Self Reliance

Leadership Business Corner:

Updated list of stake welfare and self-reliance committee members:

Pr. Ted Griffis, Stake Presidency

Br. Steven Sarver, High Councilor, new addition to the committee

Sr. Chiemi Bentley, Stake Relief Society Presidency

Sr. Cynthia Prevatke, Stake Welfare and Self-Reliance Specialist

Sr. Debra Goodwin, Co-chair, Stake Welfare and Self-Reliance Specialist

Br. Michael Goodwin, Co-chair, Stake Welfare and Self-Reliance Specialist

August 2025 Self-Reliance NEWSLETTER – Resource Management 

Leadership Business Corner: 

These members were recently called and sustained as Stake Welfare and Self-Reliance Specialists with a focus on education: Sr. Chantalle O’Grady, Sr. ShaeLee Ann Merrifield, Sr. Diana Lubbs and Br. Duane Farnsworth 

Gardening tips: 

After re-reading the parable of the talents, I realized that one of my talents happens to be, burying things in the ground, ie, gardening. 

Now is the time to think about managing your seed supply for next year and beyond. Buy extra seed to store with your food storage. Check out your local seed library for free seeds. 

Consider saving your own seeds. Pick out those choice vegetables from healthy plants of open-pollinated varieties. Following isolation distances, if necessary. Your seeds will feed you for a lifetime. Similar to the barrel of meal and cruse of oil that won’t fail. One member in Rockford First has learned to save black cherry tomato seed and is growing them this year from last year’s seed. A wonderful success story. I have shared my gardening talent by providing plants, seeds, produce and advice on gardening to many members of the stake. If you have received any red tomato plants or fruits and you really liked them, save the seeds to grow for next year. They are all open pollinated and don’t have any isolation requirements. 

Herb(s) of the Month Showcase: 

Rosemary is a wonderfully fragrant plant. Smells like pine, very refreshing. Just don’t put it in sweet peas as they will taste like Pine sol, really. I bring mine inside over winter so it doesn’t die in our zone 5 winters. You could even decorate it indoors as a Christmas Tree, Charlie Brown style, maybe. 

Hack of the month:

 Spring clothes pins are invaluable in my garden. They hold up tomato plants to trellis strings, cucumbers too . I even healed a tomato with a broken neck with one. I recommend wooden over plastic, they hold up much better to the sun. They even work for identifying varieties. 

New Items: 

Cooling Centers in Winnebago County http://rockfordstake.selfrelianceclub.com/Cooling%20Centers%20in%20Winnebago%20 County.pdf 

Food Pantries in Freeport: 

http://rockfordstake.selfrelianceclub.com/Food%20Pantries%20in%20Freeport.pdf 

The Newsletter: Resource Management 

This is the third in a series of the Personal and Family Preparedness Wheel spokes. 

This is also known as HERSHEY. 

1 – Health 

2 – Education 

3 – Resource Management 

4 – Social Emotional Spiritual 

5 – Home Production and Storage 

6 – Employment 

7 – Year’s Supply 

For the Essentials of Home Production and Storage Manual, see: http://rockfordstake.selfrelianceclub.com/Essentials of Home Production and Storage Booklet.pdf 

For those who have heard a presentation during a sacrament meeting or 5th Sunday lesson in the past, this information is not new. This is a review for some and new information for others. 

See the document for my presentation outline: 

http://rockfordstake.selfrelianceclub.com/Universal 2024 Self reliance unit training document.pdf 

Information on these topics and more can be found at the Rockford Stake Self-Reliance web site: http://rockfordstake.selfrelianceclub.com/ 

Types of Resources: 

There are many types of resources one can have to manage including: 

Time                            Labor                        Money                          Skills

Talents                       Education              Employment             Spiritual  resources

Emotional resources                              Books and computer resources  

Material resources: tools, equipment and supplies, food production and preservation 

Human Resources might include: 

Children and family 

Church leaders and ministering siblings 

Friends, co-workers and acquaintances 

Neighbors, etc. 

Your family is a part of the Lord’s Storehouse and can contribute to the ward family needs as well. Think about the resources you have and can share. Just ask your Bishop how you can help. You are the Lord’s hands and feet to help serve those in need. 

Anyone interested in learning more about gardening or any other topic of these newsletters, please contact me. Check out: http://selfrelianceclub.com for many topics of discussion. 

Respectfully submitted:

Michael Goodwin

Stake Welfare and Self-Reliance Specialist

779-203-0451

July 2025 Self-Reliance NEWSLETTER – Education 

Leadership Business Corner:

Several more people called to stake education callings

More information to follow.

Gardening tips:

Pot in an open pot for unruly plants like mint and maybe comfrey.

Another idea is a pot on a pot to prevent critter invasions, place a pot on an upside down pot, raising the growing pot that much off the ground.

Are weeds taking over your garden?

A weed is a plant whose virtue has not yet been discovered or is a plant growing in the wrong place.

One year’s seeding makes 7 years weeding; Never let a weed go to seed.

I’m working on updating the Gardening Workshop Manual with these tips. Preliminary copy is available here: http://selfrelianceclub.com/Gardening%20Workshop%20Document.pdf

Herb(s) of the Month Showcase:

June bearing berries are coming to an end, thank goodness. Juneberries, strawberries, raspberries, etc. all come on just as we are finishing planting our gardens.

One Weed is purslane. Check out the benefits on-line. High in omega 3 oils, really. “Purslane is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, specifically alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), making it a valuable addition to a plant-based diet according to WebMD. While omega-3s are often associated with fish, purslane stands out as a land-based plant with high concentrations of these essential fats.”

Hack of the month:

Wire hose clamps were mentioned in an earlier newsletter hack. After making a wire hose clamp type tool, I decided to buy the original Clamp-Tite tool and it works wonderfully. 

Now for the Newsletter

In the Hershey lineup, Education comes next. 

The GI Bill and Illinois Veterans Grant in Illinois allows for a total of 8 years of education, the latter with no time limit.

Community Care Network allows veterans to use local medical care resources without going to Madison or Chicago VA hospitals. They have never charged me with a deductible either.

An added bonus to having a veterans medical identification card, it acts like a real ID for travel. I just verified that this past weekend.

When faced with a challenge, the only thing you can do is to learn all you can learn, make yourself valuable.

Look for new resources to come online in the near future from the Church to help people get certificates, etc.

See the church website on employment: https://www.latterdaysaintjobs.org/ers/ct/?lang=eng

Check out the BYU pathway program. You can get a bachelor's degree in 3 years for as little as $6000 total. https://www.byupathway.org/

See additional resources at: http://rockfordstake.selfrelianceclub.com/Education.htm

Includes VA benefit links.

That’s all for now.

Respectfully submitted:

Michael Goodwin

Stake Welfare and Self-Reliance Specialist

779-203-0451