Missions

West Chelmsford United Methodist Church

Missions

Calendar of Events

Missions Committee Meeting 7pm First Tuesday of every month

Current Missions

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Faith Works May 14th, 2011 Rain date May 21

All participants meet at West Chelmsford United Methodist Church, Fellowship Hall at 8AM for coffee.

Remember to bring lunch and supplies that will be discussed at meeting prior to May 14th.

Team Leaders should call clients to inform them we will be helping them May 14.

In case of inclement weather on May 14th, please check this website for further instructions by 6:30AM

Call Lori Evans for more information/questions (978) 319-5690.

Faith Works 2011 is an adult day of missions coordinated between 3 area Methodist churches to reach out to our surrounding communities West Chelmsford UMC in coordination with Aldersgate UMC and Westford UMC

-supported Adult mission day that works in conjunction with local social services agencies to identify people within the community in need of help. The work teams assist with spring cleanups, household repairs and house painting.

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Toothbrushes for Nicaragua Campaign:

WCUMC pledged to provide 5,000 toothbrushes. Most of these will be hand-delivered to our Missionary Belinda Forbes by Holly Cerullo, who is going to Nicaragua this month on an Educational Mission with Rainbow Network. The remainder will be provided through a monetary donation.

________________________________________________________________________________________________ Alternative House, Lowell, MA

Mission: Shelter offering comprehensive services to women and children who are victims of domestic violence.

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Lowell, Inc.

Mission: An ecumenical, non-profit affiliate of the international organization which seeks to provide decent and affordable housing to families who would otherwise be forced by circumstance to live in substandard housing.

My Father’s House

Mission: Local Christian ministry (“My Father’s House”) offers an alternative to abortion by providing housing, ensuring proper prenatal care, developing parenting skills, counseling, and other support services. Most women stay anywhere from 9 to 18 months.

A Greater Gift – Sales Exchange for Refugee Rehabilitation Vocation

SERRV International is a nonprofit alternative trade and development organization. Their mission is to promote the social and economic progress of people in developing regions of the world by marketing their products in a just and direct manner.

Their goal is to alleviate poverty and empower low-income people through trade, training and other forms of capacity building as they work to improve their lives. SERRV has worked to assist artisans and farmers for more than 55 years through the following:

* Marketing their handcrafts and food products in a just and direct manner;

* Educating consumers in the USA about economic development and other cultures; and

* Providing development assistance to low-income craftspeople through their community-based organizations.

SERRV International sells these products, including gifts, housewares, Christmas items, musical instruments, chocolate, coffee, and more, through a variety of channels; the SERRV website, a retail catalog, Fair Trade stores throughout the country, and local church sales.

St. Paul’s Meals

Mission: WCUMC members volunteer once a month to help provide and serve a meal to those in need.

The Open Pantry of Greater Lowell

Mission: Provide non-perishable food donations for individuals and families in need in the Greater Lowell area.

United Methodist Action Reach-out Mission by Youth (U.M. ARMY)

Mission: To provide Christ centered, quality youth work camps that serve people in need and promote spiritual growth and leadership development in youth. Since attending it's first camp in 2004, WCUMC has witnessed an increasing youth and adult participation in this mission program.

WCUMC participating in Young Adult camp in Middletown, CT June 5-11, 2011

High School camp in Wethersfield, CT July 17-23, 2011

Still accepting enrollments, cost is $250 for church members, $300 non-church members, wait listing youth at this time for High School camp - seeking 2 additional adults to enable wait listed youth to attend. Need 5 youth to 2 adult ratio. For more information, call Lori Evans or Patti Fidler.

For more information about U.M. ARMY see website http://www.umarmy.org

UMASS Lowell Campus Ministry:

Mission: To provide ministry services for UMASS Lowell student population. To also provide spiritual counseling and support for students who are often away from home and in need of guidance.

UMC General Board of Global Ministries:

Sponsorship for Missionary: Belinda Forbes

Dr. Belinda Forbes is a missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church serving in Managua, Micaragua. Belinda is assigned to work with Accion Medica Cristiana (AMC or Christian Medical Action), A Nicaraguan Christian ecumenical non-governmental development organization specializing in community health development in indigenous communities of Nicaragua’s Atlantic Coast. Her role with AMC is to deliver quality dental care to patients in AMC’s Managua clinic as well as serve the organization in the area of international relations.

Linda’s Biography is available from: gbgm-umc.org (under Missionary Biographies)

Sponsorship for Missionary: William (Bill) Lovelace

The Rev. Bill Lovelace is a United Methodist missionary of the General Board of Global Ministries who is serving as a pastor and district superintendent in Kiev, Ukraine. The focus of his assignment is evangelism and church development which will include the establishment of a new United Methodist congregation in the capital city.

Missionary Air Group:

Mission: To support bush pilots who deliver aid to the most needy in remote areas of Eastern Honduras.

Walk for Hunger:

WCUMC is one of the stops along the way for the walkers in this charitable walk. This occurs every year on Good Friday. WCUMC typically is represented with walkers and we also have volunteers who help serve peanut butter sandwiches, snacks and drinks for the walkers. The food is donated by local businesses who were solicited by WCUMC.

“Water for Life” Project
By Helen Claire Andrus

     This year, the JMYF and the Missions Committee have teamed up to raise money and awareness for “Church World Service”. This project raises money to put wells in Africa, so women and children won’t have to walk the 8 miles they do everyday. Over the past few months, the JMYF has visited some of the Committee’s meetings and we’ve come up with a few different fund-raisers, set to begin in early April. We’re making small “water droplet” magnets that have messages and pictures shining through them, and are planning an 8-mile walk with water jugs to simulate the walk that African women and children do once or even twice a day. The magnets will be sold beginning in early April, and watch for announcements about the walk!

     It turns out that the average African must walk four miles each way for water. That is four hours a day that is lost to carrying water. Often times the water they bring back is tainted. So it is estimated that millions of African children die every year from water related issues. Much of that occurs in the Sudan region where there has been a tremendous civil war for years.

     Church world service will install one well for every thousand dollars donated. That is by far the cheapest of any of the missions’ organizations. Most missions organizations want between $5000.00 and $18,000 per well. Church World Service does this for a thousand by funding the money through localized African Agencies. This keeps the cost and the jealously down. An average pump provides water for 240 people per day. That is 87,000 drinks a year for each thousand donated.   Each village where the well is installed generally eliminates the water related deaths. Furthermore these people can now grow crops. So not only do they get water but now they have food. What do they do with that extra four hours a day saved by not carrying water? They go to school. What is a symbol for church world service is Africa? It is happy school children singing, boy can they sing.

     One third of the dollars that are returned to the church from the “Together for Tomorrow” funding go to our missions funding. After a lot of discussion with the church council, missions and the youth, we all agreed a big slice of that missions funding should be earmarked for “Water for Life.”

     Do you want to see happy school children singing? Then buy water droplets from the JMYF. Every cent donated goes to goes toward these wells. We already have enough money for 10 wells. That is 870,000 drinks of water a year. Can you help us make it a cool million?