May 23, 2008

connecting the Community of Christ staff community

RSVP Reminder

IHQ Family Picnic –Join the more than 170 people who are coming to the picnic on Thursday, May 29 at 6 p.m. in McCoy Park and be eligible for some fabulous door prizes! Today is the last day to RSVP so contact Mica Wiemann at ext. 3046 before the end of the day.

Kansas City Royals – Today is the last day to RSVP for the Sunday, June 29 baseball game between the KC Royals and the St. Louis Cardinals. Your ticket is free and additional tickets for family or friends can be purchased for $18 each. Contact Carina Wilson at ext. 1389 to reserve your tickets today!

What Do You Do?

After the April 2 all-staff meeting, the IHQ Operations Support Team formed a subteam to decide how to carry out some of the ideas produced at the meeting. Subteam members include Dusty Burnham, Tracy Cahill, Susan Naylor, John Pinkerton, Kathleen Ryan, Wim van Klinken, Mica Wiemann, and Poul Wilson.

In the short-term, the team will develop a directory you can search for a topic and find the names of individuals who are the first contact for a particular task or activity. For example, a search of the directory for "furniture" will bring up the people you should first contact about asking for a new piece of furniture or repairing broken furniture.

We need your help in building this directory by completing a survey. The survey takes about five minutes and asks four questions.

• My roles and responsibilities are…

• I am the first person to call if someone needs…

• I am a member of the following teams…

• I am the Team Leader for the following teams…

The survey is available at https://www.formrouter.net/forms@COFC/IHQDirectory.html and will be open until June 9, 2008.

After you complete the survey, you will receive an e-mail that reports what information you submitted. Once the survey closes, the team will review the data and work with you to make any clarifications. We will then publish the directory in some searchable format. The directory will also give your location, main phone extension, and e-mail address and will be accessible at HQInfo (the same place your currently get the telephone listing). This information will not be published on our website.

Jan Kraybill Performs at National Convention of AGO

Community of Christ principal organist and director of music Jan Kraybill is one of twenty-one featured recitalists from around the world selected to perform during the American Guild of Organists (AGO) 2008 National Convention, June 22–26 in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota.

Jan says, “Performing at the National Convention is truly an honor. Since receiving the invitation over a year ago, I’ve been planning and working hard to present the best performance I possibly can. I am thrilled to have this opportunity!”

Enjoy a preview of Jan’s national convention recital on June 1 from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the Community of Christ Auditorium.

Read full details about Jan’s recital at www.CofChrist.org/news/2008/may/June1.asp.

Oblation Aid to Myanmar

To assist in relief efforts to Myanmar, which suffered a catastrophic cyclone on May 3, Community of Christ is giving $50,000 from its Oblation fund to CARE International. Community of Christ members have expressed an urgent desire to help, and we have also been aware that relief agency access to Myanmar has been difficult. Thanks to generous ongoing support of the Oblation fund, we are able to respond.

CARE International has worked in Myanmar for 14 years and has 500 staff members already positioned in the country. Community of Christ members are encouraged to contribute to the Oblation fund to enable additional aid to be given. Read more at www.CofChrist.org/news/2008/may/Myanmar.asp.

Oblation Aid to China

Thanks to the generous ongoing support of Oblation Fund contributors, Community of Christ is able to respond to needs in China. To assist with relief efforts following the 7.9 magnitude earthquake that struck the Sichuan province on May 12, Community of Christ is giving $25,000 from Oblation to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Read more at www.CofChrist.org/news/2008/may/china.asp.
 

Daily Prayer for Peace

Recently the WCLC endorsed the following action: As a denomination challenged to pursue peace, we continue to explore ways to engage in tangible actions. One way to do this is through the daily discipline of prayer.

Since April 2007, there has been increased participation in the Prayer for Peace service in the Temple. This dedication to praying for peace will now further expand as an integral part of field ministry.

As field meetings, mission center conferences, retreats, workshops, reunions and other gatherings are scheduled, a prayer for peace will be incorporated into the services or meetings. In this way we model a very important spiritual discipline and our pursuit of peace. We would like for this to be lived out by all staff ministering in the field.

Several world church leaders and members of the Temple Ministries team have already been incorporating a prayer for peace into their field ministry and can share an affirmation of the power of these experiences.

Care for your Paper Shredder

Did you know your paper shredder needs to be oiled regularly to maintain good shredding? Special shredder oil is placed directly on the cutters. Run the shredder forward for 5 seconds, then reverse it for 5-10 seconds and then forward again for 5 seconds to work the oil into the cutters. Finish up with some actual paper to soak up any excess oil. Contact Kathleen Ryan at ext. 1308, for a supply of shredder oil and she’s even offered to give demonstrations if requested.

Relaxing Ways to De-stress

In the May issue of New Direction's Balanced Living newsletter, Mike George, meditation teacher and author of 1,001 Ways to Relax, offers these simple suggestions for reducing stress.

• Forget yesterday's mistakes. Today is a new day. Your mind has been refreshed by sleep, and there's no need to believe that yesterday's misjudgments or misfortunes will repeat themselves.

• Decide to be happy today, no matter what happens or who does what. It's within your power to make this choice. "Happiness is the true condition of the self-aware, and its source lies within ourselves," says Mr. George. "To decide to be happy is a positive, self-fulfilling action, comparable to saying 'I do' in a marriage ceremony."

• Create a personal affirmation and declare it 20 times to yourself each morning. "Affirmations are simple, positive 'I am...' statements such as 'I am at peace,' 'I am a tower of strength' that build self-esteem and a strong sense of self," says Mr. George. "They counter the negative messages we often give ourselves by reminding us of our intrinsic value."

• Press the center of your palm with the thumb of your other hand to relieve nervousness in stressful situations, such as interviews. Increase the pressure steadily as you breathe out. Hold for three to seven seconds. Release the pressure as you breathe in. Repeat three times or until you feel your anxiety slip away.

• Don't just do something, sit there! Contrary to the usual phrase, this is sometimes the best approach when emotions are running high, your problems seem overwhelming or your internal compass isn't giving you a clear direction to follow. Simply take a few moments to sit in stillness, gathering your strength. Give your mind and body permission to relax.

• Unravel a problem. Most problems have a number of strands tangled together, often in complicated ways. If it seems impossible to unravel the knot, make a start by trying to name each of the different strands. Draw them on paper, with a word or two alongside each separate line to label it. You may find that identifying the pieces of the problem in this way leads to a break-through in working out a solution.

• Think of reasons why you can do something, rather than why you can't—all it takes is a shift in attitude. Once you've broken the negative logic of your thinking, you create space in which positive approaches can appear.

• Act "as if." Your mind is very suggestible. If you act as if you're calm, happy and free of stress, eventually you'll find it becomes a reality.

• Really listen to people. By paying close attention to others, you stay in balance with them. Actively listen to what other people are saying.

• Bring an open mind to new people, places and experiences. "Your way is only one of many ways," says Mr. George. "Open-minded people tend to find more to enjoy and less to be disappointed or stressed by."

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