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Wholeness for our Clergy, Congregations, and Communities | |
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| Connecting Points |
Outreach Newsletter
March 2010 |
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| Dear Michelle,
"The bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." (John 6:33)
We are so blessed with the spiritual nourishment we receive through Jesus Christ. When I served as a missionary in Bulgaria back in the 90's after the fall of the communist government there, I couldn't understand how people who had been raised atheist could get through the day and especially through hard times without the love, grace and comfort of God.
Most of us are also blessed with abundance when we think of the "daily bread" we have to eat. Not all are so fortunate. Our church food pantries are being overwhelmed. We may have a sense that many in our community are struggling, still to see the statistics* is shocking. For example:
- Of the 25 largest urban centers in the United States with the highest rates of food hardship, three are in Florida. Orlando-Kissimmee is number 5, Miami-Fort Lauderdale is number 11 and Jacksonville is number 19.
- More than 21 percent of households in Florida reported not having enough money to buy food.
This newsletter shares ideas for how your church can expand your hunger ministries. Partner with an existing group or start a new ministry and know that we are the witnesses that indeed "The bread of God . . . gives life to the world!"
Grace and peace, Marilyn
* Statistics from the Food Research and Action Center |
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Summer Nutrition for Children
Be a feeding site during the summer for children who are on the free lunch program during the school year. Local churches serve the meals to children and keep records on number of children fed. You do not have to do the administration or food preparation. There are still slots for this summer in many locations. Lunch can be combined with activities for the children. To see if your church qualifies or if there is another site nearby that needs assistance.
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 Meals on Wheels
Volunteers are needed for delivering meals, serving meals at the hot lunch sites, building handicap ramps and doing minor home repair to help keep seniors in their homes.
Contact:
Flagler County - Gloria McKay 386-586-2324;
Orange County - Pat Schunke 407-581-9364;
Seminole County - Irene Setzer 407333-8877;
Volusia County - Council on Aging Volunteer Services 386-253-4700 x208 |
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 Share Florida Food Network
SHARE is a cooperative food-buying program that uses high volume purchasing and volunteer help to provide quality, low cost fruits, vegetables and frozen meats to be distributed from local church sites. Contact: http://www.shareflorida.org; 800-536-3379 or 813-248-3379. UM Churches that are distribution sites:
Flagler and Lake Counties - no current sites;
Orange County - Broadway, Faith, First Pine Hills and Saint Luke's;
Osceola - First Kissimmee;
Seminole - no UM churches;
Volusia - Riverview, Ormond By The Sea |
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Partner With Or Start A Food Pantry
Collect food for a nearby food pantry and share volunteers. This effort has an immediate impact in expanding the capacity of an already established ministry. If there is no food pantry in your neighborhood, [click here] to see the considerations for starting a new food pantry.
Current list of Churches in the East Central District with food pantries: (we know there are more out there, if you would like to be added to the list on the District Website, please let us know).
Flagler County - First Bunnell, Flagler Beach, Palm Coast works with Gleaner's Closet
Lake County - First Clermont works with Faith Neighborhood Center
Orange County - Aloma UMC, Christ For The Nations, Conway,First Pine Hills
Osceola County - First Kissimmee
Seminole County - First UMC, Oveido works with Sonshine Community Thrift and Food Pantry
Volusia County - First Deltona, Lake Helen, Trinity DeLand
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End Childhood Hunger Toolkit
The Florida UM Conference is a partner with over 50 other organizations in the Florida Partnership to End Childhood Hunger. United Methodists have committed to help provide healthy breakfasts for children and to expand the reach of the summer lunch program. This toolkit has resources and many ideas to fight hunger like starting a community garden, teaching cooking classes for families, offering family finance classes. Go to http://www.flimpact.org/partnership/models.html |
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Disaster Response Ministries
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Preparing Volunteer Teams For Haiti
Leaders from the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) and United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (UMVIM) have been in Haiti to meet with Methodist Church leaders, to plan for sending teams and to look at priority projects. The infrastructure in Haiti is still very fragile. Working through UMVIM is the best way to optimize the assistance your team will be able to give, to ensure you do not tax and already severely overtaxed system (considerations such as food, supplies, transportation, trash disposal, etc.) and to ensure the safety of your team. This is a very unique and challenging setting even for experienced mission teams.
Criteria for UMVIM teams are as follows:
1. Teams should be no more that 8-12 members.
2. The team leader should have previous experience working in Haiti.
3. Team leader must have UMVIM Team leader training. (Next training May 14-15, LaBelle, FL - see next article)
4. All team members must have the necessary immunizations recommended by the CDC.
5. Early Response Training (ERT) is not necessary but is helpful for team members.
UMCOR has three staff people who will be coordinating the work including a Volunteer Team Coordinator. They will be in place starting April 1. Workteams are expected to begin work Easter week 2010.
Work teams can register at www.umvim.org. Going through UMVIM will mean meals and housing through the Methodist guest house in Port Au Prince; work projects, building supplies and logistics being prepared for your team; UMVIM insurance to cover your team; translators provided to work with your team. All teams will be asked to hire at least two Haitians to help with the work (at $100 per week each).
If you are planning a team and need to find someone with the team leader qualifications of having been on a mission trip to Haiti and having been through the VIM team leader training, please contact me ( mbeecher@flumc.org) and or Florida Conference Volunteers in Mission ( pgarrison@flumc.org). We may be able to match you up with someone who could co-lead a team - your local church team leader can still provide the coordination of your group and with on site supervision of the work while the "experienced" co-leader could assist with logistics.
A long term response is needed - at least 10 years. We will try our best to keep information flowing to you on current needs, training events and opportunities so that we can work in partnership through the Florida-Haiti Covenant and through the resources of UMCOR and UMVIM to make a difference for our brothers and sisters in Haiti. |
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Volunteers in Mission Team Leader Training
May 14-15, 2010 in LaBelle, FL
 Are you interested in leading a United Methodist Mission Team? Do you want to lead a team to Haiti when long-term recovery efforts begin? You need this training!
This training prepares volunteers to lead Volunteer in Mission teams to projects in the United States and around the world. You will learn the "ins and outs" of organizing a mission trip from recruiting the team, to picking the location, getting support, staying safe, planning the work and much, much more. Cost: $55 includes meals and lodging.
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Early Response Team Recertification
 It's Time to Renew!
If you are part of an Early Response Team at your church and your badge expires in June of this year (2010), you must be recertified if you plan to continue serving in early response.
This brief training reviews safety guidelines, tarping and mucking out/debris removal. You will also receive the most current information on communication and deployment protocols.
The cost is $25 which includes a background check and two badges: one for the Florida Conference and one for UMCOR. You will also be asked to complete a new volunteer application so that we can update our files.
April 19 - Vamo UMC, Sarasota
April 20 - Sanlando UMC, Longwood
April 22 - New Covenant, The Villages
June 5 - FL Conference Building, Lakeland
Don't delay! Register now for a training near you [Click here]. |
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 Health Kits Still Needed!
Health kits are still urgently needed. For delivery connections in our District, check with Sue Macchiarella, Chair, FL UMVIM, at Covenant UMC, Port Orange by email sue@jesusatcovenant.org or phone (386) 767-8544. For Health Kit instructions [Click Here]. |
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SEJ UMVIM / UMCOR
2010 Annual Disaster Response Academy
April 26 - April 29, 2010 at the Warren W. Willis Camp, Florida
This annual academy is a great opportunity for networking and connecting with other like-minded individuals from throughout the Southeastern Jurisdiction who are interested in disaster ministry. The training offers a variety of courses designed to provide information and knowledge to volunteers who want to enhance their skills in disaster response. Courses are led by experienced UMVIM and UMCOR personnel.
Training tracks include: Incident Coordination System, UMVIM Team Leadership Training, Disaster Team Leader Training, Connecting Neighbors and an overview by UMCOR personnel of all the components of a holistic recovery. The training will conclude with a table top exercise on the final day followed by lunch and a time of worship and communion.
Cost is $160 per person and includes 3 nights lodging, meals (starting with lunch on Monday and ending with lunch on Thursday) a T-shirt, a certificate of completion and all training materials.
Participants will stay in dorm-style lodges with bunk beds. Please bring a sleeping bag/bedroll, pillow, towels and personal items, etc. Dress comfortably for a rustic camp environment.
You may also want to bring insect repellant and a flashlight.
For more information and to register now online, [click here].
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Other Ministry Opportunities
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Summer Mission Intern applications accepted
Summer Mission Interns serve in a variety of outreach ministry settings throughout Florida, with a focus being on community day camps and United Methodist district outreach agencies. A $2,000 stipend is awarded to each intern for their 10 weeks of service which runs generally from June 7 through Aug. 13 (this varies with the placement). Internship applications are accepted from students and young adults, ages 19 through 28. In the summer of 2009, the second year of this program, 12 Summer Mission Interns participated at placements with Christians Reaching Out to Society (C.R.O.S. Ministries), the East Central District outreach ministries in Orlando, Sons of Thunder Day Camp in Titusville, and the NE District outreach ministries in Jacksonville. The application is available online [Click Here]. Download and print the application then mail it to David Berkey, 1140 McDonald Ave., Lakeland, FL 33801; or fax to 863-688-7233. For more information, e-mail dberkey@flumc.org, or call 800-282-8011, Ext. 140. |
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The Census - It's Important!
 The results from the census will determine how $400 billion in federal funding is divided across our country. This funding impacts our schools, transportation projects, Community Development Block Grants, housing assistance, social services, law enforcement and other vital resources. It is important that we get an accurate census count, or our community may not receive the funding we need.
Make sure you and your congregation members are counted. Complete your census form and mail it in by April 1, Census Day. If you have any questions about the census, visit www.2010.census.gov. |
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 Florida Advocacy DaysShow Up 2 Speak Out!
April 11-13, 2010 at Trinity UMC, Tallahassee
In April, the 15th Annual Children's Week Celebration will be held in Tallahassee in partnership with FLUMC Coalition for Advocacy and Ministry with Children (The Children's Coalition), Florida Conference Global Mission and Justice Committee, and Conference United Methodist Women. Florida Advocacy Days (FAD) presents opportunities to be a social witness for those who are unable to speak for themselves and includes providing a vocal presence with local, state, and federal decision-makers. FAD offers a time for a network of Methodist citizens to boldy work together in shaping public policy. It is a forum to empower local church members to take their Christian concrns for the "least of these" to their legislators' offices and engage these goverment officials around specific issues that can reduce the suffering of impoverished children and their families. In addition, FAD provides detailed information and advocacy training regarding legislative issues, such as hunger, health care, and housing. REGISTRATION COST: $70 (includes 4 meals and Advocacy Materials). Please pray and plan now for your participation. For more information contact: Tammy Fisher, Project Coordinator; Phone (800) 282-8011, Ext. 182; or email tfisher@flumc.org Melinda Trotti, Director of Justice and Outreach Ministries, email mtrotti@flumc.org |
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Community Building Event: reBUILD HAITI
Response to Haiti Earthquake: June 13th from 2:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Emmanuel Haitian Mission
 Over the past month we have been moved and troubled deeply by the difficulties faced by folks living in the poorest nation in our hemisphere struggling with such unspeakable devastation. So far the best way to help has been to donate funds. Church members have responded generously throughout our district, raising thousands of dollars for those in Haiti and creating awareness of the need. Efforts at First UMC of Winter Park to raise funds and awareness led to meeting with International Child Care (ICC) Board Member Rev. Lynne Austin and Rev. Eliantus Valmyr of Emmanuel Haitian Mission about ways to build community among our churches here in the East Central District in order to help rebuild communities in Haiti. We are planning a very special event to which Rev. Eliantus Valmyr and Rev. Bob Bushong invite you and your congregations. We hope you will join us in this effort on June 13, 2010. |
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