March 2010 CHURCH

PARTNERSHIP

NEWSLETTER

Meet Our New Class

Robert

Fromberg

Nathaniel

Daniels Duryea

Holley Henry Loftin Ross Meyers

Mark Jeter Phillip Allen Tony Booker

Returning Faces

New Positions

Chris Wade

Ronald

Harvey

Bryan Martin

New AC Members New Participants

RECENT CHURCH PARTNERSHIP

EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

St. Thomas Episcopal Lenten Presentations

During four Sundays in Lent (2/28, 3/7, 3/14,

3/21) St. Thomas Episcopal Church invited

Boaz and Ruth to give a series of presentations

introducing the congregation to the mission

and ministry of Boaz and Ruth and to layout

the partnership plan between St. Thomas and

Boaz and Ruth.

Grace Community Baptist Service Project

On February 20 Grace Community Baptist

Church spent the morning working to clean

and re-arrange our on-site storage space to

make room for merchandise coming in from

our warehouse and 3rd and Main store.

Hanover Nazarene Service Project

On February 27 Hanover Nazarene joined us in

canvassing the neighborhood of Highland Park

to spread promotional material about our busi-

nesses as part of our self-sustainability and

revenue generating project.

St. Thomas Episcopal Beyond Dialogue

Participation

For three weeks in February St. Thomas Epis-

copal joined us for our first 2010 Beyond Dia-

logue series. The films used in this series in-

cluded Race to Freedom, Something the Lord

Made, and a short documentary on housing

discrimination in Richmond. The events were

well attended and the conversation animated

and moving.

First Ladies Luncheon

On March 2 Boaz and Ruth hosted a luncheon

for the First Ladies of Richmond area congre-

gations. Jane Talley organized this event

which was attended by five local congrega-

tions.

Above: First Ladies Luncheon, March 2, 2010

Above and Below: Grace Community

Baptist members involved in a Boaz and

Ruth service project

CURRENT EVENTS AT BOAZ AND RUTH

Beyond Dialogue

For three Thursday evenings in February Boaz

and Ruth hosted some 30 members of our

community for a series working toward en-

hanced race relations in Richmond. The re-

sponse to the series was very positive from

both Boaz and Ruth participants and commu-

nity members. The series was shortened due to

the snow storms in early February, but this did

not dampen the enthusiasm for those present.

Boaz and Ruth @ O.A.R. is Closed

As of Monday, March 15 the Boaz and Ruth

store at 3rd and Main closed its doors for good

and transferred its remaining merchandise to

the Harvest Store at 3030 Meadowbridge.

O.A.R. recently received a grant enabling them

to expand their operations and thus they re-

quired the space we were occupying in their

building.

Davidson College Service Week

For the week of March 1, Davidson College

joined Boaz and Ruth for a week of service,

volunteering, and fellowship. They also par-

ticipated in a Beyond Dialogue session with

several of our participants, staff and Ameri-

Corps members.

Illinois State University Pay it Forward

Tour

On March 9 and 10 Illinois State University

stopped by Boaz and Ruth as a part of their

Pay it Forward Tour. During their time with

Boaz and Ruth they participated in a Beyond

Dialogue session on March 9 and a service

project on March 10 before departing for other

service sites around the country.

University of Wisconsin, Lacrosse Pay it

Forward Tour

On March 16 and 17 the University of Wis-

consin, Lacrosse stopped by Boaz and Ruth as

a part of their Pay it Forward Tour. During

their time with Boaz and Ruth they partici-

pated in a Beyond Dialogue session on March

9 and a service project on March 10 before de-

parting for other service sites around the coun-

try.

Davidson College and Boaz and Ruth participants

in Beyond Dialogue session.

Illinois State University Students meet 2009 gradu-

ate Alton Mitchell during their Beyond Dialogue

session on March 9, 2010.

UPCOMING EVENTS AT BOAZ AND RUTH

SAVE THE DATE! MARCH 26TH!

FRIENDS OF BOAZ & RUTH

DINNER AND AUCTION

Come join us for the Friends of Boaz and Ruth Dinner and Auction on March 26th at 6:30 p.m.! We're excited to be at the new MeadWestvaco building at 501 S. Fifth St. where we'll be celebrating with a cocktail hour, silent auction, dinner, and ending the evening with a live auction. Come bid on

items ranging from a two nights stay at the Hope and Glory Inn to a Personal tour of the Capital with Delegate Jennifer McClellan! Mark your cal-endars and support this important work of restoring lives! Blessings, Martha Rollins

ADDITIONAL UPCOMING EVENTS:ADDITIONAL UPCOMING EVENTS:ADDITIONAL UPCOMING EVENTS:ADDITIONAL UPCOMING EVENTS:

Boaz and Ruth Service Day

On Saturday March 20 three of our church partners will be joining us to complete several ser-

vice projects around our village. We are looking forward to serving and sharing with Move-

ment Church, the youth of First Presbyterian Church, as well as members of Central Baptist

Church. The projects these groups will contributing to may include painting the old café, work-

ing on our gardens, and taking down the lights from this past holiday season.

University of St. Thomas Pay it Forward Tour

On March 29 and 30 students from the University of St. Thomas will be join-

ing Boaz and Ruth as a part of their Pay it Forward tour. They will be spend-

ing an evening with Boaz and Ruth participants, staff, and AmeriCorps mem-

bers in a Beyond Dialogue session on March 29 before engaging in a day of

service projects on March 30, after which they will move on to additional ser-

vice oriented sites around the country.

Boaz and Ruth hosted a memorial service, candle light processional,

and dinner on January 18th in memory of the late Civil Rights pio-

neer, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The memorial service took place at

Fresh Anointing Cathedral Church whose Pastor Larry Miles is one

of the leading members of the Highland Park community. The memorial service was high-

lighted by a keynote address by Dr. Brian Blount, President of the Union Theological Seminary

and Presbyterian School of Christian Education.

The dinner took place in the Harvest Store, with food cooked by Firehouse

15. “Every area was full of people!” said Donna Scaturro, who runs the

Harvest Store and who also hosted the dinner. When reflecting on the

event, she said “It was very rewarding to me because I felt like we materi-

alized Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream. I looked out into a sea of black and

white, and it brought happiness to my heart.”

The dinner brought some new clientele to the Harvest store, as some guests

shopped after dinner. Donna reported the largest crowd of shoppers the

store has seen thus far— she said she could “feel the energy and excitement” as the customers

shopped. Guests also had a chance to learn more about Boaz and Ruth, and the many opportuni-

ties it has to offer. Firehouse 15 served chili, rice, salad, and pudding to the dinner guests. The

food was delicious, according to many attendees. The event was a success— the life of Martin

Luther King Jr. was recognized and celebrated.

3005 FIRST AVENUE RENOVATION UPDATE

Our forthcoming new transitional home renovation is well

under way. Renovations began this winter with the demoli-

tion of the interior of the home completed with the help of the

Grace Community Baptist Church. Ms. Jo White, a local li-

censed contractor, has joined with

Jim Devito, Calvin Carter and our

talented participants to complete

this renovation project by the

middle of this spring.

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

MEMORIAL AND CELEBRATION

3005 before renovation

commenced

Above: 3005 under demolition

Right: Duryea Holley, a joy to work

with

Left: 3005 as it looks today

A Fund Raising Opportunity For Your church (Registration necessary to receive this offer. To register call Bob Sties 329-4900 or email bsties@boazandruth.com)

15% Cash Back

To Your Church

Through 12/31/10 Delicious Food, Reasonable Prices, relaxed Atmosphere

• Daily Specials • Convenient Parking • Free Wi — Fi • Meeting Rooms Avl.

A unique opportunity to help restore Lives, Communities and Your Church. Enjoy delicious food at Firehouse 15 before Dec. 31 and your church will receive 15% cash back on your purchase every-body wins. You get a delicious meal , help others and your church benefits financially too. Accrued amounts under $50. sent quarterly.

YOU MUST MENTION THIS OFFER AND YOUR CHURCH WHEN PAYING FOR YOUR MEAL

Firehouse 15 Café 3011 Meadowbridge Road

329-FIRE Open Mon—Fri 7-4 Sat 8-3 www.firehouse15@boazandruth.com

A NOTE FROM THE CHURCH

PARTNERSHIP TEAM CONTINUING NEEDS

Boaz and Ruth has some exciting projects

lined up for this year, but in order to fulfill

all our hopes and to maximize both your

experience and the potential of your time

and talents, we need your help to fund or

provide equipment for some of our most

interesting and fun service projects. Some

of the items we need to continue these pro-

jects include:

• Wood for planter boxes in the community

garden

• Plants, seeds, topsoil and other planting

materials

• Gardening equipment such as hoses,

• nozzles, and work gloves

• Safety equipment such as goggles and

work glasses

• Basic tool box including a cordless drill

• Ladders

• Paint supplies, such as paint, brushes,

• rollers, and drop cloths

• Rubbermaid storage containers

• Garbage grabbers and gloves

• Gatorade style water cooler

• Lighting components for Sunny Days and

Harvest Thrift

• Electrical components for Harvest Store

We are also in continual need of volunteers

in the following categories:

• Retail store volunteers/ store operations

volunteers

• Tutoring volunteers (as needed)

• Office/Administrative/Development vol-

unteers

• Café volunteers (especially experienced

wait staff or restaurant management)

Thank you!

On behalf of the church partnership team,

and the entire village that is Boaz and Ruth I

want to thank you for your dedicated support

and for your patience as we roll out our 2010

partnership initiatives, service project sched-

ule, and organizational framework. We are

working hard to become more organized,

strategized, and far-sighted as we approach

our partnership initiatives for the year 2010

and beyond. It is our hope that this will pro-

vide our church partners with a better under-

standing of the needs and gifts of our com-

munity, and how those needs and gifts can

best match with your own. We hope that

this will lead to a better relationship between

Boaz and Ruth and our partners and lead to a

more empowering, moving, and uplifting

experience for you and your congregation.

It has taken a bit more time than we had an-

ticipated to complete this organization proc-

ess, but rest assured we entered into this

process with the best interests of both our

participants and out partners in mind. The

result of this effort will be a renewed source

of energy and direction from our team and

with your congregation. We now have a

great schedule of service projects, events,

and other fun endeavors designed for the

coming year and we look forward to your

continued support and the ways in which the

Holy Spirit will move our ministry and

yours in the coming year.

Blessings, Megan Rollins