November 2009 Volume 13 Number 4 Established in 1996 Celebrating 13 Years of Service. November 13, 2009

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1 Words of Hope November 2009 Volume 13 Number 4 Established in 1996 Celebrating 13 Years of Service The Advancing Dawn November 13, 2009 Dear friends of Sanctuary of Hope, Welcome to the season of Advent and Christmas! Ecclesiastes says: There is an appointed time for everything...a time to be silent and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate; a time of war and a time of peace. Advent is a time of waiting, of longing for what is the best in life to dawn. I know there is the push of consumerism and the rush of business that wants to bypass such a time for being silent. But if nature must take time to renew herself, how much more do we humans need such time. Jesus spent most of his life on this earth, being still in a small town, Nazareth. They say if you have a full day coming up, you need to take even more time in quiet prayer before you begin such a day. Mary, the mother of God, did the same thing as her son; she waited for the promise given her to be fulfilled. And if there is any time for love, it is NOW! I have watched many a movie; waiting to see how it comes out (even those I know how they will end). What happens, love always wins in the end. Why even the classic, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, sees a cold heart of Mr. Ebenezer Scrooge, become a heart that can t even contain the joy of loving a family with a boy named, Tiny Tim. At the end of the Bible are these words: Behold I am coming soon. I bring with me the recompense I will give to each according to their deeds! Fr. Dennis Wait Sanctuary of Hope Inner City Inter Faith Retreat Center 2601 Ridge Ave. Kansas City, Kansas HOPE (4673) Please Read This Prayers: Morning 7 AM Tues. - Sun. Evening 5 PM Tues. - Sat. Morning Mass 7:30 AM Tues. & Thurs. Weekly Prayer 10-11:30 AM Tues. Prayer & Support Groups HIV AIDS - 2nd Thurs.7 PM Work Day-2nd Sat. of month 8 AM - 1 PM, including lunch Associates Day To be scheduled. See web site. Closed on Mondays Newsletter may be viewed in color on the web site 1

2 (Continued from page 1) And a time for peace well isn t this what we all long for, no matter what side we find ourselves on? If we want to be miserable and make others lives miserable (or try to), then that will be our lot. But if we desire peace and prosperity for all, then this will be granted to us in full measure. For the measure of a person s life is the peaceful relationships they have formed over the years allotted to them. Who brings you peace today? Who would you like to spend eternity with? In John 14 we read: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. Silence, Love and Peace all working together to fashion a people of God! What better gift can we await and then receive at Christmas than hearts full of gratitude and hope, in love with a God that can only love in return. Yes, two roads diverged into a woods and I took the one less traveled. Two hearts finally discovered each other and they have never known such JOY! Yes, there will be more hurdles ahead and crosses to bear, more demands made on our time; but in the end, we will hear the angels singing: Glory to God in the Highest and Peace to people of good will. As Tiny Tim says: God bless everyone! We want to welcome back our newest live-in member, Anita Martinez. Anita was with us just two years ago and is now back to help us continue our networking with the larger community and bring about more spiritual life programs for all. Anita loves Jesus and life. She is committed to helping others find a deeper faith and hope for their future. We now have three outstanding women who are the Sisters of Peace: Anita, Laurie Oswald and Jean Morley. Praise God! Alain Nteikeu will be leaving SOH the first week of December. Alain will be taking on a full time job with Commerce Bank and completing his studies at Avila University in accounting. One day he hopes to return to Africa, to the Cameroon. Alain will be missed at ole SOH. He has brought to us a sense of how rich this world is and how we need to be more astute in our life undertakings. He is a man of deep Faith and loves to help others. We joke with him and ask him if he will invite us over to the Cameroon when he becomes the future President! Please keep him and Anita in your prayers. If you know of a man who might be interested in becoming a live-in member, we would greatly appreciate hearing from him. We do ask that this person have some background in spiritual life and some professional training in this field as well. They would give at least 35 hours a week toward the mission of SOH and must want to become an integral part of the live-in community. Please let me know. To have another man on board would balance out the Brothers and Sisters of Peace. That would give us three Brothers of Peace, I, Stephen Sullivan and the new live-in member. Please pray that the right person comes our way! Have an anointed Advent and a Christmas of fulfillment! Love, Prayers and Gratitude, Fr. Dennis Wait, a servant leader With the whole SOH Community and all our generous supporters and volunteers 2

3 Fr. Dennis Wait - Founder & Spiritual Director of Sanctuary of Hope (SOH) Thank you for your special support in so many ways to SOH-you are a Guardian of Hope. Our annual Guardians of Hope Appeal began 14 years ago. I am grateful for your love and sacrifice that continues to keep the miracle of SOH alive. May I ask your help in two ways? FINANCIAL SUPPORT: Would you consider making a one time or pledge contribution and return this form in the enclosed envelope? Please accept my support in the amount of $ for 2010 This is a One time gift or Pledge during 2010 Name Address I (We) commit to regular prayer (i.e. Weekly) for Sanctuary of Hope's ministry HOPE REQUEST: Would you share a HOPE you have right now, be it for yourself, family or Sanctuary of Hope? I will review in prayer each HOPE that you share. It does not matter if you are not able to provide financially, please send your HOPE(S) to me in the enclosed envelope. I (We) HOPE for the following: (please use the back of this form if necessary) I will keep your HOPES and those of others in a special container-like a HOPE BASKET. It will be a special Sanctuary for the HOPES of our Guardians. I hope I receive a mountain of HOPE! I am so grateful for all the support you continue to share. Fr. Dennis 3

4 A House of Prayer for All People All People, Let us be Joyful! Omnes Gentes Gaudeamus Igitur!! To Everyone Sanctuary is your home! Ahn yong ha seyo! Nahmaste! Shalom! Ah Salam salekum! Bienvenidos to all our amigos! Bienvenue to each one of you!! On Saturday, November 7 th, sponsors, volunteers, family, and friends, from across the metro, 300 guests in the ballroom of the Hilton Garden Inn came to attend Sanctuary of Hope's 4th Annual Dinner, Dance and LIVE Auction. Co-Chairpersons Jane & Gary Walton, pulled off a night of opulence and elegance with the cooperation of numerous saints! The Brumley Brothers, Mike on bass and Gary on guitar, serenaded all with soft, smooth, mellow dinner music of nostalgic bliss that caused us to reminisce. Crystal candelabras adorned each table, as we, children of the Light, drew near to celebrate 13 years of Unity in Diversity, Ora and Labora! Pleasing to the palate, sumptuous smoked shrimp and filet mignon melted like butter on the tongue, followed by decadently delicious strawberry parfait or a chocolate mousse dream of brownies with cookies and cream! Michael Sharp, Auctioneer, kicked things into high gear, and off the shelf things flew. *A night to Dine with the Padres as they serve up soul food! *A splendid night of dining for 10 on the hills of Shawnee, by co-hosts Mark & Gail Mies! *Protect your property and assets for future generations, with lawyer Roberta Wilkes professional guidance and consultation. *Luscious lawns and gorgeous gardens donated by Jean Morley and Jeff Stock to spruce up your outdoors! *30 yard line tickets for 4 to Dec. 6th Chiefs/Bronco s game! *An Oklahoma weekend vacation at scenic Sparrow Hawk Mountain! *A meticulously handcrafted Amish quilt of old world charm! Then, after all the wining and dining and flurry of auction activity, the Ed Smith Band started things to jam as guests got on the floor and boogied some more! To all committee members who embraced Sanctuary with dedication, and brought the Hope Benefit to fruition, we express our gratitude and appreciation! Hands that work, hands that care, hands that share, hands lifted up in prayer! Bless all the hands and all your handiwork! We ve come this far by faith to build the City of Love. It is not only a city of brick and stone and wood, but a "City" of Sanctuary to retreat from the world, a "City" of Hope for all to come and rest their heavy burdens, an oasis to refresh one s spirit. Rich and poor, old and young, speaking a variety of tongues, in this place, we seek to be one. From the suburbs to the local neighborhood, we all come together for the common good. Multicultural, multi-inclusive, no matter your religion, all are welcome. Buddhist, Baptist, Moslem and Jew, indigenous spiritualities too, all Christian denominations, agnostic and Hindu, are welcome. This is truly A House of Prayer for all People. - -By Kathy Jennings 4

5 A Word From the Hope Benefit Co-Chairs As I write this, the 4th Annual Hope Benefit 2009 is history, and what a successful gala it was! Thanks to everyone's incredible generosity, the 4th Annual Hope Benefit raised $35,800 for Sanctuary of Hope!! Both Jane and I, as co-chairs, cannot express our thanks and gratitude enough to everyone involved. The saying it takes a village to raise a child finds a parallel in it takes a community to create a Hope Benefit. And what a community we have! From the Hope Benefit Committee, who spent countless hours organizing all aspects of the Benefit, to the volunteers who provided absolutely essential aid as welcomers, movers, contributors and workers, clearly we are a Sanctuary of Hope family. I would be remiss if I failed to recognize and thank our Hope Benefit honorary co-hosts, Mark and Gail Mies, and Larry and Kathy Ryan. They not only took an active part in planning the Benefit, but were generous with their time and contributions. Our Benefit and those of us on the committee were definitely enriched because of their love, support and dedication. Finally, a Hugh THANK YOU to all the donors, sponsors, benefactors, and attendees. In these difficult financial times, to have so many be so generous is truly evidence of your love and God s blessings! Sincerely, Gary & Jane Walton - Hope Benefit 2009 Co-Chairs 5

6 Year End Gift Ideas Gifts of Stock IRA rollovers for those over 70 1/2 tax free Life Insurance beneficiary Donations Call Lou or Julie if you have questions Campaign Update Dear SOH Community, We promised in out last newsletter that we would provide an update on our campaign. As of this writing, we have received donations of $2, from 110 people who receive our newsletter. Since the newsletter is mailed to 2,500 people, one can see that there are many more members of our SOH community we would like to see join our campaign. Even though this campaign was held during the Hope Benefit, which drew most of our attention, we are thankful to those who contributed both to the Benefit AND the project! Now that the Hope Benefit is past, we ask if the rest of you would please consider supporting the campaign? Those who have already sent in your contribution, might you please consider contributing another $16.80 to help us reach our goal of $42,000? We understand that there are some who would love to contribute, but simply cannot do so at this time. Please continue to pray for the success of our campaign effort, as... Our prayers are with all of you who make up our SOH community! Gary and Jane Walton, Hope Benefit Co-Chairs & Sanctuary of Hope Board of Trustee Members Holy Ground Books and Gifts: An Update We are off and running! The gift shop has opened to rave reviews and sales have been brisk. The Holy Ground Committee is thrilled to offer Sanctuary of Hope visitors lovely artist created items. Many people have commented about how nice it is to have a gift shop where everything is created by artists. We have lovely reasonably priced items that will make special gifts for friends and family this holiday season. Look for recently added "hoodies" sporting the "Sanctuary of Hope logo". Be sure and stop by often, as we are always adding new items! Remember, your purchase supports Sanctuary of Hope's operating budget. Office volunteers and staff will gladly help if you find a book or one of a kind item you would like to purchase. Thank you for your support! Your Holy Ground Books and Gifts Committee. MISSION KANSAS HYVEE STORE For this year s Hope Benefit, HyVee in Mission, Kansas donated their labor and containers for all the flower arrangements. We assured HyVee that we would encourage all our Sanctuary of Hope community to patronize the Mission Kansas HyVee store! 6

7 A day to remember, please come and bring a friend! Sunday, February 14, the FREE Concert of 3M! Music, Movement & Meditation! Gifts of the Heart on Valentine s Day! That s Amore!! A Different View of Balance in Our Lives - by Sister Antonella Bayer, CSJ Much has been written about achieving balance in our lives. Usually the topic includes being mindful, time management, sensible eating habits, and working out to enable one to achieve balance more easily. One can work to acquire balance in body, mind, and spirit and carry this into relationships within the family, work environment, and community. As we round the curve to December and the beginning of Advent, let us consider another view of balance and see where the road takes us. Wherever we live, we come into contact with many and varied personalities. People come into our lives and we enter theirs. It is possible that some of them bring out the best in us while others seem to bring out the worst in us, and through this experience we can learn more about ourselves. People can actually balance our weaknesses and maximize our strengths. If it is true that no one is an island and we find our need for others through our own imperfections, we can consider ourselves blessed and become a blessing for others. We are strong in some areas so that we will be generous enough to help those who are weaker, and we are weak in other areas so that we will be humble enough to seek help from others. Perhaps a thought to ponder during Advent might be, To whom haven t I given my best self to help them have the strength to face fully the challenges of life? Lastly, Who has provided me with balance by sharing their strengths with me? WISH LIST Help and donations for Storm The Dorm project. Donation of new computers or 5GB or larger hard drives. Electrical hook-up for the garage. New sound system for the chapel. COMING EVENTS Nov. 26, 2009 Thanksgiving Mass 8AM, followed by Brunch. Everyone welcome. RSVP Nov. 26, 2009 After Brunch - thru Dec.1, SOH Closed Dec. 5, 2009 Taize Prayer 7-9PM, Chapel, Sr. Antonella Dec. 12, 2009 Work Day 8AM - 1PM, including lunch. Decorate for Christmas Dec. 25, 2009 Christmas Mass 10AM, followed by Brunch. Everyone welcome. RSVP Dec. 25, 2009 After brunch - thru Dec. 31, SOH closed Dec. 31, 2009 New Years Eve Celebration 10PM - Midnight Jan. 9, 2010 Work Day 8AM - 1PM, including lunch Jan. 23, 2010 Associates HOP 10AM - Noon, followed by pot luck lunch Feb. 13, 2010 Work Day 8AM - 1PM, including lunch Feb. 14, M CONCERT 2-4PM, Chapel & dining room Feb. 27, 2010 Associates HOP 10AM - Noon, followed by pot luck lunch March 7, 2010 PATHS TO PEACE 1-4PM March 13, 2010 Work Day 8AM - 1PM, including lunch March 25, 2010 Feast of Hope 7-8:30PM, Pastor Sonja Griffith March 27, 2010 Associates HOP 10AM - Noon, followed by pot luck lunch April 1, 2010 Holy Thursday Service 7PM. Everyone welcome April 2, 2010 Good Friday Service 7PM. Everyone welcome April 4, 2010 Easter Sunday 8AM Mass, followed by Brunch. Everyone welcome. RSVP April 10, 2010 Work Day 8AM - 1PM, including lunch April 11, 2010 Prayer Walk 1-3 PM, from SOH to Shalom House 7

8 Sanctuary of Hope P.O.Box Kansas City, KS Sanctuary (913) of Hope NON PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 598 KANSAS CITY,KS Return Service Requested Sanctuary of Hope (913) Congratulations to Father Dennis Wait and the Entire Sanctuary of Hope Community for 13 Years of Wonderful Ministry and Service! 8