Nest Collective

 Don't let the quiet demeanor 

of Joen Schultz fool you.

This tenacious, knowledgable, 

go-getter has a vision.

Pair that with experience and connections

 and you have the 

beginning of the story 

of The Nest Collective.

Within her sight is not a 

bottom line margin-

but a heart big enough to see 

what often gets lost in the shuffle of life-

OTHERS.

A visit to her newly moved-in warehouse

shows the stacks of chairs, dressers, tables,

and neatly organized kitchen ware.

She works with a variety of organizations

 to pair clients with her stash of donated items

 looking for a new home.

That could be a church helping an immigrant family, 

a homeless woman in her first "home place" in years,

 or those who have landed in the "between" of life.

During my tour I spotted 

a one-of- a kind furniture piece.

I knew that because
 it had lived in my own home at one time.

Then it went to bless the young daughter of a friend.

Now it is ready for a redo-update for another family.

Follow them and Like them on Facebook.
Nest-Collective

Consider donating to this non-profit
 if you are in the Northern Virginia area.

WHO WE ARE

The Nest Collective is a 501(c)(3)charitable organization that provides furniture and household goods to those in need in communities across Northern Virginia.  We strive to give every client the comforts of home.

Find out more about how to volunteer, donate or serve in this amazing ministry.
www.nestcollective.org 

May the Lord continue to bless Joen, and her family and all those who help to make changes in the lives of those
who just need a bit of help-
 along the way.
Right in the neighborhood.

Empty Bowls- a Way to bless your Neighborhood

Two hundred bowls, handmade by the community

 surrounding Melinda Reidy’s home and pottery studio. 

Two hundred bowls, carefully molded, fired, and glazed,

 wrapped in newspapers and packed into boxes

 for the trip just down the road to 

Prince of Peace Lutheran Church

 in Springfield, Virginia.

It’s overwhelming, really, 

seeing stacks and stacks of boxes,

 and thinking of the many hands and hearts

 that went into creating the pottery within. 

All for an Empty Bowls fundraiser, 

to raise money for our local food pantry

 and social service agency, ECHO

Melinda has been welcoming neighbors and friends

 and church members into her pottery studio

 for nearly 10 months, 

teaching people from 4 to 85 years old

 how to form red-brown clay into bowls 

of all shapes and sizes. 

How to make beauty out of dust.

All of those bowls, wrapped in newspaper,

 look the same. 

Just a box, just a dish wrapped in paper. 

Until we start unwrapping. 

“Oh! Look at THIS one!” Melinda exclaims. 

She carefully places the treasure on the table, 

then reaches for the next anonymous package.

 “Oh! Look at THIS one!” 

Each bowl, 

shaped and colored and designed differently. 

Each bowl, wholly itself, 

cannot be mistaken for another.

“Isn’t that how God works?” says Melinda. 

Yes, indeed. 

We can think of the parade of people 

entering and exiting her pottery studio—

or entering and exiting our churches, 

our food pantries, our homes, our lives—as just groups,

 just numbers, just bowls wrapped in newspaper. 

One looks very much like another, 

stacked together in boxes, 

touching but not really touching, 

covered in protective wrapping. 

We can cover ourselves in our own protective wrapping—

the pleasant mask we show the world, 

the carefully styled hair, the neutral smile. 

We can choose to protect our real selves, 

to cultivate shallow relationships,

 to “never let them see you sweat.” 

Or we can shed that layer of protection 

and let our full, unique beauty shine.

For God does not stamp out people like factory-made bowls,

 every one alike. God molds us from the dust. 

God designs our minds, our bodies, our families, just so. 

Each dip of glaze, each brushstroke, each moment in the fire,

 all designed so that we come out shining, 

beautiful, ready to serve. 

“Oh! Look at THIS one!” 

God delights in us, in each one of us. 

Not only that, but He delights

 in the beauty of all of us together, 

of individuals sharing their 

hearts and hands and passions

 with each other, and in so doing, 

sharing the work of the kingdom. 

And in God’s kingdom, 

every person is fearfully and wonderfully made, 

and every empty bowl gets filled to the brim.  

Lifting up Visionary Idea leaders-

for iNeighborhood,

 Melinda and Michael Reidy.

 They were willing to tackle a BIG Project

 that brought a great blessing.

So it was a neighborhood affair when neighbors

 met for the Empty Bowls event 

on April 22, 2018 at Prince of Peace. 

Friendships were made from 

all walks of life while beautiful,

 hand crafted bowls were selected and tasty treats

 were served by neighborhood restaurants.
* $15,019 & 187 canned goods donated to ECHO!
We especially thank:
* the 70+ neighbor volunteers who made the bowls
* the 30+ POP volunteers who helped to set up,

 tear down, serve, and pick up food.
* Afghan Kabob, Trader Joes, Milano’s, Malek’s, Panera Bread, 

Hannah’s Catering and Arepas Bees 

for their food donations!
We thank God for the way He moved all 

of us to accomplish 

something bigger than ourselves for others
and the betterment of His kingdom.

Thank you to Jennifer Gross-
contributing writer for Journeys of Faith.

Creating Community in the Neighborhood- Part 2

Part 2-Creating Neighborhood

First, we need to define our “neighborhood”. Who are the people that you regularly come in contact with?  These can be your physical neighbors in the houses or apartments around yours, or they can be the people that you see at work, at a club or social activity, at the local coffee shop.  

Secondly, we need to intentionally go about engaging with these folks to get to know them and their stories.  Everyone has a story and most people are eager to share at least part of their story.  There is a deep need in every human to be heard and affirmed for the unique person he/she is in Christ.  

So how do we engage people without seeming pushy or strange?  Maybe it’s as simple as going out of your way to greet a person by name and asking about something going on in their life.  If you’ve noticed a neighbor who walks a dog every day past your house, you could make a point of being in your front yard at that time, ready to greet the person as they pass by.  If you have children on a team or part of a club, arrive a bit early for pick up and intentionally speak with some of the other parents.  Or, maybe plan an event at your home or in a community gathering spot to which you will invite a particular group of people whom you’d like to get to know better. 

Hopefully this group of people would not be folks you regularly attend church with.  You already have a community built in there.  Think bigger and differently.  Look around at those who seem to be alone or lonely.  The people that aren’t the head of the PTA or the coach of the soccer team.  The folks who you don’t see outside for a walk with a spouse or friend.  Pray for God to open your eyes to see the neighbors around you.

Have a plan!  Keep it simple!  Remember to pray before, during, and after every encounter.  Building community takes time and persistence.  You have to regularly meet and talk with someone in order to establish the kind of trust where true sharing and caring can occur.  Relationships need tending in order to bear good fruit.  Don’t get discouraged if everyone you meet isn’t open to forming a relationship with you.  People are in different places on their journey.  Some will be receptive, some will not, some will come around in time.  Our job is to plant seeds and water them.  God, through the Holy Spirit, will bring the growth.

So – who are the people in YOUR neighborhood?  What are the needs of YOUR community?  How can YOU begin to show Christ’s love through your words and actions?

Thanks to Deaconess Deb Lennox

 for sharing this encouragement 
for Neighborhood ministry.

Creating Community in the Neighborhood- Part 1

Creating Community in the Neighborhood

What is Community?

-your neighborhood?

-your church?

-your circle of friends?

-your workplace or social organization?

YES!  All of these can be your community.  Community is not defined by geography, but by commonality and intentionality.

When we speak of community, we are talking about the people that you are in regular, close contact with and share something in common.

True community is something that takes time to create, it is work and it requires effort.  It is a place where the voices of the members are listened to and heard, where the members tend to each other’s needs, and where the strength of the whole is more important than the individual.

When we talk about Christian community, we simply mean that we share a common life in Christ.  We commit ourselves to life together as the people of God.  We move out of the self-interested isolation of our private lives and beyond superficial social contacts.  It is deep and it is real.

Why should we care about community?

Take a look at some of these sobering statistics:

• Since the 1980s, the percentage of American adults who say they’re lonely has doubled from 20 percent to 40 percent.
• About one-third of Americans older than 65 now live alone, and half of those over 85 do. 
• Individuals with less social connection have disrupted sleep patterns, altered immune systems, more inflammation and higher levels of stress hormones. One recent study found that isolation increases the risk of heart disease by 29 percent and stroke by 32 percent.
• Loneliness can accelerate cognitive decline and can contribute to premature health complications in older adults. 
• All told, loneliness is as important a risk factor for early death as obesity and smoking.

In the book, Bowling Alone, author Robert Putnam said the greatest social epidemic in American life is loneliness.  This statement may resonate with many who feel alienated, lonely, and depressed – those who go home every night to watch T.V. and eat by themselves on the couch.

Is this the life we should be living?  What does God want for our lives?  Consider the following:

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.  Hebrews 10:24-25

For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 1 Corinthians 12:13

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:28-31

It is clear from these passages that God wants us to interact and be interconnected with our brothers and sisters, and even commands that we love each other.  So how do we begin to do that?

Watch for Part 2- Later this week!

Thanks to Deaconess Deb Lennox

 for sharing this encouragement 
for Neighborhood Ministry.

Creative Haven-in the Neighborhood

We gathered this week 

for some time in the studio.

Open schedule- 

come when you can.

Some worked on Bible Journaling,

some Visual prayer,

some worked on a project called-

Prayers for My Loved Ones.

One made a paper bag journal to collect 

prayer encouragement for a friend 

who was just diagnosed with cancer.

We visited, made new friends, 

practiced our lettering,

and ate a meal together.

Some have been doing these

creative faith practices for a long time.

For some, these are brand new things

 they are learning about. 

We talked about about how Visual Faith 

practices have changed our lives.

How we have a different prayer journey and

we spend more time reading God's Word.

We long for the time we get to spend 

 "being Present" with the Lord.

That is a story worth sharing.

 We invite others to come along 
as we learn together.

Maybe YOU would like to host

 a Creative Haven- Visual Faith event 

in YOUR home?

We can help with that.....

check out the the Visual Faith Communities on FB.
Visual Faith Community- North Carolina

Visual Faith Community- DC Metro

Visual Faith Community- Delmarva

or email Connie at:
condoit@aol.com

Megan Daub- Serving in an Emergency

City of Havelock Employee 

Saves Life During Flight

Megan Daub, Communications Supervisor, 

for the Havelock Police Department 

was in the right place at the right time 

on December 18^th, 2016. 

While flying home from Las Vegas 

to Raleigh-Durham Airport, 
Ms. Daub came to the aid

 of a fellow passenger in severe medical distress.  

The passenger was experiencing anaphylactic shock

 and could not breath. 

Ms. Daub, who is paramedic certified,

 immediately jumped into action 

and identified herself as such.  

Because of that she was able to access 

the on-board medical emergency bag

 that contained Epi-Pens and Benadryl, 

which are used to combat the shock.

Ms. Daub was able to stabilize the distressed passenger, 

who was able to then breath on her own. 

 In the meantime, the Southwest Airline flight

 made announced a medical emergency on board

 and diverted to Denver, where the passenger was met 

with medical personnel and taken to a local hospital.

There is no doubt that Ms. Daub saved the woman’s life

 as she was the only paramedic certified passenger

 on board who could have administered

 the lifesaving medical procedures.  

An e-mail from Southwest Airlines thanked her

 for assisting a fellow passenger. 

 “Your willingness to share your experience as a licensed paramedic is of great value, 

and we want to let you know 

that we appreciate your Good Samaritan efforts.”

The Havelock Police Department 

is very proud of Ms. Daub’s life-saving efforts. 

 She demonstrates the very best

 the Havelock Police Department has to offer.

***

This article - news release-
was recently shared about Megan Daub.
We give thanks for her ability
 to serve in an emergency.
Megan is married to Rev. Jim Daub 
and they serve at St. Paul's Lutheran Church- 
Havelock, NC.

Ellen Thress- From New York's Tallest Buildings

Ellen Thress- Northern Region

I want to tell you about my recent 
Saturday evening dinner guests. 

My story includes a wedding gift
 I received from a cousin almost 57 years ago. 
 It was a framed table prayer that reads:

O THOU WHO CLOTHEST THE LILIES

AND FEEDEST THE BIRDS OF THE SKY

WHO LEADEST THE LAMBS TO THE PASTURE

AND THE HART TO THE WATERSIDE

WHO HAST MULTIPLIED LOAVES AND FISHES

AND CONVERTED WATER INTO WINE

DO THOU COME TO OUR TABLE

AS GUEST AND GIVER TO DINE

The plaque has hung on my dining room wall 

in the 10 different places I've lived.  

I invited some neighbors
 in my apartment building for dinner.  
Three were Iranian graduate students 
from the University of Delaware and my other guest 
was an 87 year old neighbor who grew up attending
 a Lutheran church in NYC, 
married a man from Algeria 
and raised her family in Algeria.
  Even before moving from NYC, 
she had given up on religion.  

I want to digress a bit here to tell you about
 my childhood dream and my prayer
 before moving to my latest home- in Delaware. 
 As a child, I loved the hymn
 “From Greenland's Icy Mountains”
 and pictured myself going off 
to a far away land to share my faith. 
 It never happened.
 Then, several years ago at a Pastor's conference,
 we sang that hymn.
  The District President said he didn't like the hymn
 and explained why. 
 He told us that, "God is sending the people 

from other parts of the world to us, 

and the mission field is- right here." 

I went home 
and rewrote the words to that hymn. 

Here are the new words.    

New words for the hymn 
“From Greenland's Icy Mountains”

Ellen Thress 1999

Hymn of Kingdom Building     

“From New York’s Tallest Buildings”

From New York’s tallest buildings,  From Vegas’ golden strand,

From sea coasts where they gather  To lie on golden sand;  

From Mississippi Valley,  From mid-west amber plain,

They call us to deliver  Their land from error’s chain.

What though God’s awesome wonders   Produced a canyon grand;

What though the fields are blooming  And beauty’s in the land;

Though God gives of His mercy   To rich and to the poor, 

The children grow up quickly  And learn of God no more.

Can we whose souls are lighted  With wisdom from on high,

Can we to those be-nighted  The lamp of life deny?

Salvation! Oh, Salvation!  The joyful sound proclaim

Till each soul in our nation  Has learned Messiah’s name.

Waft, waft, ye winds, His story,  And you, ye waters, roll,

Till like a sea of glory  It spreads from soul to soul;

Till o’er our ransomed nature  The Lamb for sinners slain,

Redeemer, King, Creator,  In bliss returns to reign.

I am an 82 year old widow of a pastor. 

Before moving to the apartment
 here in Newark, Delaware,

 I prayed that God would give me a new adventure. 

I think He has done that in a BIG, BIG WAY.

  I'm overwhelmed by the wonderful people

 He has put into my life.  
The lady from Algeria has been attending
 a Bible study group here in our building-

 that another resident recently started. 

I met two of the men from Iran 
when they attended a Book Club meeting
 that I started in my apartment.
   When I invited them to dinner,
 they asked if they could include the third. 

God sent me a “mission field”

 that more than answers my prayer

 for another adventure.

Now back to the wall hanging.  

After dinner, one of the men took our picture together. 
 Then another one of the men asked
 if he could take a picture

 of the table prayer wall hanging.

I don't know what that means yet. 

In other conversations about their country 

they said that they did not actually practice 

the Muslim faith, but it was more their culture.  

The same applies to Olive's family.  

She did not practice a religion while in Algeria,

 also a Muslim country, 

but always celebrated Christmas.

I ask for your prayers for my new friends.

 and for this exciting adventure
 God has given me.

We give thanks for this story shared by Ellen Thress- 
serving as a deployed neighborhood missionary.
And for the beautiful words of a hymn 
that we need to be singing in our churches.
The Lord is Good.