Dec 19, 2012
“Stepping Out in Faith 2”
by Nadine Lawton
In early 2012 we asked you to “Step Out in Faith” for our sisters in Malawi, Africa, so they could attend their SDB Women’s Conference. We raised just over $1,600.00!
This time our goal is to step out in faith for our own people here in the SDB Conference USA and Canada. These are our younger sisters and brothers who are giving up their summer for the Lord—our Summer Christian Service Corps students and Stained Glass members. Let me step back and give you the reasons for raising funds for these young people. In May 2012 a godly woman, Dorotha Shettel, passed from this earthly life. Dorotha was a past president for the SDB Women’s Board.
After hearing of Dorotha’s passing, current Women’s Board President Althea Rood contacted Dorotha’s son Gary down in Australia, to discuss the possibility of creating a fund in Dorotha’s name for SCSC students. Gary thought this would be a great idea, since SCSC was one of his mom’s favorite Women’s Board projects. Althea brought the proposal to the Women’s Interest Committee at Conference and they recommended that the Women’s Board set up the Dorotha Shettel Fund.
This new fund will be used to help SCSC students and Stained Glass members who cannot afford to stay after evaluation for Pre-Con and Conference. Even when the SCSCers need to do project time at Conference there are still expenses that they have to pay for, such as Pre-Con and some of their Conference fees. This year there were two students who went home after evaluation because they could not afford to stay longer. And it’s not the first time this has happened.
Since many of the students are new to the Seventh Day Baptist denomination, attending Pre-Con and Conference helps them understand those of us who are multigenerational SDBs, as well as giving them an understanding of how the Conference works. It also helps us to get to know new members of the SDB family.
Going home early is hard on these young adults. They have just been reunited with their team members, and the rest of the students get to stay and build on the relationships that started at SCSC training, and their relationship with the Lord.
We all know that the economy has not been good for several years. SCSC families may be struggling to make ends meet, especially if they are helping their child, or children, with college expenses. The students may work during the school year, but most of those funds go for books, an occasional meal off-campus, gas for their car or bus fare, and personal needs. They also raise funds to help with their training expenses and travel costs to training, their project and evaluation, and their transportation home.
They have a heart for the Lord and want to share it with others. They just need help in funding their summer mission project.
To help out with the SCSCers’ funding for Pre-Con and Conference, the Women’s Interest Committee recommended that the “Stepping Out in Faith” fundraiser be done again in 2013, with all the proceeds going to the Dorotha Shettel Fund. A third recommendation from the Committee was that the Women’s Board match the funds raised up to $2,000.
So lace up your sneakers, put on your dancing shoes. Map out your route or get a pedometer. During Lent—February 13 through March 31—keep track of your steps and have family or friends pledge per step or mile, or give a straight donation.
Look for pledge forms on a Facebook event page in January. Let’s get the Dorotha Shettel fund off to a great start, and encourage the future of our Conference!