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LOCALLY
We help church members who need assistance in their home with yard work and with painting. We painted a few rooms in the Christian Education wing. The team continues to provide food boxes, food bags and maintain the food pantry. The food boxes are prepared by a team member and distributed by application from the church office every Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
“Operation Blessing” has changed since the beginning of 2010, and we no longer do the program on a monthly basis because the national program had to quit delivering west of the Mississippi. However, we still try to offer 100+ food boxes as often as we can gather and purchase surplus food for a distribution. The food boxes are available to community members on a first-come, first-serve basis. We limit the boxes to 1-box per family so we are able to distribute to as many homes as possible. The recycling of paper, clear glass, aluminum cans, and cardboard is done on a weekly basis by one of our Mission Team members. The congregation participates by bringing donations for this project. The recycling receptacles for the above mentioned items are in the parking lot.
“Cornerstone Mission” food is purchased with the money collected from the recycling projects and a meal is prepared by our Mission Team one day a month. Approximately 85 men, women and children are served at the Mission on a daily basis, with the help of other churches and individuals in the community.
At Thanksgiving and at Christmas time, we provide special food baskets that we give to the needy. No fewer than 25 boxes are given for each holiday. We receive help from the St. Johns UMC congregation to donate items that fill the baskets.
WORLDWIDE
In August 2008, four members of the Missions Team went to Alaska and met up with a “Faith Works” team. Past years mission trips have been to Mexico; McCurdy Indian School in New Mexico; New Orleans helping with the clean up of Hurricane Katrina, and to Egar, Arizona to help clean up after the Chedeski fire.
We support the men and women of the United States Military by sending our cards, prayers and care packages. A group has been gathering for “Operation Pillow Cases”. The pillowcases are decorated then given to military personnel returning from deployment overseas.
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We also provide monetary assistance within the church for individuals and groups requesting assistance with projects.
Additionally, we give gifts to children who otherwise wouldn’t have a Christmas. This Christmas, in lieu of gifts we usually give, the mission team and the entire congregation participated in “Operation Christmas Child (OCC)”. OCC is a project that gives a girl or a boy a shoebox that is filled with small toys, clothing, toothbrush, coloring books, crayons, etc.; we send them to Samaritan’s Purse International Relief for distribution throughout the world.
Missionary Birthday Cards: Each month, the Mission Team sends 5-birthday cards to missionaries throughout the world. Look for them on the third Sunday in the church lobby and please sign them.