Summer, 2005, Update for Members and Volunteers
-
Contents
- Melinda
- You can do it, too.
- Referrals
- Eleanor and John Yackel Support New Initiative
- Member/Volunteer Reply
- Webster Energizes SLOW Down Network
- Forbes Speaks Out for Alternatives
UPDATE
For Members and Volunteers
Summer, 2005
My name is Melinda, and I'm a member of Alternatives' board of directors.
My husband and I are expecting our first baby soon, and I'm anxious about bringing a child into this world. As a Christian, I have eternal hope, but until I reach my final home, there is so much to worry about and protect our children from. I worry about the state of our families with loved ones spending so little time together. I worry about the state of the Earth and what will be left for my children's children.
Serving on Alternatives' board gives me hope that there are ways to deal with these issues if we will only make the commitment.
Please join me in supporting Alternatives with a generous donation, with a membership renewal (at a higher level if at all possible) and some of your time.
Thank you.
Peace,
Melinda Zobel
* * *
Your opinion makes a difference! As Alternatives’ “new visual image” develops, we plan to upload designs to our website for your comments. On our <www.SimpleLiving.org> home page click on Join Us!
* * *
One of several tables of beautiful items at the Kirkwood Alternative
Christmas Market. For help organizing an event at your church, call Alternatives.
Share your stories and photos!
Success Story
Alternative Christmas Gift Market
at Kirkwood Church
Each year during the first three weekends of Advent, our church offers handcrafted
gifts from other cultures to meet local and international needs.
• a diversity of worldwide items from “Ten Thousand Villages”
• beautifully made holiday decorations carried back from Guatemala by
our Mission Team
• delicate hand-painted Guatemalan bisque butterflies
• handbags, shawls, etc. from Peru
These affordable, colorful gifts made a great display and were well received
by the congregation. Can you imagine a one-of-a-kind, loom-woven baby blanket
for $15? Kids could readily afford the $2 small butterflies or $1 woven bookmarks
as family gifts. All proceeds directly benefit the artisans.
Also, we sold the following gifts, tagged so that the recipient would know
who benefited from the purchase.
• Cookie mixes made by our Middle Schoolers helped the St. Louis-based Peanut
Butter Project provide wholesome peanut butter paste to malnourished children
in Malawi. A cookie mix sold for $10, the amount needed to restore one child
to health through this simple food supplement. One person bought 20 cookie mixes
as gifts for everyone on her list. :)
• Small, nicely wrapped, home-made loaves of Pumpkin Cranberry Bread benefited
Bread for the World.
• Glazed “house pins” supported Room at the Inn in its
local ministry to the homeless.
Our long commitment to Heifer Project continued through the sale of tribute
cards. We now have a member who buys “a pair of llamas” each
year and another whose brother looks forward to his annual “goat.”
The $4,700 income will happily help many... and kept at least some of our
folks out of the malls.
We are grateful for the ongoing inspiration of Alternatives to offer our members
simple, affordable gifts that come from a loving heart and not a platinum card.
Guided by the penetrating question, “Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway?” we
will continue to seek ways to help the families in our busy suburban congregation
to center their holiday celebration on the teachings of Christ.
Cathy Yost, Co-Chair
Social and Environmental Concerns Commitment
First Presbyterian Church, Kirkwood, MO
314-965-0326 cyost@kirkwoodpres.org
EXTENDED VERSION
Success Stories
You Can Do It Too!
Christmas Fair at Kirkwood Presbyterian
Alternative Christmas Gift Market at Kirkwood Church
Here’s what we try to accomplish through our annual Alternative Market.
Seven long display tables are set up on the first Saturday of Advent (concurrent
with Hanging of the Greens) and the next two Sunday mornings. In 2004, we offered
four kinds of handcrafted gifts from other cultures:
1) a diversity of worldwide items from “10,000 Villages” brought
to us by a local non-profit shop called Plowsharing Crafts;
2) beautifully made holiday decorations carried back from Guatemala for
this purpose by our Mission Team in March 2004;
3) three sizes of delicate hand-painted bisque butterflies shipped to us by
a Guatemalan artist with help from a social worker friend of mine there; and
4) handbags, shawls, etc. from Peru, which came by way of a Task Force in our
Presbytery.
These affordable, colorful gifts made a great display and were well received
by the congregation. Can you imagine a one-of-a-kind, loom-woven baby
blanket for $15? Kids could readily afford the $2 small butterflies or
$1 woven bookmarks as family gifts. All proceeds will directly benefit the
artisans.
In addition, we sold gifts appropriately tagged for the recipient to know exactly
who benefited from the purchase:
1) Forty-eight dry cookie mixes made by our Middle Schoolers to help the St.
Louis-based Peanut Butter Project provide wholesome peanut butter paste to
malnourished children in Malawi. A cookie mix sold for $10, exactly the
amount needed to restore one child to health through this simple supplement. One
person bought 20 cookie mixes as gifts for everyone on her list. :)
2) Twenty small, nicely wrapped loaves of Pumpkin Cranberry Bread made
by our Chair of Mission Outreach sold at $10 each to benefit Bread for the
World.
3) Glazed “house pins” to help Room at the Inn in its local ministry
to the homeless. We sold 94 pins at $17 each.
In addition, our long commitment to Heifer Project continued through the sale
of tribute cards. We now have a member who buys “a pair of llamas” each
year and another whose brother looks forward to his annual “goat.”
For the first time, our talented Chancel Choir made a professionally recorded
and packaged CD, which at $15 was a popular gift for people to send to fellow
members, former children of the church or any fan of spiritual music.
The total income (not counting Plowsharing Crafts, which kept its accounting
separately) from our three days of business was over $4,700, which happily
will help many and kept at least some of our folks out of the malls.
We are grateful for the ongoing inspiration of Alternatives to offer our members
simple, affordable gifts that come from a loving heart and not a platinum card.
Guided by the penetrating question, “Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway?” we
will continue to seek ways to help the families in our busy suburban congregation
to center their holiday celebration on the teachings of Christ.
With appreciation for all you do,
Cathy Yost, Co-Chair
Social and Environmental Concerns Commitment
First Presbyterian Church
100 East Adams Avenue
Kirkwood, MO 63122
Office phone 314-965-0326
Office e-mail cyost@kirkwoodpres.org
Home phone 636-527-8847
* * *
Referrals! Referrals! Referrals!
We must be proactive! Please share the names and contact information
of anyone that might have a spark of interest in voluntary simplicity – church
members, friends, relatives, colleagues. It’s much more likely to happen
if you call toll free – 800-821-6153.
* * *
Back to the Table of Contents
Alternatives’ supporters gather at The Hospitality Place, operated
for over a decade by the Yackels in Circle Pines, Minnesota.
Back row from left: Stella and “Pete” Petersen and John Yackel. Front
row: Roberta Dale, Eleanor Yackel and Lynn Rossiter.
Eleanor & John Yackel Support
New Initiative
Eleanor and John Yackel of Circle Pines, Minnesota, support
Alternatives’ new initiative “Reaching Out to Young Adults.” Their
gift will enhance the appearance, navigation and content of Alternatives’ web
site.
“Young adults use the internet to get the information they want and we want
them to find Alternatives’ message of simpler living easily,” said
John.
“We urge other supporters of Alternatives to join us in this exciting initiative,” said
Eleanor. “We really need to provide the inspiration and ideas for young
adults who are bombarded with messages to over consume.”
The Yackels are longtime supporters of peacemaking and recently received the
Outstanding World Citizen Award at Augsburg College in St. Paul, Minnesota,
as part of the annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum.
John has served on Alternatives’ board of directors. They also helped
fund Alternatives’ video “Break Forth into Joy: Beyond a Consumer
Lifestyle.”
* * *
Webster Energizes
SLOW Down Network
Dick Webster is an organizational guru... and he’s determined to
get more volunteers and members spreading the message of simpler living.
Dick is recruiting Volunteer Coordinators to stay in touch with some of Alternatives’ 800
volunteers, urging them to be proactive in spreading voluntary simplicity.
You could be a volunteer coordinator too. Call 800-821-6153 or contact
him directly at <webster.1@osu.edu>.
Richard Webster, Ph.D., is President of Personal Resources Management Institute,
a nonprofit organization founded in 1978. He is also a Founding Principal of
Abintra Performance Learning LLC. He joined The Ohio State University in 1981,
taught there until 1994. He has published more than 30 articles, books and
other learning resources in higher education, management, and continual improvement
of quality and performance. He’s also a new member of Alternatives’ board
of directors.
EXTENDED VERSION
Richard Scott Webster, Ph.D.
Dr. Richard Webster is President of Personal Resources Management Institute.
PRMI (501-c-3 non-profit, founded 1978) undertakes R&D projects and provides
consulting services for those interested in organizational learning, communities
of practice, creativity, innovation, constructive change and continual improvement.
Dr. Webster is also a Founding Principal of Abintra Performance Learning LLC.
Abintra, founded 2002, developed and markets IdeasProcess™ (IsP™)
for leaders interested in creativity, innovation, constructive change and continual
improvement. Abintra's IsP tools work for all organizations, every size and
type: business and industry, education, government, health care, other non-profits.
Dr. Webster joined The Ohio State University in 1981 as Director of Executive
Education, and taught in the (now) Fisher College of Business, Faculty of Accounting
and Management Information Systems, from 1986 to 1994.
Executive Education responsibilities included needs assessment, program design
and marketing, and quality assessment of clients' learning and satisfaction—for
some 200 programs each year: one-half day to five weeks. Major clients included
American Electric Power, Battelle Memorial Institute, IBM, Lazarus, the National
Association of Wholesaler Distributors, Robert Morris Associates, and Wendy’s.
Before coming to Ohio State, Dick Webster was Research Director and then Executive
Director of the Higher Education Management Institute (HEMI) at the American
Council on Education (ACE), Washington, D.C. Previous teaching, budgeting,
and research administration experience was at Florida International and Michigan
State Universities, The University of Michigan, Grand Valley State College,
for Michigan's State Board of Education and in the Governor’s Budget Office.
Dick completed graduate work at The University of Michigan following under-graduate
work at Antioch College. He has published more than 30 articles, books and
other learning resources in higher education, management, and continual improvement
of quality and performance.
* * *
Back to the Table of Contents
Forbes Speaks Out
for Alternatives
Dr. Bruce Forbes plans to write another book during his sabbatical... and to
speak out for Alternatives. From now through August, 2006, he is available
to speak throughout Minnesota. He will donate any honoraria to Alternatives.
For details, call 800-821-6153 or contact him directly at <forbes@morningside.edu>.
Professor of Religious Studies at Morningside College, Sioux City, Iowa, he
is a new member of Alternatives’ board of directors. Morningside College
is a teaching-oriented institution, and the school offers three different awards
for outstanding teaching, one chosen by a student honor society, one by a faculty
committee, and one by outside evaluators. Forbes has received all three awards,
and he has received the student award twice. In addition to his teaching, he
is a frequent and popular guest speaker at local churches, workshops, and regional
conferences.
* * *
EXTENDED VERSION
Forbes Speaks Out for Alternatives
Dr. Bruce Forbes plans to write another book during his sabbatical... and to
speak out for Alternatives for Simple Living. From now through August, 2006,
he is available to speak throughout Minnesota. He will donate any honoraria
to Alternatives.
“I have taught college students for over 30 years and the pressures on them
to saddle their future with debt by over consuming have never been greater,” Forbes
said. “Alternatives’ positive message of voluntary simplicity addresses
those pressures. I want to tell adults of all ages about our ‘Young Adults
Initiative’ and get their feedback.”
For scheduling information, call 800-821-6153 or contact him directly at <forbes@morningside.edu>.
Professor of Religious Studies at Morningside College, Sioux City, IA, he is
a new member of Alternatives’ board of directors. Morningside College
is a teaching-oriented institution, and the school offers three different awards
for outstanding teaching, one chosen by a student honor society, one by a faculty
committee, and one by outside evaluators. Forbes has received all three awards,
and he has received the student award twice. In addition to his teaching, he
is a frequent and popular guest speaker at local churches, workshops, and regional
conferences.
Alternatives is a nonprofit educational organization that "equips people
of faith to challenge consumerism, live justly, and celebrate responsibly." Its
most widely read resource is the family Christmas magazine “Whose Birthday
Is It, Anyway?”
Alternatives' free catalog contains works on simpler living for children and
adults. Alternatives serves everyone.
“In addition to our free quarterly Resource Guide, Alternatives has an extensive
web site offering hundreds of inspiring articles for individuals and editors
to use. Also we have a North American network of over 800 volunteers ready to
give talks, workshops, help organize events and simplicity circles and study/action
groups," said Gerald Iversen, Alternatives’ National Coordinator.
Forbes is an ordained United Methodist minister. He holds a BA from Morningside
College, an MTh from Southern Methodist University, and a PhD from Princeton
Theological Seminary. His formal academic training is in the history of Christianity,
but he has also developed a special interest in the analysis of popular culture.
He is the co-editor of two books: “Religion and Popular Culture in America” (2000,
revised edition 2005) and “Rapture, Revelation and the End Times: An Exploration
of the Left Behind Series” (2004). He is currently working on a history
of Christmas, for general readers. ###
UPDATE: The following information is obsolete.
Flyer Time! Please promote “Whose
Birthday Is It, Anyway?” 2005 – our family Advent magazine – by
distributing color flyers. Call for your free copies today! Or mark and return
the reply form below.
* * *
----Please clip and return your reply to Alternatives. Thanks for using
your own envelop. Or call toll free! We’d love to talk to you.----
Member/Volunteer Reply [6/05]
___ I want to support the Young Adults Initiative.
___ I want to be a dues-paying member, or renew.
___ I want to be a charter member of Alternatives’ endowment. I’am
pledging at least $500.
___ I want to help sponsor Alternatives’ resources for 2006. I’m
pledging at least $500.
___ I have a presentation/outline that I am willing to share. I’ll send
a copy.
___ I’m sending an item for you to consider for “Whose Birthday?” 2006.
___ Contact me about hosting a speaker in my area.
___ I will distribute “Whose Birthday?” flyers in 2005.
Send me _____ copies (___ folded; ___ flat).
___ I’m giving $100 or more by check or credit card numbers and expiration
date. Send me one of the following free resource for each $100...
___ Audio CD “Alternative Christmas Trilogy”
___ Audio CD “Living Simply & Loving It!”
___ CD-ROM “Simply the Best: Over 30 Years of Alternatives.”
___ “Unplug the Christmas Machine” Workshop-on-a-CD (audio).
___ “Living More-with-Less Study/Action Guide.”
___ “Spirit of Simplicity: Quotes & Art” CD-ROM
___ Send me information about including Alternatives in my
will and about planned giving. Simple Living Works! * SimpleLivingWorks@Yahoo.com
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