Wesley Marco

Grace place article

2004-11-17T20:12:00.000-05:00

I’m delighted to share with you the following article which was published in the Golden Gate Gazette today! The Golden Gate community has been so supportive of our efforts and special thanks go to Rev. Tony Masinelli (Messiah Lutheran Church on the Golden Gate Parkway) and to Tuff Publications for this piece.
More news and pictures soon!
Grace and peace,
Stephanie Campbell
287-5111

Church Has New Focus – Program offers kids a “place of grace”
By Tony Masinelli (Golden Gate Gazette, Nov. 18, 2004)
From the heart of Golden Gate to the hearts of at-risk children, a new organization is reaching out to build a better future, one precious life at a time.

Grace Place, a non-profit faith-based initiative, recently opened on the grounds of the former Golden Gate United Methodist Church (UMC), which closed two years ago. Like the mythical phoenix arising out of the ashes, supporters say Grace Place has breathed new life into the six-acre campus and sparked a dynamic ministry to area children and families.

“We’re not a church, we’re a service organization, explained Rev. Stephanie Campbell, program director and UMC minister. “We want to support, enhance and enrich the lives of local children while strengthening families and building a stronger, safer community.”

Grace Place accomplishes this mission through programs such as Bright Beginnings, After-School Tutoring, English as a Second Language, Mom’s Club, Summer Reading Day Camp, and the SHARE Food Program.

“We’re just in our first year, and we’re already serving approximately 80 to 90 families on a regular basis,” Campbell said. “Others come and go, or maybe they need one-time help. We work with them according to what they need.”

Nearly half of the families served by Grace Place participate in Bright Beginnings, led by Diane Ponton, Collier County Teacher of the Year. The program provides preschool experiences for young children while mothers learn how to stimulate their child’s mind, enrich the home environment, and enhance early childhood learning experiences. These activities provide crucial building blocks for ongoing success when the child enters school.

“If we can make a real difference early on, we can actually change the life of a child,” Campbell noted. “Properly equipped with basic skills and an environment that encourages learning, a child has a much better chance reaching his or her full potential.”

Grace Place transports more than 60 elementary and middle-school students for twice-a-week tutoring, reading groups, personalized computer help, mentoring, recreation and refreshments. Many of the children come from homes in which English is not the native language and parents are not able to assist with homework.

Program volunteers fill in that gap while also serving as positive role models and supportive listeners. Children receive plenty of personal attention at Grace Place, where the tutor-student ratio is 1:2.

In addition, Campbell says the program also helps combat juvenile crime in Golden Gate by providing a controlled environment for after-school activities.

“Research has shown that violent juvenile crime dramatically increases in the hours immediately following school,” she says. “There is also a much higher risk of a child becoming involved in alcohol, drugs and a variety of undesirable activities. By keeping the children busy here, we’re directly impacting the quality of their life, and the quality of life in this community.”

Funding for Grace Place currently comes from seven area churches: First United Methodist Church, East Naples UMC, Cornerstone UMC, North Naples UMC, Wesley UMC (Marco Island), Vanderbilt Presbyterian Church, and the Moorings Presbyterian Church. However, Campbell hopes that other churches will become involved and support this important work.

“This isn’t just a Methodist or Presbyterian thing,” she explained. “We’re ecumenical. Grace Place is just 30 minutes from the majority of churches in Naples, and we’d like to build bridges to them. Let’s work together. Think about what we could achieve!”

Campbell also emphasized that because her program is not a church, but a faith-based non-profit, organizations and businesses are encouraged to partner with Grace Place in shaping a better future for area children and families.

“We can all have ownership here,” she asserted. “This is our community. We can dream together about what this could be for the children.”

Hurricane Recovery News

2004-10-30T21:32:00.000-04:00

Announcement from the Storm Recovery Centerfor all churches and districts in Florida
The Florida Conference Storm Recovery Center is continuing to coordinate work teams to respond to physical and other needs of persons in areas damaged by hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jeanne.

We need three kinds of teams:
Listening
Cleanup
Rebuilding

We also need individuals to serve as volunteer case managers. Teams can work for as little as a day and as long as several weeks.

Listening Teams
Listening teams will also provide information and referrals. Training for listening team members will be will be provided. Team members should have a good pair of walking shoes and patience and an openness to listen.
Teams of two will visit door-to-door in affected areas and offer the care and concern of the church by:
listening to people’s stories, needs and hopes;
providing information on services available (fliers will be provided);
making an initial assessment of whether persons need further assistance; and
offering prayer if residents desire.
In order to send listening teams in communities, we need local churches to help us identify areas where they might be helpful.

Cleanup
Cleanup teams will clear debris; cut and move downed trees; dry-in homes to prevent further damage; move furniture from damaged homes; clean up mildew, mold and moisture damage; and remove damaged carpets, sheetrock, and other material from homes.
Cleanup team members need to bring their own chainsaws, work gloves, cleaning supplies, tarps, basic tools and towropes.

Rebuilding
Rebuilding teams will repair damaged homes and property for persons in need of help. Tasks may include roofing, carpentry, painting, HVAC repair, carpeting, electrical work, masonry, plumbing and other home-repair-related jobs.
Rebuilding team members need to bring their own tools and should wear clothing appropriate for the intended task(s). Teams will be required to set up and clean up their own materials.

Volunteer Case Managers
The Florida Conference will provide case management services to those in our long-term recovery efforts who may not qualify for FEMA assistance, have received the maximum grants from FEMA and/or are uninsured or underinsured.
Training in case management and emotion and spiritual care is available in affected areas Nov. 8-12. Additional information is available on the Florida Conference Web site at http://www.flumc.org

FEMA registration deadlines have been extended to Dec. 11 and it’s important that this information is given to church members and communities in affected areas.
Call the Storm Recovery Center 1-800-282-8011, extension 149, to identify areas of need or to volunteer.

We encourage you to stay updated about the Florida Conference’s recovery efforts through the Florida Conference Web site and the e-Review Florida United Methodist News Service at http://www.flumc.info/.
return to hurricane watch/relief & recovery start page go to flumc.org home page

Grace Place: Our ministry to Children

2004-10-30T20:54:00.000-04:00

October 30, 2004
Dear Friends of Grace Place,
What wonderful things have been happening each week! Let me try to share some of the highlights:

1) Bright Beginnings – Helping Young Children Start Smart
Two sessions of this 8-week course for mothers are meeting each week (Wednesday mornings and Thursday evenings). Twenty-four mothers are learning parenting skills and how to enrich their young child’s learning at home. Their small children are benefiting from enriching learning activities, reading and socialization with our childcare volunteers. Mothers are referred to us from WIC, Children and Family Services, an Early Intervention Program, Youth Haven, and others.
Two more sessions will begin for 24-30 more moms and their children in January.

Jared, Michael, & Marcos at play Samantha enjoys volunteering! Wednesday morning lunch together with friends

Current Needs for Bright Beginnings:
o Wednesday morning childcare volunteers (10:15 am – 12:45 pm)
§ Pick one week or several, now through April
§ Play, read, smile, laugh and love the little ones!
o Thursday evening childcare volunteers (6:15 – 8:30 pm)
§ Pick one week or several, now through April
§ Special opportunity for moms and teenage daughters to volunteer together!
o Prepare and serve lunch for the Wednesday group
§ Pick a week (or two) in January - April
o Prepare and serve refreshments for the Thursday group
§ Pick a week (or two) in January – April

Bright Beginning Story:
David (age 4), Davidson (age 3), Davilyne (age 2), and Daphne (infant) are eagerly waiting at the door when I pick them up with their mother on Wednesday mornings. They have been asking mom all week, “Is today the day?” Their laughter and pure delight reward the childcare volunteers for every minute we spend with them. Their mother shares that she has been overwhelmed with how to care for her children and struggle to learn the English language and adapt to American culture. At Bright Beginnings she finds support and instruction but also friends and supportive relationships. This family, and so many others, are supported and our whole community is strengthened by this program. Lives are changed and future problems are adverted by this early intervention.

2) Middle School Tutoring – New program growing!
9-12 middle school students come to Grace Place every Monday and Wednesday after school for homework help, tutoring, and mentoring. Our awesome volunteers give them plenty of individual help, encouragement, and positive relationships. Golden Gate Middle School is currently holding parent conferences and referring additional students to our program! We plan to reach up to 30 students this year.

Ms. Mary & Ramone Yucatcher and Mr. John Our October reward for working hard -
A field trip to the Golden Gate Pool.
Current Needs for Middle School Tutoring Program:
o Additional volunteer tutors
§ Mondays and/or Wednesdays, 4:00 – 5:30 pm
o Special event field trips for rewards each month
§ Do you have an idea or business that could provide a special field trip event?

Middle School Tutoring Story:
I was working with Hans on his vocabulary words. We worked on understanding what “suspense” means and creating a “word map.” I asked Hans to use “suspense” in a sentence to see if he understood its meaning. Hans thought a moment and then said, “I was in suspense about whether we would eat tonight.” “Good job!” I said as my heart broke to realize that Hans doesn’t always know if he will eat dinner each night.

3) Elementary Tutoring – Making great progress!
We have made some significant improvements to our “Super Kids Club” program this year which are leading to educational progress for the children as well as a more satisfying and meaningful experience for the volunteers. We have 52 1st-5th graders every Tuesday and Thursday after school. The children have been paired with a reading partner and volunteers spend quality time with two children helping them with homework and with reading skills. The school teachers will be completing feedback reports in the coming week to help us measure progress and set individual goals for our children.

High School volunteers . . . . . . . . and adult volunteers enjoy helping the children learn!

Current Needs for Elementary Tutoring Program:
o Additional volunteer tutors – adults and high school students
§ Tuesdays and/or Thursdays, 3:00 – 5:00 pm

Elementary Tutoring Story:
I was sitting outside with a small group of children waiting for their rides home one day. As we were talking together, Jessica asked, “Will we have Super Kids Club next year too?”
“Yes,” I answered.
“Will we be able to come every year?” she asked?
“ Yes,” I continued to affirm.
“Can we come when we’re in college?” she asked next.
“No,” I laughed. “But when you are in high school you can become one of the volunteers.”
“Sign me up!” she said. “I’m going to be a volunteer for kids when I’m in high school,” she continued as she hugged herself and smiled ear to ear.

4) A Great Big THANK YOU for Recent Special Events:

v Reading Fun Festival
Several High School Key Clubs sponsored a “Reading Fun Festival” on Saturday, October 23rd. Children enjoyed a whole afternoon of games based on book characters, bookmark and bookbag crafts, healthy snacks and reading partners, and the opportunity to choose 8 books each to take home with them. Thank you to:
o Barron Collier HS Key Club (organizing club)
o Golden Gate HS Key Club
o Gulf Coast HS Key Club
o Immokalee HS Key Club
o Community School Key Club

Choosing books to take home. Jeffrey picks his book. Snacks and reading partners.

v Volunteer Appreciation Dinner and Training
Cathy Gould from the Collier County Education Foundation led a Volunteer Training Workshop on Tuesday, October 26th. We were pleased to have 20 volunteers participate in learning skills in reading instruction and support. Tom Tarantino and his “kitchen angels” (Paula, Joe, and Bob) prepared a delicious meal and graciously served us all.

v United Methodist Cluster Charge Conference Fundraiser Dinner
The five Naples-area United Methodist Churches turned their Cluster Charge Conference on October 17th into a Fundraiser Dinner for Grace Place and showcased our program with a new promotional video. Thank you to all participating churches and to East Naples UMC for providing both the dinner and underwriting the video production!

v “Friendraiser” Tours of Grace Place
Both Moorings Presbyterian Church, Naples, and Wesley UMC, Marco, recently brought members on a friendly tour of Grace Place. Members were able to tour our facilities, see our tutors and children in action, ask questions, and learn about our programs. Please let us know if your group would like to schedule a “Friendraiser” tour!

5) Coming Soon:

Ø SHARE Food Cooperative
SHARE provides families with the opportunity to purchase high quality, fresh meats, dairy and produce at a 50% savings. Participants must volunteer two hours each month in the community as well. Working together we can help grow both stronger, healthier children AND a stronger, healthier community!
Current Needs:
§ Volunteers to help sort and distribute the food on the third Saturday morning each month
§ Volunteers to help with paperwork and record keeping

Ø English Classes for Parents
We will be collaborating with the Collier County Literacy Council to provide English classes and one-on-one literacy mentors for our Haitian and Hispanic parents beginning in January.
Current Needs:
§ Volunteers to work with adults learning English one evening and/or one Saturday morning a week (training provided) beginning in January

Ø Family Christmas Event
We will be inviting Grace Place families (currently 75+ families) to celebrate Christmas with us on Sunday afternoon, December 19th, 3:00-5:00 pm. This event will include games, crafts, dinner, a program of Grace Place children singing, and toys from Santa.
Needs for this event:
§ Volunteer groups to:
· Provide one or more outdoor games with a Christmas theme
· Provide one or more Christmas crafts for 30+ families
· Prepare and serve outdoor dinner (chicken and rice, drinks, desserts)
· Provide Santa and helpers to organize toy distribution
· Help with children’s singing and/or pageant
· Help with set-up, clean-up, and hospitality

Please keep Grace Place in your prayers.
Financial support is needed to continue to change lives and make a difference for these children and families.
We work hard to be good stewards of your gifts and make every penny count!
Tax-exempt donations may be made through your home church or directly to:
Grace Place for Children and Families
PO Box 990531
Golden Gate, FL 34116
Thank you to all who have made special gifts or have made Grace Place a recipient of your monthly charitable giving.

Grace and peace,
Rev. Stephanie Campbell
287-5111

P.S. Additional Stories of Sharing Christ

The mission of Grace Place is to share Christ’s love in both word and deed. As such, we include devotionals, scripture and prayer in all we do. The children and families we work with need the love, joy, peace and hope that comes from God as well as the programs we provide. The moms in Bright Beginnings have received children’s story Bibles which they are reading with their children. They also share that they have begun or renewed their commitments to pray with their children.
Our elementary tutoring children “jump, shout, and sing” praise songs each week and eagerly recite the Bible memory verses and lessons they’ve learned. They know God will be with them and care for them through all difficulties and problems.
Our middle school tutoring children have a brief devotion each week but I wasn’t sure what impact these were having until I had to be out of town a week ago. In order to streamline the day and make it easy for the substitute leader, I suggested that she skip the devotion time and give the kids some extra play time outside. When I returned and asked her how the day went, she reported that the middle school kids insisted that they had to get into their Christian circle and she had to lead a devotion for them before they went out to play! And so she did and hungry hearts were filled again with God’s Word and His love.

Collier County is becoming more diverse

2004-10-25T20:33:00.000-04:00

Here's an October 24, 2004 article in the Naples Daily News that really hits home the issues facing children in Collier county.

Minority groups now in the majority in Collier schools
By DENISE ZOLDAN, October 24, 2004

It was a quiet tipping of the scales, so subtle no one noticed.
Minority groups in Collier County public schools are now the majority.
A student head count taken this month shows that for the first time in the history of Collier County, whites make up less than half of the total student population at 47.8 percent. The second most populous group is Hispanics at 38 percent.
By comparison, the overall Collier County population is 74 percent white and 19.6 percent Hispanic, according to the 2000 census.

"It's been progressive, this change of student population," said Ray Baker, superintendent of schools, who has witnessed the change during his 30 years as a Collier educator. "We are serving an incredibly diverse population. I would guess most people are probably not aware of it."
Across the United States, Hispanics are the fastest growing demographic group, shooting from 9 percent of the nation's population in 1990 to 13.7 percent in 2003.

Florida, California, New York and Texas historically are where the Hispanic populations are concentrated.
During the two-decade period from 1980 to 2000, the number of Hispanics in Collier County shot from 9,214 to 49,296.
In Collier County schools, the rapid change is even more dramatic. During the eight years from 1995 to 2003, the Hispanic student population skyrocketed from 23 percent of total student population or 5,777 students to 34 percent or 13,111 students.

The school picture
The discrepancy between the demographic makeup of the overall Collier County population and student population reflects who is having kids and who is moving here with kids, officials say.
"The people having children are more likely to be minorities. The smallest growth is in the typical middle-class white students," said Theron Trimble, who is in charge of counting students and allocating staff for Collier schools. "And the higher the socio-economic status, the fewer children a family has."

Demographer Chuck Mohlke, of the consulting firm Fraser Mohlke, said those bearing the most children are minorities.
"They are the ones experiencing the accelerated birth rate when compared to the rest of the population," he said.
The Collier County birth rate in 1999 was 12 births per 1,000 people for whites; 30.9 for blacks and 39.5 for "other," according to the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council's latest statistics. Hispanic wasn't separated as a group.

The growth in the number of students whose language spoken at home is something other than English has spiraled upward in Collier County from 5,889 in 1995 to 15,300 today or 37.5 percent of the total 40,781 student population.
The Haitian student population is 1,945.

Where minority growth is
While the majority of the Hispanic population historically has been located in the farming community of Immokalee some 40 miles northeast of Naples, diversity is spreading to all schools.

Of the 42 public schools this year, minority groups make up the majority of the student body in 22 schools
Even most of the coastal-area schools are seeing increases in minority students. At Naples High School, located across from Coastland Center mall, for example, 65 percent of students are white.

Those minority students live in neighborhoods between U.S. 41 North and Goodlette-Frank Road, communities that include River Park, Lake Park, Sunset Terrace, and streets north of 22nd Avenue North, and around West Gate, Mohlke explained.
"South of Pine Ridge Road and between Goodlette and U.S. 41," he said.
Farther east, a heavily populated and familiar area is home to many young families who have children.

"The census tells us that the four-square-mile area of Golden Gate city has about 50 fewer residents than the entire City of Naples," Mohlke said.
Naples has about 22,000 people.
But Mohlke points out that the demographics of the two areas are vastly different.
The median age approaches 61 in Naples and in Golden Gate the median age is slightly under 30.

"Just four years ago is it was 37. And the family sizes are substantially larger," he said.
As Hispanic families get out of farm work and into service-related fields such as lawn care, construction and food service, they move into the low-cost areas nearer to Naples where those services are required.
They move to "where there is the heaviest concentration of available rental properties," Mohlke said.

And that's wherever the older houses are no longer owner-occupied.
Some of the rental housing and affordable housing is in Naples Manor, East Naples near where Avalon Elementary School is located and in Golden Gate.
The new Golden Gate High School opened in August with a student population that is 50 percent Hispanic, 12 percent black, 10 percent Haitian, and 25 percent white.
Mohlke pointed out that more new and affordable homes are being built east and somewhat north.

"Where all the new schools are going up," he said.
The school district opened four new schools this year. Besides Golden Gate High, Palmetto Ridge High, North Naples Middle and Estates Elementary also opened.
Whites make up 54 percent of the population at Palmetto Ridge; 41 percent at Estates Elementary and 77 percent at North Naples Middle.
The two new schools that opened last school year are Sabal Palm Elementary, at 49 percent white, and Osceola Elementary, at 43 percent white.

Trimble said most people think of Collier County as white and rich.
"We have the impression of Collier County as an affluent white community, which in many ways it is. But the schools don't reflect that. We have a tremendous number of children who are entitled to free and reduced lunch," he said.

Forty-seven percent of the students are classified as economically needy and qualify for free- or reduced-price lunch.
Those who are wealthy in Collier County are mostly the retired whites who don't have schoolchildren.

"This is a retirement community and so many of our population either don't have children or their children are grown when they move here," Trimble said.
Census figures for 2003 show that 25 percent of Collier's 286,634 people are 65 or older and 20 percent are younger than 18.

District challenges
Collier school officials say the 15,300 students who come from homes where English isn't their native language represent 134 countries of origin. And they speak 152 different languages.
And that poses special challenges to the school district.
"The biggest challenge to the district is the number of individuals that require second-language skills and attempting to get them to meet the requirements of the FCAT," superintendent Baker said.

Students must pass the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test to graduate. They also take it periodically to pass to the next grade, for example from third grade to fourth grade.
The students who speak no English are taught in separate classes, but usually after two years they begin taking classes with other students.
While the FCAT isn't difficult for students who have been speaking, reading and writing English all their lives, for students new to the United States, the test can be a killer.

"The biggest problem these kids have is passing the FCAT reading," said Gary Brown, associate superintendent. "Many can pass the math. The amazing thing is the number that do end up being able to graduate, given the few number of years they have to study English."
And keeping enough teachers who are certified to teach the students who speak English as a second language can be challenging, too.

During a School Board meeting this month, nearly 500 teachers requested approval to teach outside of their certification when teaching English Speakers of Other Languages.
If a teacher has even one student who classifies as an ESOL student, the teacher must be ESOL-certified, which takes 300 hours of training.
Brown said that during the 1990s, the number of ESOL students at Naples High, where he was a principal for years, grew exponentially.

"We started at Naples High with one ESOL teacher in the 1990s and last year we had seven," he said. "That shows you the increase."
But he said teachers find the experience of teaching ESOL students rewarding.
"The students want to learn to speak English so badly, teachers love to teach them," he said.
Paying the extra costs to educate students who speak English as a second language is another challenge to the school district.

"Obviously, it's been a challenge to the whole state of Florida to meet all the needs of students coming in from other countries who don't speak the language," Brown said.
The state pays school districts about one-third more to educate ESOL students than it does regular students. However, last year, the state paid the district $23.5 million toward the ESOL bill. And it cost the school district $24.3 million to teach the students.
"About 103 percent of the revenue," Steve Fain, executive director of financial services for the school district, said of the cost. "We certainly spend more than the state gives us."

A look to the future
During the years that the ESOL student population was growing in the double digits, the yearly increase was as great as 33 percent.
Then suddenly, it stopped last year.
"We took a huge plunge," said Trimble, who saw the growth drop from nearly 13 percent the prior year to 1 percent last year.
He isn't certain of the cause, but he speculates that the tightening of immigration policies since the 9/11 terrorists attacks could be responsible.
"I think they are not able to get documentation," he said.
Restrictions on those who aren't citizens have made living in the United States illegally more difficult.

Valaree Maxwell, president of the Naples Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, was surprised to learn of the drop.
"That's huge," she said. "I am really surprised. I have never heard anybody talk about that. That doesn't mean it is not there. But probably since 9/11 things would be tougher. They can't get a driver license. How are they going to get to work?"

Carola Suarez Orozco, co-director of the Harvard Immigration Projects, said she has not heard of such a drop in immigration on the national scene.
"Certainly, the borders have been tightened, but I haven't gotten any sense of that. That's not to say that's not coming," she said.
Orozco suggested looking at the possibility of locally changing dynamics.

Trimble thinks shrinking farmland because of land development in Collier County and the accompanying agricultural job loss could be a cause.
But as farm jobs become less and less available, there will be a continued need for service industry jobs, he said.

Trimble predicts that the slowdown will not be permanent.
"But I don't really see it going back to where it was," he said.
He also sees a unique situation in Collier County because of the student population.
"Your typical adult in Collier County has no contact with the school system because the typical adult does not have children. If we want them to feel favorable about the schools and support school funding, we have to reach out in different ways," he said.

Our Missionaries: The Hendersons

2004-10-08T07:01:00.000-04:00

Here's a recent email from our Missonaries in Puebla Mexico

Dear Friends:We bring you greetings from Mexico. We trust you are experiencing God's grace in your life and finding ways to express your faith through worship and service. The first eight months of 2004 have been full ones for the "Give Ye Them To Eat" program staff. We try to keep these activities documented with photographs on the GYTTE website, updating information monthly. We invite you to regularly visit www.gytte.org The "Give Ye Them To Eat" program staff has a full schedule for Fall 2004:- One Volunteer Grouping of people who have previously served on AWARE Teams will come to address specific needs- Two AWARE Teams will come to work as well as study about Mexico and Development Issues- Three One-Week Courses will be hosted to train villagers in Primary Health Issues and Practices as well as Community Development- Two Weekend Retreats will be hosted for the Methodist Church of Mexico- Numerous One-Day Workshops will be offered at the Training Center and around the Southeast Annual Conference The GYTTE staff at the Puebla office is hard at work on all the teaching materials for the various classes, courses, and workshops. They are also starting to prepare the Advent/Christmas materials that must be ready for distribution at the District Conferences in early November.The GYTTE staff at the Training Center is busy preparing the land and facilities for the activities of this fall semester. With the constant rains everything is lush green and beautiful which also means constant cutting in order to fight back the jungle this place can become during the raining season. And that means lots of work on compost piles for future planting. Thorough cleaning of all the structures is necessary also before the groups start arriving as we try to convince the insects, mice, iguanas and snakes, etc., that these building must now be inhabited by another species, humans! We are looking forward to the many opportunities to share, teach, and train. It is our desire that these activities provide people with development opportunities and tools as well as open their eyes to God's love and grace in their lives. As we pray for you we ask that you pray for the "Give Ye Them To Eat" program, staff and missionaries.
Office at the "Tree of Life" Training Center
In His Grasp,Muriel & Terry HendersonUMC Missionaries in MexicoApartado 2-72Puebla, Puebla 72130MexicoOffice Tel. 011.52.222.248.1802Office Fax. 011.52.222.249.2158

George McGovern, a Marco Resident

2004-09-22T18:44:00.000-04:00

Senator McGovern is wise enough to spend some time each year on Marco. In his latest book, The ESSENTIAL AMERICA, he spends the first three pages describing his Methodist heritage and pointing to his faith as a the conerstone of his politics. Here's review of the book:

Reviews George McGovern's Common Sense Is Back

George McGovern's, The Essential America, is a candid, refreshingly-honest discussion of American liberalism, today's "most maligned political philosophy." This great American statesman tackles the criticisms of liberalism head-on, and clearly demonstrates how both the liberal and conservative traditions have evolved and eroded politically. George McGovern remains ever-faithful to the "social gospel," teachings instilled in him at any early age by his father, a devoted follower of John Wesley.

Moreover, McGovern's political beliefs are soundly and squarely rooted in the U.S. Constitution.McGovern remains unafraid to espouse liberalism--whether it be Jefferson's, Lincoln's, or his own. In so doing, he demonstrates how far America has strayed from the brilliant guidance of our founding fathers. He addresses all of the toughest issues of our day, including the war in Iraq, world hunger, and, of course, international terrorism.This is a book only George McGovern could have written--specific, thoughtful, provocative-- a blueprint for a wiser, stronger American future in a more peaceful world.

Prescription Benefit Program

2004-09-22T18:34:00.000-04:00

Greetings!
The Florida Conference has received a number of calls and e-mails from our clergy and laity looking for more information on the denomination's new prescription benefit program. This program is being managed by the United Methodist Association of Health and Welfare Ministries, part of the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM). It is not part of the Florida Conference's health or pension benefits. It is also not a program of the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits or related to HealthFlex.(NOTE: DestinationRx and the United Methodist Association of Health and Welfare Ministries are making the program available. The United Methodist Association of Health and Welfare Ministries Inc., based in Dayton, Ohio, is a network of about 400 health and human services organizations. It was founded in 1940 as the Board of Hospitals and Homes of the Methodist Church. The organization is now an independent, not-for-profit corporation, and is identified as a "covenanting body" by the denomination's General Conference. That status is noted in the church's 2000 Book of Discipline.)While there is benefit for United Methodist members in the United States, especially seniors and those who do not have sufficient health insurance, we are not able to provide the detailed information some of you are seeking.We urge you to call DestinationRx with your questions at 1-800-379-9040 or visit the company's web site at http://destinationrx.com . Please read the following summary of the United Methodist Association's prescription benefit plan. It will give you some of the basic information you are looking for. If you still need more information, click here to visit UMC.org, which has a complete question-and-answer section and a link to DestinationRx's Web site.http://www.umc.org/interior.asp?mid=3647

The DestinationRx Program is not insurance. It is a discount card that should benefit those who do not have existing coverage or access to discount pricing. It is intended to assist those people who have fallen through the cracks of the traditional health insurance system. It is not expected to compete with discounts available through employer-provided prescription plans. However, it should deliver savings in comparison to retail pricing found at local stores.The DestinationRx Program is similar to joining Sam's Club or Costco where members receive savings through bulk buying. Similar prescription discount plans are widely available in the marketplace and require initiation and/or membership fees, typically anywhere from $10 - $50 per year. In this case, there appears to be no initiation or membership fee to join.The DestinationRx Program does not work with, replace or modify existing coverage available through our conference health plans. Conference health plan participants should not expect additional concessions because of participating in this or any other discount prescription program. For example, our participants cannot request a local pharmacy provide them a 65 percent discount then bill the conference for the remaining amount. They cannot use this card to pay their prescription co-pays. They cannot use this program to gain further prescription discounts from the conference or our health benefit providers.Any United Methodist may want to consider using such a program to purchase various products that DestinationRx has assembled in their product offering. For more information, visit http://www.umc.org/interior.asp?mid=3647 or http://destinationRx.com or call DestinationRx at 1-800-379-9040. You can also contact the United Methodist Association in Dayton, Ohio, at 937-227-9494. Florida Conference staff will be unable to assist you beyond giving you the above contact information.

Prescription Savings Card Program: Questions and Answers
Enroll For Your Free Prescription Savings Card
Prescription Benefit bulletin insert - pdf
United Methodists offer drug benefits to membersBy Amy Green*NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - Responding to the escalating cost of prescription drugs, the United Methodist Church has begun making a drug benefit available to all 8.3 million of its U.S. members.Through a partnership with prescription drug and health supply discounter DestinationRx, the denomination is offering a free card that gives discounts of up to 65 percent on most prescription drugs and other supplies, such as contact lenses, vitamins and drugs for pets.The benefit is available to all United Methodist Church members, regardless of their insurance coverage, income or health status. It was announced by the United Methodist Association of Health and Welfare Ministries, an organization of the denomination's health care organizations, at a national conference March 4-7 in Nashville.The United Methodist Church is the nation's second largest Protestant denomination. With an average age of 57, its members are among the oldest of any denomination in the United States.Forty million Americans have little or no prescription drug insurance. This benefit is meant especially for them, said the Rev. Mearle Griffith, president and chief executive officer of the Dayton, Ohio,-based association. "We have many people falling through the cracks," he said. "They're choosing between taking all of the drugs they need and groceries." The announcement comes during an election year when the cost of prescription drugs will be a decisive issue. The United Methodist Church is the first denomination to offer such a benefit, but Griffith has heard from other denominations, such as the United Church of Christ, Mennonite Church USA and the Roman Catholic Church, about offering a similar benefit.He believes the nation's leaders have been too slow in addressing the issue."We think it's taken too long, and we're not going to wait around any longer," he said.The benefit is the result of two years of research into how the denomination could help members, especially the working poor, afford their medications. The denomination's missions arm, the Board of Global Ministries, took up the issue as a social justice cause, said Jane Ehrman, consultant to the board's Division of Health and Welfare. DestinationRx, founded in 1988 and based in Los Angeles, has contracts with 25,000 pharmacies across the country, including CVS, Eckerd's and Walgreens, to offer discounted prescription drugs and health supplies to employers, unions, and other organizations and individuals. It was selected to offer health cost information and software to the federal government under the Medicare reform bill signed in December. The denomination struck a deal with DestinationRx two weeks ago and began offering the cards immediately. United Methodists can obtain the cards by calling (800) 379-9040, and they can use them at the company's Web site, at > http://destinationrx.com, or at participating pharmacies.The United Methodist Association is promoting the benefit among the church leadership and member health and welfare providers, and it will discuss the benefit at the denomination's top legislative gathering, the General Conference, April 27-May 7 in Pittsburgh. Griffith hopes that as word spreads, congregations and youth groups will use the cards in their outreach to the poor. "This is a natural extension of our commitment to health," he said. "It's our passion to help the poor and needy." DestinationRx joined with the denomination to offer the benefit for similar reasons, said Dan Jadosh, the company's senior vice president. "It's not a situation that's an end-all to fixing the problem, but it will provide help at least," he said. Julie Wernz, a United Methodist Association member from Baltimore, knows firsthand how much people pay for their prescriptions. She is an employee of a company that processes insurance claims. She believes people deserve help. "Somebody's got to do it and look out for the seniors," she said. Bill Deswick, a United Methodist Association member from Pontiac, Ill., applauded the denomination for stepping into the debate. "Prescription drugs have been for years the highest-priced part of getting well," he said. "This provides a good opportunity to get involved in something that will really help our members." *Green is a freelance journalist based in Nashville, Tenn.

Hurricane Recovery Status

2004-09-22T18:32:00.000-04:00

The goal of the Florida Storm Recovery Center is to match needs with gifts. Through nearly constant telephone and e-mail communication, we daily
communicate with conference and district disaster coordinators to identify areas and individuals with special needs,
schedule work teams that are ready to help with clean up and rebuilding,
locate food, water and ice for local churches that are preparing meals for their surrounding neighborhoods, and
route supply trucks provided by trucking companies and individuals.
As we meet the immediate needs of relief, we are also making plans for the long-term response effort. Through the use of case management, our plans include:
repairing and rebuilding uninsured and underinsured homes,
providing financial assistance,
providing pastoral care to the community,
caring for our pastors and church members, and
responding to the special needs of farm workers and the elderly.
Churches and individuals have called the Storm Recovery Center to ask how they might help. Everyone is encouraged to help in any or all of the following ways:
contribute to the Florida Storm Recovery Fund,
prepare flood buckets for clean-up efforts,
organize work teams to assist with clean up, rebuilding and congregational care, and
pray for those whose lives have been affected by the storms.
We encourage you to stay updated about the Florida Conference’s recovery efforts through the Florida Conference Web site and the e-Review Florida United Methodist News Service at http://www.flumc.info/.

September emphasis Conf. Benevolences

2004-09-22T18:29:00.000-04:00

We are proud to be a part of the Florida Conference. Millions of dollars are contributed conllectively by our sister United Methodist Churches. Together we are able to make a difference in many ways throughout Florida.

New Structure for Florida in 2006

2004-06-08T23:48:00.000-04:00

Delegates approve reducing number of districts

June 7, 2004 News media contact: Michael Wacht*
407-897-1140 mwacht@flumc.org Orlando {0088}

By J.A. Buchholz**

DAYTONA BEACH — And then there were nine.

Delegates to the 2004 Florida Annual Conference Event at Bethune-Cookman College here passed the “Connecting for Transformation” proposal at the morning session June 4, reducing the conference’s districts from 14 to nine.

The proposal was recommended by the Florida Conference Cabinet as part of the Conference Table report at the afternoon session June 3. The cabinet originally presented the proposal during a Conference Table gathering Jan. 30.

The proposal reduces the number of districts from 14 to nine and encourages churches to be part of a cluster group within their district. It also changes the responsibilities of the district superintendent.

Each of the nine new districts will be as equal as possible regarding the number of churches and missions, membership, finances, land size and ease of transportation within the district, and each will have between 50 and 85 churches and missions. Each district will also establish a leadership council of 12 to 15 clergy and lay leaders to assist the superintendent in making major strategic decisions. The council will function as the superintendency, finance and nominations committees, and board of trustees. Districts will continue to have committees on ordained ministry, clergy housing, and nominations and leadership, as well as other groups.

Each new district will hold a gathering of clergy and laity in the fall of 2004 to elect the leadership council, which will act as the transition team empowered to address nominations, budgets, reorganizations, and issues with district offices and parsonages.

District conferences will be eliminated, with the district leadership council empowered to review district budgets and determine the district’s connectional giving responsibilities. A district annual conference orientation will elect district leadership. The new district structures will take effect July 5, 2005.

Before delegates voted on the proposal, conference leadership addressed questions posed by delegates at a series of break-out sessions held in the afternoon June 3 after the proposal was presented. The sessions gave delegates an opportunity to discuss and ask questions about the proposal and others recommended during the Conference Table presentation held earlier that day.

Bishop Timothy W. Whitaker addressed questions related to how the cabinet arrived at recommending nine districts.

“The cabinet went through a process that took some creative thought and prayer in order to produce the proposal which is before you,” he said. “When we began the process we were not sure what the outcome might be. Now...I can look back and I can identify these three major concerns that we were trying to deal with as we worked on developing our proposal regarding the restructuring of the districts…”

Whitaker said those concerns were the effectiveness of fewer districts, the role of district superintendents and how to improve the connection so people would experience it as a relationship, rather than an institutional structure. He said the cabinet was aware the district superintendent’s role would have to change if the districts were reduced to nine.

“If we had nine districts and each district was approximately 80 charges then we would have no choice but to make sure that the roles of the district superintendent changed,” he said.

The cabinet examined the idea of reducing by two or three districts, but decided that would allow “business as usual to continue,” Whitaker said, adding the more cabinet members studied the proposal for nine districts, the more they realized it was something practical and represented the future norm of annual conferences. It would also be the motivation to change the expectation of district superintendents.

The Rev. Debbie McLeod, superintendent of the Broward Palm Beach District, addressed questions about the district leadership councils. She said establishing a central place where many district functions could be accomplished would be “a good thing.”

“In all of these districts the district superintendent is the only human being that goes to each of these meetings [district committees], and these committees are working very independently of each other,” she said. “What we propose in the district leadership council is to bring those important functions of leadership together to struggle and work and coordinate.”

She said under the current structure the district superintendent is given much more influence than he or she would have “if you had a trusted group of leaders who are working together and helping the district superintendent to think about being accountable for all these leadership issues.”

McLeod said every church will not have representation on the smaller district leadership council, so trust will be a key factor.

“Can we trust a group of people that we elect to do the work that we ask them to do and for which they are accountable to all of us?” she said. “Right now, every church does not have a representative on the district board of trustees…the district committee on superintendency. On the district leadership council you’re going to have to trust a smaller group of lay and clergy to work together to accomplish leadership tasks.”

McLeod added, “You know how it is when you have 35 people in a room trying to head in one direction? It’s much more difficult than when you have 12 or 15 people working as a team on those issues.”

The Rev. Dr. Jeff Stiggins, Orlando District superintendent, addressed questions about the district superintendent’s role. He said the intent is for district superintendents to learn to be mission leaders and less managers of institutions. They will responsible for lifting up the mission and vision and advancing strategic initiatives of the conference. He said he believes that is what God is calling the conference to do.

Dr. Randy Casey-Rutland, treasurer of the Florida Conference Council on Finance & Administration, explained the proposal’s impact on conference finances.

“There’s no hidden agenda; there’s no fuzzy math,” he said. “This is a genuine effort to seek to do some of our most important work more cost-efficiently.”

Casey-Rutland said the conference pays the salary, pension, health insurance and other benefits for each district superintendent. He said the conference also pays for cabinet meetings and business reimbursement expenses for district superintendents. The total cost to the conference budget is about $105,000 to $110,000 per year for each district superintendent, according to Casey-Rutland.

The proposals could save the conference $10 million throughout the next 10 years, Casey-Rutland said, adding that although the figure is a small percentage of total conference expenditures, it is a financial benefit worth pursing. “Being good stewards of God’s resources at all levels in our life and work together is vital,” he said.

Whitaker addressed the rationale for churches being part of a cluster of five to 10 churches. He said the clusters will be indigenous and organized by geography, affinity for ministry or mission.

“One reason for the cluster is to help one another be more effective in fulfilling each other’s ministry,” he said. “We believe that by having representatives from congregations gather together as a cluster we can inspire, stimulate, resource, motivate one another to be more effective in doing the ministry that God has called each particular congregation to fill.”

The Rev. Dr. Anne Burkholder, director of Florida Conference’s Connectional Ministries office, attributes the passage of the proposal to the break-out sessions.

“I’m thrilled it passed,” she said. “It went better than I expected. I think that happened because of the break-out sessions. People felt they had a voice in the process, and it built confidence in the house.”

The Rev. Florence Howell, pastor of Northeast United Methodist Church in Tampa, said she favored the redistricting. She attended one of the break-out sessions focused on that proposal.

“I think the session was very helpful,” she said. “It was very strategic because it got everyone involved.”

Howell said the only thing the conference has to do now the proposal has passed is trust God will move the conference in the right direction.

“I think change is excellent,” she said. “I think the bishop has a great view of where the conference should go.”

The Rev. Gary Beam, pastor of St. John’s United Methodist Church in Tampa, said he supported the various proposals presented. He said they are a start and feels confident they will be adjusted as needed in the future.

“We won’t be doing the same things in the same way,” he said. “The most important thing is to be able to share the love of Christ with people, and that, in turn, will bring new people into the church.”

###

This article relates to the 2004 Florida Annual Conference Event.

*Wacht is director of Florida United Methodist Communications

Florida Conference supports East Angola

2004-06-08T23:47:00.000-04:00

A Partnership of Hope

The East Angola Conference is a small, rural and impoverished area that has suffered through more than 34 years of war. Both The United Methodist Church and the nation are now rebuilding.

The people of Angola are responding to the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the Christian community is growing. The United Methodist Church is an important part of that Christian community.

The relationship between the Florida and East Angola conferences is a great source of encouragement and hope to the church in East Angola. That is why the special offering being received at the 2004 Florida Annual Conference Event June 3-6 at Bethune-Cookman College in Daytona Beach will be designated for the East Angola Conference of The United Methodist Church.

June 6

2004-06-08T23:41:00.000-04:00

Mr. Bo Booth encouraged us to support Praiz FM 89.5 radio. It is impressive how music can touch lives and bring forth deeper faith. The work of this nonprofit, local radio station is worthy of our best support.
contributions received $

Florida United Methodist Children's Home

2004-05-30T21:57:00.000-04:00

It is another fifth Sunday and therefore time to consider the important work of the Children's Home. Ellie Cheatum encouraged us to claim the joy of supporting this great ministry to children.
contributions: $ Total contributed for 2004 $

New farm worker legislation

2004-05-24T21:20:00.000-04:00

Department Press Release
03-08-2004
Alia Faraj
(850) 488-5394

GOVERNOR BUSH ANNOUNCES LEGISLATION AIMED AT
IMPROVING CONDITIONS FOR FLORIDA'S FARMWORKERS
~~Supporting Florida's growers by protecting Florida's farmworkers~~
TALLAHASSEE - Governor Jeb Bush today unveiled legislation to better protect farm workers from violations of essential rights and to promote a stronger working relationship between growers and farmworkers. The legislation increases penalties for labor contractors who break the law and creates more effective coordination between state agencies charged with enforcement authority.

"Our goal is to protect migrant workers' rights and cultivate a strong agricultural business climate that promotes well paying jobs for them," said Governor Bush. "The best way to accomplish this is by focusing on those who violate the law and by expanding the penalties for bad behavior. The proposals will result in better living and working conditions for Florida's farmworkers."

The policy introduced today will create a framework for addressing issues related to farm workers and represents the efforts of the industry, farm worker advocates and state agencies including the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Office of the Attorney General, the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), the Agency for Workforce Innovation (AWI), the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Community Affairs (DCA).

"This bill will protect the rights of farmworkers and growers focusing on violators," said Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson. "Farmworkers make a huge contribution on Florida's agricultural industry and they have a right to be protected."

Senator J.D. Alexander and Representative Ralph L. Poppell sponsor the legislation unveiled today.

"The legislation we are offering here represents the efforts of people who are committed to supporting agriculture and protecting migrant workers in our state," said Senator J.D. Alexander.

"It is critical that we do what is necessary to protect Florida's $60 billion dollar agriculture Industry, to do that we must defend the rights of migrant workers and farmers and shield them from the actions of unethical labor contractors," said Representative Ralph Poppell.

The major reforms announced today include:

New Protections and Services for Farmworkers - This extends and expands common-sense protections and key services to migrant farmworkers. Under the proposed legislation, contractors can be charged with a 3rd degree felony for offenses that pose imminent threat to the health safety and welfare of workers. Those contractors who have the most egregious and frequent violations could permanently lose their license. Additionally, the maximum penalties for violations are increased from $1,000 to $2,500. The Agency for Workforce Innovation will continue to assist the state's Regional Workforce Boards in operating an outreach and employment program for migrant and seasonal farmworkers in addition to job counseling, testing, training, placement and unemployment compensation benefits and a complaint system to migrant workers.
Facilitating Reporting of Violations or Abuses - Due to language barriers and other issues, migrant workers often fear reporting violations and abuses. Today's efforts seek to educate workers about their rights and make it easier for them to communicate alleged violations. Several state agencies will work together to efficiently route referrals through AWI's established a 1-800 hotline where workers can report concerns and violations. Additionally, a tracking system will be established to ensure follow-up by the appropriate state agencies.
Coordinate Enforcement Efforts Within Government - The proposal will set up a formalized referral process for potential violations so that all the agencies involved can better coordinate needs, concerns and potential violations. Provisions in the bill will prohibit labor contractors from forcing their workers to buy essential items such as food, water and housing from them. Additionally, crew chiefs will be required to keep daily records of hours worked or units harvested by each farmworker to ensure they are paid fully and fairly for their work. Contractors with frequent major violations could permanently lose their license and face a 3rd degree felony.
Reactivating the Legislative Commission on Migrant Labor - The proposed legislation also called for the reactivation of the commission that will provide an active forum for continued, ongoing progress on migrant worker issues. The membership of the Commission's Advisory Council will be expanded so that all groups are represented.

The commission would provide lawmakers and the public with an annual report that would help identify proposals for consideration on an on-going basis.
Expanded Enforcement of State and Federal Laws --Since July 2003, 374 farm labor contractors have been inspected, a 156 percent increase over the same time period last year. Violations noted in those inspections included use of unsafe vehicles, lack of insurance coverage, insufficient field sanitation facilities, and unpaid or underpaid wages. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation will continue to step up enforcement activities and will work with local law enforcement agencies to increase inspections. Additionally DBPR has teamed with DOH and local law enforcement agencies to conduct sweeps and roadblocks. DBPR's farm labor investigators are now identifying substandard farmworker housing units during routine field inspections and relaying their findings to DOH, the agency responsible for enforcing migrant housing laws.
Recreates the Florida Agricultural Worker Safety Act -- This act ensures that agricultural workers receive greater protections from agricultural pesticides and will guarantee the availability of pesticide information to any farmworker or medical personnel.
"I applaud Governor Bush for taking action to improve the lives and working conditions of Florida's farmworker population," said DBPR Secretary Diane Carr. "I look forward to assisting in the implementation of these proposals and the opportunity to make a difference in the day-to-day lives of migrant farmworkers."

Governor Bush has worked with several groups, including advocates for farm workers such as Redlands Christian Migrant Association, Florida Catholic Conference, and Florida Legal Services, as well as representatives from the agriculture industry. These efforts were to build a partnership with all potential stakeholders and lawmakers to ensure that these laws are improved and enforcement is sufficient and successful.

"Working in agriculture, the second largest industry in the state, farm workers contribute greatly to our economy, as well as harvest the fruits and vegetables that come to our table. We have hope that Governor Bush's farmworker initiative will bring more protection to farm workers in the State of Florida."

Governor Bush was joined by Lt. Governor Toni Jennings and Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles Bronson. Also in attendance were Consul General of Mexico Jorge Lomonaco, Senator J.D. Alexander, Representative Ralph L. Poppell as well as members of the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association, the Florida Farm Bureau, and the Florida Catholic Conference.

For more information please visit, www.myflorida.com.

--30--

May 23, 2004

2004-05-24T21:18:00.000-04:00

James Lake offered the mission minute and spoke on the opportunity of service by the Middle School youth in Golden Gate and the Senior High Youth at Habitat for Humanity.
amount contributed: $350

farm worker labor

2004-05-24T21:17:00.000-04:00

The Moral Economy of Farm Labor: Notes on the Coalition of Immokalee Workers

Richard W. Coughlin
Associate Professor of Political Science
College of Arts and Sciences Florida Gulf Coast University
Fort Myers, Fl 33965-6565
941-590-7177; rcoughli@fgcu.edu

Peter S. Stedman
Adjunct Professor of Politics and Economics
College of Arts and Sciences
Florida Gulf Coast University
Fort Myers, Fl 33965-6565

peterstedman@hotmail.com

Prepared for Presentation at the 2000 Latin American Studies Association Conference in Miami, Florida

Abstract: The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) is advancing a vision of how farm work could be organized that is directly at odds with the project of growers and important elements within the federal government. Where CIW advocates the self organization of workers, growers and their allies within government are attempting to implement new mechanisms of labor control in which a workers' legal status and housing arrangements become tied to their relationship to their employer. This clash of visions explains why the growers have been unwilling to engage the CIW in dialogue. These underlying circumstances form the context in which the authors examine the CIW's efforts to place public pressure on the growers. At this level, the conflict between the CIW and the growers turns upon how the growers, the CIW and the plight of the farmworkers are publicly understood. The CIW stresses the right of farm workers to the same treatment that workers in other industries receive. The growers dismiss demands for wage increases by pointing to international economic competition.

These notes present our understanding of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) and its vision for transforming the nature of farm work. Immokalee is an agricultural town, located about 35 miles due East of Naples on Florida’s gulf coast. The population of Immokalee varies from around 10,000 during the summer months to around 25,000 during the winter and spring growing seasons, a period that lasts from the end of October to the end of April. Immokalee’s migrant farm workers are mostly from Mexico and Guatemala. They consist largely of single men, many of whom maintain households in their natal countries. Mediating between the farm workers and the landowners – whom we will refer to as the growers – is the class of labor contractors. Six days a week during the season, contractors recruit laborers to work on tomato farms and orange groves, the two most prominent crops in Southwest Florida’s agricultural economy. The workers come to Immokalee as parts of small social networks. These consist of friendships forged over the course of the farm working life, of kinship and friendship ties rooted in one’s village of origin, even of households in which farm workers are hierarchically linked to labor contractors[1].

Beyond the scope of the small social networks, Immokalee is an anomic social environment in which workers, uprooted from a variety of different cultural contexts, coexist within a highly fluid economic setting. There are high levels of substance abuse – alcohol and drugs – as well as prostitution. Within this sort of setting, coalition members argue, farm workers face two options – they can be backsliders or productive individuals. The CIW offers opportunities for individuals to productively engage themselves in changing their economic and social reality. Over the course of its five year existence, the CIW has developed an alternative vision for how farm working can and should be organized. It is a vision that emphasizes the capacity of farm workers to organize themselves into self-governing communities. It is a vision that makes moral demands on farm workers in terms of sobriety, discipline, and responsibility to the larger group, and collective leadership.

The clearest expression of this vision can be seen in the manner in which core members of the coalition organize themselves during the summer picking season. Core members form labor crews that contract directly with small farmers in the water melon harvest. The harvest moves from northern Florida, to Georgia, to Missouri. The workers had previously worked with a contractor – the uncle of a coalition member – but eventually accumulated the capital to purchase a conveyor belt, which allowed them to go into business for themselves. There were several consequences of working without a contractor.

· Workers were able to organize the harvesting process themselves, a task they addressed by rotating tasks from one group member to the next as opposed to the specialization of tasks throughout the harvest season.

· Workers made more money because there was no longer a contractor to take a cut of the revenues devoted to harvesting.

· Workers could also divide the revenues in any way they saw fit. The group’s method has been an egalitarian distribution of harvesting revenues, including equal shares to group members unable to work on a given day.

This model for organizing the harvesting process underscores the capacity of farm workers to assume a different relationship with the growers – one of partnership for mutual benefit. There are numerous possibilities for progressive change through such a partnership. Accessing any of them will require dialogue between growers and farm workers. The standard practice, however, is for growers to manage farm workers through labor contractors. The CIW has consistently requested dialogue with the growers and they have been consistently refused on various grounds.[2] This dialogue – or, at least, the prospect of its occurrence – lies somewhere in the future. Our discussion of the CIW now turns toward the present. Where is this organization in the present? How are its current practices moving it – or attempting to move it – in the direction of its desired future? To answer this question, we consider the CIW’s ongoing work in three different areas: correcting the worst abuses of the current labor contracting system, issue advocacy (which includes immigration legislation and housing issues), and organizing within the public realm. A major theme that runs through all of these efforts is the CIW’s vocation to educate and empower its membership.

Workers are subject to a variety of abuses within the labor contracting system. Wages are withheld. Payroll deductions for social security and medicare are stolen. Extra work is imposed through the requirement of forming a competa or dome over the top of the each bucket to tomatoes or citrus picked. Because labor contractors benefit disproportionately from higher harvests, they place constant pressure on farmworkers to speed up the pace of their work. This pressure occasionally flares into violence. The last recorded violent incident occurred during the 1996-97 growing season. To respond, coalition members organized a march of some 500 workers to protest at the home of the crew leader responsible for the incident. Coalition members also take direct action on the job by refusing to work for lower than piece rates and by insisting upon minimally satisfactory work conditions.

Legislative advocacy has been conducted in response to two successive proposals to reform immigration laws as they pertain to undocumented farm workers. Both pieces of legislation aimed to address labor shortages in agriculture and the accumulation of undocumented workers within the United States. The latest proposals, Senate bills 1814 and 1815, sponsored by Senator Bob Graham (D-FL) and Senator Gordon Smith (R-ORE), address both issues at the same time through establishing a federal registry of farm workers. Through participation in the registry, undocumented workers are accorded the status of guest workers. The legislation would have the Labor Department manage the registry through assigning farm workers to growers requesting labor. The assigned workers would be paid minimum wage – or slightly above, depending on local conditions. They would be bound to work for the grower to whom they were assigned in order to retain their place within the registry. Where workers on the local registry are not available, growers could recruit foreign workers. Workers participating within the registry would be eligible to receive a green card after having worked more than 180 days in agriculture in five out of seven years. In a given year, only twenty percent of those workers eligible to receive a green card would actually be given one. For most workers, earned amnesty would be a protracted and uncertain process.

The coalition’s critique of this legislation is shared by farm worker advocacy groups across the country.[3] The principle difficulty is that earned amnesty is a form of labor control. Workers would be bound to their bureaucratically brokered contracts with growers. The reason is simple: these contracts establish the basis for the worker’s legal status and his or her continued participation in the earned amnesty program. In such a context, workers could not effectively organize themselves to pressure growers for better wages or working conditions. The idea of a bureaucratically organized labor market is profoundly at odds with a market-oriented approach to the problem of dwindling labor supply. From this perspective, growers must offer better wages and working conditions to retain a quality labor force. Historically, however, growers have opted for public policy interventions that expand the supply of labor.[4]

At the present juncture, however, growers seem to be opting for new mechanisms of labor control. The need to control labor arises from growing labor shortages across the country. Indeed the labor shortage is providing undocumented workers with unprecedented opportunities for lateral mobility within the labor market. This is not only because of the booming economy, but also a result of I.N.S. restraint. Whereas the agency polices the border more aggressively than ever, it has largely stopped its efforts to detain illegal migrants already in the country. Arrests for deportation, reports the New York Times, have dropped by 22,000 in 1997 to 8,600 in 1999. The union Unite, which organizes in low wage industries, recently negotiated a union contract that bars I.N.S. raids unless agents have a search warrant. And the company must notify the union if it gets wind of a coming raid.[5]

These conditions may eventually generate labor shortages in agriculture. Growers are quick to point out that such shortages already exist. In 1999, the Gulf Citrus Growers Association and the Florid Fruit and Vegetable Association reported labor shortages of 40 percent. “I know of growers who left crops in the field last year because they couldn’t get people to bring them in,” observes Walter Kates, director of labor relations for the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association.[6] If labor is so scarce, then why haven’t wages risen? The threat or reality of labor shortages, in this context, may well mean a shortage of workers at wages that employers are willing to pay. Seen in this context, the Graham-Smith legislation ties labor to agriculture in exchange for wages at or slightly above the minimum wage and a remote promise of citizenship. More liberal proposals make the promise of citizenship less distant, but nonetheless seek to tie migrant labor to agriculture.[7]

From their point of view, growers do not regard wages as a key issue for attracting and retaining a productive labor force. Housing, not wages, accounts for the bulk of farm worker poverty. Bradenton grower Jay Taylor sums it up best : “There are some bad guys out there, and those are the slumlords….The farmer has gotten too much of the blame for what the slumlords have done.”[8] Statements such as Taylor’s illustrate how housing frames the issue of farm worker poverty, particularly in Immokalee. A walking tour of the near North side of Immokalee reveals dozens of dilapidated trailers, duplexes, single story dormitories, and shacks. Workers pay a premium to live in these structures so as to be within walking distance to the parking lot of the Pantry Shelf, the place where labor contractors recruit their crews during the early morning hours. Poor housing is easily the most visible aspect of farm worker poverty.

In late 1998, growers in Immokalee banded together to form a housing task force. The announcement of the task force’s formation came just a week after two of the major growers in Immokalee announced a five cent raise in the piece rate.[9] In February of 1998, governor Bush followed up with a request for federal disaster funds to finance housing. Growers would play a key role in this initiative through donating the land on which new housing units would be constructed. Better housing, argues Jay Taylor, would “..tie the employee relationship that much closer. It ensures that quality people – good solid employees – have good solid employment.”[10] Taylor advocates building housing in a central location in downtown Immokalee.

Coalition leaders worry that linking housing to employment will create an atmosphere in which workers feel less free to ask for better wages and working conditions. These concerns are highlighted by what the coalition experienced when it tried to hold talks with workers at the Six L’s farm in East Naples, which has onsite workers barracks. Lucas Benetiz recalls that a supervisor “…chased coalition members in their car and followed them to a store off of US 41 where sheriff’s deputies were called.” When informed of the incident, owner Larry Lipman replied that “I don’t like the idea of Coalition having a meeting on my property.” In a Naples Daily News visit to Six L’s, a reporter and photographer were denied access to the camp or to speak with workers unaccompanied. Four men were later brought back from the fields to be interviewed while their crew leader stood nearby.[11]

In important ways, the housing and immigration agendas are interconnected. Investments in housing depend on legislative provisions that will secure a stable and legal workforce. John Scala, human resources director for Cooperative Producers Inc. in Immokalee and labor committee chairman for the Gulf Citrus Growers’ Association notes:

You have owner-operators in Southwest Florida who are ready and able to spend millions of dollars on housing projects, if the H-2a [i.e., Graham-Smith proposal] is approved. Right now we’re in a holding pattern. If we know there is a mechanism for people to be brought in from offshore, and for undocumented people to be documented, then we can build housing, recruit employees and feel fairly confident that we’ll have a stable work force.[12]

Like the federal registry, employer owned housing implies greater control over workers. The workers’ sense of place – already precarious due to their migrant and, in many cases, undocumented status – would be defined almost entirely in terms of the employer/employee relationship. The CIW’s project moves in precisely the opposite direction – toward greater worker autonomy.

The idea of autonomy can be clarified by contrasting the notions of positive and negative liberty. Negative liberty is the freedom of the marketplace, the absence of external constraint. An illustration of this perspective comes from Fritz Roka, a research economist with the University of Florida in Immokalee. Reflecting on the Coalition’s recent march and its demands for an increase in the piece rate, Roka commented that

As long as workers are willing to get on the labor pool bus at a certain rate, who are we to say that’s unfair? To say that workers aren’t getting paid enough is to get into value judgments…What’s a living wage to me is different than from an 18 year old male. I think that’s best left to the market, with the big provision that people can make choices.[13]

What choices do farm workers have? They can choose to work for a number of different labor contractors. They may choose to work in different crops. Remuneration in citrus is higher than in vegetables, but also more physically demanding. Farm workers may also choose to work in non-agricultural industries, such as construction. The point here is that these are all decisions that farm workers can make autonomously, as individual economic agents. When the Coalition asks for dialogue with the growers, it is asserting its right to speak for farm workers. It is proposing collective social action rather than the market as a means for generating economic outcomes such as wages and working conditions. Roka’s suggestion is that workers are better off following their own individual preferences within the labor market. Outcomes generated by collective action would impose values on the preferences of individuals social actors. For example, the decision to strike on a given day subjects farm workers to considerable pressure not to work. The most recent work stoppage in Immokalee – in December of 1999 – was an emotionally intense standoff between strikers, police and workers who boarded or considered boarding the contractors’ buses. The strike was a collective project; it was no doubt at odds with the preferences of numerous individual workers.[14]

The argument for collective social action is that isolated individuals are too weak to effectively address their interests. Farm workers want higher wages and better working conditions, but as individuals acting within the market place, there is little chance of them securing these interests.[15] Collective action requires mobilizing the resources of the community in order to achieve commonly held interests. Farm workers can become free to develop their own potential only with the context of a mobilized community. Here new choices become possible, choices that would stem from the ability of workers to engage in dialogue with the growers over wages and working conditions. This autonomy is prefigured in many of the Coalition’s activities. Acting collectively, Coalition members have been able to curb the worst abuses of labor contracts – withholding wages and using violence to intimidate workers in the field. The recent increase in the piece rate occurred only after the Coalition had captured national attention for farm worker grievances through the 1997-98 hunger strike.

What constitutes the community? Here it is useful to discuss community at the level of the farm workers in Immokalee and in terms of the linkages between the Coalition and the broader public realm in Florida. Within the Immokalee, the coalition conducts weekly meetings on Wednesday evenings at its headquarters on Third Street – adjacent to the Pantry Shelf parking lot. The meetings are informal. Coalition leaders use the meetings to initiate dialogues with the workers in attendance. In our experience, these discussions are oriented toward explaining the actions of the Coalition and providing workers with an identity-in-struggle. The latter emerges through a rhetoric that emphasizes the common humanity of all farm workers.

In a story that is often repeated among members of the Coalition, one farmer asks another what he thinks of the demands of the Coalition. The other farmer dismisses these demands with the comment, “a tractor does not tell a farmer how to run his farm.” In response to the remark, the CIW created a large picture of a tractor with the caption “no soy tractor” (“I am not a tractor”) emblazoned across it. Dozens of workers signed their names to the image. The point of this representation is that it is the growers who depriving the workers or their humanity. To struggle against the growers is to reclaim one’s humanity. The same theme recurs in a number of the political cartoons produced and disseminated throughout Immokalee by the Coalition (one can find these cartoons taped or pasted to the walls of buildings around downtown Immokalee). One cartoon poses the question, “How do you want to spend the new year (2000)? A diagonal line divides the page in two. In the image on the upper left hand side of the page, the farm worker is on all fours – like a farm animal. A bloated patron (or boss), with a cocktail in hand and a cigar in his mouth, rides on the back of the worker saying “dale, dale, cabron! Otro ano mas de ser mi burro! (com’on, com’on you bastard, one more year of being my donkey!). In the bottom right frame, the worker embraces his wife and daughter and says, “Ya con el aumento que conseguimos entre todos, puedo descansar feliz con mi familia para la fiesta!” (With the increase that all of us obtained, I can rest happily at home with the family). The daughter chimes in, “Si papi! Ya podemos todos tener una vida digna, no solo los patrones.” (Yes, Daddy, now we can all have a dignified life, not just the bosses). The opposition here is stark: either farm workers are burros or they lead dignified lives. The latter is possible only when concessions have been wrested from the patrons.

In another example, the coalition created, in preparation for their recent march from Fort Myers to Orlando, a paper-mache donkey, which they intended to shatter on the doorstep of the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association in Orlando. The point of the gesture, of course, would be to shatter the image of workers farm animals and to affirm their status as human beings. Again, this identity-in-struggle emerges only in opposition to the growers.

In their discussions with workers, Coalition leaders explain the actions and the overall trajectory of the coalition. In meetings before the march, coalition leaders showed a video of the March of the Americas in which members had participated the previous autumn. The camera showed workers marching over the George Washington Bridge and into New York City, the final destination of the march.[16] Police helped to direct traffic around the march. This was evidence that immigrant farm workers could enter the public realm to call attention to their working conditions. Coalition members made a similar point about their most recent March, from Ft. Myers to Orlando. The videos demonstrated, once again, that farm workers could claim a place for themselves within the public sphere. When workers who participated in the march were asked what they liked best about the experience, they replied that it was their ability to move about in the public realm.

There is a sense of place articulated in these discussions which asserts that farm workers have a place in this society. One finds this in the ways in which the Coalition organized the march. Leading the procession of marchers was a paper-mache statue of liberty, mounted in a pick-up truck, with a tomato clutched in her extended right arm and the bucket of tomatoes cradled in the other. At the base of the statue was the inscription, “I, too, am America.” This statue of liberty was brown skinned (morena). The image here bears a certain resemblance to the appearance of the brown skinned Virgin of Guadalupe to the Mexican peasant Juan Diego.[17] In both, the symbols of the dominant culture are appropriated by the oppressed. So now the statue of liberty is brown. Now her promises apply migrants farm workers as much as they do other Americans.

Coalition publicity for the march emphasized just this point. A flyer advertising the march shows the Statue of Liberty holding in her arms a book with the inscription liberty and justice. The accompanying text reads:

Conoces tu quien es esta dama? Se llama la dama de la libertad! Y supuestamente esta para dar la bienvienida a todos los inmigrantes a este pais…pero en vez de una bienvenida, recibimos nada mas que bajos sueldos y malos tratos y por eso…vamonos a la gran marcha pas la dignidad, respeto, y los sueldos justos!

Do you know who this lady is? She’s called the lady of liberty. And supposedly she’s there to give welcome to all the immigrants to this country, but instead of a welcome, we receive nothing but low salaries and poor treatment and so let us go on the great march for dignity, respect, and just wages!

Again the message is that her promises apply to us, we farm workers. The thrust of all these statements is to assert that workers have rights. This view is reflected in a statement made by Coalition member Romeo Ramirez prior of the march: "By virtue of the hard work we do, we have earned the right to talk to our employers about our wages and other working conditions."[18]

It was essential for this assertion of rights to be highly public in character – as, indeed, it was. Marchers traveled along U.S. 41 from Fort Myers to Tampa and on route 92 from Tampa to Orlando. These thoroughfares are an indispensable part of the public realm in Florida. Following social critic James Howard Kunster, we can define the public realm as “the connective tissue of our social experience”. The public realm, argues Kunstler, is a democratic social space. “It is made of those pieces of terrain left between the private holdings. It exists in the form of streets, highways, town squares, parks, even some parking lots….the true public realm…is that portion of our everyday world which belongs to everybody and to which everybody ought to have access most of the time.”[19] The march was an eruption of the Coalition into the connective tissue of our social experience. Occupying the right hand lane of U.S. 41 between Ft. Myers to Tampa, the farm workers ceased to be invisible. In desolate Immokalee, this is their normal condition.

The imperative to become visible – to enter into the public realm – stems from the inability of the Coalition to use the force of its organization to compel growers to dialogue with them. Part of the reason for this is the special status of agriculture in the United States: it is exempt from the provisions of the National Labor Relations Act. Growers have no legal obligation to talk with the coalition. More importantly, they have little interest in doing so. The reason for this is the profound disjunction between grower and Coalition visions on how to organize farm labor. As we have argued in this paper, the former are proposing a new regime of labor control in large because market forces are generating unacceptable labor shortages. The market solution here is obvious: higher wages and better working conditions. Growers protest, however, that international competition in their industry from Brazil and Mexico will not permit this. The alternative, as we have seen in the Smith/Graham proposals, is to administratively tie labor to agricultural employment. Unfree labor and publicly subsidized housing are the principle proposals for how the growers intend to stand up to international competition.

At the level of public debate, this strategy requires a concerted effort to discredit alternatives such as the Coalition’s call for dialogue with the growers. No one has worked harder to discredit the Coalition and its allies in the religious community than Luis Rodriguez, governor Bush’s so called “Ag Ambassador.” Rodriguez is a former grower, a former president of the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association, a former appointee to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and is currently a paid consultant for the Florida Farmers and Suppliers Coalition. Rodriguez became a part of the labor dispute in the immediate aftermath of Jeb Bush’s visit to Immokalee to hear the concerns of the farm workers. Unlike Bush, Rodriguez has not met with the Coalition. But this does not keep him from criticizing the organization. Here are some excerpts from an interview that the editorial board of the Naples Daily News conducted with Rodriguez:

· “I did not meet with the coalition because the growers do not recognize the coalition as legitimate…they feel that that is a front for a farm worker union and they are not really true representatives. After doing my research, I feel that they may have a point there.

· “Some of the players are a little suspicious. You know, Lucas Benitez didn’t have a history of working in Immokalee or being seen at the 7-Eleven, or driving around town. You have to remember that the Mexican lobby spends about $3 to $5 million a year on various lobbyists in Washington…so to some extent, the growers here are suspicious of how these folks are being financed, not only by Kellog’s, but by others, including the Mexican lobby. I’m not paranoid, but I’ve seen everything.”

· [with respect to the coaliton’s religious supporters] “…Like someone told me, ‘I look at them as a bunch of white liberal guys who want to go to heaven on the backs of the farm workers.’ You have to be suspicious of their motives.” [20]

But who can doubt the sincerity of Luis Rodriguez, whom the Naples Daily News characterizes as a farm worker advocate? Who really speaks for farm workers? During its 1997-98 hunger strike the Coalition collected the signatures of 2,000 of the 2,500 tomato pickers living in Immokalee. Rodriguez has apparently remained unimpressed. Responding the Coalition’s recent trip to Tallahassee to lobby the governor on the behalf of farm workers, he comments: “I don't believe that Greg Asbed represents the farm workers any more than I represent the king of Spain on international matters in Washington, D.C.”[21] In the wake of the Coaliton’s recent march, Rodriguez becomes indignant: the unrelenting criticisms and demonstrations are “a slap in the face.” Rodriquez has been betrayed by the Coalition: “I personally feel I’ve stuck my neck out to help the governor and to help them…the wage issue – that took squeezing my friends, using people, every connection I had and we pulled something off but I won’t do it again.” Again, the Coalition’s motives are suspect: “The problem is that these people want a piece of the action…their agenda is to organize labor and no matter what they get want more. The last thing these workers need is a middle man to take a cut in their paycheck.”[22]

These verbal pyrotechnics are simply part of the battle for public legitimacy that is currently being fought between the Coalition on the one side and the growers on the other. A similar point can be made with respect to the Coalition. Its public gestures – hunger strikes, marches, etc. – are necessitated by the absence of dialogue between the growers and the CIW.

As we have argued throughout this paper, the conflict between the growers and the CIW is rooted in the fundamentally different visions each side has with respect to the future of farm labor in Southwest Florida. It is important to note that this division is further entrenched in the exemptions from labor laws that the agricultural industry enjoys throughout much of the United States. California is the major exception. There the state legislature, under Governor Jerry Brown, drafted legislation that extended the right to organize to farm workers. For the rest of the country, including Florida, the exclusion of farm workers from the National Labor Relations Act make it possible for the growers to dispense with dialogue. As columnist Bill Maxwell suggests, Florida could adopt laws similar to California.[23] Such legislation would extend to farm workers the rights enjoyed by all other workers. For this to occur, however, the public would have to view farm workers and farm work in a different light – they would have to be seen as being like everyone else. This is the key to understanding our notion of the moral economy of farm work. It means recognizing the essential equality between them and us. The Coalition’s eruption into the public sphere is meant to remind us of this.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[1] For discussion, see David Griffith and Ed Kissam’s discussion of farm workers in Immokalee in Working Poor (Temple University Press, 1995), p. 29-70.

[2] Perhaps the key objection is over whether the CIW represents farm workers, or is merely pursuing its own interests in the name of the farm workers. For further discussion, see below.

[3] See for example the National Clearinghouse on Guestworker Legislation (http://www.crlaf.org/gworkers.htm), a website put together by the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation.

[4] Examples include the Bracero program (1942-64), which recruited Mexican workers and undermined wages for domestic agricultural workers. The successor to the Bracero program is H-2, where growers may recruit foreign workers when the Department of Labor finds that there are labor shortages for farm workers. Currently, growers make little use of H-2 because its cumbersome bureaucratic procedures make the rapid recruitment of labor at crucial points in the harvest difficult.

[5] New York Times, March 9th, 2000 (“I.N.S. is Looking the Other Way As Illegal Immigrants Fill Jobs,” Louis Uchitelle, p. A-1 and C-14).

[6] Kates is cites in the Naples Daily News, March 14th. 1999 (“Shortage of Workers: Where has all of the labor gone?” by Victor Epstein).

[7] See “The Green Card Solution,” T. Alexander Alienikoff, The American Prospect, volume 11, number 3, Dec. 20, 1999 (http://www.prospect.org/archives/V11-3/aleinikoff.html)

[8] Taylor is quoted in the Naples Daily News, January 31st, 1999 (“Should Growers be Landlords,” by Gina Edwards).

[9] The raise came at the urge of then governor elect Jeb Bush, who visited with the CIW to hear their concerns in the fall of 1998. Bush’s unofficial aid for agriculture, J.Luis Rodriguez, then brokered the increase in the piece rate.

[10] Taylor is quoted in the Naples Daily News, Sunday, January 24th, 1999 (“Good Housing = Good Business,” by Dan Wagner).

[11] The information in this paragraph is drawn from the Naples Daily News, Sunday, January 31st, 1999 (“Migrant housing: Should growers be landlords,” by Gina Edwards).

[12] Scala is quoted in the Fort Myers New-Press, December 21st, 1999 (“Legislation to legalize laborers gets mixed reaction,” by Laura Ruane).

[13] Roka is quoted in the Naples Daily News, February 27th, 2000 (“Immokalee farmworker supporters continue march to Orlando,” Rebecca Wakefield)

[14] Workers may feel deeply conflicted about their preferences. They might like to strike, but they lack the resources to do so. In this sense, they are unlike higher paid workers who can more readily afford to strike – such as, most recently, engineers at Boeing. Their individual rationality therefore dictates that they should work. Additional resources would change their preferences.

[15] In part, this is because of the way in which the labor market for farm workers has been politically structured. During the 1930s, farm workers were excluded from the provisions of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and today they continue to be excluded from federal protections for labor organizing. Legislation regulating growers and contractors on wage records, housing and transportation has been passed by Congress, but the legislation is weakly enforced by the Department of Labor, which lacks the personnel or the resources to respond to farm workers’ needs. The exemption from the NLRA and the weak enforce of the existing labor protections reflect the political power of growers.

[16] For discussion of this march, see the coalition’s webpage (http://www.geocities.com/coaimmwkr/march.html)

[17] This legend of this apparition of the Virgin emerged in 16th century Mexico in the wake of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec empire. The significance of this story is that it affirms the dignity and worth of an oppressed people.

[18] Coalition of Immokalee Workers press release, February 19th, 2000 (http://www.geocities.com/coaimmwkr/flmarch.html)

[19] Home from Nowhere (Simon and Schuster, 1996), p. 36.

[20] The quotes come from the Naples Daily News, January 17th, 1999 (“Ag Ambassador: Bush aid Rodriguez seeks answers to farm wages, housing”).

[21] Naples Daily News, Dec 21st, 1999.

[22] Naples Daily News, February 27th, 1999 (“Immokalee farmworker supporters continue march to Oralndo,” by Rebecca Wakefield). The very title of this article, incidentally, suggests that the march was undertaken by supporters of the farmworkers, not the farmworkers themselves. This gives a false impression of the march.

[23] See the Naples Daily News, February 21st, 1999 (Bill Maxwell: Bush, Legislature must act to protect, help farmworkers,” by Bill Maxwell).

2004-05-18T23:26:00.000-04:00

Wes Ley is proud of his Church!

(05/07) Overall wrap up of General Conference

2004-05-18T17:15:00.000-04:00

Here's a wrap up of General Conference held the First part of May.

(05/07) click Here

Wesley Cooks at St. Matthews House

2004-05-17T21:10:00.000-04:00

on Wednesday May 19, the Bible Study group that met at church on Wednesday nights prepared and served the residents of St. Matthews House. It is a inspiration to help and blessing to touch lives. We served 40 at the soup kitchen and 80 at the residential facility. If you want to help serve on the Third Wednesday of any month call the church office.

May 16, 2004

2004-05-17T21:06:00.000-04:00

Stephen Wells offered M & M's for anyone who could answer questions about the Mid High mission event in Golden Gate. The Grace Place project will be a time for the mid Highs to lead a Vacation Bible School for 4th graders. Needs for VBS amount to approx. $500.

Dollars contributed: $615.83

May 9, 2004

2004-05-17T21:05:00.000-04:00

Mrs. Julie Booth offered her encouragement to the youth and asked for help in preparing meals for the Sr. High experience in July. She spoke of the great opportunity for the youth to encounter others with needs.

Dollars contributed: $436.00

Youth Mission Trips

2004-05-02T21:02:00.000-04:00

May 2, 2004 James Lake shared the plan of our Middle School youth leading a Vacation Bible School program in Golden Gate City in June. Our Senior Highs will lead a Mission Project doing Home repair in East Naples and Immokalee. They will also go to St. Matthews house to serve a meal. It's going to be two great experiences for our kids.

Dollars donated on May 2: $643.45

April 25, 2004

2004-04-27T09:59:00.000-04:00

Mrs. Pat Pollak spoke of the important work of Friendship House in Immokalee, Florida. They provide care and shelter to homeless persons every day of the year. Pat noted their present shortage in revenues.

This week's mission offering $

Welcome

2004-04-15T16:16:00.000-04:00

This is the Blog site for Wesley!! We will use it to keep you and others informed on happenings. We will focus especially on missions and social activities