Dear Vincentians:
Several of us had the opportunity to attend the Western Regional SVdP Conference held in Everett, Washington. It was a spirit-filled meeting with much learning, celebration, fellowship, prayer, and sharing. The Orientation focused on our mission statement to grow spiritually by offering service to the needy and suffering. Our mission is grounded in Scripture, of which one passage is Matthew 25:37 “When did you see me hungry, etc?” As I see it, as Vincentians it is our responsibility to convert words into action. The Orientation session is convincing in suggesting that all Vincentians should attend an Orientation. Another primary focus was the importance of home visits.
The Council Support Services led by Stephen Krank has been extremely active assisting many Conferences. Included are giving several “Invitations to Serve” Orientation programs, setting up new Conferences, and helping to set up a new food bank at St. Peter Martyr in Pittsburg. The Council is available for assistance to any Conference who needs help to grow and resolve difficult situations. Additionally, we are working on a web-based reporting system so the Conferences can easily facilitate client call record keeping and reporting. We are waiting to see if National adopts a system which will help tie in all Conferences.
We are also excited to inform you that the City of Pittsburg Planning Commission has approved our request for a Dining Room cut out from our Pittsburg warehouse. This is to be a joint venture with Loaves & Fishes to feed the needy 5 days a week. We expect to be feeding 125 plus people a day. The next steps are working drawings, completing an agreement with Loaves & Fishes, fund raising, and building the Dining Room. We expect to be open in 6 months. This will be an opportunity to get a team of 4 or more Vincentians together to work one day a month in the Dining Room. This a good chance to offer person-to-person service to the needy as quoted in our mission statement.
Of course, we will need to raise money to fund the Dining Room, so please let us know of any sources, such as foundations, grants, etc. Additionally, we would like to expand the SVdP Contra Costa Board. There are
other exciting things that the Board is working on besides the dining room, such as a medical clinic and job training. We welcome Vincentians’ who want to be part of a dynamic and spiritual board and who are dreamers as well as doers. Please call Ron Weston or myself if you are interested. In closing, I must say these are challenging but rewarding times for all of us and our clients. There are many things that we can accomplish together. We look forward to working together in this greater Vincentian family.
Sincerely,
Jim Noe, President
