Resources

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The Mary Pinkham Library

by Church Staff

By Kristen Hebert

The Mary Pinkham Library in Denny Hall is growing and evolving! The intent and overall goal is to energize the space again while furthering the church’s mission of  joyfully practicing and sharing Christ’s love and grace to the communities we serve by sharing the Gospel, through worship, education, fellowship and service.

Mary Pinkham, a long-time parishioner of Manakin, was an avid reader.  Her husband, Bob, who still calls Manakin home, shared that Mary regularly had upstairs and downstairs books that she was always in  the process of reading. Mary also regularly volunteered at the Friends of the Library chapter on Coalfield Road. There is a memorial, recognizing her contribution and dedicated in her memory, in a seating area near the entrance of that Chesterfield County library.  

With an enthusiasm for books and literacy, Mary helped create a lending library at Manakin Episcopal Church, and Bob worked with Manakin members Jim Mungle and Lingan Deitrick to construct the site in Denny Hall. Originally, the congregation was asked to contribute appropriate books, and Mary and Louanne Carnwath managed the donations, sharing the “overflow” by taking them to the Midlothian Library to be sold by the Friends for their programs not covered by the County.  

The refreshed Mary Pinkham Library will continue to be a “lending library” and a place to find current fiction books. It will also be the place to find information about Stephen’s Ministries; learn about service opportunities; pick up a copy of Day by Day; or just hang out, and enjoy a cup of coffee and conversation on Sunday mornings during Fellowship Hour. We will continue to have a current fiction section that will function as a “little library,” where people are welcome to donate a book and take a book much like Mary’s original library. There also will be an expanded and accessible children’s library housed in baskets on the bottom shelves. In addition, the library will be a place where our rector, Gini+, will share her books focusing on spirituality and Christian theology.    

Manakin’s library team is in the process of curating the books currently in the library, so we can rotate in new titles. Books that are ready to be retired from the library shelves will be placed on a table in the Huguenot Room in Denny Hall for a few weeks, and everyone is welcome to take any of the books they would like. After parishioners have a chance to “shop,” we will donate the remaining titles to the Midlothian Library to honor Mary Pinkham’s request.  

We are thrilled that our excess materials can then be a blessing to others.  Bob Pinkham, along with many at Manakin, are excited to see Mary’s love of books honored and renewed through this update of the library’s resources.

Stewardship

by Church Staff

As we begin the transition to a new phase of ministry at Manakin and prepare for the November 8 Annual Meeting of the congregation, it seems to be an appropriate time to discuss Stewardship.

Most of us are familiar with the three Ts used to describe Stewardship—offering our Time, our Talents and our Treasure in support of the mission of the church. Too often we focus on the “T” in Treasure as it is associated with the annual stewardship drive or as we Episcopalians say—“The Every Member Canvass.” It is good to emphasize the importance of that drive as it is the main factor in preparing our yearly operating budget. For the last few years, we have met or exceeded our current year pledge goals and have operated with balanced budgets.

But of more importance are the contributions given by our members of their Time and Talent. These become even more important during a period of transition. These two vital areas impact all the programs of the church and make us who we are—they are the true image of the Parish to our members, to the Community and to those who visit us. They provide every member the opportunity to be involved and gain a sense of self-fulfillment.

The list of the areas for contribution is too long for this letter, risks overlooking important areas and risks failing to give credit where credit is due. However, a few examples are: Altar Guild, Acolytes, Choir, Church School, Coffee Hour, Eucharistic Ministers, EfM, Lay Readers, Men and Women of the Church, Outreach, Ushers, and Stephen Ministers. Support of all these areas becomes more important when we are in flux and run the risk of becoming disengaged during the search process. Our Parish Leadership will be working during the coming months to strengthen our committees and focus on growth rather than maintenance of a status quo.

One area in which Manakin is fortunate is that it has a good start at building a financially strong and stable Church through the Manakin Foundation – with assets set aside from operating surpluses in the past and assets received from others as exemplified by the Denny Trust. There is the opportunity to grow this endowment through estate gifts that do not have a current cost. This is an area in which we have been notified of several commitments from current parishioners and which we hope to expand with an ongoing program to let our members know how they can include the Foundation in their estate plans.

Our goal is to have programs and human and financial assets in place so we can develop a leadership team to work with a new rector to ensure the long-term future growth of Manakin Episcopal Church. We appreciate everyone’s gifts of Time, Talent and Treasure. Your service and commitment to our Parish is truly appreciated and makes a difference in our ministry to each other and the Community.

Kroger Rewards Update

by Church Staff

As you know, the KrogerCARES program in which we participated last year was changed in the fall to a new, simpler program. The new system is connected to your Kroger Plus Rewards card, which provides discounts and specials and fuel discount points. Many parishioners have registered their Kroger Plus Rewards cards in the new program with the proceeds coming to Manakin. (The new program pays out quarterly, instead of every four weeks like the CARES system.) Under the old program, we had distributed well over 100 cards. Only 45 individuals or families have signed up for the new program. As a result, the proceeds late last year for the fourth quarter of 2014 were down from the earlier funds.

If you had difficulty signing up, it is very important for you to get involved in the new program. The simplest way for those who had trouble is to stop at Customer Service next time you’re in the Kroger store and ask for a new Kroger Plus Rewards card. As soon as you get home, go to www.Kroger.com and search for “Kroger Plus Rewards.” On that page, you should find a link for “Kroger Community Rewards.” On that page, scroll down to the listing for Virginia and click on “enroll.” Find the store you go to most frequently, click on, and follow the enrollment instructions.

Difficulty still? Let us know.

Once you are enrolled in this new version of the Kroger Cares Program, you do not need to do anything else except use your card each time you make a grocery or gas purchase. As a back-up in case you do not have your card on you at the time of purchase, you may use your phone number as an “alternate number.” This may be done at the Customer Service Desk.

It is critically important for as many of us as possible to enroll in the program. We received over $8,000 in the original pro-gram, and included $5,000 in the current year’s budget in anticipation of the proceeds from the new one. If you are not signed up, please do so right away. If you are not sure if your card is enrolled, you can go through the steps above and check the status of your card. If you have forgotten your password, you can do this with your email address only – just hit “forgot my password” and they will send you a new one.

Many thanks to all that have participate in this unique fund-raiser – and please get signed up if you have not done so!

Raise Money for Manakin When You Shop

by Church Staff

Thanks to everyone who has registered their Kroger Plus Rewards card to funnel contributions to the Church. If you have not yet signed up for this program that replaced the KrogerCARES cards, please do so as soon as possible. This is a much simpler way of getting funds for the Church, as it does not require loading cards or anything else once your Rewards card is registered. If you need help getting your card registered, please call the church office.

If you don’t have the Rewards card, you can get one effortlessly at the customer service counter. You will still need to register it online. The Kroger programs have provided us with many thousands of dollars, and that will continue provided we all sign up and use the Rewards card each time we shop there. They will continue to gives 5% from every purchase (food, gift cards for shops and restaurants, and Kroger gas included.) Thanks for your participation!

Manakin Foundation

by Church Staff

By the Foundation Committee

Did You Know…Manakin Church has had a foundation for over 22 years?

The Manakin Episcopal Church Foundation was incorporated in the Commonwealth of Virginia on December 17, 1991 and is a totally separate legal entity from the church. It is a tax exempt organization as defined in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and, accordingly, donations to it are generally tax deductible to the donor.

Our Foundation is managed by a five member Board of Trustees, all of whom are elected by the Vestry of Manakin Church to serve staggered two year terms and are eligible for unlimited re-election. The current Trustees are listed on the back of the weekly service bulletin and at the end of each Messenger.

The purpose of the Foundation is to preserve the existence of Manakin Church for future generations and ensure its long term financial health; specifically:
• To support the Christian mission of Manakin Church
• To provide funding for long term projects of such scope that the financial costs may not reasonably be met by the church in the course of its normal operations.
• To provide an alternative source of funding for major building and or restorations of Church property as well as acquisition of property for future growth.
• To manage all investments in the Foundation in accordance with any directions from donor(s) for the benefit of Manakin Church.

The Foundation has contributed over $60,200 towards the annual operating budget of the church over the past 9 years.

When reviewing your estate plans, consider making provisions for a charitable contribution to Manakin in your will or trust . It is a gift which costs you nothing to make today. Future articles in the Manakin Messenger will describe how some current church members have remembered the Church in their Estate and Financial Planning.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact one of the Foundation Trustees.