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Hi <<First Name>> ,

Here is the latest edition of the

Chapter & Verse Newsletter

Inside this issue

• Verse of the Month

• Mark your Calendars - December 10th

• Chapter Locator Tool

• New Resources for Chapter Members

• Chapter T-Shirts and Hoodies News

• Coming Soon - Annual Volunteer Engagement Survey

• How to Launch Your Chapter - The 2 Rs

• Chapter Leaders’ Quarterly Zoom Meetings

• Chapter Happenings

• Chapter Photos Please

Verse of the Month: Romans 8:28

And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.

Mark your Calendars - December 10th

December 10th is the last big hurrah for processing and boxing the purses arriving from all over the world. It’s a big job and we could use your help. Don’t you think this would be a really fun Chapter activity? If you, or your Chapter members, are going to be in the Seattle area, would you please send a note to Dana Buck to let him know you will lend a helping hand. Dana@SewPowerful.org

Plus, I would LOVE to meet you in person. You probably know I live in Houston, Texas but I will be at the purse processing on December 10th, as will Sue Kirby, CFO/HR Director along with our Director of Logistics, Dana Buck, and of course, Jason and Cinnamon Miles.

Here are the particulars:

Date/Time: Friday, December 10th / Start 4:00 PM; End 6:00 PM Pacific

Location: Renton Christian Church, 16440 SE Old Petrovitski Rd, Renton, WA 98058

RSVP: Dana Buck at Dana@SewPowerful.org

Chapter Locator Tool: Celebrating One Month of Finding Chapters for Potential Members

The Sew Powerful Chapter Locator tool celebrated one month of helping purse makers find the Chapter closest to them. As prospective members express interest, an email is sent to the Chapter Leader.

Chapter Leaders, if you have not already, you will soon start receiving emails from people interested in joining your Chapter. The interested person will fill out a form, select the Chapter location of interest, and behind the scenes the Chapter Leader (or Potential Chapter Leader) will be sent an automated copy of the inquiry. Simply reply to the person and let them know your process for joining, or your plans for forming, your Chapter.

There is a Q&A feature, CLICK HERE, to address questions and help with navigating the Chapter Locator Tool. And we have tweaked the list of Chapters/Potential Chapters in the left column, arranging them geographically.

We would LOVE your feedback on how this is working for you; if you have found new members; or your thoughts in general. In addition, we want to post a representative photo of your Chapter so that when an interested party clicks on your link that picture will pop up. You will see we have that for a few of our Chapters, but we sure would like to have it for everyone. Just send me a photo by email to JanC@SewPowerful.org.

New Resources for Chapter Members

There is a new page on the SewPowerful.org website that is the perfect introduction to Sew Powerful. It is ideal for anyone new to Sew Powerful, but members (or prospective members) of your Chapter will find it particularly helpful. It is a Welcome page and contains 4 important resources:

1. A link to a Welcome Booklet (similar to the Chapter Formation Starter Kit but shorter and with a focus solely on Sew Powerful basics)

2. A link to download, at no cost, the We Are Sew Powerful Book (this gets everyone on the same 'page' literally in their knowledge of Sew Powerful)

3. A survey. We want to give everyone opportunities to contribute to Sew Powerful in the ways that are most rewarding to them. This survey helps us match up skills with opportunities.

4. A link to the Welcome Meet & Greet Zoom meeting for those new or just curious about Sew Powerful. Offered twice per month, the hour-long Zoom meeting is hosted by Sew Powerful co-founders, Jason and Cinnamon Miles, and offers great information plus plenty of time for Q&A.

The next session in on Monday, November 22nd at 3:00 PM (Pacific Time). Get the Zoom link next to the schedule on the new Welcome page HERE.

Chapter T-Shirts and Hoodies - Coming Soon

Jason is working on setting up the design for customizable Sew Powerful Chapters' t-shirts and hoodies. Hopefully by early next year, you and your Chapter members will be able to order t-shirts unique to your Chapter. Jason is working on the approved logo designs, placement and colors, so hang on. More fun is coming soon!

Until then, please consider a Sew Powerful t-shirt or hoodie as a gift for a friend or yourself! Proceeds to to Sew Powerful to fund our work in Zambia. The new designs are REALLY cute, come in lots of colors, and are very clever, as you can see in the photo below. Look under the Donate menu option on the Sew Powerful website or use this link HERE.

Annual Volunteer Engagement Survey - Coming Soon

Please watch the Sew Powerful Newsletter for a link to the 2021 Annual Volunteer Engagement Survey. This is your chance to give Sew Powerful Leadership feedback about what you think is going well, what should be improved and to share you ideas for ways to grow the ministry. It is especially important that Chapter Leaders and Chapter members participate so we can evaluate how this new concept is working.

How to Launch Your Chapter- the 2 Rs

Forming or Launching a Chapter is basically a two step process, the two Rs (Request and Register) Step 1 - Request the Sew Powerful Chapter Formation Starter Kit (CLICK HERE). Immediately by return email you will receive the link to download the Starter Kit. Read through it. Talk to friends and family about joining you in a new Chapter. Step 2 - I like to say, when you are ‘semi-organized’ it is time to Register your Chapter. That’s when the real fun begins. See ‘Chapter Leaders Resource Page New Look’ below for a list of just some of the helpful tools available.

Chapter Leaders’ Quarterly Zoom Meetings

NEXT MEETING IS JANUARY 26TH

The Chapter Leaders’ Zoom meetings take place on the last Wednesday of the month, every 3 months. The meetings are conducted on Zoom; find the link on the Chapter Leaders’ Resource page. Each meeting should last about 1 hour and will start at 3:00 PM Pacific / 4:00 PM Mountain / 5:00 PM Central / 6:00 PM Easter (US Time Zones). Mark your calendars for the upcoming meeting dates:

• January 26, 2022

• April 27, 2022

• July 27, 2022

• October 26, 2022

• January 25, 2022

• April 26, 2023

We look forward to seeing you on Zoom!

Chapter Happenings

New Chapter Locations

Newest Potential Chapter Locations: Sew Powerful is grateful for your interest in forming a Chapter. When you are ready, please Register your Chapter and make it official. You will find the link on page 6 of the Starter Kit or use this LINK: https://www.sewpowerful.org/pages/register-a-new-chapter. Here are our newest potential locations:

• Katy, TX

• Walton, IN

• Machias, NY

• De Pere, WI

• Chester, VA

And we received the following advice from our Chapter Leaders:

• Keep meetings lighthearted and fun

• We meet, eat, visit and then sew at home

• Join the Sew Powerful Purse Project Facebook group. Share photos and Chapter Happenings there

• New members appreciated taking home a finished purse as a model so they could get started

Chapter Photos Please

We are always hungry for Chapter news! Since we now expect more traffic on the Chapters page on the Sew Powerful website, we would like to create a photo montage of actual chapters. The photos we have on the page are nice, but they are not photos of you and your members. Whether you snapped your Chapter sewing purses, enjoying lunch together, or posing for a group shot, please send photos to JanC@SewPowerful.org. Any photos that we use may identify your Chapter name but not individual members.