Hope Rising #58

Dear Friends,
 
We are back on Sanibel! The Gathering Place has been officially open since Monday and it has been a very busy couple of days as we moved in over the weekend.  In just another extraordinary act of generosity, FP Restoration staff helped us move everything in, including all the chairs and tables that they have stored for us in their warehouse for over a month, they have hung the large cross for us, the large paintings, and we even had the head foreman washing the windows today to make it sparkle for the Ribbon Cutting on Friday. 

Tonight is our first event, a Movie Night with a discussion hosted by Rev. Suzy. It starts at 6pm; enter off Dunlop Road and park in the back lot, then walk up the front ramp and come in the front. 

Everyone is invited to the Chamber of Commerce Ribbon Cutting this Friday at 9am. It will be a brief ceremony followed by refreshments provided by ECW and held inside The Gathering Place. If you plan to attend please ENTER OFF DUNLOP ROAD and back in the back outside of the fenced in area. The entrance off Periwinkle is for construction traffic only at this time as they work on the roof and areas near the driveway. When you arrive, please come up the front ramp and enter from the front doors, not the loading dock.  It will be livestreamed (a link will be sent separately) or recorded.     
 
Our first services back on Sanibel will be this Saturday at 5pm followed by a social, and Sunday at 9:30am followed by coffee hour.  The 9:30am service will be livestreamed.  We will have parking attendants for both services; please enter off Dunlop Road and they will direct you. There are handicapped spots available in front of the building.
 
Our church office is now open Monday-Friday 9am-5pm. Please enter off Dunlop Road, park in the spots in front of the ark or on the side, and enter by walking up the front ramp. Please do not use the back loading dock door. We have a conference room space that is available for meetings, book studies, etc. To schedule any space in The Gathering Place, please contact Susan Gonzalez. 
 
Next week we kick things off with a week long camp for St. Michael's children, hosted by Holy Innocents Episcopal Church in Valrico and St. Hilary's Church in Fort Myers. They will be running the camp and doing work projects around the island, including installing our blinds and cleaning up behind the Ark building. Thanks to Jerry Davenport for coordinating the work team. 

On Monday we also start our partnership with F.I.S.H. as a Resiliency Hub.  See the flyer below for the services they will be providing. All of these services are open to all our parishioners, whether you live on island or off island. You can receive help with FEMA and SBA issues, learn more about disaster financial assistance and participate in several different mental health services including group therapy, 1 on 1 mini sessions, and open discussion on post storm trauma, decision making, mental exhaustion and financial fears. 

Tuesday, August 1 we begin our partnership with Santiva Islanders formerly known as Island Seniors. Tuesdays and Thursdays they are hosting a coffee bistro from 10am-3pm, exercise classes, a book club, card and other games, and lunch events. Again, all are welcome to participate and you will find more information on the programs of both groups in this Friday's brief. Thanks to Sue Van Oss for coordinating our community engagement efforts.
 
Next Wednesday is our first Coffeehouse Music Night from 6:30pm-8:00pm. Enjoy live music, coffee drinks and treats! 
 
Thank you to all the people who have pitched in these past few days to get things ready. From assembling furniture, to cleaning, to organizing and unpacking, it's been a team effort, and it looks beautiful!   

Peace, 
Bill+