A report on the Mission/Community Outreach Services provided and supported by the Congregation of First United Methodist Church, St. Charles, MO, in 2009.

“Risk-taking Mission and Service includes the projects, the efforts, and work people do to make a positive difference in the lives of others for the purposes of Christ…”- Bishop Richard Schnase, Missouri Conference of the United Methodist Church

What a blessing members of this church are to this community and beyond! You have touched the lives of hundreds of people through your donations and hands-on volunteer efforts.

The following is an accounting of mission/outreach/service activities in 2009, in which FUMC members have participated through their gifts and their labor. Each of these programs or activities offer an opportunity for service.

2009 has been a difficult year for an increasing number of people. Each month people who are desperately in need come to the church requesting help. This fund helps with those needs (utility bills, gasoline, etc.). There are guidelines so that the fund is used properly. The distribution is overseen by staff and volunteers. This year over $25,000 was distributed, assisting 300 individuals/households. Money for the Fund comes from several sources: a church budget line item; 75% of grocery card sales; Ground Hog Supper revenue and individual donations.

Every Wednesday morning, homeless men and women are picked up at the Salvation Army center and transported to the church via the church bus. At the church they are able to get a shower, a change of clothing, something to eat, a haircut, and fellowship. Warm coats, sleeping bags and backpacks are made available when needed. On average, 15-20 homeless men and women are helped with this ministry each week. On bitter cold nights, shelter may be arranged for at local motels.

Showers of Blessing sponsored lunches for homeless, before and after Christmas week, when the Salvation Army center was closed for repairs. There were many volunteers who served over 150 lunches during this period.

"I'm not just a name or a number; I'm a real person. Keeping clean is one of the hardest problems we have. Hard to wash in a gas station or restaurant - people don't want us there. I know there are angels out there, we see them every time we are here." - a homeless person who benefitted from Showers.

SAM (Senior Adult Ministry) members prepare brown bag lunches, once a week, for day workers working through Labor Ready, St. Charles. Twenty lunches are prepared each week. This past year, over 1000 day workers have been provided with lunch. In addition, SAM donated $500 to the Showers of Blessing Cold Weather Fund.

This is a mail mission for American Soldiers overseas. Packages of small items such as candy, gum, magazines, toiletries, condiments, etc. are collected in March and November. Mission Possible packs and prepares the donated items for shipping. In total, approximately 12,500 items, composing over 1300 kits, were donated in 2009. Also, $185 in cash was donated.

From a soldier - Everything was greatly appreciated and nothing went to waste. It's very hard being so far away from family and to receive a package full of wonderful items like you sent me actually helps. It's great to know that people are thinking about you at home.

Food pantry collections are taken on the second Sunday of each month. All food donations are given to FISH food pantry for distribution to residents of St. Charles County. In this past year, members of FUMC have donated over 8900 food items to FISH.

Throughout the school year, volunteers spend an hour a week helping children at selected elementary schools with their reading. Currently, 15 volunteers are helping at Lincoln and Null schools.

This year the offering was dedicated to repairing and rebuilding churches in Mozambique. A total of $1722 was donated for this goal.

This past summer, construction was completed on the Methodist House at the Enclaves of Eisenhower subdivision in St. Peters. We were part of a coalition of Methodist churches in St. Charles County participating in this project. FUMC volunteers contributed an estimated 200 hours to this project.

This event involved collaboration between the Missions, Education and Evangelism Committees. Church families, and families from the surrounding communities were invited to spend a Saturday afternoon, in August, playing games, eating hot dogs and enjoying Christian fellowship. A package of free school supplies were handed out to participating children. A total of 65 adults and children visited our church for the first time.

This is a community outreach program that seeks to minister to people, primarily elderly or disabled, on limited income, who live in the neighborhood(s) around the church and who need assistance with maintaining their homes, or with small tasks for helping with daily life. This program got underway in August 2009, and to date, volunteers have performed over 100 hours of service. This is an excellent way for members to get involved with hands-on mission.

Thank you for all your help and kindness. I want you to know that what you are doing is a true service and blessing to people like myself who are unable to do things for ourselves and have no one else to help. - Excerpt from a letter from someone who was helped.

This ministry works with our local elementary school counselors and nurses to provide basic food, clothing and school supplies for kids who are in need. Our Children's Sunday School classes, along with members of the congregation provided over 300 items of food and paper products. Our youth group conducted a coat drive, resulting in 100 coats, as well as caps and mittens. Cash donations have been used to purchase over 40 pair of tennis shoes, 50 backpacks, and other items in short supply. This will be an on-going ministry throughout the school year.

Dear Methodist Church,
Thank you for the clothes, shoes and food. Can you keep on doing that to my school? You guys rock! That was so kind.
Sincerely, (a student from Lincoln Elementary)

This group of UMW women makes a variety of items for a mission hospital and an orphanage in Haiti, and for the Crisis Nursery in St. Chares. Items completed in 2009 include: 64 diapers, 35 baby boy's and girl's gowns, 8 blankets, 3 newborn sleepers, 4 toddler boy's pants, and 10 satin crib sheets.

This is a family mission group for all ages. Missions projects have included a fall planting, packing care items for CHAMP, and Kids Sharing Closet. The group meets the third Sunday from October through May, from 5 to 7 p.m.

This is a conference wide, multi-faith effort to collect items for distribution to people in need in the State of Missouri and worldwide. This year items were packed into Prison Kits, Baby Bundle Kits, Personal Hygiene Kits and Readin' & Writin' Kits. In total, 260 kits were donated, as well as $920 and a beautiful quilt for the quilt auction.

Our Youth have been active in mission activities throughout the year:

• The Middle School youth went on a mission trip to Kansas City.
• The High School youth went on a mission trip to Pittsburgh.
• The youth went to Festival of Sharing in Sedalia, MO.
• They participated in the 30 Hour Famine.
• They collected 100 coats, as well as hats and gloves, for school kids.
• They prepared and served lunch at Salvation Army.

The Christmas giving tree went up the week before Thanksgiving and was covered with paper ornaments that listed gifts for children. A total of 340 gift items were collected, plus $120 in gift cards, all delivered to Kingdom House.

The women of UMW are oriented toward support of Christian missions world-wide. In total, over $6000 was donated by UMW in support of a wide variety of local, Conference, and world missions. In addition to donations and pledges, UMW sponsored Bread for the World, Cookie Walk and selling Christmas cards for Epworth Children and Family Services (73 sets of cards were sold at $10 each).

Many children from outside our church attend Vacation Bible School inthe summer. Methodist Men gave $750 to pay the tuition cost for these and other kids attending VBS.

This is a global ministry aimed at alleviating hunger and poverty around the world. Bread for the World Sunday was celebrated on October 19th. Church members donated $371 to this cause.

This is a prison ministry in which selected prison inmates in Missouri and other states attend a weekend retreat held at the prison. This year, two inmates were sponsored by the general congregation via the church budget, and one inmate was sponsored by an adult Sunday School class. Starting in October, 2010, a Kairos retreat will be held twice a year at the Potosi Correctional Center in Potosi, MO.

In addition to these projects, the Congregation, through its offerings, supports the following ministries: Kingdom House; Shalom House; Epworth Family Family & Children’s Services; Salvation Army; FISH; Volunteers in Medicine and Mozambique. A total of $13,000 was given to these agencies in 2009.

We estimate that the total amount of money given to local, Conference, and World missions activity was about $80,000 in 2009. Congratulations, everyone!

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