2024 Winter Newsletter
Caught in God’s Net
By Don Boden
My prayer every year as we begin to plan the Summer Friendship Gatherings is asking the Lord to bear “much fruit” for His Kingdom through our efforts.
Last summer, the image we used to illustrate our theme was a fishing boat with a net hanging over the side and footsteps walking away. We made a big banner with this image and hung a big fishing net from the banner.
All through the Gatherings, everyone took paper fish and wrote the names of family and friends they wanted to know Jesus. They loaded the net with the fish and the groups prayed for them.
I love going to all the Christmas festivities. Linda, Nellie and I went to the Christmas pageant at Spirit of Joy. One of the group home staff came up and shared her testimony with me.
She told me that last summer she listened as we explained the about the fishing net and the simple paper fish.
She felt the Holy Spirit leading her to take a fish and write her daughter’s name on it. As the group prayed, she prayed with us. She continued to pray for her daughter and a few weeks later her daughter had become emotional. She explained to her mother that she felt the Holy Spirit moving her to accept Jesus as her Lord and Savior.
I hope you will join me this summer with the same prayer, “Lord, in all we do this summer for these Gatherings, we ask that You bear much fruit for your Kingdom.”
This summer our theme will be “He is Worthy.” We know He is worthy of our worship and praise in countless ways, but this summer we will specifically study, “He is worthy” because of His holiness, His power, and His love.
It is my hope this summer we will all draw closer to God, through a better understanding of God’s holiness, power and love. I pray we all will find ourselves caught in God’s net!
Register Online Today for the
Summer Friendship Gathering!
Go to our Home Page, scroll down and click on the
Summer Friendship Gathering Banner.
If you’re coming to a
Summer Friendship Gathering,
then you need to register!
As we visit Friendship groups, there is already excitement for the 2024 Gathering events and some are already asking about their paperwork. The list of scheduled events is on the next page.
We want to thank everyone who registered online this past year. We found the online application improved the
accuracy which is important for the safety of our friends with disabilities, and they were much easier to process.
Connection Ministries no longer performs the background screens for volunteers participating in the Summer
Friendship Gatherings or the Friendship groups. This is now the responsibility of the congregations with Friendship groups. We ask all volunteers to help their Friendship leaders get the information they need to complete these screens.
There are practical reasons we ask everyone to register, like making nametags, and accurate meal counts. But the
important reasons are for the safety of our friends with
disabilities and that we are equipped to meet any special needs.
Just visit the home page of our website listed below and click on the Summer Friendship Gathering Banner.
Please register as soon as possible!
Go to our Home Page
Scroll down and click on the
Summer Friendship Gathering Banner.
2024 Summer Friendship Gathering Dates and Locations
Cross of Grace Lutheran Mon. – Wed., June 10-12
Trinity and St. John Lutheran Churches @ Trinity Tues. – Thurs., June 11-13
King of Glory Lutheran Church Mon. – Wed., June 24-26
Christ the Savior Lutheran Mon. – Wed., June 24-26
Messiah Lutheran Church Tues. – Thurs., July 9-11
Grace and Second Reformed Presbyterian Church @ Grace Mon. – Wed., July 15-17
Outlook and Brandywine Churches @ Outlook Tues. – Thurs., July 16-18
Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church Mon. – Wed., July 22-24
Cornerstone Lutheran, College Park,
and Castleton Community Churches @ Cornerstone Tues. – Thurs., July 23-25
Next Steps for Connection Ministries
Connection Ministries continues to search for a new Executive Director to succeed Don Boden. When we find the right person, Don will work with them through October 2024. God willing, Don hopes to remain involved with the ministry in any way he can help. He will certainly bring Nellie to visit the Friendship groups.
There are several ways you can help. First and most importantly, pray for God’s wisdom to lead us to His choice for Don’s successor. We ask for your prayers throughout this process. Also, tell others about this need. Let us know if you will know someone who loves the Lord and wants to work with our friends with disabilities.
Nellie’s Common Scents
I panicked when Don started to talk about retiring, but I feel much better now that I know he will still bring me to the Friendship groups to see all my friends. God created us all for a special purpose, and my purpose is to make all my friends smile.
One more thing! Don plans to help this new person
Connection Ministries will hire to replace him. He wants all you wonderful people to get to know him/her, and teach the many tasks that keep this ministry running. He figures he will do this part-time for at least six months. There is a lot to learn!
Don said the budget will be tight while he works with the new person (I hope he doesn’t cut back on my
kibble).
Your help is needed with these increasing costs. Send a
special gift today! Write “Director Transition” on the memo line on your check. If you give online, you can
select “Director Transition” to designate your gift.
Consider giving on a
recurring basis.
Please send a gift today.
Video Training for Volunteers
Connection Ministries is preparing the curriculum and writing the scripts for the Summer Friendship Gathering Volunteer Training
Videos. Soon we will start filming and editing. The videos are planned to be complete and available on our website by April 1.
The training videos are short (5-10 minutes each), but they are full of important information that will help your team put on a meaningful and safe event. Each video is labeled with the volunteer roles for the volunteers who should view the video.
An email will be sent to all volunteers when the videos will be ready. Below is the link you can follow to view the videos.
Pam and I want to visit any of our friends with disabilities or volunteers when they are in the hospital or if there has been a death. Sometimes we are unaware until later. If you know someone in your Friendship group is ill, passes away, or has a crisis, please let us know.
Tributes in honor or memory of a friend or loved one can be given to Connection Ministries and we will acknowledge your gift to their family.
Thrivent continues to be an important partner with Connection Ministries. This past year, Thrivent members directed almost $1,000 of their Thrivent Choice Dollars to Connection Ministries.
If you are a Thrivent member, you can easily advance our ministry by simply going online and directing your “free” Thrivent Choice dollars to Connection Ministries. If you are a Thrivent member you have until March 31 to direct any remaining 2024 Thrivent Choice Dollars. After this date, your 2023 funds will be lost forever!
Many of you also used your 2023 Thrivent Action Teams projects to fund meals for the Summer Friendship Gatherings! Please consider doing this again in 2024.
Members can login to their Thrivent account below.