1|Page Giving thanks … In the mid afternoon, at the chaplaincy, there is often a quiet knock on the door. Just last week, I met a new resident, a 20 year old mom with her 10 month old in tow. She was looking for support with some emergency food and diapers. She was expecting a 2nd child at the end of October. I asked her what support she had in place for her new arrival and she replied “Me, Myself and I”. It does not take a lot of imagination to surmise the circumstances that brought her to the complex. While I was able to offer some emergency supplies, the greater gift was my ability and availability to offer her support in the month to come - a lifeline for many who feel alone. At the LCC we do run quality programs for adults and children. We love to host special celebrations and events. But I believe our greatest unique strength and calling is to offer the gift of presence. A crisis is never planned. Feelings of loneliness and anxiety often come unexpectedly. At the LCC we are committed to being quietly and consistently present for such moments. I believe the gift of presence is the greatest gift that we can give to someone because it makes them feel seen, heard and valued. In this season of Thanksgiving, I am thankful for all of you who make the gift of presence possible for the Limberlost and Southdale communities. With your support we are strengthening families in London and making a positive impact in these neighbourhoods. Pam Cullen, Chaplain Fall 2016 | Issue: 2 Chaplaincy artists at work! At the LCC we strive to walk with those who are experiencing the challenges of living in poverty. We encourage you to engage the broader conversation. Please visit Poverty Over London online to learn more about the depths and complexities of poverty in our City. Together, we can make a difference! http://ifyouknew.ca “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” - Mother Teresa 2|Page Fall 2016 | Issue: 2 Summer 2016 Recap A Thanksgiving Prayer, by Rabbi Naomi Levy For the laughter of the children, For my own life breath, For the abundance of food on this table, For the ones who prepared this sumptuous feast, For the roof over our heads, The clothes on our backs, For our health, And our wealth of blessings, For this opportunity to celebrate with family and friends, For the freedom to pray these words without fear, In any language, In any faith, In this great country, Whose landscape is as vast and beautiful as her inhabitants. Thank You, God, for giving us all these. Amen. Summer is officially over, but the memories attached to all the fun activities that we experienced during our vacation months will stay with us forever, especially, if we used our cool technological gadgets to capture them. This summer, the families at the Limberlost and Southdale complexes had a chance to participate in a variety of overnight and day camps, which were sponsored by many local faith organizations. This summer we sent 120 kids to camp! We are grateful for all those who made this a reality: donors, drivers, summer staff, churches who welcomed our kids at VBS, and a large host of overnight camps. Leadership camp was a big part of summer at the LCC and our summer team nurtured 24 teens over a month of learning, fun and growth opportunities. Reading Buddies, our weekly summer literacy program for elementary age children was also a great success. The faithful volunteers made this a weekly highlight! We were also blessed with BBQ nights, social breakfast mornings, community carnivals hosted by the youth in leadership camp, and a fun day at the Grand Bend beach. Everyone had a chance to participate in the community life, build new friendships while enjoying really nice and hot summer days. We are saying “good bye” to the summer days but at the same time, with full enthusiasm and renewed energy, we are entering the fall season that brings new learning opportunities, new life experiences and new personal growth prospects. Monika Korzec, Chaplaincy Coordinator Connect with us! @ Southdale: 975/977 Southdale Rd. East (519) 685-2771 [email protected] @Limberlost: 1481 Limberlost Rd. Unit #136 (519) 472-2459 [email protected] Mailing Address: P.O. Box 37085 900 Adelaide St. London, On N6E 3T3 Visit Our Website: www.londoncommunitychaplaincy.com Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/londoncommunitychaplaincy Connect with the Chaplain: [email protected] 3|Page Fall 2016 | Issue: 2 THANK YOU FOR A GREAT SUMMER! 4|Page Fall 2016 | Issue: 2 What’s New at the LCC- Fall Program Highlight Due to the generous support of the Jill Willcox Foundation, we are able to host a weekly breakfast program for residents at Limberlost. This enables us to build new relationships with community members, offer hospitality, teach nutrition and meal planning and purchase food and refreshments for those gathered for the weekly breakfast program. The breakfast is a chance to connect with neighbours, relax and enjoy a great meal. Residents and volunteers take turns flipping pancakes, cooking eggs, and enjoy the time of community building. There is always room at the table. We invite our supporters to drop in on a Wednesday from 9:3011:00. We would love to have you join us! Children’s Fall Programs…begin with a smile! At the Chaplaincy, one season flows quickly into the next and we are excited about fall programs that are already in full swing. For the children we offer Jr and Sr Art, Girl Talk, music opportunities, youth nights, family dinner nights and PD day events. The goal for all these programs is that the children and youth know the chaplaincy a as a safe place, a place where they can explore their gifts and talents, nurture friendships and develop mentoring relationships. We are grateful for the many volunteer dinner hosts that provide healthy and hearty meals. We are also grateful to the May Court Club, The London Community Foundation, The Cantorion Choir and the Westminster College Foundation for their generous donations which allow us to offer these programs. A heartfelt THANK YOU to all who supported us in our fall walk-a-thon. We successfully raised our target of $5000. We appreciate your commitment to the work of LCC!
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