A Different Sort of Annual Report: Resource Packets

Deacon Pat Johnson of St. Thomas, Sioux City, decided to deliver a different kind of report at her parish's annual meeting this year. Instead of the usual here's-what-I've-been-up-to message, Pat handed out resource packets that would help her parishioners find ways to get more involved in the wider world in 2006.

Photo: The Rev. Pat Johnson meeting the Swazi student she supports through World Vision, November 2005

"This whole notion of deacons as advocates has been at me for some time," Pat says. "This is one word I have always used to describe my vocation. And, at [the October] deacons gathering in Cedar Falls, we talked about deacons as advocates... about ways we could bring these issues to our congregations."

The packets included information from Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD), including brochures on the El Salvador mission trips and "What Can One Person Do?" to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

From Episcopal Public Policy Network (EPPN), Pat shared the booklet "Policy for Action," which lists the social policies of the Episcopal Church and tells how to get involved in EPPN's Advocacy Network. From the Office of Anglican and Global Relations (AGR), Pat shared information on long-term mission opportunities.

From Iowa's Diocesan Global Ministries Office, Pat received brochures on Hurricane Katrina Response, the Swaziland School Fees Fund, the upcoming mission trip to Swaziland, diocesan International Development Grants, and the diocesan Global Mission Network. (For copies of these brochures, write to Karen Nichols at karenenichols@gmail.com.)

Most of the resources Pat shared—and many more—are available for free or for only a small shipping charge (usually $5) from The Episcopal Book/Resource Center. Resources on almost any service opportunity imaginable also can be downloaded for free from web. Here are some sites to try:

ERD Resource Center
EPPN Resources
United Thank Offering (UTO) Materials

The theme of Pat's talk was "What Can One Person Do?" "I talked about the privilege of being in a national church and in a diocese who is committed to the MDG's and justice to those around the world," she explains. Pat's inspiring message follows:

What Can One Person Do?

A member of the congregation recently asked me, “How can I make a difference? How do I decide who to donate my money and my time to? There are so many who need help!” It was a valid question, given the enormity of the loss and destruction caused abroad by the tsunamis, as well as here at home by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Even here in Sioux City, the demand for food and shelter assistance increases, as other services are reduced or cut.

What can one person do? It can seem overwhelming. It would be easy to decide that one person couldn’t possibly make a difference in the face of such great need. But our faith tells us otherwise. We are called to be like David against Goliath.

What can one person do? I watch you—the people of St. Thomas’—accomplish so much. We are just one church, yet we feed so many through the food pantry. We are just one church, yet we offer hospitality and hope at Thanksgiving to our neighbors who need a helping hand. We are just one church, yet we send delegations to Swaziland to remind them they are not alone in their struggles. All of you who daily step out in faith believing your contributions are making a difference.

What can one person do? This is the name of a new web link on the Episcopal Relief and Development site. At the last two consecutive General Conventions, beginning in 2000, all dioceses and congregations were challenged to contribute 0.7% of their annual budgets to fund international development programs, as part of the Millennium Development Goals—goals to eradicate extreme hunger and poverty world wide. The Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Iowa dared to believe they could make a difference, and committed to this challenge. Many individuals have done the same.

In the video narration of the Diocesan 2006 budget proposal, Bishop Alan Scarfe states, “we are an Episcopate-centered expression of how Christ makes disciples, focused on the call to share His love for neighbor and enemy alike, with a special eye and heart on those who may never pay us back but who always remind us of the greatness of the creation of God in which we so undeservedly find ourselves.” (1)

What can one person do? Simply believe that God has given you the ability to make a difference in this world.

Dn. Pat
January, 2006

1. Iowa Connections, December, 2005, p. A