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Answering The Call After 30 Years
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Written by Kim Eppehimer, Executive Director
(To read this article in its entirety,
click here.)
Several weeks ago my family
watched a caterpillar
shed its skin and build its chrysalis. I have always been amazed at the transformation from caterpillar to butterfly. It took just under 4 minutes to build the home where this little body will live for around 14 days becoming something larger and different. Something bringing joy to people through its beauty and peace. Something offering sustainability to our fruits and flowers keeping the cycle of life going. And throughout this process, God is there. And it is truly awe-inspiring. Nothing is left the same after God has been there, and when open to this change, amazing things can happen.
Is there a choice in responding to God's call? Is the caterpillar able to say no to this completely life altering transformation? I don't think it can. Just as we are unable to stop the raging storms, this natural process can not be stopped without divine intervention.
For humans, listening to the call is a choice and it is easy to ignore the voice.
Friendship House has chosen to answer the call to serve our community of homeless and displaced individuals and families for the past 30 years; those who came to Friendship House in need of a pathway forward, looking for someone who can offer hope that the pathway can exist for anyone.
Friendship House is a chrysalis in its own way. It is within our cocoon of loving and caring people anyone open to God's call can be transformed into someone different; someone capable of an enriching life giving back to our own cycle of life.
As Paul tells us in his letter to Timothy, "Keep a clear mind in every situation. Don't be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the good news, and fully carry out the ministry God has given to you."
With the need growing in our community and resources thin, the call is as real today as it was 30 years ago when Friendship House first started. There is no time like today to say yes. I pray you will join us to serve those who are looking for a path to a life we know they are worthy of living -worthy because they are our brothers and sisters.
(To read the entire article and see the video of the caterpillar making its chrysalis, click here.) |
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Kim and Bill |
The Wink of an Eye
Written by Bill Perkins
A blink of an eye. That's how fast these seventy years of life, fifty years of ministry and thirty years as executive director of Friendship House have gone. It all seems like it was just yesterday that I was playing in the back yard with my brothers and sisters or having a last cup of coffee with Dad before I left home to become a Jesuit or saying "I do" as I married Marcy or accepting the challenge to make the Friendship House vision a reality.
Some times that journey
has felt like life is one long letting go of pieces of your heart (family members, friends, pets and places) and seasons of your life (a wonderful childhood in Maryland, twenty-three years as a Jesuit priest and missionary, and now thirty years as the director of Friendship House).
The older you get, the more precious every day and every life becomes. It forces you to remember that everything is a gift from God you have for a season which ultimately must be surrender back to the Giver with interest. Life is too short for anger or envy or regrets. The only thing that you never lose and death cannot touch are the moments when you have loved or have been loved. They live forever. They are as alive in my life today as the moment that they were given.
If the last seventy years have passed in the wink of an eye, it is also just as brief a time before we are all together again forever in a moment of love and joy that will never end. I love you all and feel incredibly privileged that God blessed me to be a part of your lives.
As I begin the next season of my life, I feel incredibly blessed to be surrounded with friends and am blessed with Marcy as my wife. I am also grateful that God has given us a new generation of servants to keep the Friendship House vision alive. In Kim Eppehimer, we have a leader who will mold our wonderful staff and volunteers into a team with a single vision and purpose. In our dedicated staff, we have people who walk the walk and give flesh to the Friendship House dream.
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The Perkins Fund
In honor of Bill's retirement from Executive Director of Friendship House, we are starting the Perkins Fund. This fund will be discretionary money available to fund the ministries nearest and dearest to Bill's heart. Donations will be accepted any time into this fund with the hopes that these vital ministries can keep going for years to come. Bill will have a voice on how these funds will be used. We will also ensure he gets a listing of all donors.
Or send a check with "Perkins Fund" on the memo line to:
Friendship House
PO Box 1517
Wilmington DE 19899
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You Are Invited!
We hope you can join us as we celebrate our 30th anniversary! The fun will be October 6th starting at 6:30 pm at Christ Church Christiana Hundred. We will have dinner and a short program, followed by an opportunity to meet our staff, board members, and our new Executive Director! This is a great opportunity to learn more about Friendship House and what we are planning. Come, and bring a friend or two!
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| Kim and Bill and Matt Meyer and Mike Purzycki |
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The Honor Was All Ours!
We had the honor of hosting several community leaders at Epiphany House for dinner in order to give them the opportunity to meet
Kim, our new Executive Director, and to hear about the wonderful things we are doing for New Castle County.
Community leaders in attendance included Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki; County Executive Matt Myer and Aundrea Almond (Mr. Myer's Chief of Staff); John Cook from Secretary Walker's Office (Secretary Walker is Delaware's Secretary of Health and Social Services); Kay Keenan, Michele Whetzel and Ginger Ward from Fund for Women; Kelly Firment and Mary Hickok from Delaware Community Foundation; Stan Diver, David Fleming, Anne Eidschun and Kate Copperthwait from Wilmington Rotary; Peg Eitl, Vice President of Customer Relations from Highmark; and Drew Fennell, Chief Officer of Strategic Communication and Development of Christiana Care. Thank you for taking the time to visit with us!
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You Can Make a Difference
Did you know over half of annual individual donations come at the end of the year? We often bite our nails till that last check on December 31st crosses the finish line. The need of those we serve is growing, and we had a big transition in leadership this year requiring additional resources. We are asking you to help. Without government funding, we rely on churches, individual donations, and community grants to support Friendship House. Did you know it costs $4,000 a day to run Friendship House and our ministries? We have already given $100,000 in financial assistance and are expecting to give another $40,000 before the year is over. We have helped over 350 people get birth certificates this year, costing us $15,400, and the requests keep coming. We have worked with over 120 people in our housing program. If you are able to invest in our mission, please consider donating today. Thank you.
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Thank Yous Are In Order!
Thank you to the
The Kenny Family Foundation
who donated $500 in Shop Rite gift cards for the food at our Annual Volunteer Picnic. We are so grateful for their support! The picnic was so much fun as we celebrated with our incredible volunteers, staff, and board. Thank you to everyone who came - both new volunteers and those who have been with us for many years - we could not do all that we do without your invaluable support. Thank you to Roxane Blake for helping to buy the food and set up for the event, and thank you to Paul Slowic for cooking all those burgers and hot dogs! We look forward to doing this again in 2018!
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Amazing Church Youth Groups
This summer we were blessed with three weeks of service from several different church youth groups! We enjoyed our annual visit from Linden-Linthicum United Methodist Church from Maryland! This year they shared 5 of their amazing youth and 2 of their incredible adult members. We are so grateful not only for all of their hard work at the Clothing Bank of Delaware and Elizabeth House, one of our houses for women; but also their faithful spirits, fun attitudes, and dedication. We have loved having your group come the past several years, and hope to see you all back in the future!
A big thank you to Crossroads Presbyterian Church youth group and leaders out of Middletown for making us a part of their Stretch Week this summer. They were a hard working, dedicated group who showed up ready and able even through one of the hottest weeks! During their time with us, they sorted thousands of pounds of clothing, helped the Clothing Bank with orders, weeded and mulched our gardens, painted the Palmer House fence, and more. We are grateful for their sense of community and faith through service. Thank you and we hope to see you soon!
At the end of the summer, we hosted St. Frances from Baltimore, who collaborated with two other Baltimore churches to come to Wilmington for three days to work. They filled an entire dumpster as they not only cleaned out our basements in housing but also helped Westminster's furniture ministry and Calvary Presbyterian by cleaning their space while they were here.
Do you have a youth group needing a summer project? We would love to coordinate with you! Call (302-652-8133) or email us today ([email protected]) to talk about how your church youth group can get involved!
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Newark Summer BBQ
The Newark churches' 4th of July BBQ Picnic was a huge success again this year! Most of the NEC clients got to load up on burgers, hot dogs, kielbasa, pork loin, Italian sausage, and a smorgasbord of sides and desserts. Well over 250 sodas and bottled water were downed. Everyone had a great time, and many lingered to chat in the shade. Of course many of them stepped up and helped set up, cook, and clean up.In short, it was just a great way to celebrate our freedom. Thank you to everyone who helped make this possible!
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