The 4th Annual Un-Company Picnic held on Friday, 31 May 2013 was attended by 38 people – three more than participated in the 3rd Annual Un-Company picnic on Friday, 25 May 2012. These picnics were at Preston Park Meadow Pavilion in Plano, Texas. Those who landed described their new positions. Lee Brucker read a very short list of job fairs and workshops. Everybody recited their 30-second introduction. Paulette Wagner and Bobby Wrenn played a game of Cribbage. The wind blew a few things around, but otherwise attendees enjoyed the fellowship and food. The North Dallas / Plano Career Focus Group, Jeff Morris, organize these picnics. Advance registration for $5 or at the picnic for $6 got two all beef hot dogs, a bag of chips, two drinks, and a large cookie. Funds not used for the picnics are donated to CareerDFW. Potato salad, fruit, and other items were brought and shared by some participants. Photographs taken at the 4th Annual Un-Company Picnic follow. 

The Seven Loaves Food Pantry served 47 families on Thursday, 09 May 2013. Each family received fresh new or red potatoes, selections from the personal shopping table, fresh eggs, frozen meats, peanut butter, and a number one and a number two bag for each family member. Number one bags contain canned protein and canned fruit. Number two bags contain canned vegetables or soups, dried beans, and rice or grain.

Food distributed by the Seven Loaves Food Pantry comes from the North Texas Food Bank, food collections conducted by various companies, and donations delivered to St. Andrew United Methodist Church in Plano, Texas. Canned proteins are currently in short supply at the Seven Loaves Food Pantry. Canned proteins include tuna, chicken, salmon, ham, etc. If you want to donate food items to Seven Loaves Food Pantry, please consider donating canned proteins. Cash donations enable the pantry to purchase food from the North Texas Food Bank at prices significantly lower than neighborhood retail grocery stores.

All donations are greatly appreciated and help people in need of good nutritional foods who cannot afford to purchase these foods. Unusual items are sometimes donated. These are placed on the personal shopping table for clients who want these items that do not fit the normal pantry distribution. All donated items are checked for safe to use date codes and counted. Two unusual items checked in on Thursday, 09 May 2013 are Turkey Bath Brine Concentrate and Haldiram’s Gulab Jamun; there was only one of each. Turkey Bath Brine Concentrate is like a marinade but faster and more effective at tenderizing and seasoning meat. Gulab Jamun is a classic Indian dessert, for all occasions including festivals or major celebrations, of soft cottage cheese dumplings with cardamom flavored sugar syrup. 

The Networking Lunch was at Joe’s Pasta & Pizza on Friday, 22 February 2013. This lunch with conversations about job searches was attended by 12 people. Networking Lunches occur at a different location each week as announced on http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/CC_NorthDallas/. People arrive about 11:45 AM. 

Three segments of Seven Loaves CommUnity were open on Thursday, 21 February 2013: Seven Loaves Food Pantry, Joseph’s Coat, and Legal Clinic. All these activities were at St. Andrew United Methodist Church in Plano, Texas.

Seven Loaves Food Pantry served 53 families. Each family received fresh oranges, selections from the personal shopping table, fresh eggs, peanut butter, and frozen meats. Each member of each family received one number one bag and one number two bag. Each number one bag contained canned protein and canned fruit. Each number two bag contained canned vegetables, dried black beans, and rice or pasta.

Joseph’s Coat provided gently used clothing to registered food pantry clients. Vouchers for Joseph’s Coat are distributed by Seven Loaves Food Pantry for redemption at Joseph’s Coat.

Legal Clinic volunteers assisted clients with legal issues. Clients should bring appropriate documents for review at the Legal Clinic.

Seven Loaves CommUnity is on the World Wide Web.

• Website at http://www.7loavescommunity.org/home.html 
• Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SevenLoaves
• Twitter https://twitter.com/ #7LoavesPlano
  

Donations to Seven Loaves Food Pantry and Joseph’s Coat are always appreciated and accepted at St. Andrew United Methodist Church at 5801 West Plano Parkway in Plano, Texas 75093. Park in the lot off of Mira Vista Boulevard and enter through the doors that face the north. Place donations in rolling baskets in the hallway. Receipts are available in room 134. The food pantry needs canned fruit and canned protein. Canned fruit that is labeled “Lite / No Sugar Added” or “100% Juice” such as pears, peaches, mixed fruit, or oranges are preferred. Canned protein includes chicken, tuna, and salmon. 

My Anchor Holds (an acoustic/soul duo based out of Nashville, Tennessee) performed from 6:45 PM to 7:15 PM in Wesley Hall at St. Andrew United Methodist Church. Husband and wife, Jacob and Katie Eckeberger, are My Anchor Holds. Jacob plays an amplified acoustic guitar while Katie sings. More information about this couple is available at the website http://www.myanchorholds.net/, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MyAnchorHolds, and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/My_Anchor_Holds/.

Scott L. Engle, Ph.D. taught the first of three all-church study sessions titled “What Christians Believe” based on the Apostles’ Creed. This is a follow-up series to the “Connecting the Dots” study last fall.  John Wesley frequently quoted St. Augustine:
“In the essentials, unity; in all else, liberty; in everything clarity.”

The Apostles’ Creed began as a series of baptism questions. It carries a large part of who Christians believe Jesus is. Beliefs about Jesus define who we are as Christians.

Evil cannot be anything of substance because God did not create evil. Evil is that which destroys good. There is nothing that exists that God did not create. People choose to commit evil acts.

Who is Jesus? He is God’s only Son. He is fully divine and fully human. He is Lord.

Christ is a title not a name. Messiah and Christ are synonyms.

Caesar was known as lord. Jesus as Lord means that He is the master of creation. Since Caesar expected to be lord it was not acceptable for Jesus to be Lord.

Protestants have lost sight of the significance of the Virgin Mary. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born by the Virgin Mary. Therefore, Jesus was fully divine and fully human.

My Anchor Holds performed between 8:20 PM and 8:25 PM and class was dismissed by 8:30 PM. 

Seven Loaves Food Pantry served 266 individuals by distributing 3,639 pounds of food.

Joseph’s Coat gave 1,088 articles of clothing to 272 people.

Seven Loaves Food Pantry and Joseph’s Coat are ministries of Seven Loaves CommUnity. Both operate out of St. Andrew United Methodist Church in Plano, Texas. Other ministries of Seven Loaves CommUnity include Project Hope, West Side Clinic, and a legal clinic. 

Sweetheart Dinner and Movie on Friday, 15 February 2013 at St. Andrew United Methodist Church in Plano, Texas was sponsored by the United Methodist Men. About 25 to 30 couples participated by sharing a variety of Italian themed food items. Pellegrino® sparkling mineral water mixed with flavored syrups and crushed ice was the main beverage. Coffee was also served. Foods included sliced red and green apples, carrots, celery with caramel and ranch dips; cantaloupe; five cheeses; dip and chips; salads; lasagna; spaghetti, and breads. Deserts included fresh strawberries with whipped cream, carrot cake, chocolate cake, fruit pies, and cobblers. Festival Hall was quickly rearranged from round dining tables to two rows of sofas for the movie. We enjoyed watching the movie “Midnight in Paris” written and directed by Woody Allen. This was a pleasant evening of conversation, dining, and entertainment. 

United Methodist Men of St. Andrew United Methodist Church cooked and served regular and blueberry pancakes at the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper. Fruit and candy toppings for the pancakes, orange juice, and bottled water were served. Images of giant stacks of pancakes were projected onto the east wall of Wesley Hall. Tables were decorated with Mardi Gras beads and chocolate coins. This event for the entire family was hosted by the Children’s Ministry of St. Andrew United Methodist Church of Plano, Texas.

Scott L. Engle Ph.D. teaches a Bible study on most Mondays. He taught a study of Philemon on Monday, 11 February 2013 at St. Andrew United Methodist Church in Plano, Texas. Paul wrote this letter himself, rather than have a scribe write it for him, to Philemon regarding Onesimus who was Philemon’s slave.

On the next three Monday nights (18 & 25 February and 04 March 2013), this class will meet in Wesley Hall rather than Piro Hall. Scott will teach an all church Bible study titled “What Christians Believe” on these three Monday nights. See http://www.standrewumc.org/connect/events-and-registration/#c9190 for a description of this study.  

Seven Loaves CommUnity managers met on Monday, 11 February 2013. Six people participated in this meeting. Seven Loaves Food Pantry, Joseph’s Coat, and West Side Clinic were represented.

The food pantry served 1800 people during January 2013.

It was decided that a brief meeting beginning at 3:45 PM and ending before the pantry opens at 4:00 PM is the most convenient time for face-to-face meetings. New technology including Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn will be used to exchange information and minimize the need for face-to-face meetings. Successful non-profits are on the cutting edge of technology. Seven Loaves volunteers are encouraged to like, follow, and connect with the Seven Loaves CommUnity on these social media.

Most volunteers at the Thursday food pantry are retired or otherwise unemployed. This enables them to be at the pantry during typical business hours. Most volunteers at the Saturday food pantry are currently employed and only able to volunteer on Saturday.

Terry Breedlove is arranging to print Certificates of Appreciation on card stock. This certificate will be given to organizations and individuals who provide significant support to Seven Loaves CommUnity. The organization or individual will be named on the certificate and the function of Seven Loaves CommUnity supported will be identified. Chic-fil-A will be one of the first to receive this Certificate of Appreciation.

One possible project is to place boxes with billboards in various businesses to collect change donations. Another possible project will be Seven Loaves Check Printers placed in automobile dealership; this could be an Eagle Scout project.

Kohl’s Department Store is accepting nominations of persons less than 18 years of age to recognize for their volunteer activities. Terry Breedlove is open for nominations of Seven Loaves volunteers who can be submitted to Kohl’s.

West Side Clinic has been canceled due because there were no medical care providers. Paid staff has been removed. Financial qualification is scaring potential clients away. Clinic is in desperate need of consistent leadership.

Email distribution lists need to be updated to enable appropriate information about each part of Seven Loaves CommUnity to be sent to each address.

Terry Breedlove has ordered four new signs that have the correct pantry times displayed.

We need to get word out that Seven Loaves volunteers can get credit for Seven Loaves Food Pantry by volunteering at the North Texas Food Bank. They need to sign in on the Seven Loaves Food Pantry account at the North Texas Food Bank.