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

Rockford Stake Self-Reliance Resources

Temporal and Spiritual Self-Reliance Support

Access Church Resources: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/self-reliance/course-materials/my-path-to-self-reliance?lang=eng

For more information, contact: Cynthia Prevatke, clprevatke@gmail.com

Addiction Recovery Program

Church support to help individuals apply the Atonement of Jesus Christ in their lives.

Locate support meetings to overcome compulsive behaviors and their spouses and family.

Access Church Resources: https://addictionrecovery.churchofjesuschrist.org

For more information, contact: Michael Goodwin, miklgoodwin@gmail.com

Stake Employment Resources

Access Church Resources: 

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/life/employment-services 

For more information, contact: Debra Goodwin, debragoodwin6@gmail.com.

May 2026 Self-Reliance Newsletter – Happy Spring!

The Rockford Stake Welfare and Self-Reliance Team

Stake Presidency Self-Reliance Coordination

Ted Griffis, 2nd Counselor Rockford Stake Presidency

Stake Relief Society Self-Reliance Coordination

JoAnn Hamer, 1st Counselor Stake Relief Society Presidency

Stake High Council Self-Reliance Coordination

Steven Sarver, High Councilor

Employment:

Debra Goodwin, Stake Employment Specialist

Education:

Chantalle O’Grady, Stake Welfare and Self-Reliance Specialist – Education

Duane Farnsworth, Stake Welfare and Self-Reliance Specialist – Education

Diana Lubbs, Stake Welfare and Self-Reliance Specialist – Education

ShaeLee Ann Merrifield, Stake Welfare and Self-Reliance Specialist – Education

Self-Reliance Services – Self-Reliance Courses and Classes

Cynthia Prevatke, Stake Welfare and Self-Reliance Specialist

Bishops Storehouse

Dave Gunsalus, Stake Welfare Specialist

General Self-Reliance Focus

Michael Goodwin, Stake Welfare and Self-Reliance Specialist

Addiction Recovery Specialist

Michael Goodwin

Hersheys checklist

Do you have any goals along these topics?

Preparedness Segment:

Shelter in place or Bug Out?

Do you have a designated in-home shelter area?

What did you learn Mid-April when the weather talking heads were tracking 17 ½ tornados on the 

ground at one time?

Some of them were too close for comfort. I heard about possible tornadoes in Winnebago, Lena, 

Roscoe/Rockton.

Do you have multiple warning devices to learn of severe weather?

Did your ward have to implement it’s emergency preparedness and response plan?

Did you have to implement your family plan?

Do your ministering siblings have their plans in place?

Interesting tip for heat and light:

72 day candle – lg can veg shortening, 8 hrs per day for 72 days

A quart size jar shortening candle will last 24 days, again 8 hours per day.

You can use cheap thrift store candles as the wick.

Gardening Segment:

April 28 is the last average day for frost in Zone 5, which is where you live.

Give or take 2 weeks. Add 2 weeks and it takes us to just about Mother’s Day.

Always be prepared to cover plants after that, too. for the rare frost anomaly.

Preparing for produce, June is the month of plenty of fruit.

Other unusual plants to eat:

Cucumber – root to tip edible

Green bean leaves

Beet leaves and stems, better than root

Pea shoots/tendrils

I have some of the following plants available:

Red and black raspberries

Comfrey

Juneberry/Serviceberry bushes

Rhubarb – red stalk

Stinging nettles

Elderberry

Horseradish

Walking onions (perennial)

Contact me for availability and pickup.

There are a host of other edible plants (weeds?) perhaps in your yard/garden:

Burdock

Chickweed

Chicory

Curly Dock or Yellow Dock

Dandelion

Garlic mustard

Lamb’s-quarters

Pigweed - Amaranth

Plantain – Broadleaf or Narrow Leaf

Purslane

Shepherd’s purse

Stinging Nettles

To name a few.

Food storage items available:

The Home Storage Center in Naperville is having a closeout sale.

25# bags of red winter wheat for 75% off until gone. They will no longer stock bags of wheat.

Contact the Sr. Kearley at 630-742-6285 for availability and pickup info.

Kjkearley68@gmail.com

You may remember Elder and Sr. Kearley from their participation in our Stake Self-Reliance 

Conference in 2025.

They will be promoting the Home Storage Center in future communications, which I will pass along to 

you.

Respectfully submitted,

Michael J Goodwin