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"Super Sequel" Tuesday October 5 |
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 Shazam! On June 18, more than 750 people packed the Salem Conference Center downtown to “Celebrate Neighborhood Heroes” and hear their amazing stories. We had a ton of fun and learned how churches and faithful people are impacting lives through ‘faith in action’ and super servanthood. It was another major step toward the dream of Salem-Keizer becoming the healthiest community in Oregon. Truly, the City of Shalom.
Normally in this special edition of the Fancy Newsletter we’d report all aspects of the evening in great detail. But because the event’s program was so powerful, we are planning a “Sequel” in the Fall and we don’t want to give it all away! Sorry for the suspense, but there were so many people who said “we’d love to attend but June 18 doesn’t work for us.” Now’s your chance! There’s also a whole group of folks who don’t do evening events, but love luncheons. By reprising the event, we also can be strong stewards of the investment we made in the fun program and fantastic video stories. We can tell you that the Superhero theme was a hit! It not only provided humorous and nostalgic material, it was the perfect backdrop for highlighting the potent and powerful work of folks that don’t always get the spotlight (nor seek it). Our SLF Lightning Rods took center stage to introduce each story, and everyone marveled. The news article on the back gives you a hint of what transpired, and we hope you’ll consider joining us for the ‘Super Sequel’ on Tuesday, October 5, at the Salem Conference Center. We can also report that the event’s gifts and pledges total $108,000 for the coming year, and just under $190,000 over the next three years. A very strong showing in these tough economic times, for which we are grateful! However, it falls short of the amount needed to hire a new SLF Lightning Rod. That’s another reason we want to present the program again at a luncheon. If you made a gift or pledge on June 18 … THANK YOU! If you would like to help us this summer, please let us know via the Fancy $upport Card enclosed with this newsletter. Any gift of any amount is eternally treasured! The SLF Board and I would like to give a ‘Fancy Thank-You’ to the generous Dessert Sponsors: US Bank, Dallas Glass, AKT CPAs, Heltzel Williams Law Firm, Copper Creek Mercantile, and Allied Video Productions. We also want thank our Fancy Dessert Team, who met each week for months leading up to the event, and the many volunteers who served with valor that evening. You are all superheroes! Please mark your calendars (and tell your friends) … October 5, like June 18, will be Super! |
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SLF Fancy Field Trip Saturday, September 11 |
Want to learn more about SLF and the great things that are going on in Salem-Keizer?
Join us on a Fancy Field Trip!
SLF wants to give you a chance to see a CaN Center in action! We’ll be taking a short bus trip together and you’ll learn something that you didn’t know about this neighborhood.
When: Saturday, September 11, 2010
Time: 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. PLEASE plan on arriving 5-10 minutes early so we can start on time!
Where: We'll be meeting at the SLF Office (1144 Madison ST NE) On Madison ST between Capitol ST and 17th ST. If you need further driving directions, please contact Megan at
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Site to be visited: West Salem Foursquare Church's Dream Center We'll get a chance to see the great Saturday program that West Salem Foursquare Church runs every weekend! You will NOT be asked to give at this event. Please invite a friend or two to come with you!
If interested, please let Julie Young (
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) know right away. Space is limited. |
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August - September 2010
People often say, “I love SLF, you guys are great! But I’m still not 100% sure what you do.”
It’s even harder when some of them add: “I could invest more money in SLF if you just had some concrete programs and numbers.” I’ll admit there are days when I wish we had our own camps, our own gym, our own after-school programs, our own homeless shelter. I don’t linger in that mindset very long, since SLF’s purpose is to support and enhance the excellent programs that already exist. Other days I catch myself wishing we had a big capital campaign for an SLF Building—that’s something donors love to invest in. But we don’t need a big building, we just need support. |
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A big THANK YOU to all of our 2010 Fancy Dessert Sponsors!  
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May 2010 I have a brochure from 1927 entitled “Trail ‘em to Salem.” It’s the usual map+photos+blurbs extolling the landmarks and beauty of Oregon’s capital city. Nothing out of the ordinary, until you get to this stomach-punch paragraph ...
Salem: The most All-American City in the United States. No foreign element, no Mexicans, only
30 Negroes and there hasn’t been an Indian living in the city for 35 years.
When I was a kid at Baker, McKinley, Leslie and South High, nobody told us about that brochure.
Watching the civil-rights struggle on TV in the ‘60s, I remember asking my folks: “Cracking down on people with fire hoses and police dogs because of their skin color is wrong ... right?” At South High in the ‘70s, we had lessons on equality and diversity, and yet it never dawned on me as odd that the non-white student population was only one or two percent. |
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"If you're dealing, we're squealing" |
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September 2005 Kelly is a most unlikely neighborhood hero. She’s a young adult who lives at home with her folks. She volunteers in the SLF office twice a week, and sings in her church choir. She is kind, gentle and a bit shy. But she has the energy of the Bonneville Power Plant, as we have discovered in the Madison-McCoy area of north Salem. For years, Kelly and her family were trapped inside their home due to a neighboring drug house. They made occasional police calls, but didn’t realize other neighbors were concerned, too. They felt isolated and powerless. The drug dealers made frequent threats. Noises all night long; a steady flow of drug customers during the day. Kelly got fed up. |
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The difficulties for "ex-offenders" |
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March 2007 I’m working with a young dad named Jason*. This month is his one-year anniversary for getting out of jail. As an “ex-offender,” he’s not what most people probably imagine . . . he has two jobs, he successfully got his kids back from foster care, and he’s rebuilding both his credit and his driving privileges. Jason is determined to make it. And SLF is proud to walk alongside him. But here’s what we’ve learned: the “system” and “society” put so many barriers in front of folks like Jason, it’s an absolute miracle they make it. For example, the DMV wouldn’t take one SLF check for four fees, they had to have four separate checks. Not easy for a guy who can’t have a checking account (yet—we’re working on that with our neighborhood bank.) The SR-22 insurance companies wanted to charge twice what my insurance-agent friend is charging Jason to get reinsured. |
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Faith is essential to community leadership |
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By Bill Church (April 11, 2010) A tall, slender man, the Rev. Dan Pitney leans into parishioners when greeting them, his face ensconced in perpetual calm. Even from the upper-tier seats of Salem's tallest building, he has a presence that makes you want to pay attention. He preaches out front, away from the podium, with the comfort of a dear friend regaling tales at a back-porch barbecue. His Easter message about Jesus' Resurrection has been heard many times in many churches. Yet the Rev. Pitney's sermon, entitled "Impossible," resonated in its style and significance. No matter the passion or structure of your beliefs, the reverend seems to reason, there remains an indelible power in faith. This concept of faith permeates how we think, who we vote for and why we do the things we do. Our country was founded on faith, and our laws defined by faith. |
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Churches serving right where they're at |
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August 2004 I’ll never forget the day pastor Dick Lucco called me into his office. Dick was a founding board member of SLF. For a couple years, his church—Trinity Covenant—had been sending folks to minister at the Oregon Capitol Inn, a hotel where 200 homeless people live. In partnership with the School District and SLF, Trinity had a vibrant ministry at the Capitol Inn. Crime was down, the place was cleaned up, kids could play outside again, there were healthy and educational activities for all. But when Dick called me into his office, he said: “Sam, we’re pulling out of the Capitol Inn,” What? The Trinity/Capitol-Inn partnership was one of our best demonstration projects to show churches and civic leaders the value of faith-based Servanthood. How could Dick pull the plug? He explained that he’d had an Epiphany. Even though the effort at the Capitol Inn was working, it wasn’t the right calling for Trinity. A band of faithful servants was going downtown to serve, but the impact was not affecting the whole church. The light-bulb Epiphany God gave Dick was this: there’s a whole neighborhood—a “parish” if you will—all around Trinity. That’s where the church would serve, Dick had discerned. |
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The unlikely Christ-like figure |
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February 2007 A few weeks ago I ran into Bill and John. I should say that Bill ran into me—literally. Well, almost. I was standing on the corner of Chemeketa and Church talking with Mark Bulgin of Isaac’s Room/IKEbox. We felt a swoosh of wind on our right—a car blew by us on the sidewalk and missed us by six inches! It continued on across Chemeketa and plowed right into a light pole. Mark and I were the first to reach the luxury car—Mark on his cell phone dialing 911; me yanking on the door handle. There was an older man inside—Bill—his eyes glazed over. The doors were locked, and he couldn’t hit the switch despite my pleas. A big crowd gathered. Suddenly a ragged street teen—John—appeared and began pounding on the windows. |
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Churches and families willing to do their part? |
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February 2008 He was outside church one Sunday. Smoking a cigarette with several others who seemed nervous. A little boy with a balloon was crying. Part of me wanted to say ‘hi,’ another part of me didn’t want to intrude. Our family walked inside and the boys headed off to their fellowship groups. Something nudged me back outside. Rats—they were gone! I walked around the church—there they were, at another door. Still nervous. The boy wasn’t crying anymore, so I said “hey, that’s a neat balloon.” “I got it at the shelter,” he said. I introduced myself to Gary, Ken, Warren, little Colin and his mom. “Are you guys heading in?” I asked. Gary said yes—after finishing their smokes they were going to head up to the balcony. I gave Colin a high-five and re-joined Jennifer. After the service I saw Gary and the group. We enjoyed hot chocolates and a conversation about how the buses don’t run on Sundays, which makes it hard for many folks to get to church. The conversation turned to work: Gary’s a construction flagger, but didn’t have a valid card. Had to take a class. How much? 75 bucks and a bus pass. Long story short, Gary (and Ken) are now certified as flaggers and finding work. Warren now has his cab-driving license and is taking steps to get his kids back from foster care. In a way, it was easy: heed the nudge, say ‘hi,’ listen, and act. |
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