Our Eyes Were Opened: Reaching Out to People in Poverty
June 17, 2008 at Maryville College
Please join us in welcoming Rev. Beth Templeton to our community on Tuesday, June 17, 2008. Ms. Templeton pulls on her twenty-five years as a nonprofit executive working in the area of poverty and as a Presbyterian (USA) minister to help open people’s eyes. She is currently the Director of Our Eyes Were Opened, an outreach of United Ministries in Greenville, SC.
These workshops are sponsored by Good Neighbors of Blount County, the Center for Strong Communities at Maryville College, New Providence Presbyterian Church, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Fairview United Methodist Church and the Blount County Ecumenical Action Council.
Click here to register for "Our Eyes Were Opened"
Location
Maryville College
Proffitt Dining Room in Pearsons Hall
502 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway
Maryville, TN 37804
Schedule
- 8:00 – 8:30
- Check-in, Coffee and Drinks
- 8:30 – 11:30
- Helping Others - Servant or Sucker
- This workshop is for church staff, community leaders, volunteers and others who serve with people in poverty and/or have a desire to learn more effective ways they can help. (Scroll down to see workshop description.)
- 11:45 – 1:00
- Lunch at Maryville College ($5.00)
- 1:00 – 4:00
- Loving Our Neighbor for Teens
- This workshop is for those who teach or work with youth. Older youth who assist with programming are welcome to attend. (Scroll down to see workshop description.)
Thanks to our supporting organizations and churches, there is no fee for the workshops. The only cost is $5.00 for lunch.
Questions
For questions regarding registration, please call the Center for Strong Communities at (865) 273-8894. If you have other questions about these workshops or wish to support this kind of church and community effort, contact Jeanna Stewart at Good Neighbors or Billy Newton at Maryville College.
Workshop Descriptions
Helping Others: Servant or Sucker?
Many people truly want to help others, but are unsure what can be effective and sometimes wonder if they are a servant or sucker. This interactive workshop provides tools such as the three mantras, the three Vs, L.E.A.R.N. to say no in compassionate and loving ways, and the A-B-Cs of helping. After giving these simple and effective tips, Templeton moves deeper into how congregations may choose to reach out to others by looking at a continuum of styles for offering direct aid as well as a process for setting up a direct aid ministry and/or helping a family in need. She offers assistance to congregations in discerning which organizations or ministries to support with their benevolence dollars. She encourages discussion and questions throughout the time together.
Loving Our Neighbor for Teens
This workshop will help teachers and leaders of youth with an array of youth activities designed to help teens better understand people who live in poverty. Over the years, Rev. Beth Templeton has received numerous requests from classroom teachers, youth ministers, counselors, and advisors for assistance in opening the eyes of adolescents about the realities of poverty and the difficult lives of some of their classmates. This workshop is a culmination of multiple programs she has developed for youth to raise awareness and encourage empathy rather than judgment.
Learn more about “Our Eyes Were Opened” ministries and Beth Templeton.
