Micah Corps Summer 2013

The 2013 Micah Corps experience concluded August 2.  Check us out for details about the application process for the 2014 Micah Corps  beginning January, 2014!  Until then, "do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God."  Micah 6:8

Epworth Village

One of the workshops offered at the UMW Mission-U this year was an

information session on Epworth Village.  Located in both York and Grand Island,

Epworth Village strives to serve God by providing opportunities for success in a

secure, loving environment for families and at-risk youth which nurtures personal

growth, individual and family strengths and responsibility for self and others.  The

workshop was lead by Patrick Garcia, the President and CEO of Epworth Village.   It

started back in 1889 when it was an orphanage located on a diary farm up until

federal regulations called for a push for Foster Care, rather than the latter.  In 1959

it was officially named Epworth Village after John Wesley’s hometown and has been

constantly improving ever since.  Patrick Garcia spent a majority of the workshop

time explaining the newest “metamorphosis” of Epworth Village, which has recently

closed down both psychiatric treatment houses and the therapeutic group home due

to a process of “right-sizing” to ensure that every patient always has the best care

possible at all times.  Not only that, but closing down the on-site homes also allows

for people to receive more outpatient therapy and in-home safety services; doing so

eliminates the worry of the transitional period back into the home.  The two main

goals of Epworth Village are to provide hope and healing and the dedicated Epworth

Village staff all work together to serve God and fulfill those intentions.

For more information or to donate, please visit the Epworth Village website: http://

www.epworthvillage.org/

Poverty Session I

At Mission U, formerly known as the School of Christian Mission the Micah Corps interns took a class on Poverty. The first poverty session we discussed Deuteronomy 15:11 which says, “There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be open handed toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.”

We made a list of words that come to our mind when we hear the word “poverty.” Some of those words include: hunger, lack of education, economic inequality, food desert, unemployment, health issues, doing without utilities, difficult choices, and homeless. While these are common words that are associated with “poverty” we are still called to care for the poor. Poverty has been a problem since Biblical times. We can’t just give to the poor because giving = fixing and fixing is short term. If we truly want to help the poor we need to start looking at the injustices in our worldly and governmental systems here in the United States and across the Nations.