Visitors are welcome. For information contact Fayrene Johnson at fayrenej@att.net or 663-2733.

NAMI Walks Arkansas Event Details:

Location: Clinton School of Public Service, Little Rock
Date: May 19
Check in: 9 am
Start time: 10 am

There is no charge to sign up for the walk, but walkers that raise $100 receive a walk T-shirt.  If you cannot attend on May 19, please sign up as a virtual walker on the team or support another team member!

The purpose of this event is to raise awareness, stamp out stigma, and raise money for NAMI Arkansas, which is the state chapter of NAMI (the National Alliance on Mental Illness), “the Nation’s Voice on Mental Illness.”  NAMI Arkansas, a grassroots organization, provides support, education, and advocacy for individuals living with mental illness and their family members.

Second Pres member Rick Owen, chair of the NAMIWalks event in Arkansas again this year, has posted a 3-min video about his desire to help others by supporting NAMI.  (www.youtube.com/watch?v=3K5WWtvLMzs&feature=email)

On Sunday, May 27, Second Presbyterian Church will receive the Pentecost Offering, one of our regular denominational offerings designated to help bring God’s transforming and redeeming love to children at risk, to nurture young people’s growing faith, and provide opportunities for young adults to become spiritual leaders.  Sixty percent of the offering we receive will be used by the PC(USA) for child advocacy programs and support of the Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) program.  We currently have two young adults in our congregation participating in this program–Sarah Akin and David Mills.

The remaining forty percent of the offering is to be used by our congregation for an area program for children at risk. The Outreach Ministry has designated Arkansas Rice Depot’s “Food for Kids” program to receive this offering.  “Food for Kids” meets the needs of students (K-12th grades) who display educational, physical, or emotional problems at school due to hunger at home.  The students receive backpacks filled with kid-friendly, nourishing food to take home each day and on weekends.  During the current school year 32,000 children in 650 Arkansas schools are being served through this program.

The Vacation Bible School planning committee also decided to designate our VBS offering to the “Food for Kids” program. We hope to enable our children to adopt a specific school to sponsor during the 2012-13 school year….“a school for a school.” The cost for “adoption” is $2400.  The children will combine their Sunday School offerings and their VBS offerings toward this effort.  By partnering with the Pentecost Offering we should be well on our way “in the adoption process.”

So that our children can visualize what they are doing with their offering, we will create a BIG fish tank to be filled with paper fish each day to signify the progress toward our goal.  We will “stock the tank” with fish that signify the offering received on Pentecost Sunday.  Please give generously so that we can support our Young Adults Volunteers in Ministry and support our children as they reach out to children at risk in our community.