Dear Friends of Rachel’s Vineyard,
I hope you are all having a very blessed summer! It has been a very busy time here at Rachel’s Vineyard. I’m writing to update you on some of the news.
Retreat Scheduled
Our next retreat is scheduled for September 21- 23, 2012. There will be a number of opportunities for helping out. It has been such a blessing to have so much volunteer support from the Central WI community! If you are interested in volunteering, please let me know. Most importantly, please keep the team, volunteers, and retreatants in your prayers!
Rosary Cruise
It’s hard to believe, but we are already coming up on our 2nd Annual Rosary Cruise! The event was very successful last year, and I hope, a blessing for all who attended. This year’s cruise is scheduled for August 26th, from 4:30 to 6:30 pm. It will again be on the Chain o’Lakes in Waupaca (departing from Clear Water Harbor.) Watch for an email with attached flyer to come soon. Space is limited and we filled the boat last year, so you will want to make your reservations as soon as you’re able. (Call 715-204-9561 or reply to this email.)
I am looking for sponsorship, in particular for the cost of the cruise. If you or your business are interested in being a sponsor for this event, please let me know. This is a fantastic opportunity to get the word out about your business, service, or ministry!
October Baby Movie
At the end of May, I’d sent out an email to ascertain if there would be any interest in bringing the movie October Baby to our area. A few very generous donors have made this possible, and the movie event kit arrived yesterday! There are a few groups who have expressed interest in hosting a showing, and I’d love to bring it to your church, youth group, etc as well! Please let me know if you are interested in a showing, or if you’d like to suggest a place that we should show the movie.
Prison Ministry
I am discerning a possible new expansion for our site: prison ministry. There are a number of people in prisons who are suffering from the after-effects of an abortion decision, (a much higher percentage than in the general public,) and because they are unable to come to our retreat, we need to go to them. I met last week with the founder and director of a beautiful national prison ministry, who has begun helping me with the steps necessary to make this a reality.
A very exciting two-prong approach is beginning to emerge:
- This ministry publishes a newsletter which is sent out to the inmates of women’s prisons. The next edition will go out in about a month, and I’ve been invited to include a paragraph or two about Rachel’s Vineyard and our work to help those who are suffering to find hope and healing through Our Lord. We will also include contact information, with the hope of building a relationship through correspondence, which will help provide support one-on-one, in their efforts to find healing. With this newsletter, we will have the opportunity to reach thousands of women!
- We are hoping to find a way to take the retreat directly into prisons. We are starting specifically with the women’s facilities here in Wisconsin. This may be a long process, but we know that there is a fantastic opportunity in working with Chaplains already ministering to inmates. Part of the excitement I feel about this approach is that, with contact already established through the newsletter and hopefully correspondence, a relationship of trust will have already been formed by the time I would enter the prison to work with inmates directly.
I ask that you keep this effort in your prayers; especially that God’s Will may be known.
PO Box for Rachel’s Vineyard
As part of the prison ministry, it has been suggested that I procure a PO Box, so that I am not providing my home address. This is something that I’ve been thinking of doing for some time, so I was not the least bit opposed.
The address is:
Rachel’s Vineyard
PO Box 643
Stevens Point, WI 54481-0643.
The cost of the box is $29 per six months. Would anyone be interested in “sponsoring” or contributing to this? It really only comes out to $5 per month. I have occasionally gotten requests for ideas of specific things that people can do for Rachel’s Vineyard, so I am putting this out there as one of them.
Tax-Deductible Option for Donations
Rachel’s Vineyard has been added under the umbrella of programs of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of La Crosse. While we receive a small amount of financial help from them, we are still greatly in need of donations. One of the benefits of our coming under the Catholic Charities umbrella is that we are able to offer a receipt to you for tax purposes.
In order to make a tax-deductible donation to Rachel’s Vineyard, please make your check out to Catholic Charities, and make sure to add Rachel’s Vineyard in the memo line.
These donations may be sent to either the PO Box listed above, or directly to:
Catholic Charities
3710 East Ave S
La Crosse, WI 54602-0266
If you do not need a tax receipt, you may simply make a check out to Rachel’s Vineyard, and send it to the PO Box above.
Internet Presence
It is becoming apparent that God’s plan for the Stevens Point site includes both outreach to those who are suffering due to abortion, and education on the issue itself–in both the general public and the Pro-Life movement. With this in mind, we are finding more and more of a need to set up a website, as a large number of people who are seeking our services, or information, are doing so online.
I’m seeking help from anyone who can give advice, time, or expertise to get this project started. If you know of anyone, please pass this on to them as well. (This is also another opportunity for anyone who is interested in “sponsoring” a specific project for Rachel’s Vineyard.)
And again, please keep this in your prayers…there are many out there who are suffering, and anything that we can do to help them find the healing that Our Lord is able to offer is absolutely vital.
There are a number of other projects that are “percolating,” so to speak, for Rachel’s Vineyard, and I ask you to also keep these in your prayers. I greatly hope to update you all sometime in the near future on more developments of these!
I want to thank all of you for your amazing support of this ministry! It is such a blessing!
Know that you are all in my prayers daily,
May God bless you,
Lisa
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The Dignity of Women 