Fwd: Last day to submit

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From: PA Family Institute <mail@pafamily.org>
Date: Fri, May 31, 2019 at 10:40 AM
Subject: Last day to submit
To: Kelly Horning <philandkelly@gmail.com>

Last day for early registration discount to City on the Hill: Klusendorf, Hawkins, Kengor to highlight our Biblical worldview and leadership conference. City on the Hill Youth Leadership and Biblical Worldview Conference (July 21-27, 2019) is an opportunity for high school teens to dive deeper into understanding truth claims on some of today's most important topics. City on the Hill fosters an environment for teens to bond with like-minded teens to discuss these topics with some of the best experts in their respective fields. Part of the City on the Hill experience are twelve intensive training sessions, this year highlighted by expert speakers like Scott Klusendorf (Life Training Institute), Kristan Hawkins (Students for Life of America) and Dr Paul Kengor (Grove City College). Click here for more about these speakers. Registration is open. Those applying by Friday, May 31st (today) receive a $65 discount. To apply, visit pafamily.org/coth or call 717-545-0600. Final registration deadline is June 30 (or when filled - taken on a first come, first served basis.) Last day to submit comment to Governor Wolf - Legalization of Recreational Marijuana. Lt. Governor Fetterman - who campaigned on wanting to go "full-on Colorado" with the legalization and commercialization of marijuana - will be compiling a report on the feedback given during his "listening" tour. This includes comments received online, which reportedly number over 30,000. The deadline to submit a comment is today - Friday, May 31st. If you haven't already, click here to submit a comment: https://www.governor.pa.gov/recreational-marijuana-feedback/ For important facts and information you can use in your feedback, visit pafamily.org/marijuana or SAMPennsylvania.org. Boyertown Student Privacy Case - Randall Wenger on WDAC On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court announced that they rejected the appeal in the personal privacy case involving students at the Boyertown Area School District. We concur with the statement made by Alexis Lightcap, one of the student plaintiffs in the case, "I was hopeful the Supreme Court would take up my case. My voice is the echo of so many girls who want their voices to be heard and to feel protected. I hope no other girl finds herself in a situation like mine, where I felt powerless and vulnerable in my own school. Every student's privacy should be protected." Randall Wenger, Chief Counsel for the Independence Law Center and one of the attorneys involved in this case, is the featured guest on The Spotlight program with Greg Barton on WDAC. Click here to listen to this interview. It also airs this Saturday at 12:30pm on WDAC 94.5 and 2pm on WBYN 107.5. Key Policy Issues So-called Equality Act: At the federal level, the United States House of Representatives voted, 236-to-173, to advance H.R. 5, the so-called "Equality Act" - which would impact your rights to privacy and religious freedom if it were to become law. With the harmful legislation now in the U.S. Senate, we encourage you to contact Senator Pat Toomey and Senator Bob Casey through our action alert at pafamily.org/rejecthr5.  Buyer Beware Act: Your State Representative may vote soon on House Bill 12, which would increase criminal charges, increase subsequent fines and expand the definitions of the offense related to human trafficking. For more and to take action to support HB12: pafamily.org/buyerbeware Down Syndrome Protection Act: Your State Senator needs to hear from you in support of protecting children with Down syndrome here in Pennsylvania. After passing the PA House (117-76), House Bill 321 is now in the Senate Health Committee. Please contact your State Senator to pass the Down Syndrome Protection Act: pafamily.org/protect Upcoming Events July 21-27 - City on the Hill Youth Leadership and Worldview Conference for high school teens. To apply or for more details, visit pafamily.org/coth. Save $65 if you register by May 31st! Wednesday, July 24 - Life Action Conference in Lancaster. More details to follow. Friday, September 27th - Pennsylvania Family Institute's 30th anniversary celebration Share This Email Update Matching Grant Announcement - Donate Today! We're excited to announce a new, 1-for-2 matching grant from a generous family foundation – which means that any gift you make or send now, and through September 1 will be matched, up to $50,000 and will go directly to our pro-life, pro-family work! Click here or visit https://pafamily.org/match/ to make a secure, tax-deductible online contribution, or call 1-800-FAMILY-1 and reference the matching grant to have your donation matched! Subscribe Donate Our Work Pennsylvania Family Institute 23 N Front St  | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17101 (717) 545-0600 | mail@pafamily.org Follow Us Having trouble viewing this email? View it in your web browser Unsubscribe

Fwd: New Book on Resettling Refugees, Plus Helpful Resources for Churches Considering a Resettlement

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From: Jeanne Smith <jsmithks@cox.net>
Date: Fri, May 24, 2019 at 1:06 AM
Subject: New Book on Resettling Refugees, Plus Helpful Resources for Churches Considering a Resettlement
To:

Subject: A New Book on Refugees, Plus Resources on How to Resettle Them 

 

Refugees! A Family's Search for Freedom and a Church That Helped Them Find It by Jeanne Jacoby Smith, Ed.D.

Refugees!   A Family's Search for Freedom and a Church That Helped Them Find It Available at www.amazon.com

"Refugees! A Family's Search for Freedom and a Church That Helped Them Find It" recounts the story of a family who escaped their home during a time of war. Afloat on the high seas for many days, they were salvaged by the United Nations. Their new life began when a church in Ohio opened its doors to resettle them.     From the moment the refugees stepped off the plane, the author leads readers through her church's experience as the family adapted to their new surroundings. From setting up a household, to teaching the refugees English, finding them a job, and acclimating them to their new life in America, the author walks churches through the process of resettling refugees in the common era.       BONUS:  Guidelines for Resettling Refugees Today, Church World Service Offices, Other Resettlement Agencies, Committees and Tasks, Recommended Resources

Fwd: Benin - No orphans in God's family

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From: Mennonite Mission Network <Beyond@mennonitemission.net>
Date: Fri, May 24, 2019 at 5:46 PM
Subject: Benin - No orphans in God's family
To: <info@gehmanmennonitechurch.org>

In a post-colonial world, Western Christians must be more conscious of what we have to learn from our fellow believers.

View this email in your browser God's people from four continents joined hands to help La Casa Grande reach out to their community through an English camp last summer. Photo by James R. Krabill. Mission flows in many directions "God is in the neighborhood! God will wipe every tear from our eyes. God's glory is the light by which nations will walk, and they'll bring the gifts from their cultures into God's dwelling place." —Revelation 21:3-4 and 23-26, paraphrased In a post-colonial world, Western Christians must be more conscious of what we have to learn from our fellow believers in other lands who have much to teach us. Mennonite Mission Network has been promoting two-way mission for more than half a century, starting with Edwin and Irene Weaver, who took lessons learned in India to test a new mission stance in West Africa. The Weavers often wondered who was the learner and who was the teacher as they studied the Bible with African believers. About the same time, mission workers in South America were moving off mission compounds to seek more culturally appropriate ways of engaging with communities around the good news of Jesus Christ. Willis Horst co-authored Mission Without Conquest recounting this endeavor. Mennonite Mission Network has been involved in multidirectional mission for more than a century, but the concept became more explicit when Edwin and Irene Weaver took lessons learned in India to test a new mission stance in West Africa in the 1960s. Photo courtesy of Mennonite Church USA Archives. In a ministry like La Casa Grande in Benin, West Africa, mission workers are coming from settings as diverse as secular Spain in Europe, urban Colombia in Latin America, and from various ethnic communities in the United States. They bring their unique cultural lessons to share with La Casa Grande's community. But, as Diana Cruz observes, mission workers learn much from Benin's culture and from the Beninese children they love so much. With such a wide range of international "aunties and uncles" learning lessons in this context, the potential is not just for two-way mission, but for three- and four-way mission—many people around the world will learn from these children as the mission workers share their stories with their sending communities. John F. Lapp Senior Executive for Global Ministries Acting Executive Director Give Now Diana Cruz (second from right) introduces the Youth Venture team to the La Casa Grande children. Photo by James R. Krabill. God hears children's cries When children cry, God pulls out all the stops and calls people from around the world to respond. La Casa Grande (The Big House) was born in 2000 as a partnership of churches in Benin with the Burgos Mennonite Church in Spain and Mennonite Board of Missions, a predecessor agency of Mennonite Mission Network. In 2018, South Americans joined God's people from Africa, Europe and North America in providing this home for children who have nowhere else to go. Diana Cruz and Felipe Preciado, a married couple from the Mennonite Church in Colombia, became part of La Casa Grande's family last year. Diana teaches English and Spanish in the school that serves 32 children who live at the home, and more than 200 children from the broader community. This school permits God's love, so evident within the walls of the children's home, to have a wider reach. It also demonstrates the holistic nature of God's care, as does Felipe's work with agriculture and animal breeding projects. No orphans in God's family The founders of La Casa Grande did not create an "orphanage." They insist that there are no orphans in God's family. God's home is big enough for the whole extended family to find a place. "We do everything on the basis of the love of Christ," said Paulin Bossou, one of La Casa Grande's former directors. "We are trying to make sure the children can grow up in a Christian environment so that one day they may also reflect the Lord's love to others. We have the firm conviction that the world can change with the love of God." Though the Bossou family moved on to another ministry a few months ago, La Casa Grande remains in competent hands. Bienvenu and Chimène Kadja, who have worked at the children's home for years, have become co-directors. They have the dedicated support of people like Diana and Felipe, the West African house mothers, and a parade of volunteer "aunties and uncles" who come from around the globe to lend a hand. Wiping away tears Fiacre also left La Casa Grande a few months ago. He came as an infant, who was HIV-positive. The disease had taken both of his parents. He and his house mother, Tanti Jolie, were inseparable. Though Fiacre was never strong, through Tanti Jolie's love and care, he lived to celebrate his eighth birthday. Diana and Felipe only knew Fiacre for three months, but that's all the time it took for his death to leave a gaping hole in their hearts. Fiacre was Felipe's shadow. "Every day he came to the garden to help me take care of plants, to measure the land for the flower beds, to carry stuff. He was always asking questions about the animals," Felipe said. Saying good-bye to Fiacre was a sad time for the La Casa Grande community. And yet, his brothers and sisters found joy in describing to each other all the delicious food he would be eating in heaven. And there was some debate about how long it would take him to make the journey to heaven since it was so far away! "There was a point when I could not stop crying," Diana said. "The children comforted me by saying, 'Don't be sad; Fiacre is with Jesus now.' I should have been comforting them, but they were hugging me and reminding me of God's good plan for all of us. It still brings tears to my eyes. I hope to learn that kind of faith." Fiacre and Tanti Jolie planted a mango tree in the middle of La Casa Grande's pineapple field, because Fiacre loved mangos. "The tree is a reminder that life goes on, but each person leaves their legacy behind," Diana and Felipe wrote in a prayer letter. "Even though Fiacre was a child, we will always remember him. Therefore, we wish to keep on working so that many more kids and adults get to know that they are cared for. We follow the example of our brothers and sisters at La Casa Grande." Fiacre helps Felipe measure a plot in the garden at La Casa Grande. Photo by James R. Krabill. Give Now Checks may be mailed to: Mennonite Mission Network PO Box 370 Elkhart, IN 46515-0370 Copyright © 2019 Mennonite Mission Network, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because of your relationship with Mennonite Mission Network. "UNSUBSCRIBE" WILL REMOVE YOU FROM ALL MISSION NETWORK SUBSCRIPTIONS. Use "update your preferences" to remove your name from this list ONLY. Our mailing address is: Mennonite Mission Network P.O. Box 370 Elkhart, IN 46515-0370 Add us to your address book. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.