The Mindful Works Ministry, currently comprised of Anne Weiher, Linda Roan-Yager, Marie Schaffner (who is being considered for the Mindful Works Board), Susan Williams, and Pedro Silva, has been meeting approximately bi-weekly to plan out our engagement with the congregation. Though we didn’t get as many initial signups in all of the areas as we had anticipated, we see this as a good thing as we take a cultivation approach to growing in the community and building trust with the apprentices of Mindful Works. The primary volunteer focus areas are:
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
WORKSHOPS (confidence, time management, etc)
MENTORING
MEDIA PRODUCTION
PRODUCTION EVENTS and FAIRS
KITCHEN SUPPORT
NON-PROFIT ACCOUNTING (no responses)
LONG-TERM VISIONING (no responses)
Our initial approach is to get ourselves in the consciousness of the congregation through their stomach. So on the 4th Sundays of every month going forward, the Mindful Works Ministry will have a presence in the Fellowship Hour during Serve Sundays. We intend to position ourselves in the Heritage Room and will have Project Updates and cookies made by the apprentices with support from some of our volunteers. The idea is that on the 4th Monday prior, Kitchen Support Volunteers will work with the apprentices in the kitchen.
Although there is still a ways to go before selling cookies can be a viable business for Mindful Works, the apprentices have constantly asked to return to the kitchen. So we see this is a good opportunity for them to build trust with the church members on a small project as well help gain buy in from the congregation. This will start on this next Serve Sunday on the 27th.
There will be another kitchen volunteer opportunity the Monday prior to the Lights of December Parade. Mindful Works has agreed to make cookies for the church gathering prior to the parade and for the Open House with the intent that the Open House Cookies will be packaged and marked as a gift from Mindful Works and First Congregational Church.
You’ll notice the gardening theme coming up a lot in our process. Which brings me to our idea of what we’re calling cross-pollination. That means looking for opportunities to integrate with other passions in the church for more yield.
The first example is that Mindful Works Ministries is donating a poof to the Family Learning Center Fundraiser for their mystery box raffle.
The second example is an idea of making seasoned salts–salt, with dried herbs. And so we are reaching out to Earth’s Table to see if it is possible to grow, pick, and use those herbs in a project that would help support the missions of both organizations and expand our church wide mission project to a greater variety of opportunities.
Other things on the horizon are fulfilling the need for a locked storage space for food materials. Additionally, Sue and Scott Allman will be doing a kitchen orientation next Monday and Jon Hinebauch will attend our next meeting to mentor the group on networking and business.
If after reading this, you are interested in being on our list of potential volunteers, visit out Online registration form.
