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About UsFaith Weavers of St. Mary is an all-volunteer, faith-based, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. We exist because of the generosity of many people who dedicate their time and talents to running our community. Thanks to all of you! Your dedication keeps this community together to support one another and serve the needs of our communities, local, national, and international. You are invited to join any of our committees or activities. Your time and talents are valuable commodities and you will feel well rewarded if your use your gifts to support our community activities. Please contact Dave Karmon if you want to volunteer. Mission, Focus and Activities of our CommunityWe are a faith community formed to support one another in working to build the kingdom of God through service to others in all aspects of our lives. We are committed to creating an environment open to new expressions of growth and maturity by expanding our vision of ourselves, our church, and our world, and through our commitment to social justice. Focus Statements:
Activities:
Below is more detailed information about our organization. Organizational Structure: Boards and CommitteesBoard of Directors for Faith Weavers of St. Mary has the legal authority to operate Faith Weavers of St. Mary. It meets on an "as needed" basis to make decisions to organize and operate our community. For example, in the past Directors have authorized the committee structure for Faith Weavers, authorized legal documents to be filed, and authorized the establishment of the Faith Weaver's Endowment Fund. Board of Trustees for the Faith Weavers Endowment Fund, has legal responsibilities for the activities of the Endowment Fund. It has the responsibility to oversee investment policies and make distributions to charitable organizations. Communication Committee develops and maintains the communication channels within our community and with people outside our group. Members of this committee prepare and distribute a newsletter on the community’s activities; developed a brochure describing the community, and distributes announcements on community events. The committee members also established and maintain this website. The committee meets on an as-needed basis. Friends of El Salvador conducts social justice and charitable outreach to the people of El Salvador. In the past the committee has sponsored infrastructure improvements to communities in El Salvador, funded the construction of a chapel in the community of Miramar, El Salvador, and funded scholarships for students in El Salvador. This committee meets on an as-needed basis to plan and oversee outreach projects and conduct fundraising activities. Investment Committee is a subcommittee of the Faith Weavers Endowment Fund. It establishes investment policies for the fund; determines the asset allocation for the fund, and monitors fund performance. This committee also recommends to the Board of Trustees the amount to be distributed for charitable grants. This committee meets on an as-needed basis. Service and Justice Committee identifies and evaluates organizations to be recipients of our donation program. The committee members find local, state, national, and international organizations to receive gifts. They also screen applicants for the Faith Weaver's Endowment Fund donations. The committee members meet on an as-needed basis. Social Committee prepares the main dishes for our social gathering after the monthly prayer services and organizes the set-up and clean up after the meal. It also helps plan other social gatherings like our annual "Tornado Picnic." The committee members meet on an as-needed basis. Steering Committee is responsible for the programs offered by Faith Weavers of St. Mary. It meets monthly to plan the prayer services and social gatherings. It is the committee that oversees all the activities of our faith community. HistoryFaith Weavers of St. Mary is a faith community that started in a Roman Catholic parish, St. Mary’s University Parish in Mt. Pleasant Michigan. Bishop Allen J. Babcock, Bishop of the Diocese of Grand Rapids, started the parish in 1959 to serve the students, faculty, administration and staff of Central Michigan University. In 1971 the parish was transferred to the Diocese of Saginaw. As a parish, we served the sacramental needs of our community along with educational and social justice activities. Over the years the parish attracted people from outside the university community. It had a mixture of student members as well as non-students affiliated with Central Michigan University, Mid-Michigan Community College and the greater Mt. Pleasant community. When Kenneth Untener became bishop of the Diocese of Saginaw in 1980 he encouraged the pastoral team at St. Mary’s to be a vanguard parish in implementing the changes brought about through the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. The mission of St. Mary’s University Parish was expanded to provide a model for students on how a parish should function. Students would then have the knowledge and experience to be lay leaders in parishes they joined after leaving Central Michigan University. Non-student members of the parish worked with students to run the parish. The non-student parishioners saw their role as mentors to students as they matured into adult Christians. Bishop Untener died in 2004 and the direction of the parish was dramatically changed with the appointment of a new pastor in the fall of 2006. The parish has become a student center with a different set of goals. Many former parishioners, who joined other area parishes, wanted to maintain our faith community, to support one another in living our Christian beliefs, and to continue our work in helping students as they mature into adult Christians. We are not a separate church, but a faith community within the tradition of the Roman Catholic Church. However, we are open to people of other faith traditions who want a community to support them in living out their Christian ideals. We are also ecumenical in cooperating with other churches to provide programs supporting the needs of our community. We formed the nonprofit corporation, Faith Weavers of St. Mary, in the State of Michigan, to establish a legal structure for our faith community. The name Faith Weavers of St. Mary comes from the motto of St. Mary’s University Parish, “Weaving Faith into Life.” This motto expresses our desire to live as Disciples of Christ through the ordinary activities of daily life. We realize that we are Christians seven days a week and we must conduct our daily lives in harmony with Christ’s example of service to others. We included St. Mary as part of our name to remind us of our roots in St. Mary’s University Parish. Our community is committed to living out our mission. We do this in many ways:
LegalWe are a tax-exempt charitable organization Faith Weavers of St. Mary is a non-profit corporation chartered by the State of Michigan. We have 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status so all contributions to us are tax deductible. Written requests for legal documents related to our nonprofit and tax-exempt status can be sent to: Faith Weavers of St. Mary |
| Site Updates |
Click on each updates to view and click here for the history of updates. 07/11/2010 06/09/2010 05/05/2010 04/15/2010 03/23/2010 03/18/2010 Donation address added to El Salvador support page. Book Study Group meetings posted on calendar. |
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