Children All Over The World Need You!!

The True Vine Shopapalooza Garage Sale Team needs your help!!! We are looking for volunteers to help with the following:

• unload the trailer on Sunday, May 15, immediately following 3rd service (we’ll provide lunch!) :: we need approximately 60 individuals – 6 journey groups or 15 families!
• need a few strong men to set up the clothes racks on Monday morning :: we need at least 4 strong men willing to work from 10am-noon.
• help during the week with sorting the items :: we need at least 10 volunteers per day, working anytime between 8am-8am, Monday through Thursday.
• we need people willing to pick up large donated items and bring them to the church on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday :: we’d love to have the men from at least 3 journey groups!
• help during the sale on Friday, May 20, or Saturday, May 21 :: we need 15 fun-loving individuals each day!
• help clean up after the sale – pack everything up and load onto trucks at noon on Saturday :: we’ll take as many people as we can get! We also need some strong men to load and return the clothes racks between 12-2pm Saturday.

To sign up to volunteer, email Karin Bernard at klbernard@yahoo.com. Bring your small group and volunteer together! If you volunteer for at least 3 hours, we invite you to shop early!!! Volunteer Night is Thursday, May 19, from 6-8pm. Come shop before everyone else!

If you are unable to volunteer on any of these dates, but still want to help, we are asking for donations of bottled water, cans of pop and juice boxes, and yummy baked items that we can sell at our concession stand/bake sale. These items can be dropped off at Guest Services or at the office any time between now and Tuesday, May 17. Baked goods can be brought to the church on Thursday, 5/19 or Friday, 5/20.

Finally, don’t forget that we are still taking your donations of gently used and new items that we can sell at the garage sale. Drop items off at the trailer in the parking lot after any of the services. We couldn’t do any of this without you! And remember, all proceeds go to help Pathway families with adoption expenses.

***The Shopapalooza Team

Garage Sale 2011

It is time for the Second Annual Pathway Garage Sale! The long awaited date is May 20 and 21! You too can be a part of the planning committee, with each bi-monthly meeting packed with food and fun! To be a part of raising money to help families who are adopting contact Laura Williams mom4williams@yahoo.com

Question and Answer Social

Saturday, March 12, 5:30 there will be a Question and Answer Social at Pathway for those interested in adopting. We will start with an overview of True Vine and then break into 3 groups for questions and answers. Childcare provided.

1. Where do I start?
2. Money, Money, Money
3. Adoptive Grandparents Unite!

This will be a great evening to meet those who have adopted and see how God is at work! This will also be a time for Adoptive Grandparents to learn more and connect. Questions? Contact Jerry and Nancy Touchet jtouchet1@frontier.com

Adoption Night at the Y

FAMILY FUN NIGHT AT THE YMCA!

All adoptive Families and Foster Care families in Allen County are invited to a FREE Family night at the Parkview YMCA. This is a time to spend connecting with one another and having fun as a family! Swimming, racquetball, the rock wall, basketball, the kids area and the game room will all be open and available! The event is free, and you do not need to be a member of the YMCA to attend. The Family Fun Night is sponsored by True Vine, an adoption Ministry of Pathway community Church and the Parkview YMCA.

Saturday, January 29, 8-10p.m.
Parkview Family YMCA
10001 Dawsons Creek Blvd.
Fort Wayne, IN 46825

Questions? Laura Williams mom4williams@yahoo.com

This article was written by Laura Williams for information about starting an adoption ministry at your church so felt it would be good to share:

You and I have been given much. We have every comfort imaginable. I can sit in my warm home, eating whatever I want, while planning my family’s weekend adventures. The Word says that for those who have been given much, much will be required.

In 2010 there were 45 million orphans world wide. Combining the total population of New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago wouldn’t even equal half that amount, so you’d have to add in the population of the countries of Haiti, Portugal, Kuwait, and Switzerland! Can you imagine this many orphans with no comforts of a family? Many are hungry. Many will not be able to make one decision for themselves, let alone ever think about what to do with their families on a Friday night.

Today there are 45 million orphans … minus ONE. That one child is my beautiful Bella Mei. We brought her home from China a little more than a year ago. But this article isn’t about my adoption. It’s about how God is using my church to help the orphans and how God can use your church, too (see James 1:27).

True Vine Ministries, launched in the spring of 2009 at Pathway Community Church, followed the eight steps detailed in “Launching an Orphans Ministry in Your Church” by Hope for Orphans. The first step was easy enough for me and would be for you too—approach a key leader with your vision. This isn’t too hard when you’re married to the pastor! The next steps include inviting other passionate families to join you in prayer, dreaming together, planning and developing a leadership structure.

The first six months, my church followed the advice provided by Hope for Orphans and then launched the orphan ministry in November 2009. It has been exciting to see the church community step up as they become more aware of the needs of orphans. God has used True Vine Ministries to …

 develop a small group to help families who are considering adoption or already in the process;
 hold a community garage sale with proceeds benefitting adopting families;
 host socials to help adoptive families connect with each other;
 organize a “free family fun night” at the YMCA for all adoptive and foster care families in our county;
 collect and send shoes to orphans in our community and around the world;
 partner with Life Song to provide matching grants for adopting families.

If you think about it, adoption and foster care offer a child much more than a warm home on this earth. These are opportunities to give her the hope of eternal life, to share with him the love and peace that only comes from the one true God!

God has placed you in an optimal position to start an orphan ministry in your church. You can tailor it to match your community and delegate all you want. You can make a difference. Your church can say, “There are 45 million orphans … minus TWO!”

Fall Event

For Adoptive or soon to be Adoptive Parents!

This will be a great time for adults to connect around a fire pit with a bowl of warm Chili!

Saturday, Oct 23th, 7:00 PM at the home of David and Angie Donaldson 4525 Denali Cove Fort Wayne, IN 46845

Drinks, and paper products will be provided. Please bring lawn chairs and one of the following: A-L Side Dish and M-Z Dessert.

Please RSVP to Angie Donaldson don5ftw@msn.com

5000 Foot Wall

Please help donate shoes for orphans by donating a new or like new pair of shoe(s) the weekends of August 28/29, Sept 4/5, and Sept 11/12. Bring them to PCC during service and you will be directed where to place them. Imagine if we can help put shoes on 2500 children's' feet!!

Read this article from the newspaper for more details