Sarah Jane Johnson Memorial UMC

Black College Fund celebrates 40 years

SJJUMC — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:00:00 +0000

United Methodist support helps recruit outstanding faculty and provide students with academic, cultural and spiritual guidance.

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Black College Fund celebrates 40 years

Food ministries flourish on different paths

SJJUMC — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Two churches in the heart of Indianapolis find different ministries to feed the hungry and enable people to reach potential.

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Food ministries flourish on different paths

Dragon Slayers After School Program Update

admin — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:55:55 +0000

Dear Staff and Friends of the Dream Center,

This is a reminder that the Dragon Slayers After School program, for youth 4th to 12th grade begins its Winter session, Monday, February 6th, 3:30 to 5:30 PM.

There is a planning meeting 2/1, Wednesday at 3:30 to finalize plans. If you are a community agency who wants information on our program, you may go to: www.gfjdreamcenter.cfsites.org and click on Programs. Our site has just been updated.

Please forward this to anyone who is interested in volunteering and new volunteers who are not on this list. We are in need of office help with registrations, and volunteer paperwork, so let me know if you can help with that, or know of someone. Hours for that are afternoons and evenings M-W and are flexible. This is the time for all new volunteers to get their paper work in.

We will meet briefly in regard to staff assignments. Then, we need help working on the physical spaces for getting ready to open, cleaning the tables, chairs and fridge, moving bags of donated clothing out of the Rain Forest Reading Room, and sorting in the art room. Feb. 6th, is one week from today. We have handed out copies of the WHY TRY message of the month, which is: “Defense Mechanisms.” Let me know if you need a copy.

If you have time, go to the WHY TRY website and locate a picture of the poster, or information on it on their blog on it so you become familiar with it. Different staff are going to take different days to lead a team building activity throughout the month related to that topic. I think it is also a good topic to do some skits on. So be thinking of something you would like to present on or lead, related to Defense Mechanisms.

This link takes you to several video resources, and is a good spring board for other clips on the internet that we could use that demonstrate defense mechanisms.
http://www.whytry.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=25:video-links-and-resources&catid=19:video&Itemid=20

Here is a link to some music for it:
http://www.whytry.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=23:using-music-with-whytry&catid=3:resources&Itemid=19
You can also think of any songs that go with it. We also have a WHY? TRY? CD, so we can use that, as well.

See you then!

Patricia Cardin
The George F. Johnson Dream Center for Community Empowerment

Sarah Jane Johnson Memorial Church
308 Main Street, Johnson City, 13790

607-797-3938, X. 113

Website: gfjdreamcenter.cfsites.org

What’s Your Dream?
Find Out at the Dream Center and in the Manner and Legacy of George F. Johnson . . .
Make it a Reality and Change a Nation

Summer 2012: Power Lab VBS!

admin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 13:18:55 +0000

Yes, it’s still the middle of winter, but things are brewing for this year’s Vacation Bible School already!

This year we will be looking forward to doing something that will thrill and amaze even the hardest to please!

Power Lab is a program designed for vacation Bible school that teaches about the love of Christ with a fun science lab theme.

It’s not too early to start thinking about volunteering, and donations to help fund the event are more than welcome!

We are looking for things like microscopes, test tubes, beakers, magnets, and scales to make this an exciting hands on event. For more information on some of the supplies we’ll be needing, check out Power Lab VBS Supplies.

Our goal is to provide a VBS to our community that bubbles over with Bible-learning fun! Group’s Power Lab VBS is power-packed adventure where kids can come, bring their friends, and learn about Jesus’ Miraculous Power.

We are asking that if you can help with the event, please contact David Black.

2012 Alter Flowers Sign-Up

admin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 12:58:23 +0000

The calendar for 2012 flowers is on the bulletin board outside of the office.

If you would like to order flowers for the altar in honor or memory of a loved one, please sign up.

You may order a 1 or 2 piece arrangement for $40.00.

Sarah’s Shop Helpers

admin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 06:25:28 +0000

Women, men and youth!!

Do you have 3 hours a month you can give to our latest church mission?

Sarah’s Shop’s vision is to provide good clothing for an affordable price, but this cannot be done without everyone’s help.

We need people to assist customers, be a cashier and sort donations.

No experience necessary!

See Janet Hickin, Rose McConnell, Shirley Moehring or Diane Olivet to sign up to volunteer.

Hours are Tuesdays 3:30pm – 6:30pm and
Thursdays 9:00am to noon

Bike Drive Kick-Off Announced

admin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 05:39:21 +0000

The George F. Johnson Dream Center for Community Empowerment is pleased to announce the organizational meeting for its fifth annual bike drive. The luncheon meeting will take place Friday, January 20, 2012 from noon to 1 pm in the Mainestreet Cafe’ of Sarah Jane Johnson Memorial United Methodist Church, 308 Main Street, Johnson City, across from the Johnson City Post Office. Interested community members are invited to join us as we work together to continue the Johnson family legacy of goodwill and empowerment.

The bike drive is held to help youth get to youth development programs that are held at Sarah Jane Johnson Church and in Johnson City’s beautiful parks, as well as a free summer, noontime lunch at the church. Area agencies can refer youth 8 and up to the program. Bikes can be dropped off in the parking lot of Sarah Jane Johnson Memorial United Methodist Church, 308 Main Street in Johnson City, Sunday mornings, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 PM, and up until 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday’s. Ring the bell and leave the bike.

The Dream Center began in 2006 to encourage youth to become all they can be and make a difference in the manner and legacy of George F. Johnson. Through a partnership with the Southern Tier Bike Club, the movement has reconditioned over 500 bikes for youth in four years and spurred other communities to begin similar programs. The annual event is made possible by the coming together ,of many area agencies and community members.
For more information or sign up forms, contact: Patricia Cardin, 607-797-3938, X 113, or send an email to: gfjdreamcenter@hotmail.com .

A bike safety clinic and giveaway takes place each year on the second Saturday of May, from 1 to 4 PM in the UHS parking lot adjacent to Sarah Jane Johnson Memorial United Methodist Church. Youth must be referred ahead of time to receive a bike, take part in all safety aspects of the day and agree to wear a helmet while riding– to receive a bike.

Patricia Cardin
The George F. Johnson Dream Center for Community Empowerment
Sarah Jane Johnson Memorial Church
308 Main Street, Johnson City, 13790
607-797-3938, X. 113
Website: gfjdreamcenter.cfsites.org

What’s Your Dream?
Find Out at the Dream Center
and in the Manner and Legacy of George F. Johnson . . .
Make it a Reality and Change a Nation

Lord’s Table Needs Your Help

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:21:15 +0000

Sarah Jane’s Lord’s Table dinner is a community meal held every Tuesday in the parish house.

An average of over one hundred of our neighborhood members, many of them children and senior citizens participate.

For over an hour and a half those attending enjoy a hot meal, praise music, the fellowship of each other, and a spiritual message of encouragement from Pastor Kim.

This dinner has been hosted by our church for over twenty years, but is in need of additional funding to continue this ministry.

Would you please consider a contribution to this important program of our church with a donation, as we seek to fulfill one of the Great Commandments to “Love thy neighbor”.

GFJDC Newsletter

admin — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 17:21:47 +0000

Dear friends at JC schools,

I wanted to follow up on the idea for planned bike rides this summer. We did not get enough volunteer staff this summer to do a planned bike-riding program. However, we do have a vibrant garden club, due to community support, and are developing a small leadership core of kids through a program called, “I Decide.” We also did get two great staff from Davis College for our Monday gang and drop out prevention program with forty attendees, “Why Try?” If any of you would like to stop in on the last day of that program this coming Monday between 1 and 2:30, feel free. The kids would be surprised!

The following week we have a different schedule with a summer fun week that lasts from Sun to Thurs night and is a joint venture held at BLVD UMC. We are also sending 25 kids to Sky Lake camp this summer, an experience which is a perspective changer, a genuine life-changer made possible by the grace of God!

A couple of weeks ago, when we were cleaning up Jennison park, two brothers approached us, one in grade school, one in middle. The younger looked curious, so I said “hello,” to which he replied, “Hey, I think I planted those flowers.” I told him they were and explained that we were the group that provided the growing supplies to the k-5 classrooms for to beautify the village. He commented that the park looked different and I explained why we were doing what we were doing, how when “the bad guys” think the people don’t care, they think they can take over, but when people work together to make a place beautiful, the “bad guys” move out, because they need to operate where the people don’t care. I saw him have an epiphany as he exclaimed, “Hey. That means you are making a difference. I want to make a difference and you’re doing a good job. Can I join you?” He only had to work a short time before he was able to join us for pizza, and he deserved it.

I am also pleased to report that a formerly “infamous” young girl who shared that she spent most days in detention, is a gardener now, along with a bunch of other kids, distributing flowers and vegetables in pots in her neighborhood. When I told her that she was making a difference, she replied under her breath, “Somebody has to.” She has been beaming all this week after telling me that the elderly lady across the street was so thankful to receive a pepper plant that she embraced her and kissed her on the cheek. “Jazzy” also shared that she is now helping this lady with keeping up her apartment and yard! Wow! Those are the kind of connections we want to make, and the tip of the iceberg on what is going to come when the community comes together to converge on the Floral to Grand neighborhood this Fall.

Another interesting development is related to a gang of middle school kids in the village threatening other kids to join or be beaten up. The gang then steals the kid’s bike. They seem to have been targeting kids in the Dream Center programs (maybe because they have bikes from the bike drive, or maybe because they don’t like the competition). The kids in the Dragon Slayers club have handled this very well by not joining the gang, and instead, “holing up” at a house of one of the kid’s who has 2 parents that is a safe-haven, and then going to the pool as a group when the gang is not there.

We notified the Mayor’s office, when parents told us about the rash of bikes being stolen and an officer called me today. I asked him to come in and talk to kids about gang prevention, knowing that the kids will “talk” after his talk is done, and hopefully provide names when the presentation is over. (Based on past experience, this is more effective than having him come in and question kids).

Next year, we need to intentionally work together to reach a few of those kids. As you know, 3 Social Work interns from the Share program will work in concert with the after school club, and provide counseling, so now is the time to get in the loop on that with your ideas. We have long-wanted to provide family support services and are so excited about this additional program support.

The Dragon Slayer kids are beginning to rock the neighborhood and Fall isn’t even here yet!! The summer fun programs are going to come to an end, and then the kids will be involved only in making a difference in the village for the remainder of the summer. (Be still my heart). In the fall, we will restore their residences and neighborhoods. Each week the kids will join us as we go through the neighborhood between Floral and Grand Ave. giving away pots of flowers and vegetables with information on the neighborhood restoration slated for Sept. 11 and 25 and October 16.

We have $8,000.00 to use for the project each year for three years, and I am more thrilled about the opportunity for our community leaders to connect with families through a worthwhile endeavor than I am about the beautification itself, in spite of the difference it will make. It is the connections that will bring the lasting change. We just need to make sure that the word gets out so that everyone recognizes the window of opportunity we have been given. You know what they say about opportunity . . .

At any rate, grassroots beautification is a vehicle to lasting change in Johnson City.

Sincerely,
Patricia Cardin
The George F. Johnson Dream Center for Community Empowerment
Sarah Jane Johnson Memorial Church

308 Main Street, Johnson City, 13790
607-797-3938, X. 113
Website: gfjdreamcenter.cfsites.org

What’s Your Dream? Find Out at the Dream Center and in the Manner and Legacy of George F. Johnson . . .Make it a Reality and Change a Nation

Confirmands & New Members Join SJJUMC

admin — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 18:13:25 +0000

Cameron Black, Julia Black, William Hernandez-Hulbert, Josh Mitchell, Keith Reffitt, Emily Rogers, Jessie Smeltzer and Cindy Vincens were confirmed on Easter Sunday. Joining them as new members of Sarah Jane were Patricia Bettis and Michael Trevarthan. A breakfast for the confirmands, their families, and the confirmands’ mentors and new members was held before the worship service.