October Newsletter - Please have your information for the next newsletter to the church office by Thursday, September 20.

Harvest Home celebration is next weekend, September 22 and 23. Grocery bags for food donations of nonperishable items are available in the narthex. Donations of fall type decorations and garden produce are also appreciated. Decorating will take place at 9:00 on Saturday morning - please come and help out if you can and be sure to drop off your food donations by then.

Help for the Guatemalan Families in Salem - Emmanuel has been collecting donations for a few weeks to assist St. Paul Catholic Church in their effort to care for these families. St. Paul is helping in the following ways:
•    They are a location for people to meet with union representatives, attorneys, translators and they are taking legal intake forms.
•    They are getting families to fill out emergency assistance forms, which ask things like, who is your landlord, what is your monthly rent, what are your utility bills, what are your family’s needs?
•    Most of the people detained are expected to be deported, so it is important for the remaining family members to come up with a plan to take care of themselves now and in the future. St. Paul is helping families survive while they are working with them to help make decisions/plans for what they need to do next by asking questions, such as:  do they have family elsewhere who will take them in, where will they go, will they find employment, how will they provide for themselves?
St. Paul’s greatest need is cash that they can use to provide the proper assistance for each family’s needs. Sister Renee guesses that they will need upwards of $200,000 for proper assistance. No money is going to legal fees! 
•    They have set up a special fund, so no money given will be mixed with any other fund.
•    St. Paul will also accept gift cards, diapers and baby wipes.
•    Please drop your contribution in the offering basket. Mark St. Paul on your check. Please be generous with your gifts.
•    Other churches that have a relationship with the Guatemalan community are:  First Friends Church -- collecting and distributing food; a list may be found on their Facebook page. First Christian Church is also collecting food.