Moving Help Needed!

We are moving ahead in faith and hope! Church Community Services is moving into its new home!

Contractors and volunteers, under the very conscientious guidance of Bruce Barwick, Project Manager, have been hard at work the past six months readying this building for staff to move into. The move has been made urgent by the fact that our current building has been sold and we need to vacate by April 30.

This move only represents the completion of Phase I. About the time we move ground will be broken for Phase II, a 4,000 sq ft addition to house a new larger food pantry and SOS production area. For this to become reality we still need to raise $400,000 to reach our $1 million capital campaign goal. Cash donations or multi-year pledges for the building may be sent to CCS, P.O. Box 2346, Elkhart, IN 46515. The campaign will go to churches and the public after Easter.

What: Moving Day
Where: From our old facility (629 S. Third St. Elkhart) to our new facility (907 Oakland Ave. Elkhart)
When: Saturday, April 4 (Please plan to arrive between 9 am – noon)

We need people to help with:
- loading & unloading (mostly boxes and some furniture)
- dismantling and moving shelving units
- reassembling shelving units

If you would like to assist with our move, please contact Sharon at (574) 264-3396.
Thank You!

Blog Series: Finding Hope – Kathy Peterson

Kathy Peterson – Soup Of Success Staff

Hope is:
* Sally taking her GED test and saying, “I can’t believe I’m actually doing this!”
* Mary expressing her gratitude for the push career counseling is giving her to explore new paths and talk to new people.
* Cindy discovering personal resources she didn’t know she had.
* Carolyn researching CNA classes and sharing the information she found with the class.
* Jessie exclaiming, “Look! I’m driving!”
* Rosemary’s new job.
* Roscel’s new house.
* Rolanda going back to school to become an RN.
* Angie’s pride in her son’s progress.
* Cherie’s food ministry serving many in the community.

Hope is:
The way the women at SOS look out for each other – sharing rides or a place you can get help, celebrating birthdays and new apartments and new relationships, encouraging the one who is scared to take the next step, offering comfort and shoulders and tissues to someone who’s been hurt, sharing coffee and snacks and jokes and wisdom.

Hope is:
The quiet gleam in each woman’s eye as she shared her “Dream Day” poem today -shining with her vision of her own better days ahead -safe and comfortable in her own home, surrounded by people she loves, working and learning and growing still.

Blog Series: Finding Hope in What Feels Like a Hopeless Situation – Phyllis Hostetler & Lena Marble

Phyllis Hostetler – Volunter, & Lena Marble – Front Desk Staff

You can’t give up hope when you continue to see people donating money and food.
A lot of them come in and don’t want any recognition or receipts, saying to us, “Just put it to good use.” So many people are willing to help the elderly or women with young children bag or carry groceries out to their cars.
We see hope here every day.

Blog Series: Finding Hope in What Feels Like a Hopeless Situation – Caitlin Helmuth

Caitlin Helmuth – Goshen College Social Work Intern

Hope. In recent months, I have found hope very difficult to find. Some things in my life have been very discouraging. One of these things actually led me to do my internship here at CCS, rather than participate in a program in Chicago (of which now I am very thankful.) However, in my few short weeks here, especially with the women in the SOS program, I have already seen a glimpse of the hope that I have been searching for.

In class one day, the SOS women were sharing some of the weaknesses they think they may have when entering the workforce. And then as a group, we discussed how these weaknesses could be turned into strengths. I was very impressed how everyone had something to contribute, some encouraging words to share with their classmates. We got around to me in the circle, and Amy asked if I would be willing to share what my weaknesses are. Well, without having been prepared for this (I thought we would just skip over me!), I had to think quickly on my toes. When I was done sharing, the women spoke up and told me that the moment I walked in that classroom and sat down at the table, I became one of them. Even if I will not be a graduate of the program, and even if I am not officially an instructor or facilitator, I became one of them, end of story. These women are so open to change in their lives that a new person entering their safe classroom space will not inhibit that process. I find hope in that.

Everyday these women continually encourage each other. When one member is down, the others, even the quieter, less out-spoken ones, chime in and share something to help their classmate out, and to lift them up. From conversations with other staff, I understand that these women have come a long way as a group from the beginning. I am encouraged and inspired after spending time with them. I see the work that each of these women are putting into the program and the determination in all their eyes. I could spend the rest of my life surrounded by individuals like them. And I find hope in that.

New SOS Side Dish Now Available!

Current Soup Of Success team member, Carolyn Hawkins, smiles and holds up the first bag of “No Worry Vegetarian Curry.”

No Worry Vegetarian Curry is the first product in the new Side Dish line of Soup Of Success products and takes less than 30 minutes to cook.  “We are excited to bring in another vegetarian dish to our lineup of products” says Betsy Ayrea, Director of the Soup Of Success Job & Life Skills Training Progam, “This particular product has been in development for over a year, and has had many people pouring a lot of love into it.”  Special thanks go to volunteers Melissa Miller, Nick Kothari & Sarah Holsopple for all of their helpful input into this recipe!

This delicious, mild curry dish is sure to be a hit with our customers.  Be sure and check it out!

You Take The Cake Annual Fundraiser brings in almost $21,000

Church Community Services is deeply indebted to many in this community for their contributions to our recent successful fund raiser, You Take the Cake.  We’re grateful to the several hundred businesses and individuals who donated gift certificates, merchandise and funds.  The many special desserts given by bakers and chefs around the area were fabulous and great taste treats. 

 

The real stars were the guests who participated by enjoying the meal and contributing to make it a successful evening.  Of course we could not have pulled this off without the help of many volunteers from our supporting churches, Honor Society and Key Club members from Goshen High School, former clients, plus staff and board members.

 

Special acknowledgements go to our event sponsors:  Barnes & Thornburg LLP, Hopman Jewelers, Classic Transport, and Trinity Gardens.  Additional thanks go to these individuals who went above and beyond with their time and skills—Debbie Chris, Pat Watson, Barb Fridley, Michael Delfine and Joy & Roy Dabbs.

 

We are blessed to be part of such a generous and caring community.  We especially appreciate this ongoing support as we see a growing number of people coming to us for food, rent, utility and prescription assistance.  May God bless each one in this season of sharing.

 

Dean Preheim-Bartel

Executive Director

Church Community Services

 

Gift Basket Design Open House THIS Saturday!

Saturday – November 1      (9:00 am – 2:00 pm) 

Church Community Services 629 S. Third St. Elkhart

Our 10th Annual Gift Basket Design Open House!

We invite you to stop in and visit us this Saturday.  Meet the women and staff on the Soup Of Success Program, sign up to win door prizes, sample all of our delicious products, and pick out the perfect gift for everyone on your list!   Our “Build your own Basket” day is an enormous hit each year.  We literally have dozens of gourmet goodies, hundreds of container options and thousands of holiday embellishments all lined up in our workshop ready to be turned into amazing holiday gifts!  We love to see the faces of our customers when they come in to shop and leave with gorgeous gifts that also give back to the community.

This event kicks off our holiday season.  We will be designing Holiday baskets through December 23.  We are available for private shopping, just give us a call!

Your purchase of SOS products benefits local women working toward self-sufficiency.  See you Saturday!

Why Am I Here at SOS?

Hi.  I’m one of the women in the class at SOS right now.  Why am I here?  Well, when I first started, I thought I was here to help others, and to learn new skills.  Honestly, after I have been here for a while, it’s much more than that.  It’s bringing someone special out that is inside of me.  I am here to put my life together.

Since I’ve been here, I’ve thought a lot about change.  What is change?  Change is moving from something old to something new.  It could be a place, thing, people, jobs, or just inside yourself.  In this case, I am talking about myself.

When you start having ideas to change, it is easy.  Then when you begin doing the action steps…well…it becomes very hard.  Your life is like a bunch of shoelaces all knotted up, and you don’t know where to begin or stop.   But I have discovered that God’s plan is awesome.  He puts people and things in my path to make change easier. 

Here is a scripture from Jeremiah (29:11-14) in which I hear God encouraging me:  “‘For I know that thoughts that I think toward you’, says the Lord, ‘thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.  I will be found by you’, says the Lord, ‘and I will bring you back from your captivity.’”

-SG

!Explore Soup of Success!

We were blessed to have yet another volunteer group helping out at Soup of Success for two days last week!  The !Explore program is a theological program for high school youth through AMBS, Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary, which is located in Elkhart.  Through this program, they explore theological questions, develop their gifts in leadership, and do service in the community.  We were thrilled that they decided to connect with the Elkhart community this year to do their service projects, and that Soup of Success was one of the agencies where they volunteered their time!  While at Soup of Success, they helped put together soup, cookie, and dip mixes and got to learn more about Church Community Services, our Client-Choice Food Pantry, and about the needs in this community. 

Below, Kent (!Explore Event Pastor) and Joseph (AMBS Campus Host) sort beans in preparation for making Ruth’s Five Bean Soup!

!Explore participants (below) putting together dip mixes.  This group assembled and tied 162 Double Chocolate Kiss of Mint cookies, wrapped 216 Santa Fe dips, assembled and tied 341 All-American Chicken & Stars soups, and assembled 274 All-American Chicken & Stars spice packets in just two afternoons!  Thanks for your help, !Explore, and we hope to see you back next year!

Introducing SOS Women

Here’s what several of the women in the current class at SOS had to say when asked, “What are you most proud of in being at SOS?”

“What I am most proud of having at Soup of Success is Money Management class, because that class has helped me manage my income and has helped me save money out of every check and pay my bills on time.  I also spend less money than I make.” -LW

“I am proud to be chosen and be part of Soup of Success.  The different skills and life training I’ve had here cannot be paid for with any amount.  Tears of joy and tears of sorrow fall down from each others’ eyes.  Soup of Success is my life now and leads me to be a super woman.” -RC

“Going through Money Management has made it so I look at my finances and bills very differently.  I’m also getting in touch with my inner self…a task all in itself!”   – AR

“What I am most proud of in coming to Soup of Success is that the staff here are very involved with the participants.  They care for where we may go in the future.  Learning about myself is awesome and fun.  The only thing is sometimes the truth hurts when you face it.” -SG

“I am so proud to be a part of SOS.  It really blows my mind that 3 little letters can mean so much and have so much packed into it!” – FA

“I have learned so much that I never knew about before.  Things  that help me everyday and will help me out in the real world.   It feels so good to be able to feel me changing week by week.”  – WS

“I am proud that I have made it to this point of the program regardless of my barriers.  I am proud of making new friends and learning beneficial life lessons from the best and friendliest staff in town.  Last but not least, I am glad to have shed some pounds from walking to and from work every day, from the other side of town.”  – DR

“I am proud of finding my strength and wisdom.  It helped to stop and look inside of myself.  With a little more help, I hope to find happiness too.”  -DM