Your campus ministry needs you!

YOUR CAMPUS MINISTRY

NEEDS YOU

    Hello to all of you who are fans and supporters of Hope 808, the Presbyterian Campus Center for UTC.  We have had a very busy summer.  We have already been present for 6 orientations where we have collected 292 names of incoming freshmen, and we still have 2 more orientations to go.  This has been hot, hard work for me and for the board members that have volunteered, but it will all be worth it when freshmen move onto campus on August 19^th.

    Unfortunately, when the last orientation is over on July 29^th the work is not over because the work to prepare for the students just begins.  We have the best campus center that I have ever seen, but it needs work before August 19^th.  We want the students to walk into 808 Vine Street and feel so welcomed and so at home that they decide that this is where they will be spiritually fed and nurtured for the next four years.  To do this we will be hosting a Work-Day on Saturday August 14^th at 8 am.  We will need people who can paint, people who can do wood working, people who can weed and do a little landscaping, we need people who can help clean the inside and the outside of the campus house.  In short, we need you!  No matter your age, if you are a man or woman, if you like to be inside or outside, we need you!  If you would like to support us but you cannot attend the work day, we need supplies and resources.

    If you can help us by working at the work day or by donating supplies or if you need more information please call me Bob Hill (cell 423-903-1871, work 423-265-2227) or email me ( HiBobM@gmail.com).

Thank you

Rev. Bob Hill

Campus Pastor for Hope 808, the Presbyterian Campus Center for UTC

New Home Marks New Beginning For Chattanooga Father And Son

New Home Marks New Beginning For Chattanooga Father And Son
by John Lamb

This week Tommy Back and his son Titus have something very special to celebrate – the completion of their new Habitat for Humanity Home, funded and built by members of Rivermont Presbyterian church.

With a grown son, Tommy Back thought his child raising years were behind him, until a girlfriend said she was pregnant with his child. “I was a little old to have another kid, but I said I’d do the right thing,” he said. Tommy settled into the role of an excited expectant father, and was in the delivery room for the birth. Tommy was in for a shock. While both he and the mother were Caucasian, the child was bi-racial. The baby boy was clearly not his child biologically, but that didn’t matter to Tommy – he felt a connection to the baby and wanted to provide for his care, regardless of what others might think.

Caring for Titus would take Tommy on a journey worthy of a screen play. Titus’ mother became entangled in a criminal situation, was convicted and received a long prison sentence. Child Protective Services then stepped in and made Titus a ward of the state. While Tommy had grown to love Titus, and had been supporting him, he had no legal rights because he was not Titus’ biological father or a blood relative.

Tommy decided that what his family felt for Titus had nothing to do with biology. Knowing that Titus faced growing up in the foster care system, Tommy took action. First, he was married to Titus’s mother, the he legally adopted Titus, and then he divorced her. By taking these steps, the direction of Titus’ future was changed.

Raising Titus is truly a family affair – Tommy receives help from his mother, sister, son and even ex-wife, Darlene (mother of Tommy’s eldest son). “We just love this little guy,” says Darlene on a recent visit to the Habitat. “He is very smart,” says Tommy. “I am very proud of Titus and his work in school. He is a very good speller; he gets perfect scores on most of his tests.”

Tommy is a hard worker with a great attitude, according to volunteers from Rivermont Presbyterian Church: “He is always busy and willing to do anything to help, from unloading the truck of tools and supplies to cleaning up and reloading the truck at the end of the day. He is really excited about having a new home for he and Titus, making it a joy to work with him on the house.”

Taking care of Titus is one of the driving motivations of Tommy’s life. By entering the Habitat for Humanity program, Tommy is working to provide a home where they can be safe and sound. “We are both tickled to death,” says Tommy. “We are excited to one day have our own home, our own rooms and our own yard.”

“Rivermont Presbyterian Church has been a faithful supporter of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga over the years,” says Pete Palmer, Habitat’s executive director. “Whether through weekly service on the construction site, or in financial support of home construction, they are an important part of Habitat’s work in our community.”

Tommy’s new neighbors have something to celebrate as well – many of their homes received a “brush with faith” as students from Lee University painted, planted flowers, and did minor exterior home repairs earlier this spring. “We are grateful to Front Porch Alliance and their volunteers,” says Pete Palmer, Habitat’s executive director. “Their work made a visible impact in the surrounding community. It is a great example of the impact that can be made when organizations with similar goals work together. We hope to partner with additional groups to include similar efforts alongside future house builds.”

Article by John Lamb, picture by Wesley Schultz.

CNP Update

Children’s Nutrition Program

  The Children’s Nutrition Program continues to work effectively with its expanded operations and staff in Leogane.  We have rented a large home which provides office space and housing and is being used well.  Jim Hudson was a great help in getting a generator installed and a good well dug in the last couple of months.  Our current director of Haiti operations, Katie Donovan, will be leaving to start graduate school at UNC, so we are searching for a replacement.  Our current executive director, Ashley Aakesson is also leaving this position, moving to Washington, DC later this summer.  We have an active search committee, and several good candidates which are being examined.  Our large grant from Save the Children is funding most of the Haitian operations and requires labor intensive accountability reports almost weekly.  This has been an excellent teaching experience to prepare for continuing competition for grants from large donors such as USAID. CNP has come a long way since we shared office space with the bell choir at Rivermont!

Developments at Hospital St. Croix

Developments at Hospital St. Croix

  Many positive things are going on at HSC. Suzi and John Parker have created interim guest quarters on the 2nd floor of the 3-story portion of the hospital, and when John Talbird and I were housed there, Priscilla Stockwell was there as the leader of a 16-person medical mission team from Atlanta, including their Presbyterian minister, who had known Dan Sansbury at seminary. 

   A plan to rebuild the entire hospital compound has been prepared by Jimmy Hite, the architect who designed the nursing school. This program will cost about $12 million, funded by a group from the Pittsburgh area through Medical Benevolence Foundation (MBF), and will rebuild the hospital, a guest house, and other hospital related buildings, as well as the school, the church, et cetera. 

  The most exciting news is the appointment of a hospital director, Dr. Gladys Memnon.  She is a Haitian American physician .  She has been working at the hospital for the last several months, and is a lady who is full of energy, determination, and grit. After retiring from her practice of OB/GYN, she returned to Haiti and for several months was sleeping in a tent in back of the chapel and providing leadership for outpatient clinics in that area.

Haiti Visit Report

 Report on June 2010 Haiti Visit by Dr. Chuck Sternbergh

Conditions in Leogane and Port-au-Prince

I have just returned from 5 days in Leogane and Port-au-Prince as a member of the governing board at Hospital St. Croix (HSC).  In Leogane, the recovery process continues with more homes being demolished and rubble piled along every road.  There is evidence of rebuilding,  but most of the population are in make-shift shelters of tarps alongside the street or in larger groups  which fill the soccer stadium in Leogane and open areas surrounding the nursing school, for example.  In Port-au-Prince these large areas of shelter appear to be more organized.  While the devastation in Port-au-Prince is here and there in neighborhoods, in Leogane it is consistent on every street.

Developments at Hospital St. Croix

Many positive things are going on at HSC.  Suzi and John Parker have created interim guest quarters on the 2nd floor of the 3-story portion of the hospital, and when John Talbird and I were housed there, Priscilla Stockwell was there as the leader of a 16 person medical mission team from Atlanta, including their Presbyterian minister, who had known Dan Sansbury at seminary.  They were doing mobile medical clinics over that week.  Food was good, and the showers were reasonable.  No air conditioning really, but everybody got by with little personal fans (Wal-Mart $6, runs on 2 D-cell batteries for 55 hours).

A plan to rebuild the entire hospital compound has been prepared by Jimmy Hite, the architect who designed the nursing school. This program will cost about $12 million, funded by a group from the Pittsburgh area through MBF, and will rebuild the hospital, a guest house, and other hospital related buildings, as well as the school, the church, et cetera.  As far as the hospital is concerned, the 1st floor of the hospital will be renovated over the next few months to the house outpatient clinics and a small number of inpatient beds.  Then the one-story portion of the hospital will be demolished and construction of the new hospital buildings begun.  I do not know the time frame to complete the hospital portion of this construction, I would imagine it would be at least a year.  However, medical care, including in-patient and outpatient services will continue in the first floor of the old building through the construction phase.

The most exciting news is the appointment of a hospital director, Dr. Gladys Memnon.  She is a Haitian American physician .  She has been working at the hospital for the last several months, and is a lady who is full of energy, determination, and grit. After retiring from her practice of OB/GYN, she returned to Haiti and for several months was sleeping in a tent in back of the chapel and providing leadership for outpatient clinics in that area.  A consultant from Episcopal Relief and Development is working in the Bishop’s office to create and implement financial systems which will give appropriate accountability for the construction program as well as hospital operations.  This gentleman, Mike McIntyre, will also help to identify and hire a financial officer for the hospital who will sustain these financial management programs going forward.  The Haitian priest, Pere Fanfan, who has been the interim director, will be phased out of that responsibility within the next couple of weeks.  I emphasize that all of these changes and appointments have the bona fide and enthusiastic endorsement of Bishop Duracin.  After 3 years of effort at the board level, we finally have a qualified hospital director, which is a wonderful thing!

Children’s Nutrition Program

The Children’s Nutrition Program continues to work effectively with its expanded operations and staff in Leogane.  We have rented a large home which provides office space and housing and is being used well.  Jim Hudson was a great help in getting a generator installed and a good well dug in the last couple of months.  Our current director of Haiti operations, Katie Donovan, will be leaving to start graduate school at UNC, so we are searching for a replacement.  Our current executive director, Ashley Aakesson is also leaving this position, moving to Washington, DC later this summer.  We have an active search committee, and several good candidates which are being examined.  Our large grant from Save the Children is funding most of the Haitian operations and requires labor intensive accountability reports almost weekly.  This has been an excellent teaching experience to prepare for continuing
competition for grants from large donors such as USAID.  CNP has come a long way since we shared office space with the bell choir at Rivermont!

2010 Honduras Mission Team returns home!

The theme of the 2010 Rivermont Presbyterian Church Mission to Honduras was: “Christo me ama” – “Jesus Loves Me.” With God’s help we prayed that each person we encountered would know this for themselves and believe this in their hearts as the Holy Spirit guided our words and deeds. It was truly a time of giving and receiving the love of Christ with God’s children in Honduras and in seeing the many ways that Christ has been at work in and through them.

 Our team of 24 (plus one “Charlie the Church Mouse” stowaway) was both intergenerational and interdenominational. Mothers with sons and daughters; father and daughter; “newbies” and veteran mission workers; youth and “old timers” joined together to form a cohesive team. Many of our team members counted this summer as their third trip to the area!

 The week long trip encompassed several mission initiatives:

     Installation of a Living Waters for the World water system in Pena Blanca (initial plans made last year by New Hopers John Brandon and Shane Wilson and a January follow-up by Rivermonters Lisl Jackson and Laura Reid.

Medical clinics for 5 days were led by team leader Dr. Carolyn Brannon-Snyder and her good friend and veteran mission worker nurse practitioner Jo Grant, a member at Woodland Park Baptist Church. Care and medicine was provided to more than 500 children and many moms.

             We held Vacation Bible School during each of the medical clinics, and at the Pan Am Health Center. The children loved the crafts–modeling magic was a big hit, and Crystal organized a very colorful project with interlocking figures that the children colored. Plain old coloring was popular every session. The final day at Pan Am, we painted the children’s feet and put their footprints on tee shirts. That was a hit with all of us!

 A special night of friendship, fellowship, study and prayer as the women on the trip hosted a Women’s Dinner for about

 guests – made possible by the support of the RPC Presbyterian Women.

Each family that visited the clinic, as well as each woman at the Women’s Dinner, received a family photograph – taken, printed and immediately distributed to each mother (if we had electricity at the clinic site!) For many, this may be the only family photo they have.

       A time of growing in faith as the team experienced God at work in and through us and in and through our Honduran friends. We grew closer to God and to each other as we shared, prayed, sang and worked together during the week. Each day began and ended with devotions by team members, prayers and songs as we gave thanks to God for this marvelous opportunity.

Our team members visited Honduras June 5-12; they are: team leader Dr. Carolyn Brannon-Snyder along with her son and daughter Sam and Jenny and her niece Susanna Starling; nurse practitioner Jo Grant; LWW workers Lisl and Paul Jackson and Bob and (daughter) Laura Reid; Myra Sanderson and son Ethan Brand; Jane Gillespie and daughter Shelby; Judy Slagle and daughters Jessica and Catherine; director of older adult ministry Carol Secord and daughter Laura; brother and sister team Will and Lizzie Ruch; Katie Andrews; Lacy Taylor; director of children’s ministry Crystal Fallesen; and interim associate pastor Diane Stocker.

 Many members and friends who did not go on the trip were essential to its success: 

     Our Mission Committee, Jack Danner – chair

       Our Congregational Care Committee, Ruth Ann Honeycutt – chair

       Our Presbyterian Women, Jan Varnell – moderator

       Our senior pastor Dan Sansbury who allowed three staff members to be away at the same time!

       Dr. Brannon-Snyder’s many patients who donated toys

       Friendship Baptist Church, which donated toys

      Our youth group and many friends who packed thousands of pills. 

     The donors of medicines and toothbrushes for the children

     Our members and friends who upheld us in prayer as we served. 

And there were those in Honduras whose aid and partnership were invaluable: 

 John and Marta Chater, owners of the lodge El Cortijo del Lago; Marta arranged for our clinic trips through her many church contacts and they both assisted in innumerable ways.

      Our Living Waters for the World partners, especially Navidad and Joaquin, who will be the primary operator; and Henry and Carolyn who are with Salt and Light Ministries.

       Life would have been much more difficult without our wonderful translators: Sara, Iveth,

 Shanell, Kenia, and Tania

 

We give thanks to God for this amazing experience!

Tool Collection

TOOL COLLECTION: Many thanks to everyone who generously gave so many tools for our church’s missions! Even though the official collection was over at the end of May, if you have any more to donate or any large ones that you need to have picked up, please call Fred Lupton at 266-1329. Once again Rivermonters have showed their willingness to help – even in this unusual way.

2010 Community Kitchen Volunteer Group Award

The Community Kitchen recently named Rivermont its 2010 Volunteer Group of the Year. This honor was a surprise and a blessing for the service of so many dedicated Rivermonters over the years.

In its newsletter, Community Kitchen said: “Rivermont Presbyterian has some of the most dedicated volunteers in this city. From building Habitat House, to missions in Haiti, to volunteering locally at the Northside Neighborhood House and the Ronal McDonald House, members of Rivermont Presbyterian are always busy; in fact, they do more than mentioned here. But they always find time for us. 

“Over the years, groups from Rivermont have been in nearly every nook and cranny of CCK. From replacing flooring, to painting walls and even building ramps in the basement, Rivermont volunteers have literally helped hold this place together. Of course, they work in the usual places, too–they probably could run the kitchen! We’re proud to name Rivermont our 2010 Group of the Year!

Stateside Missions Updates

Stateside Missions

Where we stand in Buffalo Creek, Tennessee. A family in desperate need is being assisted by Rivermont. Really we are talking two families, a brother and sister both having children neither having jobs. Locals in Buffalo Creek are helping provide food, but both homes, trailers, are without water and require assistance to provide safe drinking water for their children. Rivermont with Living Waters of the World Appalachian Network will provide a well and a filtration system to provide clean, potable water to help these needy people raise healthy children. The Buffalo Creek Water Association will assist in maintaining the water system, providing free filters and helping these people keep their system working.

In the past wells have been provided by the USDA, but one of their requirements is for property ownership. Neither family meets these requirements since the land where their trailers reside is owned by their grandfather. In order to assist these people, LWW and Rivermont are contributing money for a well and the associated filtration system. Rivermont will donate $3,000 to LWW for this project. Depending on the local geology, a well can cost $1,500 to $7,000 with the filtration system adding an additional $500 to $2,000 dollars. Well costs are dependent on finding a good water source and the depth required to do this. Filtration costs are dependant on the water quality. These range from nothing if the water is clear, clean, and bacteria free to the $2,000 range for two filters and an ultraviolet light (kills bacteria) and an array of water softeners and iron removal filters.

Once a well is drilled, LWW ( in this case Rivermont volunteers) will test the water. LWW staff will review the test data and recommend the level of filtration required to provide safe drinking water. Safe is described by LWW as bacteria free water. In some cases, water will be treated for high amounts of iron, sulfur, or some other contaminate. The LWW chosen method of providing clean water is a UV Light and a one micron filter. Both remove bacteria, together they provide safe drinking water.

Other projects in Buffalo Creek are a possible addition of a new water treatment system for another family. These people own their own home and land which means the USDA money will drill the well. Rivermont volunteers will then install a filtration system and train the new family on how to maintain their system. Sustainability is an on-going project of Rivermont’s in Buffalo Creek, helping to train, monitor, and partner with the people of Buffalo Creek to ensure each current system is well maintained and operating correctly.

Besides Buffalo Creek, Stateside Missions is looking into a work day at John Knox, relocation and updating sinks and a washer and dryer set to improve their laundry room before summer camps begin. All of this will happen in the next month. If interested in learning more about either Buffalo Creek or volunteering at John Knox, contact Bob Bay at (407) 847 -1303

Annual Benefit for Childrens Nutrition Program of Haiti

Annual Benefit for the Children’s Nutrition Program of Haiti

  The Children’s Nutrition Program of Haiti, Inc. would like to invite you to the event of The Renaissance of Haiti: It’s Time.  It will be held on Thursday, April 22, 2010 from 6:30 pm — 8:30 p.m. at Bessie Smith Cultural Center, Chattanooga African-American Museum. 

This Program Benefit for the Children’s Nutrition Program of Haiti will include: Keynote address by Kathryn Bolles, Emergency Health and Nutrition Director with Save the Children; Update on the Emergency Response and on-going programs of the CNP by Ashley Aakesson, CNP Executive Director; Honorary award to Cathy Dorvil, former CNP Executive Director and one of the first responders to the earthquake; Opportunity to experience the heart of Haiti in music, food and art.

  Reservations are required. Please call 423-495-1122.

  Additional Information:  Contributions to the Children’s Nutrition Program of Haiti, Inc. are put into response to the earthquake devastation and rebuilding, as well as toward improving the health and development of Haitian children, particularly those suffering from malnutrition. Our mission is to help raise a generation of healthy Haitian children, who can in turn raise Haiti out of poverty. 

  Having Haitian and American staff already on the ground allowed us to quickly respond to the devastation caused by the earthquake. Within days emergency medical personnel and supplies were landing in Leogane. Our Emergency Response Team is now working there full-time, coordinating medical teams, providing clean water, food and other resources, and operating a field hospital with several other organizations. We have been rapidly scaling up our existing Nutrition and Safe Water Programs to meet the increased needs of the communities in Leogane, and we continue to provide our established health and nutrition programs as well.

    Join us at our annual benefit as we show our appreciation of our supporters, commiserate about the CNP, and celebrate the rebuilding of Haiti!

Contacts: Laura Lindroth, CNP Assistant Communications Director, llindroth@cnphaiti.org , 423-495-1122 (work) or 843-270-2673 (cell).  Second Contact person: Judy Elb, CNP Communications Director, jelb@cnphaiti.org , 423-495-1122 (work).  Website: www.cnphaiti.org

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