SKYLINE NEWS Impacting lives, empowering those in need, and addressing the roots of poverty in Oklahoma April 2016

A Word From the Executive Director

Rev. Deborah Ingraham

Dear Partners in Ministry,

People love a good competition. As I write this, we are in the midst of March Madness and Facebook is full of posts about brackets and scores. Cheers and tears are heard throughout the land. I feel safe rooting for my alma mater, Indiana University, as long as they are not competing with the Sooners; should that happen, and it could, I may have to be a bit more circumspect in my cheering. Of course, as you read this, March Madness is over, and so is another competition that I

would like to tell you about. It was a completely different kind of competition: a competition be-tween Edmond First United Methodist Church and. New Covenant United Methodist Church to see which congregation could best pound Sky-line during Lent. It began on the first Sunday of Lent, February 14th, and ended on Palm Sunday, March 20th. Rev. Sam Powers and Rev. Adrian Cole chal-lenged their congregations to bring in donations for Skyline. The “winner” would be determined by which congregation gave the highest poundage per capita based on average worship attendance during Lent. In addition to bringing in canned food and household goods, monetary donations were weighed as well: $1=1.5 pounds of groceries. Each week, the Skyline van picked up the gifts and brought them back to be

weighed. I received anxious calls from church staff, waiting for the results so that they could be published in the next week’s bulletins. Pictures of the piles of groceries were

posted regularly on Facebook so congregants could “like” how their church was participating in mission. Food piled up, shelves filled up, faces of patrons lit up. The results: New Covenant UMC averaged 29 pounds per person; Edmond First UMC averaged 31 pounds per person. But, while, we weren’t competing, Skyline was the big winner in this discipleship challenge…and that was the actual point of this good natured competition: pounding Skyline and its patrons for Easter. Through this generous act of Lenten sacrifice, the people of these two churches gathered 34,626 pounds of groceries for those on the margins, brining hope and life to thousands who have come through our doors this season, and isn’t that what Easter is all about.

Blessings and peace,

I have been volunteering with Skyline for three years, working in both the Food Resource Center and the Eye Clinic. However, I have known about Skyline for thirty-five years when, as an advocate for battered women, I would refer them to the Food Pantry to receive a

food basket as they began their courageous journey to independence. Even then, Skyline was instrumental in impacting lives. It is such a joy to watch the faces of our patrons as they select their new glasses or as they shop for their favorite foods in the Food Resource Center, because in reality, most have very

little choice in their daily lives. I am proud to be a part of Skyline’s great mission of empathy and of empowering and impacting the lives of so many who are often forgotten, misplaced, or simply thrown away by our society.

Volunteering --Rita Marra

Items collected from First United Methodist Church-Edmond .

Items collected from New Covenant United Methodist Church

Kenda Chadborn,

Clothing Closet Manager

The Clothing Closet at Skyline is busy! So far this year, we have had more than 1200 house-holds utilize the Clothing Closet! What makes it

possible for us to serve so many? Donations have been tremen-dous. So much so, that we had a problem…no space! That’s where Samuel Hemke and Boy Scout Troop #267 enter the picture. We were blessed when Samuel walked through our doors looking for an Eagle Scout Project. After a short meeting in January, Samuel and I, decided on a few projects that would ease the blessed problem of the lack of display space. On March 5, Samuel and some members of his Boy Scout Troop, walked in, loaded down with tools, materials and the enthusi-

asm to do the job. His team con-sisted of his brothers, Kurt and Luke, his parents, Tim and Shelly, and fellow scouts, Declan Weaver and Phillip Snow. In less than two hours, they had assem-bled lockers (with locks!) for the use of staff and volunteers to safely stow personal items and a processing table with portable bins for patrons to use to collect and sort their selections and for volunteers to use as they sort through donations. In addition, they hung wall-mounted shelves and a few more peg boards, providing the much needed space to display merchandise. They all did a great job; they had

collected donations to cover the cost of materials and were very efficient and prepared—after all, they are Boy Scouts. The results are awesome. We have been able to help so many in need; it’s really incredible. Thank you to all who support us by vol-unteering, gathering donations and doing all those other things that help us keep our doors open for those in need.

In January, Skyline’s senior citizens participated in a three-part survey for the purpose of planning meaningful activities for the Prime Time program. Part 2 of the survey concentrated on access to healthcare and personal support.

Out of 28 respondents, 27 are insured under Medicare. On average, respondents stated that it only took from 2-4 days for them to be able to see their physician when they called for appointments. 18 respondents judged themselves to be in good health. Most of the respondents stated that their stress level was a 5 on a scale of zero to 10. “Finance” was the # 1 stressor, while “day to day problems” was a close 2

nd. All responders reported that

the Prime Time program at Skyline offers numerous benefits. Those who participate regularly enjoy fellowship and friendship, in addition to receiving informational material regarding additional resources. In short, the Prime Timers say, “We care for one another.” Next month, we will share the final part of the survey which centered on individual needs and desired activities.

Valerie McCartney,

Faith Community Nurse

Notes from Nurse Valerie

Clothing Closet Update

Boy Scout Troop #267 assembled a cart for the Clothing Closet.

Volunteers from Boy Scout Troop #267

Samuel and Phillip putting the table together

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Skyline Urban Ministry

500 S.E. 15th St.

Oklahoma City, OK 73129

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Contact Us

Skyline Urban Ministry 500 S.E. 15th St.

Oklahoma City. OK 73129

Call us: (405) 632-2644

Find us on Facebook

Email us:

skyline@skylineurbanministry.org

Visit us on the web at:

www.skylineurbanministry.org

Easter baskets were available in the Food Resource Center.

Saturday Morning Bread volunteers

from Forum de Mujeres Latinas

The children and youth of Edmond First United Methodist Church. Their girls vs. boys competition coupled with their neighborhood scavenger hunt netted 567 pounds of groceries and 100 pounds of clothes for Skyline.