We believe it is important to keep our friends, partners, and volunteers up to date on the future of Festival of Sharing.
Festival of sharing to host local events
[COLUMBIA, Mo] – May 30, 2018 –The Festival of Sharing team is pleased to share details for seven Sharefests and one quilt auction this fall.
The seven Sharefests will be ecumenical gatherings encouraging localized, regional partnerships while maintaining ties with international organizations, such as Heifer International and Church World Service. Community members and Festival supporters are invited to attend one or more of these public events in Cameron, Springfield, Macon, Kansas City, Dexter, Ferguson and Tipton. Event details can be found at www.festivalofsharing.org. Opportunities to serve at each Sharefest include kit assembly, distribution, prayer, worship, serving lunch and more. Volunteers arrive at Sharefests by 9:30 a.m. At 11:30 a.m., all attendees gather for worship and a shared meal.
Regional agency partners join volunteers for lunch and receive their allocated donations around 1:00 p.m. Festival of Sharing supports a variety of agencies across Missouri including food pantries, ministerial alliances, community outreach centers, garden coalitions, domestic violence centers, foster and adoption programs and more. Agencies who are interested in partnering with Festival of Sharing to receive donations are encouraged to contact coordinator Sidney Owens at festival@socket.net or (573) 474-3332.
Festival of Sharing appreciates the time and effort individuals, communities and churches dedicate to supporting this ministry. “Guided by the phrase ‘One Mission, Many Communities,’ our 2018 events will build better connections in the community and offer new experiences for volunteers, agencies and churches,” said Owens. “Each Sharefest planning team is full of energy and life. Their gifts and positive attitudes already achieve so much together that we cannot wait to see what future Sharefests bring.”
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Festival of Sharing, a ministry of the Office of Mission, Service & Justice, is an interfaith celebration and in-gathering of mission resources.
Festival offers a cooperative response to world hunger, poverty, and injustice and seeks to address and to raise awareness of its root causes and solutions. For more information or to get involved, visit www.festivalofsharing.org or on Facebook @FestivalofSharing.
The seven Sharefests will be ecumenical gatherings encouraging localized, regional partnerships while maintaining ties with international organizations, such as Heifer International and Church World Service. Community members and Festival supporters are invited to attend one or more of these public events in Cameron, Springfield, Macon, Kansas City, Dexter, Ferguson and Tipton. Event details can be found at www.festivalofsharing.org. Opportunities to serve at each Sharefest include kit assembly, distribution, prayer, worship, serving lunch and more. Volunteers arrive at Sharefests by 9:30 a.m. At 11:30 a.m., all attendees gather for worship and a shared meal.
Regional agency partners join volunteers for lunch and receive their allocated donations around 1:00 p.m. Festival of Sharing supports a variety of agencies across Missouri including food pantries, ministerial alliances, community outreach centers, garden coalitions, domestic violence centers, foster and adoption programs and more. Agencies who are interested in partnering with Festival of Sharing to receive donations are encouraged to contact coordinator Sidney Owens at festival@socket.net or (573) 474-3332.
Festival of Sharing appreciates the time and effort individuals, communities and churches dedicate to supporting this ministry. “Guided by the phrase ‘One Mission, Many Communities,’ our 2018 events will build better connections in the community and offer new experiences for volunteers, agencies and churches,” said Owens. “Each Sharefest planning team is full of energy and life. Their gifts and positive attitudes already achieve so much together that we cannot wait to see what future Sharefests bring.”
###
Festival of Sharing, a ministry of the Office of Mission, Service & Justice, is an interfaith celebration and in-gathering of mission resources.
Festival offers a cooperative response to world hunger, poverty, and injustice and seeks to address and to raise awareness of its root causes and solutions. For more information or to get involved, visit www.festivalofsharing.org or on Facebook @FestivalofSharing.
Festival of Sharing Reveals Plans to Multiply Hope - aUGUST 2017
COLUMBIA, Mo. – August 28, 2017 – After a multi-year assessment, the Festival Coordinating Committee voted in April 2017 to embrace an opportunity to become better stewards of the financial and volunteer-based resources that have contributed to this ministry for over 36 years.
Beginning in 2018, Festival of Sharing will host several gatherings, called Sharefests, around the state throughout the year. The committee’s leadership is clear that Festival of Sharing is not ending, just altering its format to maximize impact and connect more deeply with smaller and rural church partners and local agencies.
One of the most noticeable differences will be shifting away from hosting an event at the State Fairgrounds in Sedalia after 2017. Moving the event away from the fairgrounds in Sedalia immediately releases $20,000 in costs related to space rental and logistics that can go toward international and domestic relief instead.
The Festival of Sharing Coordinating Committee, representing Baptist, Catholic, Church of the Brethren, Lutheran, Presbyterian, United Church of Christ, and Methodist denominations, discussed at the April meeting an increase in requests for resources to come back to local and regional areas rather than be distributed throughout the state. Many agencies have backed away from driving to the primary event in Sedalia because of the cost of transportation and limited vehicle capabilities.
The plan for 2018 and beyond is to encourage more regional, localized partnerships while maintaining ties with international organizations, such as Heifer International and Church World Service.
Sharefests are smaller, regional Festivals and include many of the same elements as the event at the State Fairgrounds: youth participation, service, worship, booths, distribution to local agencies and community relations. These regional events provide unique opportunities for community members and local agencies to build relationships that generate solutions in their own context. There are currently three Sharefests in Dexter, Cameron, and Ferguson and the committee hopes to expand that list to include Springfield-area and northeastern Missouri locations.
“We invite prayer and encouragement for the future of this ministry and for those who are working to make Festival a celebration that many of our small to medium-size churches can invest in,” said Sidney Owens, Festival of Sharing coordinator. “We have an opportunity to exponentially multiply the hope we share with our brothers and sisters.”
Beginning in 2018, Festival of Sharing will host several gatherings, called Sharefests, around the state throughout the year. The committee’s leadership is clear that Festival of Sharing is not ending, just altering its format to maximize impact and connect more deeply with smaller and rural church partners and local agencies.
One of the most noticeable differences will be shifting away from hosting an event at the State Fairgrounds in Sedalia after 2017. Moving the event away from the fairgrounds in Sedalia immediately releases $20,000 in costs related to space rental and logistics that can go toward international and domestic relief instead.
The Festival of Sharing Coordinating Committee, representing Baptist, Catholic, Church of the Brethren, Lutheran, Presbyterian, United Church of Christ, and Methodist denominations, discussed at the April meeting an increase in requests for resources to come back to local and regional areas rather than be distributed throughout the state. Many agencies have backed away from driving to the primary event in Sedalia because of the cost of transportation and limited vehicle capabilities.
The plan for 2018 and beyond is to encourage more regional, localized partnerships while maintaining ties with international organizations, such as Heifer International and Church World Service.
Sharefests are smaller, regional Festivals and include many of the same elements as the event at the State Fairgrounds: youth participation, service, worship, booths, distribution to local agencies and community relations. These regional events provide unique opportunities for community members and local agencies to build relationships that generate solutions in their own context. There are currently three Sharefests in Dexter, Cameron, and Ferguson and the committee hopes to expand that list to include Springfield-area and northeastern Missouri locations.
“We invite prayer and encouragement for the future of this ministry and for those who are working to make Festival a celebration that many of our small to medium-size churches can invest in,” said Sidney Owens, Festival of Sharing coordinator. “We have an opportunity to exponentially multiply the hope we share with our brothers and sisters.”