La Posada provides immigration resources through written materials, legal counsel, and referrals in a faith-based context that is experienced as welcoming and safe and focused on serving our vulnerable neighbors.

Read more about the positions available at La Posada below.

Immigrant Attorney

La Posada, a nonprofit organization based in Elkhart Indiana focusing on acquiring immigration documentation required to have legal status, is looking for a Full-time Immigration Attorney. One year of minimum immigration experience. Current valid license in any US state, Indiana preferred. Spanish and English fluency required. Must be licensed in any jurisdiction in the United States. (Part-time work from home possibility). Go to https://www.laposadaaid.com/ for a complete position description. For more information call 574-931-4228. To apply, please submit a resume and cover letter to office@laposadaaid.com. Applications must specify the state and year the BAR license was granted. See position description for responsibilities.

Legal Assistant

La Posada, a nonprofit organization based in Elkhart Indiana focusing on acquiring immigration documentation required to have legal status, is looking for a full-time legal assistant and attorney to facilitate the day-day operations of the organization, provide administrative support for the executive director and staff attorney. A position description will be available on our website https://www.laposadaaid.com/ after January15. For more information call 574-931-4228. To apply, please submit a resume and cover letter to office@laposadaaid.com.

Coalition of churches, nonprofits, and community groups unite for 25 events during Lent to help the hungry, oppressed, imprisoned, and poor.

SOUTH BEND — A dynamic coalition of area churches, nonprofit organizations, and community groups have come together to present Living Matthew 25, a series of events that offer 25 ways to build community in the South Bend area through learning and serving.

Coordinated by the historic First Presbyterian Church of Downtown South Bend, Living Matthew 25 will include several service projects, a speaker series, a book discussion group, weekly film screenings, a concert, and an art experience all focused on helping build understanding of systemic poverty, structural racism, and how people of faith or goodwill can help those around them.

The project’s name refers to a passage in the Gospel in which Jesus tells his followers to feed the hungry, offer a drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, care for the sick, and visit the imprisoned.

“The goal of these events is to offer an understanding, in a variety of ways, of what Jesus is telling us to do for others,” said Phyllis Wezeman, chair of First Presbyterian’s Outreach Committee and coordinator of Living Matthew 25. “Some people will need to see the message on a movie screen. Others will process it through the written word. Some may realize the impact through art or music and many will use their hands to engage in service.”

First Presbyterian’s leadership on this Lenten series of events is inspired by their pledge to becoming a Matthew 25 congregation in the Presbyterian Church — a commitment to being a church of action and demonstrate love, justice, and mercy through building congregational vitality and community engagement, advocating and acting to dismantle structural racism, and working to change laws and policies to eradicate systemic poverty.

To plan 25 events during the six-and-a-half-week period between Ash Wednesday (March 2) and Easter (April 17), First Presbyterian has built a wide network of partnerships that includes the St. Joseph County Public Library, the University of Notre Dame’s Snite Museum of Art and DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, the Indiana University South Bend Honors Program, Hope Ministries, St. Margaret’s House, the Civil Rights Heritage Center, United Religious Community, Broadway Christian Parish, Christ the King Lutheran Church, Malawi Matters, the Near Northwest Neighborhood Association, and many more.

All events are open and welcome to the public.

“For Christians or non-Christians, this is an opportunity to learn through the heart — to have your heart touched. This is about understanding who around us is in need, and learning how we can be a part of caring for and with them,” said Rev. Dr. Adelia Kelso, pastor of First Presbyterian. “Through one or all of these ways, we hope to make the intangible, tangible. It’s a matter of making the abstract, concrete.”

Living Matthew 25 includes:

5 films

A weekly screening series of films addressing systemic poverty and structural racism. Each movie will be followed by discussion with Notre Dame film experts and local nonprofit advocates.

• March 7 — Do the Right Thing (1989), directed by Spike Lee
• March 14 — Minari (2021), directed by Lee Isaac Chung
• March 21 — If Beale Street Could Talk (2018), directed by Barry Jenkins
• March 28 — Bread and Roses (2000), directed by Ken Loach
• April 4 — The Florida Project (2017), directed by Sean Baker

Screenings will take place at 6 p.m. at St. Joseph County Public Library auditorium (304 S. Main St., South Bend).

3 book discussions

Learn more about the history of U.S. civil rights by taking part in a three-session study of Until Justice Be Done by Kate Masur.

March 24 and March 31 at 10am
First Presbyterian Church of Downtown South Bend
333 W. Colfax Ave., South Bend

April 7 at 10am
St. Joseph County Public Library
304 S. Main St., South Bend

2 art experiences

Looking at Matthew 25 Through Art and Photography. Explore artwork featuring the hungry, thirsty, unknown, poor, sick, and imprisoned, all from the Snite Museum’s collections: Snite Museum of Art, Notre Dame

• Saturday, March 19, 1 to 3 p.m.
• Thursday, March 24, 5:30 to 7:30 pm.

7 speakers

Freshta Tori Jan.
Afghan refugee, political science/pre-law student, and human rights advocate Freshta Tori Jan discusses her book Courage: My Story of Persecution.
Sunday, March 20, 1 p.m.
First Presbyterian Church of Downtown South Bend
333 W. Colfax Ave., South Bend

An overview and study of Matthew 25 (lunch provided) by Rev. Dr. Adelia Kelso
Sunday, March 6, 11 a.m.
First Presbyterian Church of Downtown South Bend
333 W. Colfax Ave., South Bend

Local nonprofit leaders discuss their work during First Presbyterian’s weekly worship service
9:45 a.m. Sundays, First Presbyterian Church of Downtown South Bend, 333 W. Colfax Ave

• March 6 — Jill LaFountain, Habitat for Humanity
• March 13 — Katie Elliott, St. Margaret’s House
• March 27 – Conrad Damian, Broadway Christian Parish
• April 3 — Laquisha Jackson, Hope for the Hungry
• April 10 – Tatiana Botero, South Bend Civic Theatre

1 concert

“The Life of Christ in Spirituals”
Featuring world-renowned opera tenor George Shirley & South Bend’s Mark Beudert
7 p.m. Good Friday, April 15
First Presbyterian Church of Downtown South Bend
333 W. Colfax Ave., South Bend

7 service projects

International Women’s Day “Party with a Purpose”
Enjoy presentations by several nonprofits dedicated to women’s empowerment; buy fair-trade goods made by women artisans; participate in hands-on service projects to help girls in Malawi; and donate pads and tampons for local women’s programs
Tuesday, March 8, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Indiana University South Bend Fireside Room,
1700 E. Mishawaka Avenue, South Bend

Make cards for homebound individuals and residents of local shelters
Sunday, March 13
11 a.m. to noon
First Presbyterian Church of Downtown South Bend
333 W. Colfax Ave., South Bend

Serve dinner at Hope Ministries
5:30 p.m. Monday, March 14 & Monday, April 11
432 S. Lafayette Blvd., South Bend

Collect food for Broadway Christian Parish’s breakfast program
Sunday, March 27
Drop off items between 9:30 a.m. and noon
Broadway Christian Parish
1412 S. Carroll Street, South Bend
First Presbyterian Church
333 W. Colfax Avenue, South Bend

Make Easter Baskets for children at LaSalle Park Homes
Sunday, April 3
11 a.m. to noon
Christ the King Lutheran Church
17195 Cleveland Road, South Bend
First Presbyterian Church
333 W. Colfax Avenue, South Bend

Buy a Book/Give a Book
Meet Phyllis Wezeman, local author of Benjamin Brody’s Backyard Bag, Mama of the Nation, and Petra’s Pier Picnic; buy books on loving others for family, friends, gifts, and to give to local groups and schools – as well as children in Malawi, Africa.
Saturday, April 9
11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Ten Thousand Villages
214 Cleveland Road, Granger

Donate fresh fruit and distribute Easter food boxes with Hope for the Hungry
Sunday, April 10
1 to 3 p.m.
Near Northwest Neighborhood Center
1007 Portage Avenue, South Bend

For more information or to arrange press coverage of any event or the project as a whole, Contact Phyllis Wezeman via email info@fpcsouthbend.org or phone (574) 234-4159.

Anabaptist artists offer free faith formation resource for Lent, Easter

Second volume of music and faith formation resources provided at no-cost to over 1,500 families

HARRISONBURG, Virginia: The Soil and the Seed Project today announced the upcoming release of The Soil and the Seed Project: Vol. 2 // Lent – Easter – Pentecost, a collection of music, artwork, and “Little Liturgies” that follows the liturgical calendar. Vol. 2 // Lent – Easter – Pentecost is a free faith-formation resource and offers new ways to establish daily and weekly rhythms of faith during the seasons of Lent, Easter, and Pentecost.

“We wanted to help. We kept hearing from friends, churches, and church leaders how tricky it has been because so much of their lives and faith practices were turned upside down. The last two years revealed a real need for theologically-rich resources, accessible to people wanting to establish new habits around faith throughout the week,” says Seth Crissman, project director at The Seed and the Soil Project. “People listen to the songs while they do the dishes or ride in the car on the way to the store. They read the ‘Little Liturgies’ after a meal around the table or
before bed. This project helps us turn towards Jesus and believe the Good News in little, ordinary moments.”

The Soil and The Seed Project: Vol. 2 // Lent – Easter – Pentecost includes:

• 12 mostly original songs, including songs featuring nearly a dozen verses of direct scripture quotations, centuries-old hymn texts, and brand new compositions;
• 10 different musicians, including artists like the Walking Roots Band and Eastern Mennonite University’s Chamber Choir;
• 14 “Little Liturgies,” featuring short prayers, litanies, questions to explore/practice listening and sharing, as well as spiritual practices that follow the liturgical calendar from a team of three writers and featuring the work of two visual artists
• Available in physical (CD and print), digital (mp3 and PDF files), and mobile-friendly formats
• All offered free (not sold) to individuals, families, churches, and communities of faith through partnership with VMMissions (vmmissions.org) and the generosity of many individuals and communities

Vol. 2 // Lent – Easter – Pentecost will be available starting February 25, and materials can be requested free of charge via email (thesoilandtheseedproject@gmail.com) or the project website. For more information on The Soil and the Seed Project: Vol. 2 // Lent – Easter – Pentecost, visit www.thesoilandtheseedproject.org.

The Soil and the Seed Project was established in 2021 to nurture faith through music, art, and Little Liturgies for daily and weekly use in the home, following the liturgical calendar. These resources help establish new rhythms of faith as together we turn towards Jesus, believing and celebrating the Good News of God’s Love for the whole world. The project is a gift to the church, given freely to any individual or community who wants it (not sold). Learn more at www.thesoilandtheseedproject.org.

Leadership from 18 Anabaptist organizations in the United States and Canada convened at the Anabaptist Collaboration on Climate Change (ACCC) on Jan. 26 and 27 to address what many consider a moral emergency. 

Those gathered drafted a statement that was later signed by the majority of the participating organizations: “As organizations founded on Christian faith in the Anabaptist tradition, we recognize the significant threat to global communities, economic justice, and the next generations from climate change. We are committed to explore our work and mission in support of sustainable and just climate solutions.”

The Center for Congregations is offering a virtual workshop that may be of interest to pastors and congregational leaders on either February 17 or February 24 from 12:30-2:00pm. This is the description from their website:

“From small towns that were once labeled “sundown” to urban areas where high poverty, gentrification, and limited workforce opportunities characterize the neighborhoods outside the doors of historic houses of faith, Indiana is increasingly becoming a state where diversity is growing and ministry needs are expanding. How can congregations leverage their spiritual gifts and available data to make impact, particularly as COVID-19 concerns persist? This interactive workshop will provide participants with tools to assess and begin to address their congregational capacity to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with GOD and their neighbors.”