After I had taken decorations and lights off my Christmas tree, I set the tree on the deck. Within a minute, the prairie wind that was gusting on the 12th day of Christmas blew a traveling milkweed seed into the lower branches of the tree. It was a lovely reminder not only of the Monarch Waystation but also of the many vital projects Mayfield is a part of seeding each year. That seeding is an expression of the vision of a new kind of world born in the Bethlehem stable.
The 2019 Annual Meeting
Our annual meeting will be held this Sunday, January 13, following worship. Your attendance and participation are encouraged as we receive annual reports including the 2019 budget and as we elect new members to the 2019 church council. Reminder to the 2019 Church Council – our January meeting is on Wednesday, January 16, beginning at 6:30pm. The new Council will be dedicated in worship on January 20. Special thanks to Rita, with assistance from Laura and Sue, for the preparation of all the financial materials and to Dawn who oversaw the assembly and the printing of the 2018 Annual Report.
Jane Adeny Memorial School (JAMS)
In January each year we collect the scholarship money for our current student. Annual tuition is $800. The first $170 was collected last week. As we gather in the remaining $630, please mark your contributions clearly for JAMS. We look forward to learning who our new student will be. Our most recent student, Anita, graduated last summer. Thank you for your generosity.
Northern Illinois Food Bank
Throughout the year, we are encouraged to give donations to the Northern Illinois Food Bank. In 2018 Mayfield sent $835 to the food bank, monetary gifts from many of you in the offering plate and the food bank box. That $835 translated into $6,680 worth of food. The Northern Illinois Food Bank is active in thirteen northern Illinois counties including DeKalb County. One of their DeKalb County partners is the DeKalb County Community Gardens. For the last year and a half, the food bank has extended support to the community gardens’ mobile food pantry. That mobile pantry has served more than 17,000 people in that time, 30% of whom are over 60. The mobile pantry is open on Saturdays when most food pantries are not and often travels to communities in the county, like Malta and Waterman, where there isn’t a current food pantry.
A Generous Gift to the Monarch Waystation
We have just received $750 from Lynne Waldeland for the Monarch Waystation. It is a gift in honor of Diana Swanson. Lynne hopes this amount will cover mulch needed this spring with some left over for planting. What a wonderful gift!
2019 Bulletins
The sign-up sheet for 2019 bulletins is in the Gathering Area and is filling up. Bulletins are $7 a week. Let’s see if we can have a sponsor for every week in 2019.
Do you or someone you know need Mayfield sausage for winter cooking?