Arden Arcade Carmichael Faith Communities (AACFC)
Meeting Minutes
January 22, 2026
Introductions –
Tree Nebeker, Church of Scientology, Marconi Avenue
Rev. Jason Bense, Pastor, Lutheran Church of Our
Redeemer and Gethsemane Lutheran
Carol Wuebker, Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer
John McCormack, Saint Marks United Methodist
Julie Linderman, St. Michaels Episcopal Katie
Heffelfinger, LDS, Eastern Avenue
Deacon Paul Friedrich, Presentation RCC
Martin Ross, Health Education Council
AACFC Mission Vision statement – Jason showed the
statement on the screen as passed in December 2025
there were no edits.
Treasurers report – Carol reported that on 12/31/2025,
total assets are $6,156.33 not including January‘s
income from the God’s Helping Hands Laundry.
God‘s Helping Hands Laundry- Julie reported that 28
people were served at the laundry in December and 17
in January. Jason noted we should find ways to solicit
donations. Carol again mentioned county grants which
could be accessed. Julie noted that we will be moving to
a new laundry in March with a trial run for volunteers in
February with no guests. We will send out a notice to
our contact list re. this address change. We currently
have five volunteers once a month in addition to four
core volunteers with two hours work needed for each
laundry date on the third Saturday. The laundry team is
also testing a new app for volunteers, which will link to
the AACFC debit card and pay for the machines digitally
to avoid use of quarters. The name of the new laundry
is MegaWash Laundry at 6002 Fair Oaks and El
Camino in Carmichael. To publicize this new location,
they may do a campaign with flyers and include
envelopes for donations. Also, the Street Sheet
(Resource Guide) will be updated for the new laundry.
Carol updates this routinely and will print laundry
information before the trial run in March. Mr. Terry
Bridges is the new chair of the laundry Committee.
Upcoming Blood Drive – Katie Heffelfinger noted that
the LDS church on Eastern Avenue will be having a
blood drive on February 26 th from 1 to 6 PM. Vitalant will
be collecting blood and the goal is 27 pints. Whole
blood and plasma are needed. A flyer will be provided
to put on the AACFC website after Katie emails it to
Jason. Also Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer had a
blood drive this Saturday, but has not systematically
published these. The LDS blood drives are in February
and August and the LCOR drives are in January and
July. Also St. Michaels Episcopal did a drive in June but
does not follow a consistent monthly schedule.
New Respite Center – Saint Michaels Episcopal is
coordinating with Carmichael HART and Carmichael
Presbyterian (CPC) and has opened a new respite
center at CPC on Saturdays with showers,
breakfast and clothing donations. John noted that Arden
Arcade HART is no longer doing Zoom meetings and
has moved to in-person meetings. Carol noted this is
inconvenient for people who want to attend the Arden
Arcade HART meetings at noon and the AACFC Zoom
meeting at 1 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of each
month, Julie noted that Saint Michaels received grants
in the past including one to Arden Arcade HART
Alchemist Community Development Corporation – John
noted that he and his wife attended a dinner fundraiser
at the Empress Tavern underneath the Crest Theatre
recently for this very active nonprofit in Sacramento,
connecting people to food, land, and employment
resources. Web site is https://alchemistcdc.org/ The
CEO is Sam Greenlee of Oak Park and his manager is
Shannin Stein. Jason noted that this nonprofit also runs
the food stamp “Cal-Fresh” table at the Country Club
Center Farmer’s Market in Arden on Saturdays
InfInformation sharing meetings – Carol noted meetings
are happening with service providers and faith-based
organizations such as St. John’s Shelter for Real
Change, HOPE Cooperative, Wellspace Health and
Sacramento County. More knowledge of these groups
is needed. Carol proposed a meeting about sharing
information.
Pastor Jason said we could go in the meantime to the
upcoming Homeless Collaborative Meeting at the Diocesan
Pastoral Center located at 2110 Broadway, on 2/10 from
1:00 – 3:30 p.m. Coordinator for these meetings is Linda
Wanner of the local Catholic Conference. Anyone may
attend, but you must register in advance and list your
affiliation with a nonprofit or faith group. The last
meeting was with the homeless manager for the City of
Sacramento Dept. of Consumer Response, per Paul
Friedrich.
Recruiting New Faith Groups – Jason asked how we
target individual faith communities that are not involved.
For instance, the Jewish groups and the Seventh Day
Adventist Church on Cypress, the SDA Russian church
on Marconi and Gethsemane Lutheran, a
Fijian congregation. Many groups are not on our list.
Also, we need to learn more about Carmichael Baptist.
Arcade Baptist was doing a Tuesday food bank, but
pastor Dan Bryant has retired so we have lost contact. It
was noted that Arden Arcade HART and Carmichael
HART had worked together in the past so Jason noted
we need to ask their current leaders to meet with us.
Paul also noted there are five Roman Catholic churches
in the Arden Arcade Carmichael area including two in
Arden Arcade and two in Carmichael and all are in the
Saint Vincent de Paul network. Saint Philomene’s RCC
is a Hispanic congregation that speaks only Spanish.
Paul noted the local Roman Catholic Deanery includes
Arden Arcade Fair Oaks and Rancho Cordova. It was
also suggested that we reach out to Rebecca Parker at
Carmichael Presbyterian as a new contact. Jason
Weiner is the local contact for reformed Jewish groups.
Jason Bense may be meeting with Nancy Wechsler of
Congregation Beth Shalom on Thursday. Carol noted
that it’s very difficult to keep Street Sheet information
current, especially for a shelters so she has been
attending meetings when possible. Persons seeking
shelter should continue to call 211 and get on their
contact list. And our mission should continue to be more
than just homeless outreach
Sacramento Habitat for Humanity “Build for Unity” is
holding work days at their latest build site in Citrus
Heights on January 31 and February 6th and 7th per
Jason. It was suggested that we recruit parents at
Catholic schools to work on future Habitat builds.
Coordinators for the “Build For Unity” are Kathy
Severson and Kristin Dean. If 16 or 17 years old, you
may work with a parent or guardian and at age 18 or
above, no parents are required to work on site. Katie
asked if Just Serve publicized Habitat in
its publications.
Announcements
Martin Ross update –
Martin noted that the Good Shepherd Catholic Church
in Elk Grove is doing a service from 6 to 9 p.m. on
February 28 th to commemorate Black History Month
Martin will be providing music for this service and there
will be a presentation on African culture and the Black
diaspora through the middle passage into modern day.
Afghan family Outreach event at LCOR. The Health
Education Council is currently partnering with this
community to provide health resources, including
diabetes information.
IACEC – Iranian American Cultural and Educational
Center, is providing mental health resources for the
Afghan community, including computer classes with
phones and laptops. Contact Martin for further
information.
Martin is working with Iranian American community
groups. They meet on Mondays to address the current
crisis in Iran and among American Iranian citizens.
Saint Mark’s Thanksgiving event in November 2025.
Paul noted that a friend attended this event and hopes
that it will take place again next year. John noted that
we plan to continue it every Thanksgiving.
Next AACFC meeting will be the fourth Thursday,
February 21st at 1 PM
Respectfully submitted,
John McCormack
AACFC Secretary
Arden Arcade Carmichael Faith Communities Zoom Meeting
November 20, 2025, 1:00 P.m. via Zoom
Attendees: Jason Bense, Berhanu Didanu, Richard Jackson, Julie Linderman, Carol Wuebker, Tree Nebeker, John McCormack
Richard Jackson opened the meeting in prayer.
God’s Helping Hands Laundry- The laundry seeks to move to a new location and is reviewing options. An new location will be announced in December 2025 and begin in January 2026.
Treasurer’s Report – Carol reported $339 cash on hand for God’s Helping Hands Laundry and a checking account balance of $6071.83 for a total treasury of $6510.83.
Mercy Holistic Ministry– Jason introduced Berhanu Didanu, who manages this non-profit serving homeless and marginalized persons in Sacramento. It was founded in 2010 and is based at Town and Country Lutheran Church, 4049 Marconi Avenue in Arden Arcade. Though originally serving refugees from Ethiopia, it welcomes all people in the local community in need of assistance. To learn more, go to their web site https://www.mercyholistic-ministry.org/
Giving Machine – Richard Jackson reported that this event will occur again from November 17th through December 8th at the Galleria in Roseville and in Modesto. It provides an opportunity for the local community to donate to worthwhile organizations during the holidays. This year’s focus is on the Sacramento Children’s Receiving Home, Salvation Army, Stand Up Placer and Jake’s Journey Home. See web site for further information. https://www.givingmachinesgreatersacramento.org/
AACFC Mission Vision Statement- After some discussion, a final revised Mission and Vision Statement for AACFC was adopted. See document in italics below.
Thanksgiving Interfaith Service – Saint Marks held this service on November 18th in their basement fellowship hall. Approximately 12 faith groups in the Arden Arcade and Carmichael area were formally invited and others were welcomed as well. Logistic would not allow an announcement to large group list networks since the hall only seats around 170 persons.
Saint Marks/Mercy Pedalers Respite Center – Going well on the 2nd Saturday of each month.
Closing Prayer – Offered by Berhanu Didanu.
Next Meeting – Due to Christmas falling on the 4thThursday, the next AACFC meeting will be Dec. 18that 1:00 p.m. via Zoom.
John McCormack, AACFC Secretary
Vision
Monthly public gatherings of all faith communities in the area to share and update needs and resources in the community on the fourth Thursday of each month at 1pm.
Regular support with volunteer hours and financial contributions for God’s Helping Hands Laundry.
An annual Day of Service on the second Saturday in September.
A regularly updated resource guide and website of needs and resources in the community.
A monthly featured faith community in the gathering, email and website.
A monthly email of events in the community.
And future endeavors as we are able.
Arden Arcade Carmichael Faith Communities Zoom Meeting
Thursday, June 26, 2025 (1:00 p.m.)
Attendees: Jason Bense, Julie Linderman, John McCormack, Judy Stoeltzing, Bryce Halladay
St. Michael’s Episcopal Yard Sale: Julie reported that their yard sale was a success and $7000 was raised for their community grant programs. Loaves and Fishes did not show up to collect unsold items but Sacramento Habitat for Humanity took a large Native American desk, other furniture and some mechanical things saleable at the Re: Store. The Disabled American Veterans also picked up some items.
LDS Blood Drive: Judy reported that the next drive will be Thursday, August 28th from 1 to 6 pm at the Eastern Avenue LDS stake location. Judy will provide a flyer.
Interfaith Homeless Coalition: Jason reported this initiative was started by a group of Roman Catholic planners concerned about homelessness and the local faith community’s response. Jason is not familiar with details but will attend all or part of their next meeting to learn more.
“No Address” Movie Screening: Scheduled for Thursday, September 18th at the LDS stake gymnasium on Eastern Avenue. Bryce has a projector, screen and sound system and the LDS hierarchy has approved the showing. Jason noted that AACFC could offer a $100 sponsorship and all agreed. Bryce noted there are restrictions on cash donations but we can ask for in-kind donations instead. The screening fee to show the movie is $500. Also, there is some confusion as to which movie is being shown- 1) “Making of No Address”, the documentary or 2) “No Address”, the feature film drama. Discussion re. having panelists after movie screening. Joe Smith of HOPE Cooperative has lived experience with homelessness and is a potential panelist. Joe is in charge of all housing placement for HOPE Cooperative and has spoken at an AACFC event before. Bryce has Joe Smith’s contact information. John mentioned several other NGO representatives that could be contacted including Steve Watters of First Step Communities.
National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) speaker: Saint Marks venue is available on Wed. Sept. 24th for the event. Also, Jason received an email from Mark Warren of Saint Ignatius Loyola Parish RCC regarding a new ministry they have started to address mental illness in their community. This was precipitated by the suicide of Father Art Wehr, who committed suicide in 2024. Father Tom Lucas has provided 2 educational sessions to their members, including mental health first aid training. The next session is October 19 at Saint Ignatius. Warren’s email noted that even though Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia receive more attention coverage, depression and anxiety are more pervasive in the general population especially since Covid 19. Susan Nelson is the Mental Health Committee co-chair. Discussion re. both the Saint Marks and Saint Ignatius speakers and we agreed, given the chronic need to address mental illness, AACFC will promote and publicize the Catholic program as well, to Christian, Jewish, Muslim and other faith groups. Julie noted that these events will help to re-establish AACFC’s visibility and vitality. Our plan to hold public events every 2 months was temporarily sidetracked. Meanwhile, Judy continues to work on a revised mission statement draft.
Recovery Market: Jason is in touch with Laurel Rhodes, who has begun a program to promote and allow individuals to sell art work and other local products as a means of economic empowerment. LCOR has hosted 3 events selling items and is partnering with other FBO’s including Congregation Beth Shalom. Carmichael Presbyterian is hosting a Recovery Market event on August 30th from 11 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Since they are not a 501©3 and have no bank account, Jason’s idea is to allow them to partner with AACFC for the time being to grow their program. There is a July meeting with coordinator Laurel Rhodes to plan next steps and avoid legal problems. This can in turn boost AACFC. Bryce noted that the LDS Church has lay ministry recovery groups based on AA that cite scripture and are open to persons of all faiths. Also, noted that recovery is broad-based and not just economic but involves removing stigma, personal growth, etc.
Saint Matthews Episcopal: Julie reported that this small struggling church is still open and is led by Pastor Katie Holeman, who knows Jason. They provide a HART lunch one Saturday per month.
Street Sheet: Jason requested that Bryce submit LDS resources to him to add to the Street Sheet.
God’s Helping Hand Laundry: Julie reported that Carol Wuebker will return as AACFC Treasurer soon but cannot attend meetings until August. In June, the laundry had $657 on hand and spent $257 during that month’s laundry day with 18 guests served. Donations are being received from friends but getting volunteers to work on laundry Saturdays is still a struggle. Currently in addition to Julie, Judy Stoeltzing, 2 Saint Michaels volunteers, Debbie from LCOR and Tom Tortora are helping.
Next regular AACFC meeting: Thursday, July 24th at 1:00 p.m. via Zoom. Will continue planning for NAMI meeting in September and “No Address” Homeless movie in October.
John McCormack
AACFC Secretary
ARDEN ARCADE CARMICHAEL FAITH COMMUNITIES Meeting Minutes,
March 27, 2025, 1:00 p.m. (via Zoom)
DRAFT
Attendees: Jason Bense, Tom Tortora, John McCormack, Judy Stoeltzing, Paul Friedrich, Martin Ross.
Reflection– Jason offered a reflection on social justice based on his attendance at the Marcy Pedalers’ meeting at St. Ignatius earlier today.
“No Address” movie– Paul Friedrich updated us on this homelessness movie after attending a related meeting on Tuesday. It is a major motion picture filmed mostly in Sacramento but using fictional characters. Paul attended the special showing at the Tower Theater recently and the movie showed at other local theaters on the same date but apparently is not available locally in theaters now. Here is the 2-minute YouTube trailer for the movie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3ZWGuCY8-Q The local Catholic Diocese Director for Social Concerns noted that the Sacramento Diocese will consider financial support for all or part of a private showing for faith groups and non-profits. There is also a documentary about the making of the movie called “Americans with No Address” available on Amazon Prime for $6.99. Here is the trailer for this documentary <Watch Americans With No Address | Prime Video> The documentary filming followed by a panel discussion, could be offered to our community on a different date than the actual movie screening since showing both on the same date would be a 3 to 4 hour event. Paul noted that the fee for a private showing can be up to $1000 based on a sliding scale of number of attendees up to 500 persons. Both Jason and Paul are on the Interfaith Council of Greater Sacramento so perhaps ICGS, the Catholic Diocese and AACFC could co-sponsor/underwrite the showing. Also, Martin knows Sally Forcier, Forcier Casting & Productions | Success is about managing the details the producer of the movie so he could assist with setting up a showing.
NAMI Event – Planning for a public meeting in Arden Arcade or Carmichael for information sharing about the work of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill continued. Addressing the mental illness and drug abuse crisis is a high priority for the Sacramento community. Tom and John had noted earlier that members of their churches have serious mental illness problems and need support. Long term goal can be for each local faith-based organization to open its own NAMI support group. Since Tom established dialogue with Doug Smith of NAMI, he will follow up with him to lock in a date. Target dates are Wed. May 21 and Thursday, May 22. All agreed a week night is best with a target start time of 6 p.m. and a one hour presentation. Since Saint Marks will be setting up a Wellness Resource Center later this year to include NAMI resources, it was agreed that the event be held at Saint Marks, in the MacMurdo Hall basement which has a large movie screen on the stage. This venue can accommodate up to 200 chairs. Audiovisual details, such as a microphone, will be worked out later. SVCC has its own projector. Also, a question was raised about using Saint Marks classrooms or venues at other faith groups for one-on-one mental health counseling and treatment sessions.
God’s Helping Hand Laundry – Tom did not attend the March laundry service but noted that SVCC gave a $60 donation to the laundry. Also, Amin, an Afghan refugee who is becoming Christian, is helping at the laundry and knows Bob Ruffner.
Announcements by Martin Ross – He works for the Health Education Council and coordinates with several school districts. He noted two programs.
- Radio Bamdad – This is a Farsi-speaking online radio station www.radiobamdad.com for the Iranian and Afghan community. It is run by the Iranian American Cultural and Educational Center and Martin sits on their advisory board. Martin is on the air every Monday at 4:15 pm with input of interest to this community.
- Sunday’s Best Faith, Justice and Health Peace Walk – Martin posted a draft flyer for this event in the chat and showed the flyer in the chat box. It will be Sunday, June 22nd at the State Capitol. Information sharing will be 2-3 p.m. and the walk around the capitol will be 3 – 5 p.m. It will be modeled after MLK’s March on Washington and his theme that love wins (“Not for the Donkey or Elephant but for the Lamb”). Martin knows the CHP officer who sets up capitol event permits, which are free. This event is permitted in Martin’s name and he recently went to an interfaith iftar dinner to share this plan. He needs speakers from multiple faith groups and persons with disabilities and special needs, refugees, LGBT representatives, etc. to speak. Paul asked why the state capitol was picked. Martin noted that even though the legislature will be on recess that date, we need to remind the community that private individuals, faith groups and the government must all practice mercy and do justice as in Micah 6:8. Paul also suggested adding the word “Mercy” to the event title. John also suggested that we publicize this to SALAM Center (Sacramento Area League of Associated Muslims), the largest mosque in Sacramento. When the final draft is approved, Martin will share with AACFC for publicity. Note: Draft is not being shared here.
Next Meeting – April 24, 2025, 1:00 p.m. via Zoom (per normal 4th Thursday schedule). The agenda for the next AACFC meeting will be to finalize our plan for a public event featuring NAMI in May 2025, with Doug Smith as keynote speaker. Subcommittees may meet at any time to plan publicity, etc,
Action Items –
- Tom will contact Doug Smith at NAMI to confirm availability on night of Wed. May 21 or Thursday, May 22.
2) John will confirm exact date/location of the public NAMI meeting at Saint Marks.
3) John will provide contact information for Deacon Paul Friedrich to Martin Ross.
4) John will share contact information for SALAM Center with Martin Ross.
John McCormack
AACFC Secretary
ARDEN ARCADE CARMICHAEL FAITH COMMUNITIES Meeting Minutes,
February 27, 2025, 1:00 p.m. (via Zoom)
Attendees: Jason Bense, Tom Tortora, John McCormack, Julie Linderman, Katie Heffelfinger, Judy Stoeltzing, Grant Bakewell, Doug Smith (NAMI), Mykel Gayent (NAMI).
NAMI – Doug Smith, Peer Programs Manager at NAMI Sacramento, the local chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, attended this Zoom meeting. Web address shown here https://namisacramento.org/. Mykel Gayent, a regular member of AACFC, also attended for NAMI. Doug gave a detailed overview of the work and programs of NAMI, which is the “Gold Standard” in the U.S. now for addressing many family and personal mental health and substance abuse issues outside the formal health care and psychiatric care system. Discussion occurred regarding Doug doing a presentation at a public event for the Arden Arcade and Carmichael community.
Doug noted that we are in a national mental health crisis, due to a number of causative factors, including lack of adequate resources to identify and treat mental illness, post-Covid 19 pandemic chaos, drug and alcohol addiction, social media distortions and political conflict. NAMI has specific programs to address these causes. Tom and John had noted earlier that members of their churches have serious mental illness problems and need support. Each faith based organization can open its own NAMI support group.
Mental health support is needed for many demographics, including youth, college students, the elderly, those with chronic illnesses and physical disabilities, caretakers, overworked employees, active duty military and veterans, law enforcement and first responders, family members dealing with mental ill relatives, health care professionals, etc. Doug noted that NAMI has effective programs targeted to each of these groups.
Discussion occurred re. law enforcement training. Sacramento Sheriff’s officers and Sacramento City Police officers have received 40 formal hours of training from NAMI on responding to mental illness situations to avoid escalation that can lead to violence. A 2024 Supreme Court ruling (Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson) ruled that law enforcement may take aggressive action (including criminal citations) against homeless persons without violating their rights even if there is no shelter. Though this ruling does not address mental illness directly, it has implications for homeless mentally ill persons. The ruling does not mandate local law enforcement to respond to mental health-related incidents (5150’s) but it is not restricted from responding and each jurisdiction may set its own policy. The Sacramento Sheriff’s office has a Critical Response Team (CRT) but as if January, 2025, will not respond to non-criminal mental health calls. This policy avoids criminal liability for sheriff’s officers. The Sacramento County Sheriff is the only sheriff’s office in the state to not respond to all 911 calls. They are working with the County Board of Supervisors to revise their policy but the Sheriff does not answer directly to the board and can direct its own policies and actions.
However, the City of Sacramento Police Department will respond to similar incidents. Mykel Gayent noted that since the sheriff has stopped responding to non-criminal mental health calls, the focus has shifted to the relatively new national 988 call number, the Suicide and Crisis Hotline. This hotline is not widely known by the public but is an alternative to law enforcement (using 911) for mental health and substance abuse incidents. The county’s Department of Behavioral Health Services (DBHS) has recently launched a Community Wellness Response Team (CWRT) <https://dhs.saccounty.gov/BHS/Pages/CWRT/Community-Wellness-Response-Team.aspx> under a contract with Wellspace Health. This team is distinct from the NAMI teams but work together. Law enforcement issues are one of many that NAMI has to deal with.
Decisions regarding the Public Meeting are needed soon for the following:
- Host venue for public meeting (large enough to host 100 + people) ?
- Date in May ?
- Best day of week to maximize attendance ?
- Time of day ?
- Audio visual and refreshment details ?
One Community Health <onecommunityhealth.com> – Will be opening a new headquarters in the old ATT building site at Watt Avenue and Kings Way in the next few months, leaving the old location at Hurley Way by Cal-Expo. It will be a full service mental health and critical care clinic complete with showers, a laundry and other amenities. Progress is currently slowed due to permitting issues, since clinics must meet the same standards as in-patient hospitals. Footnote: This facility should be added to our “Street Sheet” when opened.
Saint Marks Wellness Center – John noted that Saint Marks United Methodist Church Pastor Quintesha Davis-Wiles is planning to open a wellness center at the former library at Saint Mark’s which will include a NAMI resource center to connect people in the community with mental health services. The center could also host training sessions and informational programs, including referrals to formal mental health and substance abuse mitigation services. The target date for standing up this NAMI wellness center is June of this year and planning including room renovation, has now begun. The Wellness Center is a separate but related issue to the public meeting.
God’s Helping Hand Laundry – Julie noted that some of the younger guests at the laundry are not following the rules and there was a recent confrontation between a male guest and the laundry manager. Julie was advised she can make the rules clear to all guests or violators will be excluded from the service. Jason will work on setting up training for the laundry process. Also, AACFC volunteers are switching from laundry powder to pods. We are still in need of more monthly volunteers. We can publicize the laundry at the NAMI public program.
AACFC Budget – No report
Next Meeting – March 27, 2025, 1:00 p.m. via Zoom. The agenda for the next AACFC meeting will be to continue our plan for a public event featuring NAMI in May 2025, with Doug Smith as keynote speaker. Subcommittees may meet at any time to plan publicity, etc,
John McCormack
AACFC Secretary
ARDEN ARCADE CARMICHAEL FAITH COMMUNITIES Board Meeting,
January 23, 2025, 1:00 to 1:40 pm.
Attendees: Jason Bense, Tom Tortora, John McCormack (Since only officers were present, this event was designated by John as a board meeting. No other members will receive this meeting summary except Grant Bakewell who was interested in this meeting but had a conflict).
Mercy Pedalers’ Issue – John discussed a meeting of St Mark’s representatives with County Supervisor Rich Desmond happening today. Tom noted that his Monday SVCC Food team has been asked to stay away from the Arcade Library. There are also serious concerns about Afghan or other immigrants without citizenship being cited by the sheriff or city police and this could lead to deportation.
New Respite Center – The new Arden Arcade HART Respite Center opened on the morning of Saturday, January 11th at Grace Cafe at Saint Mark’s United Methodist. In addition to homeless invitees some of the people at the Saint Marks food closet joined in for a meal. Tom noted that Hope, cooperative and other providers of mental health services need to connect to the respite centers, but the problem is always transportation. John noted that Mike Grace has recently opened a respite center at Central Seventh Day Adventist Church in River Park, which will provide day shelter every Thursday morning. We are hoping these two respite centers will serve as a model and lead to opening more centers at other faith group or NGO locations.
NAMI – Tom talked recently to Doug Smith at NAMI, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. Doug is willing to do a presentation at our site. They are the standard in the US now for addressing many family and personal mental health and substance abuse issues outside the formal health care system. They’re open to doing a presentation for an hour and a half for our groups. Tom also noted that his church has five families with serious mental illness problems who need support. John noted that Saint Marks Pastor Quintesha Davis-Wiles is planning to open a wellness center at the former library at St Mark’s which will include a NAMI resource center to connect people in the community with mental health services. The target date for standing up this NAMI wellness center is June of this year. Planning has now begun.
Volunteer issues – Jason noted that Jeannie Anderson-West lost her daughter recently so she will not be involved in AA HART work for a while. Prayers to her and her family. She also has personal health issues. Tom will fill in for her when possible.
It was noted that Grant Bakewell worked at the God’s Helping Hands Laundry this month. He is available for volunteer positions having finished his full-time work at Saint Matthews Center. Also, Ann Cole sent a large check to support the laundry recently.
Noted that Carol Wuebker is no longer AACFC treasurer. She is now assisting a close friend with cancer.
Next Meeting – The agenda for the next AACFC (February 27th at 1:00 p.m.) meeting will be to plan an event with Doug Smith and NAMI. We should also invite Pastor Q since she is promoting the NAMI center at the Saint Mark’s library.
John McCormack
AACFC Secretary
NOTE: After the meeting, John learned from ACT representative Howard Lawrence of the short meetingon 1/23 with supervisor Rich Desmond, who agreed to send his staff back to research the plat map for the land around the Arcade library to determine the exact location of the public space and private space. Also, there will be a future meeting with the sheriff. Resolving this issue could take two more months.
Arden Arcade Carmichael Faith Communities
Planning Retreat Summary (DRAFT)
Thursday, August 8, 2024 (10:00 a.m. to noon)
In person – LDS Stake, 2745 Eastern Avenue
Attendees: Jason Bense, Tom Tortora, Judy Stoeltzing, Katie Heffelfinger, John McCormack, Bryce Holladay, Stacie Giles, Julie Linderman, Carol Wuebker, Clarissa Alva.
Introductions:
Jason Bense – Pastor at Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer (LCOR) and Gethsemane Lutheran, Reserve USAF Chaplain at Travis AFB. President of AACFC since 2011.
Clarissa Alva – Works for San Juan Unified School District, attends AA HART meetings, employee of Mira Loma H.S. Believes in breaking down silos, leveraging resources and bringing people into faith-based organizations (FBOs) to share commonalities and work.
Judy Stoeltzing – Works with Just Serve online, stresses volunteerism for those who cannot give money. Cited winter and summer blood drives as examples of volunteerism.
Bryce Holladay – LDS member. Belongs to Sacramento East Stake on Eastern Avenue. Works for a company supporting public schools. Wants to learn more about local “Day of Service” process.
John McCormack – Member of St. Marks United Methodist, which has supported County Winter Sanctuary, a Community Breakfast in Grace Café, Durable Medical Equipment (DME) loans and currently supports a Food Closet, Mercy Pedaler’s street donations every Wednesday, Sacramento Habitat for Humanity and Loaves and Fishes meals (one day a month). Kevin Jenkins, former St. Marks’ Facilities Manager, was an original officer of AACFC and is now retired. John attempts to identify and connect all FBOs and NGOs in the local area performing humanitarian work.
Julie Linderman – Member St. Michael’s Episcopal. Lead for “God’s Helping Hands” Laundry, which started at St. Michaels’ and is now a program of AACFC. Posed the question if the laundry is sustainable now. All agreed it is but without money and people, it cannot be sustained. Also Julie noted that we need to expand the laundry service to folks in Carmichael but Carmichael and AA HART do not have the bandwidth to support it. Julie also noted that if AACFC could provide funding to Carmichael HART, Carmichael Presbyterian could manage a laundry in their area. In the early years of AACFC, there was only Elk Grove HART then Carmichael HART and Arden Arcade HART were formed and participation in AACFC waned. St. Matthews’ Episcopal was an original FBO in AACFC, with support from St. Michaels Episcopal and the diocese. The St. Matthew’s building began serving the River City Food Bank (the second largest food bank in the metro area) as a distribution center at that site. The building now belongs to the Episcopal Diocese. Jim Schaal, who developed the Center at St. Matthews providing shelter with AA HART, the food bank and ESL programs for refugees, has moved on and the Center has fallen apart. St. Matthews’ Church still meets without a priest in one of the classrooms and there is a charter school on the site. St. Matthews is a good project to consider supporting. Also, St. Michaels does street food donations in AA HART each 3rd Saturday.
Stacie Giles – Member of Carmichael LDS Stake. She loves interfaith work and enjoyed the recent AACFC public meeting presentations. Would like to see our AACFC programs expanded to Fair Oaks since there are many FBOs there, including Ukrainian churches, Sunrise Community Church, etc. Fair Oaks also has an LDS stake center.
Naomi Harper – Attended the AACFC HOPE Cooperative event and is a friend of Stacie. Has a strong interest in housing. Naomi is the housing coordinator of her LDS congregation and stresses self-reliance and personal discipline. Assists other LDS members in meeting income guidelines and obtaining housing. Involved with HART winter shelters and San Juan Unified School District work. Naomi is also familiar with the work of Christ Community Church in Carmichael. Her bishop promotes her work. Naomi will share her LDS housing presentation with AACFC by email. She also noted that Josh Hoover, 7th District Assemblyman, did a survey on homelessness and she knows County Supervisor Rich Desmond. She was not award of HOPE Cooperative until our public meeting.
Tom Tortora – Member of Sierra Vista Community Church at Morse and Hurley which was formerly Sierra Arden UCC, which merged with University Presbyterian. Original member of AACFC and was president. He noted the seed for AACFC was a Jesuit priest in training who noted we need to set aside the “tribalism” in our culture. There was no Just Serve when AACFC began, to promote volunteerism. Tom’s church does a weekly Monday food donation run in Arden Arcade with AA HART. Tom was raised Catholic. Tom reviewed our history of once a month meetings and more recent quarterly public educational events. AACFC has also promoted NAMI – National Alliance for the Mentally Ill and heard their presentations. Tom also noted that AA HART meets on the second Thursday of the month from noon to 1 pm by Zoom and AACFC meets the 4th Thursday, by Zoom from 1:00 to 2:00 pm for now.
Carol Wuebker – Member of Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer and current Treasurer of AACFC. She also updates the Resource Guide and “Street Sheet” which changes routinely. John pointed out there are many Resource Guides for different geographic areas and different needs. Naomi noted that she can create a bar code for each non-profit listed in the “Street Sheet” to avoid lots of text. She will also send the pertinent LDS organizational information to Carol for the “Street Sheet”. Jason noted that AACFC has legitimacy as a source for information about non-profits and FBOs that provide resources and we published one of the first local resource guides. It was also noted that listing LDS stakes in the “Street Sheet” is not helpful since the LDS organizational structure does not refer people in need through listings of this nature. It was noted that each LDS stake has a designated bishop managing all activities and LDS lay ministries follow strict organizational rules, with a coordinating council managing projects for the stakes. Project partnerships with NGOs must be approved by the council. Carol noted that AACFC receives stronger sub-committees to relieve Jason and other board members. Separate sub-groups should be formed for volunteer recruitment, public relations and fundraising. To do this, we need more people involved and more structure to identify best practices.
Long-term planning discussion (1 hour, 15 minutes)- Discussion re. need for rebranding. Should we change our name and if so, what would a new name be to better reflect our mission ? We need younger people involved but most work full time and may not be available for daytime meetings. Katie noted that the Sacramento East LDS Stake has expertise in communications. Clarissa asked what FBOs are not currently represented in AACFC. Also, it was noted that our current membership represents the larger white middle-class and many retired volunteers. How do we develop broader relationships and bring in more diverse faith communities ? Katie noted that there is a Muslim community in her LDS stake area. Jason noted the monthly Zoom meetings promotes resource sharing and we have had 4 public meetings in the last few years:
- Interfaith Refugee Service, meal and tabling at SVCC
- IRC (International Rescue Committee) presentation at Carmichael Presbyterian
- Sacramento Sheriff’s presentation at SVCC
- HOPE Cooperative Shelter presentation at LDS Sacramento East.
Jason followed up with all attendees at these events. Also, short discussion on the issue of combining AACFC and AA HART. To date, no efforts are being made to do this and both are licensed 501©3 non-profits.
Also, brief discussion of AACFC’s relationship with other interfaith groups in the area. Jason is a member of the ICGS – Interfaith Council of Greater Sacramento and John noted another group, Sacramento Area Congregations Together (Sacramento-ACT) <sacact.org> which lobbies the city, county and other bureaucracies for solutions to homelessness but does not typically provide resources. St. Marks is currently developing a relationship with two new FBOs – the Ba Ha’I Fellowship and the Pacifica Institute, a Turkish Muslim sect.
Discussion on how to get new congregations involved in the “Day of Service” which typically occurs yearly around 9/11. Also, discussion on how to increase involvement of Carmichael Presbyterian Church in AACFC. They are currently strongly involved in Carmichael HART’s shelter respite work. Plans are needed to increase support for our work in the Carmichael area.
Bryce noted that while we acknowledge our theological differences, how can we better instill basic spiritual values and faith in the clients we serve ?
Jason handed out a document summarizing the history of AACFC and read the original mission statement – “Because no one should be hungry and with the knowledge that we can do so much more together than we can in isolation, the members of the Arden Arcade Carmichael Faith Community have joined hands to share knowledge, information and pool our energies as we combat hunger in our neighborhood communities and provide assistance to those most in need of aid with transportation, housing, and education”. It was noted that this statement is 11 years out of date and does not reflect current local realities of hunger, food insecurity, health needs, etc. Attendees were also referred to the poster John provided listing some historical programs and events. Three sub-committees were formed to drive planning.
- Mission/Vision Statement Re-draft team
- Recruitment team for new FBOs and NGOs
- “God’s Helping Hand” Laundry team
Action Items:
- Redraft Mission Statement by date of regular 4th Thursday meeting, September 26, 2024. Team members are Judy, Katie, Stacie and possibly Clarissa.
- Begin recruitment of new members and report back at each meeting. Team members are Jason, John, Stacie and Julie and possibly Bryce.
- Laundry Team – Continue work and recruit new volunteers. Julie is lead and Tom, Carol and others work with her.
Vitalant Blood Drive: Judy noted this will be August 29th at Eastern Avenue LDS Stake from 2 to 6 p.m. Grocery coupons and movie tickets will be given to all donors. It was noted that some persons due to physical limitations cannot donate.
Next Regular Meeting: Thursday, August 22nd at 1 p.m. via Zoom.
September Meeting: Thursday September 26th at 1 p.m. via Zoom. Review Mission Statement.
John McCormack, AACFC Secretary
Arden Arcade Carmichael Faith Communities
General Meeting
Thursday, June 27, 2024 (1:00 p.m, via Zoom)
Attendees: Jason Bense, Tom Tortora, Megan Brooks, Judy Stoeltzing, Martin Ross, John McCormack
Review of HOPE Cooperative public meeting on June 13th: Judy Stoeltzing and members of the Sacramento East stake on Eastern Avenue were gracious hosts for the meeting and provided an excellent venue. The presentation by Bob Herne and Joe Smith was excellent and informative. Many towels were received for use at showers at the 3 HOPE centers, which provide service for the unsheltered. Tom Tortora noted that many homeless persons still have problems with transport to the shelters. Tom Tortora knows of one wheelchair-bound man on his food donation route who has trouble getting to day shelters. John McCormack noted that persons living in licensed group homes cannot be transported to medical and other appointments by group home staff so their transportation is also problematic. The number of attendees at the HOPE meeting was approximately the same as the February meeting with IRC (International Rescue Committee) but some new persons attended including a staffer for World Relief and someone from South Sacramento. The week after the AACFC meeting with HOPE, John attended the regular Sacramento ACT meeting where Joe Smith spoke and went into additional detail on the complexities of Identifying, certifying and moving unsheltered persons into housing.
AACFC Brainstorming Session: Jason stated we are having a retreat on Thursday, August 8th from 10 – noon at the Sacramento East LDS Stake at 2745 Eastern Avenue. The meeting will be in the small conference room to the right of the main church entrance. All persons on the general AACFC contact list will be invited (over 200 names) and input will be requested regarding our future direction as a non-profit, both before and during the session. Jason also noted we need new leadership to move us forward.
Proposal for musical event: Martin Ross noted that he has a friend who is a gospel artist on YouTube and a professor at UC Davis. He is willing to plan a community musical event that could be called “Praise Without Borders” that would involve the audience with simple, uniting songs. Martin also performs with a steel drum band (with a drum line, percussion and singers) that received media attention and they can perform. The event could be marketed as a resource fair to attract attendees from many non-profits in the Arden Arcade and Carmichael areas (and other parts of the metro area) serving people of color, the unsheltered, refugees and asylum seekers, and persons who are food-insufficient. We could also ask attendees to bring appropriate in-kind donations or money to support a worthy local cause. Martin also mentioned the need to support mental health and behavioral health services.
Treasurer’s Report: Carol Wuebker provided the current treasurer’s report by e-mail prior to the meeting. Current balance is $6186.56. Carol withdrew $400 in quarters from the account for use at the laundry but only $150.25 was spent in June.
“God’s Helping Hand” Laundry: Tom noted that SVCC received $75 recently for the laundry. Also, he has located a young couple, married last week, that speaks 5 Middle Eastern languages. Most of the clients are from the Middle East so they can help them during laundry day.
Announcements:
Microlending project: Martin Ross is preparing to conduct a microlending project in the fall or early winter of this year with his employer, the Health Education Council https://healthedcouncil.org/ . They will do equity outreach to individuals and families that need access to capital for short term no-interest loans of from $1000 to $2500. Lender will be Self Help Federal Credit Union https://www.self-helpfcu.org/. Interest will be 4.3% and borrower gets a rebate after a 12 month loan. Up to 15 loans are available and Martin would like the names and contact information for any eligible persons or families that could benefit from these small loans. The for-profit payday loan companies are predatory and lock borrowers into endless debt cycles.
Youth Grant: Martin is also working on a ½ million dollar grant under the Community Reinvestment Act (Title 1) to provide opportunities for youth aged 16 to 24 in foster care. After a 1 – 2 year apprenticeship, selectees are certified as Community Health Workers (ChWs) leading to professional certification as Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs).
Workforce Development Conference – Martin noted this event will be held at Midtown Church https://midtownchurch.org/outreach/ (19th and W streets) in Midtown Sacramento from 9 – 5 p.m. on Friday, September 13th with a job fair offered from 3 – 5 p.m. Adults who have become disconnected due to incarceration, parole issues, homelessness, veteran’s needs, etc. are encouraged to attend. Peer support specialists and CHWs will be present to work with attendees and refer them to appropriate government and private services. Martin will email a flyer with specifics on this event. Martin’s contact is Efram Smith, Co-Pastor at Midtown Church.
Central Valley Holocaust Educator’s Network event: Website https://www.cvhen.com/ Jason noted that this organization will hold a series event at Mosaic Law Congregation Library @2300 Sierra Boulevard on August 6th. Title will be “Antisemitism 101”. https://www.cvhen.com/events
New LDS representative: Tim Karley will replace Stacie Giles as East Sacramento LDS stake mission director. His email address is being added to the AACFC contact list.
Next Regular Meeting: Thursday, July 25th at 1 p.m. via Zoom. Will finalize plans for Planning Retreat on August 8th at this meeting.
John McCormack, AACFC Secretary
Arden Arcade Carmichael Faith Communities Minutes
General Meeting, May 23, 2024 (1:00 p.m., via Zoom)
Attendees: Jason Bense, Judy Stoeltzing, John McCormack, Carol Wuebker, Bob Herne, Katie Heffelfinger, Megan Brooks, Stacie Giles, Maureen White
Final planning for June 13th HOPE Cooperative Event: Bob Herne of HOPE Cooperative attended this meeting. HOPE’s 2 key missions, behavioral health services and housing will be covered. He asked that his name be removed from the event flyer since his CEO may do the presentation. Also, the HOPE logo should be moved up to the top of the flyer since their presentation is the main focus of this meeting. Carol Wuebker is finalizing the flyer and will include an appeal for new and gently used bath towels for use by clients going into shelter and permanent housing. Bob noted there are 3 shower sites (one shelter and 2 wellness centers) that need towels. Katie noted that she dropped off a load of towels at the HOPE CORE Clinic at Fair Oaks and Howe last week. Bob noted that HOPE is opening 257 units of permanent supportive housing (PSH) this year and one home site will have 75 units for seniors. Once the flyer is finalized, we can begin general publicity to all media. Jason Bense’s official e-mail contact list now has 202 names. He will also publicize the event on our Facebook page and web site <aacfc.us>. John has additional names of persons attending the sheriff’s meeting in February and Jason, as a member of the ICGS – Interfaith Council Board, can publicize the event with them. Also, Jason will publicize with Rich Desmond’s Sacramento County D-4 office and a contact with the City of Sacramento DCR – Dept.of Community Response should be identified. Bob also asked if he should bring HOPE marketing materials (pens, bags, etc.) to the event. Yes, FBO’s can use them to inform their members about HOPE. Schedule will include snacks and check in from 6:00 to 6:30 p.m., HOPE presentation and Q. and A. from 6:30 to 7:20 p.m. and a 10 minute shout out for the work of AACFC from 7:20 to 7:30. Katie asked what audiovisuals are needed at her stake for the presentation. Katie will arrange what is needed for audiovisuals (microphone, TV screen, laptop, etc.) and Bob will bring his own laptop. Judy will check with Little Caeser’s Pizza re. finger food and water and snack veggies can be provided. In addition to an attendee sign-in sheet, there should be a sign-up sheet for small group tours. Bob can arrange tours at a later date for those interested.
Other Resource Sharing:
Family Promise Dinner – John and Miriam McCormack attended the annual fundraising dinner in May. A large amount of money was raised from pledges and ransom prizes. Sister Libby attended.
Gun Buyback: Jason noted he participated in the City of Sacramento Police Department annual gun buyback at the Kinney Police Headquarters. Gift cards for $50 were given out for each gun surrendered. A blacksmith will convert these guns into garden tools.
First Step Communities (FSC): A question was asked if this NGO is the same as HOPE. No, but FSC and HOPE both partner together and work to mitigate substance abuse and provide shelter. The CEO of FSC is Steve Watters. They promote tiny homes as a shelter model and manage several shelters in the Sacramento area. They were also the last contractor for the County Winter Sanctuary rotating FBO/church shelter program in the 2010’s.
Street Sheet Update: Jason received the current Mercy Pedalers’ Street Sheet from Sister Libby and some information needs updating. Carol and her sister are working on the AACFC Street Sheet and have updated the food section. Now they are revising the shelter section. It was noted that River City Food Bank is now donating only on Wednesdays and Fridays and not on Saturdays. Each update of our Street Sheet should contain a revised date since constant changes are being made. Carol noted she is not getting Mercy Pedalers’ updates from Jan Dell but John will contact Jan to add her to the list. Trash accumulation after meal donations at Fulton and Marconi continue to be a problem. When available, Jan Dell’s team hands out large trash bags so unsheltered persons can self-police after leaving a site.
“God’s Helping Hand’s Laundry”: Julie reported 18 families were helped in May. English translation is still an issue. Carol and Julie manage clients to ensure all get serviced and Tom has 2 new volunteers for the laundry from SVCC. Next Laundry day is Saturday, June 15th.
St. Michael’s Episcopal Indoor Yard Sale: Julie noted this will be Saturday, June 15th from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. After the sale, unsold goods can be given to non-profits. In 2023, Family Promise and other groups received free shoes and baby furniture. If donating items for this sale, they can be brought to the church hall during work hours, the week before the sale. It was also noted that Good Shepherd Lutheran has done yard sales in the past.
AACFC Retreat: Jason and Julie noted the need for a mid-year in-person meeting to assess where we have been and what our future looks like. Do we need a hiatus ? What is our mission to be, moving forward ? Also, we need to review current leadership, find additional leadership and re-activate lapsed members. Jason noted that over the last few years, our focus has changed and new NGOs (HART and Mercy Pedalers) have become involved in related work. A decision was made to meet on Thursday, August 8th from 10 to noon at the LDS Stake at 2745 Eastern Avenue, Sacramento, 95821. Friday and Saturday of that week were ruled out due to conflicts with Jewish, Muslim and 7th Day Adventist services.
Next General Meeting: Thursday, June 27th, 1:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted: John McCormack, Secretary