13-member board. Currently, five of those board seats are vacant. One of them might have your name on it.
Shop at the SA Thrift Store in Troy next time you are looking for a second-hand item.
Volunteer as a helper at the SA Food Bank.
Pray for the board, staff, and residents of Sojourner's Alliance, and for the faith community of CLC as we consider what God-acts should accompany our God-talk.

Sojourner Sunday, September 20

2009-09-12T16:30:00.000-07:00

Sojourners Alliance has been helping create a stable "homebase" for homeless men, women, children, and families since 1991. They are the only residential facility for the homeless between Boise and Spokane. You may have read about them in the Daily News lately, but for most of us, that article would be the closest contact we have had with homelessness.
On Sunday September 20, Bev Bafus will be putting a face on the issue of local homelessness at both Gatherings of CLC. Bev is treasurer and board member for Sojourners Alliance (SA), and will be describing opportunities to encourage and support the work of SA on the Palouse.

Jesus the Particular One

2009-08-27T10:18:00.000-07:00

Omnipresent...omnipotent...omniscient. Present in all places, power without limit, knowledge of all. These omni's have a difficult time making much of an impression on us. About the only way we can make sense of them is to introduce some particularity, as in, God's omnipresence means he inhabits my bedroom, my car, and my office. God is omniscient, that is, he understands how MRI's work, he knows all the security holes in Windows 7, and has the original recipe for Coca-Cola. It's the way we explain big ideas to children, and if we are honest, it's the way we understand them ourselves. So it's no surprise that when our Creator chose to reveal himself to us, he took the approach of particularity. Jesus came as a particular man, into a certain time, place, and family. He also came with a clear sense of his mission, what it was, and wasn't. He had a particular mission, and he says so throughout the gospel narratives.

So, as his followers in community at CLC, how well do we understand our mission? To whom are we sent? It won't do to say, "We are sent to make a difference in the Moscow/Pullman community." Too large. That would be like Jesus saying he was sent to the world. He is one particular man, and could go only to one particular place. The Moscow/Pullman community is a collection of many communities. Think about the student population; dorm/Greek/off-campus, from small towns/West-siders/internationals, churched/unchurched/dechurched, gay/straight/married/families, Libertarian/Democrat/Republican/apolitical, working/in-debt/supported-by-parents, within walking distance of CLC/within driving distance of CLC/without transportation. You get the idea, and that's just the student population. To whom are we sent?

One of our unspoken assumptions is that we're not really sent; it's up to these various communities within our reach to come to us. (Imagine that as God's strategy.) When we say, "We're sent to the whole community." we mean that we're available for them to seek us out, to attend our meetings and activities. Fact is, as Jesus was sent, so he sends us. So, to whom are we sent?

Paradise Stream Clean-Up with PCEI

2009-03-03T18:26:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not, but it's been almost a year since some of you helped out with the annual Paradise Creek clean-up project, sponsored by the Palouse Clearwater Environmental Institute. The opportunity to serve our neighbors in this watershed preservation and restoration effort is coming around again next month. The 19th Annual Paradise Stream Clean-Up is Saturday, April 25, 2009 from 9:00am-1:00pm. The clean-up will start at 9:00 am and we will meet at the PCEI Nature Center at 1040 Rodeo Drive in Moscow. We encourage you to carpool or use alternative transportation to get to PCEI. Groups will then walk, bike or carpool out to the designated clean up sites from there! PCEI will supply bags and gloves, but come prepared to get dirty. Wear sturdy shoes and several layers in case it is cold and rainy. A free pizza lunch will be provided back at the PCEI Nature Center after the clean up.

If you've never been involved in a local community service project, this is a great way to get your feet wet, as well as meet some of your neighbors in our community who share a commitment to "keep and tend" the earth.

For more information about PCEI check out the link on the sidebar.

How About Some 30-Year Goals?

2009-02-10T21:21:00.000-08:00

Not to bring up a sore subject, but how are those New Years' Resolutions coming? Would it help if we called them New Years' Dreams? Most of us have a little more passion about the things we dream about. Often our dreams are centered on our own futures, or that of our family. If you dreamed about your life as a Christ-follower, what would that look like? What will your influence look like, and how will the Christ-followers around you be perceived by outsiders?

In the book unchristian, by Kinnaman and Lyons, the authors ask various well-known figures in contemporary Christianity to share their dreams for the church thirty-years hence. Here are a few to ponder as you generate your own.

Christians build harmony among races. You always know that you'll be respected when you're around a Christian.
Christians are the ones who love people, whoever they are –gay or straight, Jew or Muslim, religious or atheist, capitalist or not, conservative or liberal.
Christians are willing to give their lives for the cause of peace. They will lay down their lives to protect the vulnerable from the violent.

While you're dreaming, you might want to consider what some of our neighbors here in Moscow are doing to give reality to the dreams. For example, Alternatives to Violence of the Palouse is dedicated to protecting the vulnerable in our community from the violent. There's a link to their site on the sidebar, where you can explore some of the opportunities to learn from their experience, support their ongoing education and advocacy programs, and even get involved. They have an (almost) free volunteer training series beginning Feb 26. If the $20 fee is an issue, email us and we'll see what we can do about it.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday

2009-01-12T21:21:00.000-08:00

Next Monday, January 19, is the federal holiday. Some of us will sleep in and visit the mall, some of us will be working anyway, and some of us will mark the day with a token remembrance of Dr. King's influence on the course of our national experience. Here are a few ideas, none very original, as you plan your own MLK Day itinerary.

Watch a YouTube video of one of Dr. King's speeches. His famous address on the Washington Mall in August 1963 only runs about 18 minutes.
Read something he wrote. You might start with his Letter from Birmingham Jail. It is a clear defense of his advocacy of nonviolent direct action, full of biblical allusions and references and respectfully addressed to a group of white southern clergymen.
Look for a King Day of Service volunteer project. Or better yet, come up with one of your own. You'll find resources here.
Attend the 16th Annual Martin Luther King Jr./ Human Rights Community Breakfast on Saturday, Jan. 17 9am to 11:30am at Moscow Jr. High School. It's sponsored by the Latah County Human Rights Task Force and is an annual community event.

You probably have some ideas too, so let us know how you or your family or living group plan to make next Monday a Day On, Not Off, in honor of Dr. King.

Merry Christmas & a Better New Year!

2008-12-25T19:15:00.000-08:00

"and in his name all oppression shall cease"

Seems that we start hearing Christmas music in stores and on the radio earlier each year, and this line from O Holy Night caught my attention a few weeks ago. It's a sentiment that flies in the face of so much faith-based oppression that we have inflicted on each other through the long centuries since Jesus of Nazareth lived and died and rose again. Each year about this time many of us are a little more susceptible than usual to a glad and infectious hope, a hope that the power of his indestructible life is at work to bring those Christmas-carol-pictures into real form in our world. And that sort of hope, after all, is a good place to begin to make a difference, and a better new year.

Give Your Local Food Bank a Happy Holidays

2008-11-24T20:27:00.000-08:00

The October 2008 unemployment rate in Idaho nearly doubled from its one-year-ago level, jumping to 5.4%, according to data released 11/24/08 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. From estimates by the Idaho Department of Labor, that translates into an additional 20,000 Idahoans looking for work this holiday season. Food banks and other emergency sources of "the basics" are an important part of the community safety net for us and our neighbors in need. Because they seem to operate in obscurity, we often overlook their contribution and needs for our support. As you go about your preparations for the various holidays between now and New Years, pick up a few items to share with your local food bank. Cash is great too. Here's a place to start.

Palouse Cares is sponsoring another Food Drive and Auction on Saturday December 6, to benefit local food banks and other area organizations. The Food Drive starts at 9 am with the Auction to follow at noon at two local locations; Zeppo's in Pullman and Howard Hughes Appliance in Moscow.
The Backyard Harvest , a local organization collecting fresh produce from area gardens and orchards, is active year-round in assisting food banks and meal programs on the Palouse. In addition to your excess home-grown produce, they can always accept volunteer help and cash donations.
The Idaho Food Bank , a state-wide partner with the Second Harvest Food Bank of the Inland Northwest. They have a Lewiston distribution center open 7:30am-3:30pm M-F.

If you have current information concerning a Moscow/Pullman food bank, please post it in the comment section and we'll add it to the list, along with notices of upcoming food drives.

Talk Back on the PCEI Experience

2008-10-28T19:45:00.000-07:00

Awhile back we heard from Courtney Rush, of the Palouse Clearwater Environmental Institute, about the work of PCEI in caring for our watersheds and getting our community involved in some of the routine maintenance required to keep Paradise Creek and other local waterways healthy. Courtney invited us to help out with a volunteer event, and some of you jumped right in. What did you think about the event?