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Posts tagged ‘Missions’

Two ongoing mission projects to help others!

We currently have two very important projects we hope you will consider participating in.

First, the Sunday School Mission project is Operation Christmas Child again this year. If you have a chance to grab one of the boxes at church (or grab a shoe box of your own!) and fill it accordingly. To see suggestions to fill your box, go to “What can go in the shoe box?” Boxes need to be back to the church by Thursday, Nov. 19th.   Please include the $9 per box shipping fee if possible.

Also, have you accepted the UDMO “Fill the Box Thanksgiving” challenge?  Just get one item as listed per day and fill a box to help a family in need.  Boxes need to be at the UDMO office by Wednesday, Nov. 25th.  If you want your box delivered, please simply bring it to church with you by Sunday, Nov. 20th.  Let’s see how many boxes we can deliver!!

PS:  UDMO is still in desperate need of paper towels, toilet paper, dishsoap, and laundry detergent as well!

With a knit, knit here, and a knit, knit there…. the “Missions” continue at Hope UMC

One of the most energizing things about Hope UMC is our passion for Missions.  In 2016, we donated over $30,000 to various mission projects.   The ones featured today involve those avid knitters  (yes, you know who you are!) who seldom drop a stitch in order to help others.

The first picture is of 86 purple caps – – and no, they are NOT for the one-eyed, one-horned, flying purple people eater!  🙂  They were sent to the Iowa CLICK for Babies  Campaign from Hope UMC.   CLICK for Babies is a North America initiative to help educate caregivers about normal infant crying, how to cope with crying and the dangers of reacting to crying in frustration by shaking or harming an infant. If you want to know more about this campaign, click HERE.    And if you want to join in the fun, or have extra purple yarn you want to share, just let us know!

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And, if those adorable purple hats weren’t enough, our world famous knitters also created another 180 baby caps for the Iowa Nigeria Partnership, which were taken to our District Ingathering Meeting this fall.  They will be shipped to Nigeria this spring, and hopefully arrive in Nigeria by June.

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So, if this is a passion you could get “hooked” on, and you want to start a new hobby, consider starting small – – with baby caps!

And a special thanks to those many hands who helped knit all of these wonderful caps!  Can’t you just see the smiles they will be bringing??

RAGBRAI & Hope UMC has “changed a child’s story!”

Two riders, suitably attired, help promote the childhood literacy project for which church members collected donations during RAGBRAI.

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Neither rain nor shine (and we had both!) kept 10,000 bicyclists from riding from Storm Lake to Ft. Dodge on July 20th.  Many stopped at the Hope UMC stand along highway 7 where hospitality was offered and we heard many interesting stories.  THANK YOU to everyone who contributed cookies, water, coolers and/or cash donations, as well as, to the volunteers working that morning who braved both rain and heat.  You are all a part of the childhood literacy project to make it possible to “change a child’s story!”  Again, thanks!

Following are some photos from our RAGBRAI stand on July 20th where local church members served cookies and drinks and offered shelter from the rain and later, the heat.

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Donna Hudson of Hope United Methodist Church serves as a human kickstand for RAGBRAI riders on a tandem bike.

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Just one of many RAGBRAI visitors who relaxed with Judy Boysen (left) and Audry Simonson (right).

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Dixie Gottsch (right) visits with RAGBRAI riders who are taking a short break at our booth.

** Check under the PHOTO tab for more photos as they come in!  🙂

 

One Great Hour of Sharing – Sunday, March 15, 2015

One Great Hour of Sharing is observed on the Fourth Sunday in Lent.   This day calls the Church to share the goodness of life with those who hurt. In the United Methodist Church, offerings collected benefit United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR).  To get a better understanding what this is used for, watch this new episode of Chuck Knows Church!

Mission Kits = Mission minded!!

What a great project!!  Thanks to your help and many donations, Hope UMC ended up with approximately with the following:

  • 66 school kits
  • 1 sewing kit
  • 4 knitting kits
  • 27 health kits, and
  • 12 layettes

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In addition to the Ingathering kits, we also had 12 empty school bags ready to be filled, 10 baby sweaters and 146 (yes, that isn’t a typo!!) baby caps for Nigeria. More on the $$ amount for Church World Service blankets coming soon!

We ARE a mission-minded church!!  🙂

 

 

Ingathering Kits – – let the collecting begin!

It’s that time of the year to gather up supplies for our annual in-gathering kits.  This is an especially great time to buy the school supplies while the Back-to-School sales are in progress!  Below are the list of supplies needed for both the school kits as well as the health kits.   If you are graciously donating one (or two!) of these kits, please have them to the church no later than October 20th.   There is a box for them in Fellowship Hall at the Poky Center.

FYI:  This list of supplies can also be found under the “About” tab, and is linked to the Missions tab, for future reference.

Thanks for being the hands and feet serving those in need!

 

School Kit Materials:crayons02_tns

  • 1 pair blunt scissors
    • Rounded tip only;
    • No plastic scissors please.
  • 3 pads of paper
    • Spiral- or top-bound pads;
    • 150 sheets or less of loose-leaf paper can be substituted for 1 pad;
    • Combinations of spiral, top-bound, side-bound, or loose-leaf paper is acceptable.
  • 1 hand-held pencil sharpener
    • Must be at least 1″ long;
    • Remove from packaging.
  • 1 30-centimeter ruler
    • Hard or flexible;
    • Cartoon characters are acceptable;
    • No advertisements please.
  • 6 unsharpened pencils
    • No advertisements, religious, patriotic, military, or camouflage symbols please;
    • Cartoon characters are acceptable.
  • 1 2-inch or larger-size eraser
    • No advertisements, religious, patriotic, military, or camouflage symbols please;
    • Cartoon characters are acceptable.
  • 1 24-count box of crayons
    • Only 24-count boxes please.
  • 1 14″ x 16″ cloth bag
    • Homemade or purchased bags are both acceptable;
    • Heavy-duty fabric only, such as denim, corduroy, drapery fabric, etc.;
    • No advertisements, religious, patriotic, military, or camouflage symbols please;
    • Closures are optional but must be buttons, snaps, or Velcro sewn in middle of opening.

 

Health Kit Materials:bathrooms_supplies

  • 1 hand towel
    • 15″ x 25″ to 17″x 27″;
    • Kitchen, cleaning, and microfiber towels not acceptable.
  • 1 washcloth
  • 1 comb
    • Comb needs to be sturdy and at least 8″ long;
    • No pocket combs or picks please;
    • Rattail combs and combs without handles are acceptable.
  • 1 metal nail file or nail clippers
    • No emery boards or toenail clippers please.
  • 1 bath-size soap
    • 3 oz. and larger sizes only;
    • No Ivory soap due to moisture content;
    • Do not remove from original packaging.
  • 1 toothbrush
    • Adult size only;
    • Do not remove from original packaging.
  • 6 adhesive bandages
    • ¾” to 1″-size;
    • Common household Band-Aids.
  • 1 plastic bag
    • One-gallon size sealable bag only.
  • $1.00 to purchase toothpaste

Important Notes

  • All items must be new.
  • Do not wash any of the items as they will be considered used.
  • Please remove all packaging, unless otherwise specified.
  • All emergency kits are carefully planned to make them usable in the greatest number of situations. Since strict rules often govern product entry into international countries, it is important that kits contain only the requested items, nothing more.
  • Do not include any personal notes, money, or additional material in the kits. These things must be painstakingly removed and will delay the shipment.

For other kit details and more information, click  HERE!

Help fill a Flood/Cleaning Bucket at Hope UMC!

Recent events such as flooding and tornadoes that wreaked havoc across the South and Midwest states can place a strain on available material resources at the UMCOR outlets. Already in 2014 (by April 30th) 1,152 cleaning buckets were sent from the Midwest Mission Distribution Center in Chatham, IL, to areas that have been hit. Those cleaning buckets need to be replaced as soon as possible to be ready for the next disaster. The local church is the key to making sure that the supply of cleaning buckets is greater than the demand.

Hope UMC is preparing cleaning buckets to take to Annual Conference in early June to be loaded on a truck from MMDC. You may make a monetary donation to the church ($55 is the value of one cleaning bucket) and the supplies will be purchased, packed and delivered.

The picture below was taken at Midwest Mission Distribution Center – – with all the flood buckets — shrink wrapped and on pallets ready to ship.  Check out their website at MIDWEST MISSION DISTRIBUTION CENTER.

UMC Flood buckets

So, as you are doing your weekly (or for some of us, our “monthly!”) cleaning, think about contributing to a flood/cleaning bucket to help those in times of need…. remember, every little bit helps!

THANKS!

Alleluia! He is Risen!

Easter represents Jesus Christ’s victory over death. His resurrection is proof He is the Son of God, and it is the reason we can find hope in an eternity spent with Him. Thank you, Jesus, for loving us this much! Help us to follow your example each and every day!