Paul Alexander, new Development Associate. Photo: CWS

Please meet Paul Alexander, new Development Associate for the Tri-State Region of Church World Service, who began his work with us last October. He serves New England and New York State. Paul is based in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, where he lives with his patient wife, Heidi, and two bold teens. While Paul attends meetings of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), he has served with the American Baptist Foundation for the past nearly eight years, working with individuals and families who were called to ministries of personal stewardship through planned gifts, church endowments, and family legacies to ministry. In this role, he’s worked with over 100 families in preparing to meet with their attorneys, CPAs, and other professional advisors as they consider gifts from wills and trusts. Paul holds a master’s degree in Economics, and was formerly a communications director for subsidiaries of The Dun & Bradstreet Corporation. He is well-suited to talk plainly about personal finance, retirement planning, and investment performance, and enjoys helping people get their finances organized.

“I’m not qualified to give advice,” says Paul. “Instead I serve as a full-time lay minister with a call to encourage caring people to do remarkable things with the ‘stuff of their lives’ – the assets they’ve spent a lifetime accumulating. Giving a gift to Church World Service ministries through a will or estate plan is something just about everyone can do, and the impact of these legacies is profound, long-lasting, and life-sustaining for the people who count on us the most. I feel honored to sit with people at their kitchen tables and talk with them about how God is moving in their lives to give to others in His name. I’ve learned many new things about the blessings of both the gift and the giver.”

Are you considering a gift to Church World Service in your will or estate plan? Have you procrastinated on putting your will together? Would you like to give a gift in memory or in honor of someone who has touched your life? Call on Paul to help you think it through. For a no-cost, no-obligation, friendly discussion, please call Rev. Jesse Glick here at our Regional office, or contact Paul directly at (401) 884-1958 or at . Paul is in our area regularly and would love to meet you. Thank you!

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…protecting the rights of, and providing support to, 30,000 orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS, empowering them with skills to manage their own well-being and successfully support their families, to participate in the social and economic development of their communities, and to begin living their dreams of a hope filled future.

Event flier for printing (PDF file - 65 Kb)

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This very special event will be held on Saturday, September 22. A 76-mile ride over the scenic back roads of south central CT will benefit children in need and at risk, locally and AIDS orphans in Africa.

Please help us spread the word at your meetings and gatherings...Volunteers are welcome!
Download flyer (PDF format)
Download sponsor form (Microsoft WORD format)

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Amid sounds of  “O Come All Ye Faithful” and “Joy to the World” the Tri-State Office of Church World Service (CWS) celebrated the 60th Anniversary of its inception at the historic First Baptist Church in downtown Hartford, CT, on December 8.

Reverend Bert Marshall from the Northern New England office told the story of CWS early beginnings and the importance of the churches working together to do together what was impossible to do alone…the provision of help and hope to our neighbors in war-torn Europe and Asia. The story was done with music and reflection.

The program began with the telling of the Christmas story from Luke and Matthew proclaimed in Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean, Persian, Filipino, Kirundi, and English. Clergy and officials of 11 denominations came from area churches to be part of the celebration. Rev. Marshall mentioned they represented the great Cloud of Witnesses that were part of the formation of Church World Service back in 1946, many of which continue to be part of CWS governing board today.

Choirs and dancers from several area churches representing Vietnam, Korea, Africa, and Cambodia performed to a captive audience of about 300 listeners. Four of the Sudanese Lost Boys were there and over $2,000 was collected for CWS “Water for Life” program. Following the program, participants were invited to purchase gifts from an International Gift Shop staffed by members of First Congregational Church of Litchfield.

State Representative Kelvin Roldan presented a special citation from the State of Connecticut to Tri-State Director, Jesse Glick and Assistant Director, Kathy Burton. This special award commended the dedicated work of Church World Service in the fields of Social and economic Development, Emergency Response, Assistance to Refugees, Education and Advocacy, and Ecumenical Relationships.

Santa Claus (a professional one, complete with business card) approached Kathy Burton following the concert. With tears in his eyes he commented how much the concert touched him. When asked what moved him most, he said, “hearing the Christmas Scriptures read in all those languages and seeing the Cloud of Witnesses from all those different denominations. It is proof that we can and must do more to work together.”

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Wangu School is located in the slums of Nairobi. There are 1,974 children and 32 teachers. The class size ranges from 80 to 120 students per class. Many classrooms have no desks and where there are desks, as many as four students share one. The school borders the Nairobi dump, and both odor and refuse blow into the school. And yet, these children feel blessed to be learning, and their teachers are dedicated to providing quality education.

Model of Wangu School in Nairobi.

Connecticut Women of the UCC adopted a Kenyan School Project as one of their focuses during the 2005-2006 year. Recognizing the importance of education as an essential ingredient in creating a viable future for Africa’s vulnerable children, Church World Service launched its School Safe Zones Program in Kenya in 2005 as part of its Africa Initiative.

In order to help visualize this project, Clyde Work, husband of UCC president Betsy Work, who together coordinate the Guilford Madison CROP Hunger Walk, created a model of Wangu School in Nairobi. Along with factual information, a roof opens, revealing a crowd of wooden pegs, offering the viewer a sense of the size of a class and tightness of the space. Another rooftop has a slot to accommodate donations. A dollar ruler runs up the side of the building and measured the progress towards the $15,000 goal. This compelling model brought the project to life each time it was displayed and helped the women reach and then surpass their goal, raising a final total of $16,350.25.

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Mimi Hallock, one of 11 participants in November Overseas Learning Tour visits with the Masai in the arid Rift Valley. She and her fellow travelers, including Tri State Director, Jesse Glick, are available to share their stories and what they witnessed and learned about projects supported by CWS in assisting and meeting the challenges faced by some of the world’s poorest people. Contact the Tri State Office to arrange for a presentation to your group

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Beginning with a few hand-knit hats and an imperative to help African kids orphaned by AIDS, the locally initiated “Caps for Kids” project has spread to more than 23 states and has inspired countless people to become part of Church World Service Africa Initiative.

Janet Steeves of Washingtonville, New York is one of those people. She has raised more than $10,000 realized from the sale of hand-knit hats. She and hundreds of other knitters have devoted hours and miles of yarn.

Because of the generosity of the knitters, there’s a stockpile of hats waiting to be sold at $10 a piece.

To order a cap or caps, send a check to:

Church World Service
“Caps for Kids” OVC
P.O. Box 968,
Elkhart, IN 46515-9962

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