Summer 2007 Servant Leader Center of Toledo Newsletter

8/8/2019 Summer 2007 Servant Leader Center of Toledo Newsletter

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A note from Sr. Nancy, Executive

Fall Classes Now Forming

The Servant Leadership Center

Make a change in yourself and make a difference in the world. If you or those you know are looking for a group to pray with as you discernnew directions join us for one of our informational sessions or to our Open House Celebration in August! Help us spread the word.

Information Sessions for Servant Leadership Threshold to a Life Transformed, 10 Month Spiritual Development Trackwill be held on:

Tuesday, July 10: 12:30-1:30 PM at The Servant Leadership Center

Wednesday, July 18: 12:30-1:30 PM and 7-8 PM at St. Rose Catholic Parish, in Perrysburg in the Sacred Heart Conference Room A

Wednesday, July 25: 6-7 PM at The Servant Leadership Center.

Monday, August 13: 6-7 PM at The Servant Leadership Center

Wednesday, August 15: 12:30-1:30 PM at The Servant Leadership Center

Wednesday August 23: 6-7 PM at The Servant Leadership Center

1616 W. Sylvania Ave + Toledo, OH 43612 + 419-476-0941 + www.servantleader.org

Special points of interest:

Summer programs offered

for current and past

participants

Prayer/reflection for

Independence day

Community Happenings

June 2007

Volume 1, Issue 1

sessions are lined up and phonecalling is ongoing. So farweve collected about $20,000.Thats a good start, but wehave $55,000 to go! This ismoney for this years budget.

Our groups are on summerbreak. We are busyd e v e l o p i n g s e s s i o n s ,o r g a n i z i n g p l a n n i n gcommittees, and setting upsummer conversations betweenour participants and peoplewho are marginalized. I

believe it will keep us busy.

Today as a staff we prayedwith the theme We are theBeloved! Summer playfuland light is a perfect time toremember this. The surprises

popping out of the earth in richcolor, the summer rains, and

the dazzlingly sunlightcelebrate the joy of Godscreation and that joy spills overinto us! So take a few minutesto savor the fact that you areGods chosen one and enjoythe summer! Hope to run intoyou sometime during yoursummer journey.

Sometimes synergy happens!One i s in the r ightcircumstances at the right time

and everything comes togetherin almost a magical way.That is what happened as ErinBattistoni joined our staff.Erin brings a rich background(a double Masters MSW anda Masters in PastoralTheology) with experiences

that make her just the right person to serve as the Directorof Outreach at The ServantLeadership Center. She

jumped right in mid-May andis planning events for thesummer for all the participants

in our various groups.

All kinds of blessings have

come to us. Besides ourwonderful participants, theCenter was very generouslydeeded over to us by theowners as of the end of June.We also received confirmationthat we received a grant fromthe Marquerite DYouvilleFoundation. This is primarilyfor Erins salary for 2008 and

2009.

Our current challenges are torecruit about 40 people for thefall sessions, to match the$75,000 grant we received inMarch, and to broaden ourdonor base. Recruitment

Center Staff:

Barb Aranyosi

Administrative Assistant

[email protected]!"

Erin Battistoni

Director of Outreach Ministry

[email protected]

!"

Sr. Nancy Westmeyer

Executive Director

[email protected]


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Page 2Volume 1, Issue 1

open mind and an open heart. To see

where God is dwelling in this experienceand to reflect on your experience thus farin the servant leadership process and tomake connections to the course content.

When sessions resume in September time

will be given for us to share our different

experiences.

Additional opportunities will be

scheduled throughout the year.

Over the course

of the summeryou will have theopportunity tos ign up to

participate in astory sharing session with people fromour community.

The purpose of this process is to help usto enter into the experience of those weconsider other. It is a time to connectwith people and listen to each othersstories and experiences in the world.

This is an opportunity for us to meet withour sisters and brothers who are mostvulnerable in our society. It is a time for

us to meet and get to know people and

listen to their stories. It is not a service project but more so a time to buildrelationship. It is a face-to-face encounter.The immersions will help to provide uswith a context where we learn what itmeans to be marginalized from those whoexperience it. We will soon discover thatthe definition of marginalization stretchesfar beyond what we would expect.

This process may be strange at first orseem to be overwhelming for some of us.That is normal. Its ok to not be sure

what to say or how to react. For others,talking with people who are marginalizedin our society is old hat. We encourageyou to also enter into this process with an

Metanoia

All Servant Leadership Group present and former participants are welcome to attend

as many of these experiences as you would like. Each one gives us a window of

opportunity to get to know another person or a group of people on a whole new level.

You are welcome to invite a guest to accompany you to any of these sessions.

Monday, July 30

Second Chance (http://prostitutionconference.com/Second_Chance.htm)The Servant Leadership Center11:30 AM 1:30 PM, debriefing from 1:30-2 PM

Second Chance: is committed to improving the lives of those who are affected by sexual exploitation through the commercial sexindustry by providing prostitution-specific services. A women who has survived the sex trafficking industry will share her journeywith us.

[NOTE: Participants are asked to bring a potluck lunch dish to share with our guests]

Saturday, August 4

En Camino-Immigrant and Migrant Ministry of the Diocese of Toledo (www.encamino.org)St. Aloysius Catholic Parish, Clare Hall (on the corner of Wooster and S. Enterprise behind Taco Bell)148 S. EnterpriseBowling Green, OH4:30 PM 7:30 PM we will then return to St. Als to debrief the experience.

We will meet at St. Als in Bowling Green, then car-pool to a near-by migrant camp where we will have the opportunity to talk witha woman who is a migrant farm worker. In this camp, the folks come from Florida. Right now they are picking strawberries from5 AM- 1 PM. Sometimes they might go back in the afternoon. After the strawberry season is over, they pick pickles. That is a moredemanding crop because they need to pick the small pickles (the small pickles that we enjoy on our hamburgers); they often teasethat you can actually see the pickles grow as you look at them.


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Wednesday, August 8

Bethany House: A transitional living home for women and children who escaped

domestic violence.Meet at The Servant Leadership Center 5:45 PM6 8 PM (we will meet at the Center then car-pool to Bethany Houseit is in a secureand undisclosed location for security reasons). We will return to the Center for adebriefing from 8-9 PM.

The women will share their experience of domestic violence and their journey thus far.

[NOTE: Participants are asked to bring a homemade dessert or drinks to share with thewomen and children living at Bethany House]

Tuesday, August 14

Racism

The Servant Leadership Center6-8:30 PM

Delma Jackson from the YWCAs Racial Justice Department will share his experience and understanding of racism as experiencedin the united States. It will be an opportunity to have a candid discussion around the issue of racism, past and present, in our culture.

[NOTE: Participants are asked to bring a potluck lunch dish to share with our guests]

OTHER OPPORTUNITIES:

August 18 (11 AM-9 PM) and Sunday August 19 (Noon-6 PM)

The Islamic Center of Greater Toledos 7th Annual International Festival http://www.icgt.org/InternationalFestival/Festival2007.htm

This is an opportunity to tour the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo, located inPerrysburg and to spend some time talking with our Muslim sisters and brothersabout their cultural and religious experience.

The Padua Center(contact Sr. Ginny for more info)Sr. Ginny Welsh, OSF1416 Nebraska Ave, Toledo, OH 43607419-241-6465

[email protected]

The Padua Center is sponsored by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Toledo. It is aChristian community-based presence reaching out by empowering people at allstages of life to achieve their maximum potential through education, counseling,support and community involvement. Each morning, the center has coffee andsnacks on the front porch and folks from the neighborhood pop by for coffee andfellowship.

PLEASE RESPOND BY JULY 20, 2007

Please call or email Erin Battistoni ,

Director of Outreach Ministry([email protected]) at theServant Leadership Center byFriday, July 20 with which sessionsyou plan to attend.



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Community Happenings

Save the date!

Monday Night Prayer~ All are welcome to join in prayer at the center from

7-8:30 PM every Monday night.

Servant Leadership Center Open House~ Come celebrate with us!

Thursday, August 16 from 5-8 PM

Things to look forward to this fall~

Bishop Alberts 91st Birthday Party and Fundraiser for the Center


God, bless America, Land that I love.Bless us to cherish the freedoms that we have established for our people; bless us to cherish thedignity of each person, regardless of race, creed, color, orientation and origin; bless our communitiesto be peace-filled and free from violence, addiction, and fear; bless our people to have sufficient food,housing and living wage jobs;

Stand beside her, And guide her Through the night with a light from above.Guide us, O God, with your light of love and peace; guide us to be part of an international community, to cherish and promote justrelationships within that community; guide us not to be run by our fears, guide us to take the lead ridding the world of weapons ofmass destruction, guide us to a world without end, not terror without end;

From the mountains To the prairies To the oceans white with foam,Lead us, O God, less to dominate the world and more to be part of the world, to love andpreserve the land, the water, the air, the species of plants, and animals; teach us reverence forthe life of the planet, especially for human life, that we as a nation may find the will and the waysto consume less and contribute more to life, to the culture of life, to a love of life, that the life ofour planet and our universe may flourish and glorify you, O God;

God, bless America, My home, sweet home.God bless all peoples,Brothers, sisters all,Sharing this worldTogether,Grant us peace from the font of your love.

Keep our hearts free,Loving others,Even those who wish us harm.God help our world to beYour home, sweet home.God help our world to beYour home, sweet home.

A reflection for Independence Day

1616 W. Sylvania Ave + Toledo, OH 43612 + 419-476-0941 + www.servantleader.org

Documents

Summer 2007 Servant Leader Center of Toledo Newsletter