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The Haiti
Partnership has several
trips planned for 2012. Our group travel is planned with UMCOR
and follows their lead: prior to trip there is required training as
well as immunizations. Our trips are 10 days long. Please
check out our website for the listing of our future trips at
ww.haitipartnership.com. Students must be age 17 to be part of our
Haiti Partnership teams. A primarily college student trip is planned
for June 2012. Each of our team leaders is very experienced and
greatly look forward to sharing the Haiti they know and love with
new travelers.
“Change the
World” -
Our church will be celebrating
with other Methodist churches across the nation and world to
strengthen our mission giving by doing. This will take place on the
weekend of May 5-6. We will be building our community
locally, as well as fighting malaria globally with the “Imagine No
Malaria” project. The Mission Commission is already planning the
weekend, and more information on this weekend will be in the next
newsletter.
Monthly Church-Wide Mission
Project
We are continuing to collect
items for the Health Kits
that we will be putting together
for our “Change the World” mission project on the weekend of May
5-6, 2012. This month is washcloths and nail clippers. If you
missed January’s project, it was good quality hand towels (15” x 25”
to 17” x 30”) and sturdy combs - not pocket combs, picks or combs
with rat tails.
It is important
that you follow the sizes, each kit must be universal.
Contemplative Crochet,
A Hands-on guide for Interlocking Faith and Craft, is a book with
mission projects if you like to knit and crochet. If you do not have
a computer, but you are interested in a project, please contact
Kathy Burkhart.
Afghans for Afghans - This is afghan making for those in Afghan
refugee camps.
www.afghansforafghans.org
Warming Families - This website gives you ideas beyond crocheting
and knitting where families can work together to help others.
www.warmingfamilies.com
Care Wear - Crocheting and knitting clothing for preemie babies,
plus other items for children.
www.carewear.org
Project Linus - Be a blanketeer and make “blankies” to comfort
children.
www.projectlinus.org
Head Huggers - This is making caps for those going through
chemotherapy treatments.
www.headhuggers.org
Mother Bear Project - Most of the bears made by crocheting or
knitting are right now going to Africa where many are sick, needy,
and children are orphaned. They are thrilled to have a cuddly
friend.
www.motherbearproject.org
Snuggles Project aides in making items for animals who are living in
animal shelters due to horrible conditions at their homes.
www.snugglesproject.org
Warm Up America! - 7” x 9” knitted or crocheted rectangles that are
sent to the website below will be sewn together to make afghans for
nursing homes, homeless shelters, hospitals or local shelters of any
kind.
www.warmupamerica.org
Son Light House and
Sojourner Truth Ministries, due to government funding
cuts, are in dire need. If you can help, place your donation
in the offering envelope and mark for which project, and our church
treasurer will forward your gift.
Nut Sales
There are still some extra nut in the
church office: almonds: $6; chocolate-covered peanuts $5.50; and
walnut pieces $9.
Red Bird Mission Trip
is in a preliminary stage for 2012.
If you want to be a part of the team, contact Kathy Burkhart
584-4619 or Joanne Castlebury 546-3678.
Mission
Central now has gift certificates for any of their
kits. You can go online at www.susumc.org/missioncentral.
Operation Military Outreach
wants to update the addresses
for military personnel listed in our Sunday bulletin in order to due
a Christmas mailing. Sue Moon, chairperson of
Operation Military Outreach, would like to be involved in meeting
any unmet needs of people in the military and their families. If
anyone in the church family has a need we could possibly help with,
please contact Sue at (570)204-5109 or lilfordgirl99@hotmail.com.
Our new
missionary in a covenant relationship with us is
Marilia
Alver Schuller. She was born
in Brazil and studied at the Methodist School of Theology in Sao
Paulo, Brazil, where she received her Bachelor of Theology. Marilia
earned her Masters degree in Social Science and Religion from the
Ecumenical Institute of the Post Graduate Studies on Science of
Religion of United Methodists, Sao Paulo, Brazil. As a missionary with the Board of
Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church she serves in Rio
de Janeiro. Marilia is involved in activities aimed at helping
churches and local communities engaged in the struggles to
overcome racism and discrimination against women.
We are all invited!
We are all
invited to join any mission trip that the conference has on their
web page. If you are interested this is how to find them:
www.cpcumc.org
Click on Board of Global Ministries box on the left side of the home
page, and then click on Mission Opportunities. If you don’t have a
computer, Karen can run the page off in the office.
Our Newest
Outreach: Russian Initiative
At the last
Administrative Council, it was voted to support the Russian
Initiative which involves the countries of Russian, Belarus,
Moldova, and parts of Ukraine. The Russian Initiative is
a program of the General Board of Global Ministries. The heart and
soul of the mission is in the encouraging relationships with young
and growing churches. The General Board of Global Ministries
receives contributions and transmits them to the United Methodist
missionary in Moscow who manages the transfer of the funds to the
Eurasia United Methodist Church Treasurer. The treasurer distributes
the funds to the Eurasian pastors and churches under the guidance of
their bishop. The Council voted to support the Initiative with
$1,000 a year for the next three years, with decision to continue
after the three year commitment is complete in 2011.
The Central PA Conference Ukraine Initiative
is
in the midst of its
15th year of ministry and outreach in Ukraine. One current area of
the Initiative's focus is to provide Bible study and Sunday School
materials in the Russian language for the Istochnik UM Church and
for the Cerebral Palsy Center, both serving Kyiv.
To reach out to help our sisters and
brothers in Ukraine understand more about God's compassion and love,
you may send your donations to:
The Rev. John Godissart, UI treasurer,
121 North Second St.,
McConnellsburg, PA 17233-1163
jgodissart@comcast.net or contact:
The Rev. Michael Gingerich, UI Chairperson,
mgingerich@hotmail.com
District Volunteers in Mission Under
the leadership of John and Sue Best, and the blessings of our
District Superintendent, Rev. Arlene Beechart, a Williamsport
District VIM Ministries has been organized.
Our mission: To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the
transformation of the world.
Our purpose: Volunteers in Mission share Christ’s love in ways that
make a difference. We witness through work by: Honoring God in all we do, Living in community, Experiencing the
people, Caring and Listening,
Being flexible and patient.
Our task: Our task is what we do (or physical work we do) with our
abilities and is always secondary to our purpose of making a
Christian difference. Although our task is distinct from our
purpose, the two are joined together so that Christ may be lifted
up.
We are looking for work that needs to be done in the Williamsport
District. If you know of someone in need of repairs, and cannot do
them their selves, please contact Kathy Burkhart, so help can be
arranged.
If you would like to be on the list of Volunteers, also contact
Kathy. If you would like to donate, please send your checks to the
Williamsport District Office, 2420 Nottingham Rd.,
Williamsport, PA 17701, and mark it for the Williamsport District
VIM Ministries.
VIM Flood Recovery Projects Ongoing VIM coordinator for
our church, Denny Hammond, says there is much more to be done in our
area. If you can help for a half day, full day, several days or a
week—call Denny at 546-5897. Demonstrate through your work the love
and hope available through Jesus Christ.
Computer Ministry, Inc Needs Help
Since
January 2008, we have donated nearly 550 PCs to Zimbabwe, Puerto
Rico, Ghana, and various local churches and non-profit organizations
helping people in the region and even up to Maine. We need at least
20 for a theological seminary in the Philippines, and 200 more for a
health ministry in Kyrgyzstan. But our shelves are bare. Perhaps the
Lord is giving us a brief vacation, but the requests continue to
come in. Although our next recycle day is not until August 9, we are
making an appeal for your unused PCs and related equipment now. If
you have a PC you aren't using and want to dispose of, please
consider Computer Ministry, Inc. Even if you don't have a PC to
donate, talk with co-workers, neighbors, or other family
members. We are in the Mission Central building, 5 Pleasant
View Dr, Mechanicsburg PA. Our e-mail is:
computerministry@comcast.net, our website is
www.compministry.org, and our phone is 717.766.6373. We are open
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8:30 am till 4:00 pm, but if you
can't make it on those days, Mission Central will accept PC
donations for us any day they are open (Mon-Sat). If you wish, we
can give you a donation acknowledgement for tax purposes. |
