MISSIONS and

 MISSIONS MINISTRY

 

MISSIONS is any ministry extending beyond our congregation and our normal church body (local, regional, or international) that proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ through word or deed.

 

The MISSIONS MINISTRY encourages church wide interest and active involvement in missions and coordinates the missions work being done by members of our congregation.

 

If you would like to participate in any of these events, please contact our office and ask to have the specific coordinator call you.  

 

 

 

 

 

MISSIONS COMMITTEE FINANCIAL REVIEW
2006
                                      

 
  Amount Received From Churchwide Appeals
Bread Sales $ 457.46 Tsunami-UMCOR $ 3, 197.92
Cookbook Sales   14.00 Katrinia-UMCOR $ 2, 400.50
Easter Jelly Bean Sales 160.00 UMFS $ 1, 200.00
Fall Yard Sale $   3, 417.80 Dunn Family (Katrina Victims) $ 1, 764.00 $ x, xxx.xx
Dinner/Auction/Crafts $   7, 609.55
Member Donations $   1, 980.44
TOTAL $ xx, xxx.xx
                                                                
MISSIONS COMMITTEE FINANCIAL REVIEW
2007
  Amount Received From Churchwide Appeals

 

 

 

      

 

Once again the Missions Committee extends a heartfelt thanks to everyone who participated in the Missions Committee functions throughout the year.  As you can see from above, ecause of your hard work and generosity, more than $10,000 was raised in our Missions endeavor, during 2005 and $XXXXXX during 2006.    

 

In addition, individual donations were made  to allocations through Missions which went to ministry in areas of Outreach through Caritas, Homeless Lunches, Conference Kits, Community School Supplies, WorkCamp, Honduras, FISH, Thanksgiving Baskets, Christmas Family, World Hunger, Seniors and Shut-Ins and helping those within our congregation and community.  Laurel Hill continues to be a Church with a Huge Heart that Keeps on Giving!                           

 

OTHER MISSIONS OPPORTUNITIES IN WHICH LAUREL HILL IS INVOLVED

FOOD, SHELTER, HEALTH EDUCATION:

Host church for CARITAS - August

Richmond Feeding of the Homeless - Every 5th Tuesday

Good Samaritan Ministries

Thanksgiving and Christmas Food Baskets 

Health, School and Layette Kits for Annual Conference - May & June

Campbell Labels for Education (on-going)

OTHER LOCAL MISSIONS OPPORTUNITIES:

United Methodist Family Services Auxiliary

Prison and Jail Ministries

Good Neighbor Village

Heart Havens

Missions Education and Communication

Camp Rainbow July & August

Richmond Metropolitan Workcamp July

Crisis Pregnancy Center

FISH

SEASONAL SHORT-TERM MISSIONS:

           

Hug A Teddy Bear & Other Stuffed Animals for MCV Pediatric Emergency Room - October

Hats, Scarves, Mittens and Socks for Henrico Christmas Mother Distribution - November

Hug A Easter Bunny & Other Stuffed Animals (MCV Pediatric ER) - March or April

Santa Gifts

World Crafts Event

Collection of School Supplies for Local Schools - August

FOREIGN MISSIONS CONNECTIONS:

Friends of Barnabus (Honduras Trip) -- {Laurel Hill Team #2 [Friends of Barnabus Team #9] went September 10-18, 2005}

VIM (Volunteer-in-Missions)

Collection of Vitamins, Ibuprofen and Used Eyeglasses

Tsunami (South Asia Relief)

                            2006 Designated Funds

The Laurel Hill Missions Committee has designated funds that were raised in 2006 for the following current missions projects:

$   200 - Sr. & Jr. Youth Work Camps*

$   250 - Henrico Rescue Squad

$   250 - Thanksgiving and Christmas

$   250 - Crisis Pregnancy Center

$   250 - Prison Ministries

$   500 - Friends of Barnabus

$   500 - Varina High School After Prom Party

$   300 - Good Samaritan Ministries

$   500 - Campus Crusade for Christ (Tricia Amstutz)

$   500 - Campus Crusade for Christ (Waylands)

$1,200 - FISH

$   750 - Heart Havens - Varina [Mary Beth McGrath House]

$1,000 - Tuition Assistance for Andrea Nelson Skeens

$   300 - OMS (Keith & Judy Kennedy - Missionaries [Philippines]-)

$   250 - All God's Children Camp

$   600 - Seed money for expenses (Yard Sale, Mission Kits, etc.)

$   500 - CARITAS 

$1,000 - Feeding the Homeless

*There is also $1,000 in the General Budget for this line item 

 

 

United Methodists are urged to keep preparing kits & supplies!!

 

 

THIS SHOULD BE AN ON-GOING PROCESS -- NOT JUST WHEN NEEDED AND NOT JUST AT ANNUAL CONFERENCE TIME IN JUNE!!

 

 

For many years, Church World Service has been in charge of distributing kits at Annual Conference. There are several types of kits that are needed and they are listed below:

 

      (1) FLOOD BUCKETS

             These supplies enable people to begin the overwhelming job of cleaning up after a flood or hurricane.  Thank you for your donation -- it helps sustain lives!

5-gallon bucket with resealable lid

Bleach--two 1-quart or one 82 oz. bottle

5 scouring pads

Sponges, 7 pack, assorted sizes

1 scrub brush

18 cleaning towels (reusable wipes)

Liquid laundry detergent (two 25 oz. or one 50 oz. bottle)

1 household cleaner, 12-16 oz. bottle

Disinfectant dish soap, 16-28 oz. bottle

50 clothes pins

Clothes line-- two 50 ft. or one 100 ft.

5 dust masks

2 pair latex gloves

1 pair work gloves

24-bag roll of heavy-duty trash bags (33-45 gallon-- remove roll from box before placing in bucket)

1 Insect repellant spray, 6-14 oz. can (If aerosol, cans must have protective caps.)

1 Air freshener, 8 or 9 oz. can (If aerosol, cans must have protective caps. See special requirements below.*)

*Special requirements: Put all items in the plastic bucket and seal lid. Please ensure that all cleansing agents are liquids (not powder) and in plastic bottles.  If the requested sized item is not available, go down to the next available size.  If nothing is available in the requested or smaller sizer, put masking tape on the outside of the bucket saying, "This bucket contains no __________."

OR

YOU CAN MAKE A MONETARY CONTRIBUTION TO BUY ITEMS FOR 1 FLOOD BUCKET @ $45 per bucket with $1.50 to help w/cost of processing & shipping of each bucket--Make check out to LHUMC.

OR

                                          YOU CAN MAKE YOU CAN MAKE A MONETARY  

      (2) BEDDING PAKS                             CONTRIBUTION TO BUY ITEMS FOR 1 BEDDING                 

   2 FLAT DOUBLE-BED SHEETS           PAK @ $50 PER PAK WITH A DONATION OF AT

   2 PILLOWCASES                                    LEAST $1.00 FOR EACH PAK TO HELP W/COST

   2 PILLOWS                                               OF PROCESSING & SHIPPING OF EACH BEDDING 

                                                                        PAK AROUND THE WORLD--Make check out to LHUMC. 

 

OR

 

        

     "Little things do mean a lot" and the contents of each of the following 'starter sets' are such simple, small things -- pencils, tablets, washcloths, diapers -- but having or not having them can make a world of difference," it is imperative that we continue to collect materials for the School Kits, Health Kits, and  Baby/Layette Kits (which are items most requested by our partners overseas).  The need is great, and we can never have too many on hand.                                                                                              

 

OR

 

                                                                 YOU CAN MAKE A MONETARY CONTRIBUTION TO     

(3) SCHOOL KITS                                                             BUY ITEMS FOR 1 SCHOOL KIT @ $11 PER KIT

                                                                                               WITH A DONATION OF AT LEAST $1.00 FOR EACH

1 pair blunt scissors (rounded tip)                                KIT TO HELP W/COST OF PROCESSING & SHIPPING

2 pads (or loose leaf) of 8 1/2" x 11" ruled paper       --Make check out to LHUMC (Code #901440).

1 30-centimeter ruler

6 unsharpened pencils with erasers

1 eraser, 2 1/2"

12 sheets construction paper (varied colors)

 

This SCHOOL KIT is designed for a variety of ages.  In some countries, children don't have books or school supplies.  Many have no schoolrooms; classes are held in inadequate or half destroyed buildings, tents, or even the open air.  Often students must write down everything they teacher says or records on a board.  Their teacher's knowledge and their own notes are their only textbooks.  Schools kits may be these children's only educational resources. 

OR

 

 

Baby/Layette Kits

6 cloth diapers

2 shirts or 2 one-piece body suits

2 baby washcloths

2 gowns or sleepers

2 diaper pins

1 sweater open in the front

2 receiving blankets

Wrap items inside one of the receiving blankets and secure with diaper pins.

 

OR

 

                                                                                               YOU CAN MAKE A MONETARY CONTRIBUTION TO    

                                                                                               BUY ITEMS FOR 1 LAYETTE KIT @ $35 PER KIT

                                                                                               WITH A DONATION OF AT LEAST $1.00 FOR EACH

                                                                                               KIT TO HELP W/COST OF PROCESSING & SHIPPING

                                                                                               -- Make check out to LHUMC.

 

      OR

                                                                                    

   1 hand towel (15" x 25" up to 17" x 27")

                   HEALTH KIT                          1 washcloth  

                                                                     1 comb (large and sturdy, not pocket-sized)

                                                                     1 nail file or fingernail clippers (no emery boards or toenail clippers)

                                                                     1 bath-size bar of soap (3 oz. and up)

                                                                     1 toothbrush (single brushes only in original wrapper, No child-size brushes)

                                                                     1 large tube of toothpaste (4.5 oz. or larger, expiration date must

                                                                                                                        be at least 6 months prior to shipment date)

                                                                     6 adhesive plastic strip sterile bandages

                                                                     (Place these items inside a sealed one-gallon plastic bag.)

 

OR

YOU CAN MAKE A MONETARY CONTRIBUTION TO BUY ITEMS FOR 1 HEALTH KIT 

@ $12 per kit/with/$1 cost to mail each kit

Make check payable to: LHUMC & Mark: "Hurricane Relief"

 

THIS SHOULD BE AN ON-GOING PROCESS -- NOT JUST WHEN NEEDED AND NOT JUST AT ANNUAL CONFERENCE TIME 

GOD BLESS YOU AS YOU CONTINUE TO BE A BLESSING TO OTHERS!

ABOVE ALL ELSE: PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY!

 

INSIGHT INTO THE MISSIONS BREAD PROJECT AT LAUREL HILL UMC

For almost ten years now, Laurel Hill has had an arrangement with a retail grocery store to pick up dated baked goods every week on Saturday and Sunday mornings.  Recently, Friday morning was added to our pick up days.  The Bread Project was first coordinated through the United Methodist Women.  The Missions Committee has assumed this coordination.  You may have noticed the bread cart in the extended narthex and that more baked goods were available in the kitchen -- but, do you know the impact of this mission project?

Every Monday, a truck from Good Samaritan Ministries drops by to pick up the remaining baked goods to use in their feeding program of the less fortunate in our area.  (There have been days when they had nothing else to feed the hungry.)

In addition to the actual baked goods, your "bread donations" was over $500 last year.  Some of  this was given to Good Samaritan Ministries to help them buy meats and vegetables and the remaining amount was used in general missions projects, such as CARITAS and Feeding the Homeless.

Involvement in this special missions project is simple.  On an assigned day, a member of our congregation goes to the bakery at the grocery store between 8:45-10:00 a.m. and asks if they have a basket set aside for pick up by Laurel Hill.  The volunteer then brings the donated goods to Laurel Hill and leaves them in the kitchen area so the bread cart can be assembled Sunday morning.  Another volunteer repacks the remaining bread after the Sunday service so it will be ready for the truck on Monday.

If you would like to help with this mission project, there is a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board downstairs outside the fellowship hall.  Contact Susan Nowell at 795-9077 for more details.  Thank you for considering working with this ministry.

 

WHERE DOES OUR OFFERING GO?  MISSIONS -- GLOBAL

"For over four years, churches in the Virginia Conference have helped to build a vocational school, an elementary school, a women's training center, and girls' dormitory in Mozambique.

The people of Mozambique have traveled through 300 years of colonization, 15 years of civil war, and major flooding five years ago.  Yet, on a bright, sunny morning in Cambine, dozens of happy teenagers say their thanks to God and to the Virginia Conference for its donations for a girl's dormitory.

The Cambine school has had boys' dorms for many years, but the girls have had to go without until now.  On August 12, 2005, a dedication ceremony was held for the girls' dorm, named in honor of Bishop Charlene Kammerer.

Each dorm has 80 bunk beds - 40 on each side of a common room.  Each bed is neatly made with a colorful blanket and a stuffed animal or two.  A second dorm nearby houses an additional 80 students.

There are on-going needs for clean water, library books, electricity, and healing from the HIV/AIDS pandemic, however, the joyous, optimistic, resourceful spirit of the Mozambicans at this point in their journey is both humbling and inspiring."

 

HONDURAS MISSION

Once again members of Laurel Hill had the privilege of serving on a team which traveled to Honduras with the Friends of Barnabas Foundation (FOBF).  In 2005, we were TEAM #9 [Team #2 from Laurel Hill] and departed September 10th and returned September 18th.

The Friends of Barnabas is a non-profit organization which concentrates on helping sick and malnourished children in the rural mountain areas of Central Honduras as well as providing primary and preventive health care, sponsoring surgeries, and completing eye exams and eyeglass fittings.

Through coordination with the Honduran office of FOBF in San Pedro Sula, medical brigades are sent to the mountains of Honduras 11 times each year.  Teams are typically made up of 14 members and medical professionals are a required part of all mission teams.  Each team carries duffle bags filled with items such as de-worming pills, general medicines, children's vitamins, prenatal vitamins, and formula for children unable to nurse.  The teams travel by bus, boat, mule and truck to the most rural of areas around Lake Yojoa.  FOBF also organizes three to four surgical teams per year that visit Hospital Evangelico in Siguatepeque.

Those children whose medical needs go beyond the care that can be provided in the field clinics are enrolled in FOBF's Extended Care Program.  Many of these children need operations or medicines that field clinics do  not carry and are often not found in Honduras.  This program provides each of these most fragile children with home visits by FOBF doctors, nurses, and staff; transportation to appointments with physicians and hospitals in Honduras, and medicines, medical equipment, and any treatment or surgery deemed necessary.  All care is provided at no cost to the families and preoperative as well as postoperative care is given at the Barnabas House-A Place of Healing, FOBF's permanent clinic facility.

A GREAT BIG THANK YOU to our Laurel Hill family for the love and support you so graciously extended to us.