Blurbs for newsletters
and church bulletins
Announcements (date sensitive)
General information (use at any time)
Announcements
Announcements are date
sensitive
Use the following
information in your print or online newsletter, online calendar, or church bulletin to announce BeFriender events that are open to the public and for other BeFriender Ministry
information.
- Saint Paul -
Minneapolis area:
More than 48 million
Americans are suffering from a diagnosable mental illness Persons with
mental illnesses are our neighbors, our coworkers, our siblings, our
friends. Faith communities are in a unique position to combat
the stigma and provide a message of acceptance and hope. NAMI-MN
(National Alliance on Mental Illness - Minnesota) is presenting two evening
sessions on mental illness and how faith communities can be of support. The
June 23 and July 21 sessions at St. Michael Lutheran
Church in Bloomington are being hosted by the BeFriender Ministry
National Office and are open to the public. For more information
on "Ministry and the Mis-Wired Mind" go to
http://www.befrienderministry.org/mmwm.htm
or call 952-767-0244.
- Saint Paul -
Minneapolis area: A garage sale
is being held May 14-16 to raise funds for the BeFriender Ministry National
Office. The hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and 8:00
a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. The address is 10204 Nesbitt Ave. So.,
Bloomington, MN 55437. You can donate items to sell or shop the sale. To
donate items, call Nancy at 952-831-6163 or 953-240-3787. Acceptable items
include furniture, clothing, books, toys, games, and dishes. Please do not
bring electronics, appliances, or damaged or unusable items. The proceeds
from the garage sale will go to the national office.
- Saint Paul -
Minneapolis area:
Linder's Flower
Marts and Retail Garden Center has a wonderful fundraising
opportunity for the BeFriender Ministry National Office.
Print the special invitation
at
www.befrienderministry.org/lindersinvitation.pdf
and and take it with you when you shop
at any of the 50+ Linder's Flower Marts or at the Retail Garden Center
from Friday, May 8, through Monday, May 11. (Mother's Day is May 10th.) At
the time you make your purchase, give the cashier a the special invitation,
and BeFriender Ministry National Office will receive 15% of your pre-tax
total purchase. To find a Flower Mart near you, go
to
www.linders.com,
click on "Flower Marts," then "locations."
You can make copies of the special
invitation and give them to family, friends and neighbors
(or provide them with the link). Let's see how much we can
"grow" for the national office in May!
- Saint Paul -
Minneapolis area: Volunteers needed
for BeFriender Ministry National Office Board of Directors.
The BeFriender Ministry
National Office, based in Bloomington, MN, is looking for volunteers to
serve on its Board of Directors. There are several open positions, and the
national office is especially in need of individuals with expertise in
fundraising, finance, and nonprofit law, as well as individuals who are
strong supporters of BeFriender Ministry and lay pastoral care. If you are
interested, call the national office at 952-767-0244 (toll free
1-866-468-8708). See www.befrienderministry.org for more information about
the national office.
General information
General information can be
published at any time.
Use any of the following
blurbs in your print or online newsletter or church bulletin to raise awareness of BeFriender
Ministry in your church or organization.
-
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and fibromyalgia
syndrome (FMS) are widely misunderstood
conditions that cause widespread pain and fatigue. There is no test for
either disease. They are diagnosed by ruling out other diseases with similar
symptoms. Enduring repeated medical tests is frustrating. Finding a
compassionate doctor who understands the disease can be challenging. There
is no cure, so treatment focuses on managing the symptoms. Friends, family,
and co-workers often believe that a person with CFS or FMS is "just
complaining" because he or she looks fine. The result can be loneliness
and isolation while putting on a brave face. The diseases can be both
debilitating and demoralizing.
If you or someone you love is feeling burdened by CFS, FMS, or other chronic
pain, you
can request a BeFriender to be a companion on your journey.
BeFrienders provide a listening presence that is respectful and
nonjudgmental. To
request a BeFriender or to find out more about BeFriender Ministry, call
_____________.
-
Losing a job is one of the most stressful
events that can happen to a person. It feels personal even when it is part
of a mass corporate layoff or the closing of a business. Involuntary
unemployment evokes a lot of emotions, from anger to sadness. It is easy to
become depressed. Grief over the loss of part of one's identity or purpose
is common. The difficulty of the experience can depend on the degree of
emotional investment one had in the job. The aftermath of job loss also has
a significant impact on family members, who are dealing with their own fears
and other concerns.
If you (or a family member) has lost a job and are dealing with the transition it brings, you
can request a BeFriender to be a companion on your journey.
BeFrienders provide a listening presence that is respectful and
nonjudgmental. To
request a BeFriender or to find out more about BeFriender Ministry, call
_____________.
- The
death of a parent is a turning point in the emotional, personal, and
social lives of most adults. It initiates a time of substantial change and
redirection in the way we view ourselves, our relationships to others, and
our place in the world. It has consequences for the dynamics in families.
Yet friends, coworkers, and even relatives often minimize the extent of loss
felt by adults following a parent's death. They may expect the bereaved to
quickly recover and emerge largely unchanged from the loss. The truth is
that the death of a parent often launches a period of self-reflection and
the transformation of adult identity. Even individuals in their 50s, 60s,
and beyond report feeling abandoned or orphaned when a parent dies -- even
when the loss is anticipated. (Umberson, Debra. Death of a Parent:
Transition to a New Adult Identity, Cambridge University Press, 2003).
If you have lost a parent and are dealing with the transition it brings, you
can request a BeFriender to be a companion on your journey.
BeFrienders provide a listening presence that is respectful and
nonjudgmental. To
request a BeFriender or to find out more about BeFriender Ministry, call
_____________.
- Sixty people feel the
impact of every soldier who is deployed to and returns from a war zone. For
soldiers themselves, routine activities seem meaningless after the
experience of combat. They are trained warriors who no longer have an enemy
to fight. About two-thirds of the returning military work through their
return without major problems, but no one comes back unaffected according to
Mike Colson of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington. Nor are
their families, friends, and co-workers unaffected. People who adjusted to
the soldier's absence must now adjust to the soldier's presence. It's a time
of significant transition for everyone. If you are a soldier or a family
member, friend, or co-worker of a soldier and are experiencing difficulty
with or concerns about the transition, you can request a BeFriender.
BeFrienders provide a listening presence that is respectful and
nonjudgmental. They can be with you on the journey of reintegration. To
request a BeFriender or to find out more about BeFriender Ministry, call
_____________.