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UNITED METHODIST VOLUNTEERS IN MISSION (UMVIM)

Mission News

October 17, 2019

The holidays are the perfect time of year to think about sharing God’s blessings with our neighbors in need. Click on a mission site below to learn what it is collecting to aid clients and friends this Thanksgiving and/or Christmas. You can also choose to make a financial donation online or by mailing a check.

PLEASE CONTACT EACH SITE TO CONFIRM DROP-OFF TIMES & LOCATIONS!

ACCESS
Canton Calvary Mission
Epworth Center
Harmony House Homeless Services
Interchurch Social Services of Knox Co.
Martha’s Cupboard
OhioGuidestone
Project Hope for the Homeless
South Street Ministries
The Nehemiah Mission of Cleveland
Urban Mission Ministries
West Side Community House

 

ACCESS
1605 CR 1095, Ashland, OH 44805
EOC Fund 9953

Items needed: bath towel sets, gas cards, Walmart gift cards. We share these items with our current ACCESS guests as well as all the guests from 2019. Drop-off by December 23. Questions? Please E-mail Cathy Thiemens.

Canton Calvary Mission
1345 Gibbs Ave. NE, Canton, OH 44705
EOC Fund 9151

Items needed: pullover hoodies for kids and teens - youth small through adult 2XL; socks and underwear for kids and teens (ages 6 to 18), boys and girls, small through adult 2XL. These items will be given as gifts to the kids and teens in the Mission's after-school program, as well as to children in neighborhood families that come to the Mission for assistance for Christmas. Drop-off by December 9. Questions? Please E-mail Marie Senften-Deitz.

Epworth Center
301 N Main St., Bethesda, OH 43719
EOC Fund 9140

Items needed: new toys, canned veggies, noodles, pasta, canned fruit, toilet paper, sugar, flour, laundry detergent, wrapping paper, tape, bows, and gift tags. You can also sponsor a family for $50, which includes food for a Christmas Dinner and enough food to get through the holidays. Drop-off by December 1. Questions? Please E-mail Darla Schnegg.

Harmony House Homeless Services, Inc.
124 W 3rd St., Mansfield, OH 44902
EOC Fund 9134

Items needed: winter coats, gloves, hats, blankets, socks and underwear, twin-sized bedding, towels, pillows, cosmetics, and shaving products. Drop-off by December 7. Questions? Please E-mail Connie Weatherholt.

Interchurch Social Services of Knox Co.
306 W Gambier St., Mt Vernon, OH 43050
EOC Fund 9196

Items needed: holiday food box items - stuffing mix, sweet potatoes, green beans, corn, applesauce, jello or pudding mix, gravy mix, evaporated milk, and $10 Kroger or Walmart gift cards. Gift items - hats, gloves, scarves, socks, candy, hand lotion, and body wash. Drop-off by December 13. Questions? Please call Joy Harris or Christy Miller at (740) 397-4825.

Martha’s Cupboard
54227 TR 172, Fresno, OH 43824
EOC Fund 9964

Items needed: winter clothing, coats, hats, gloves, etc; crayons, and Christmas candy. Drop-off by November 12 for winter clothing and December 16 for crayons and candy. Questions? Please call Fern Johnson at (740) 545-6422.

OhioGuidestone
434 Eastland Rd., Berea, OH 44017
EOC Fund 9173

Items needed: necessity items (brand new clothing, soap, etc.), new and unwrapped toys, and gift items for adults, teens, and babies. Drop-off by December 23. Questions? Please call Jessica Kanelos at (440) 260-8362.

Project Hope for the Homeless
25 Freedom Rd., Painesville, OH 44077
EOC Fund 9143

Items needed: hot cocoa, sugar, cough drops, wash clothes, towels, dental floss, Giant Eagle gift cards, gas cards, local restaurant gift cards, disposable coffee cups (8-12oz), napkins, 13 gal & 33+gal trash bags, cereal (no Cheerio's please), and orange juice. Drop-off by December 30. Questions? Please E-mail John Hutchison.

South Street Ministries
798 Grant St. (Front Porch Cafe), Akron, OH 44311
EOC Fund 9195

Items needed: winter coats for ages birth to 12 years old, dolls, trucks, and learning visuals and clothing items (socks, sweat shirts, pajamas, house shoes) for boys and girls ages 5 to 14 years old. Gifts for moms, dads, and caregivers, and new toys for infants to grade 8. Teen gift items - makeup, socks, gloves, hats, scarves, hygiene sets, body lotion/wash, slippers, sports items, and purses. Please do not wrap any of the items. Drop-off by December 12. Questions? Please E-mail Lisa Crabbs.

The Nehemiah Mission of Cleveland
6515 Bridge Ave., Cleveland, OH 44102
EOC Fund 9136

Items needed: canned and boxed foods (canned tuna, chicken, peanut butter, pancake mix and syrup, fruit and vegetables, pasta and sauces). Clothing - men's, women's, and children’s (underwear & socks are of particular need). Bedding, and personal hygiene items. Monetary donations will be used to purchase additional items and to fund special Thanksgiving and Christmas gifts for African refugee families and homeless individuals participating in our Bread on Bridge, Luke 3:11 and #Corner65 ministries. Drop-off by December 20. Questions? Please call Jim Szakacs at (216) 961-6968, ext. 10.

Urban Mission Ministries
423 North St., Steubenville, OH 43952
EOC Fund 9107

Items needed: toys, dolls, games/board games, art supplies/art kits, small electronics, and sporting goods for ages birth to 12; toiletries, ear buds, socks/footies, underwear, and gift cards for ages 13 to 18. The Urban Mission also has an Amazon Wish List if donors would like to shop online and send these items directly to our ministry site. Drop-off by December 2. Questions? Please E-mail Ashley Steele.

West Side Community House
9300 Lorain Ave., Cleveland, OH 44102
EOC Fund 9933

Items needed: flannel pajama sets for children and adults, multicultural dolls, sports equipment, grocery gift cards (Dave's, Walmart, Giant Eagle), full-size bath and body items, sports hoodies (all sizes), baby clothes, purses and wallets, thermal underwear (some XL and XXL sizes are needed), toys, games, baby items, car seats, makeup kits, and manicure kits. New items only, please. Drop-off by November 29. Questions? Please E-mail Gloria Perez. Click here for more information.

For a complete list of our Advance Special partners, visit this page.

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October 14, 2019
Sign up now for the November 9 UMVIM Team Leader Training at Heart 4 the City in Akron. Special reduced fee of only $10, normal cost is $35! Details here.

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August 30, 2019
The August Partners is Mission Newsletter from Rev. Kathy Dickriede is available here!

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August 8, 2019
MISSION JOURNEY REPORT

The Ashland Faith UMC youth group recently returned from a mission trip to Monson, MA. We took seven youth and two adult chaperones. The trip was organized by Group’s Lifetree Adventures. We spent the week of June 30-July 6, 2019 serving the town of Monson with construction, painting, and relational ministry projects, and we even got to be the grand marshals in the town’s 4th of July parade. We participated in daily service, afternoon “mystery adventures”, and enjoyed morning and evening programs focused on spiritual growth and becoming “Friends of God”.

If you recently participated in mission trip with your church, please contact the EOC UMVIM Coordinator, Kathy Dickriede via E-mail. We’d love to share what our churches are doing locally and around the world!

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Puerto Rico UMVIM Teams needed!

The MCPR (Methodist Church of Puerto Rico) & Rehace, Inc., (the social holiness arm of the Methodist Church) has provided the following updates to the repair/rebuild efforts that are on-going due to Hurricane Maria's devastation to Puerto Rico. The Early Response and UMVIM teams started assisting with disaster response in Feb. 2018. At the end of Dec. 2018, we had 108 teams and a total of 1,151 volunteers serve!!

Currently, there are 35,000 houses still with blue tarps. To help meet the continuing disaster recovery efforts, the MCPR would like to have 8 teams/week serve with a team size of no more than 12 people/team for a monthly goal of (32 teams, 384 volunteers) each month starting in June. For teams who want to serve and have more than 12 members, please separate out the additional team members and have them create another team of 12 or less with another team leader designated. The MCPR/Rehace 2019, construction completion goal is to close 36 projects per month. During the first three months of 2019 (Jan. - Mar.), 108 houses have been repaired by UMVIM teams (62 teams, 712 volunteers) and others. The year-end goal is to repair 432 houses by Dec. 21, 2019. 

We would like your help to spread the word of the on-going efforts, and hopefully recruit new teams so we can get residents back into structurally sound housing. With the goal of having 32 teams serve per month, there is plenty of room for additional teams to serve June - Dec. 2019. We are also scheduling teams for 2020.

For more information contact Kathy Dickriede, East Ohio UMVIM coordinator, via E-mail.

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Overnight Mission Opportunities in East Ohio

The East Ohio Conference Board of Mission and United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (UMVIM) are excited to share news with you about ministries in our area that will help to make and mature disciples, bring transformation to people and communities, renew your spirit, and partner with people in economic poverty. We have overnight mission experiences in urban and rural settings. A partnership with these mission sites means a commitment to The United Methodist Church and our call to care for some of our society’s most vulnerable people. We commit to live out the UMC Social Principles and the call on our lives as followers of Christ to serve others in sacrifice and love.

Epworth Mission Center extends the love and grace of Jesus Christ – in meeting physical, emotional, and spiritual needs in the Appalachian area around Bethesda, Ohio. We provide home repairs, community needs, spiritual formation, and a choice food pantry. Your work mission experience helps to bring awareness and advocacy to poverty. The wooded setting provides an environment perfect for spiritual retreat and renewal. First Steps is for younger, first time missionaries with an opportunity to serve 3 or 4 days instead of a full week.

The Nehemiah Mission of Cleveland is a ministry of the North Coast District of the United Methodist Church, located in an urban area on the near west side of Cleveland. Your service could be with a homeless ministry distributing food and clothing, working with children at a homeless women and children center, repairing residential homes, gardening, constructing wheelchair ramps, distributing clothing to the needy, preparing medical supplies for shipment to third world hospitals, or preparing and serving a community meal.

Urban Mission Ministries, Inc. offers an urban setting in Steubenville, just 40 minutes from Pittsburgh, PA. One of their programs is the J.O.S.H.U.A. Work Mission program. This ministry provides worship, home repair, food pantry, soup kitchen and thrift store ministry, community gardens and homeless shelters. Groups and individuals can come and participate in any or all of these ministries. 

Lodging, meals and all supplies can be included at all of the mission sites. Overnight guests sleep in real beds in air conditioned dormitories, houses, or cabins. Each mission is prepared to welcome guests year round, including mission teams, confirmation classes, workshops, times for team building and spiritual retreats. More than anything, all three mission sites seek to provide a well-rounded, Christ-centered experience with opportunities for transformation, discipleship, service, learning, relationship building, and worship.

Leaders from these ministries are also available to go to churches to provide Bridges Out of Poverty trainings, poverty simulations, worship and advocacy.

Churches and groups are invited to come and see how their support through prayers, participation and funding is changing lives! Bring your youth or adult group for a week during the summer in 2019, REGISTRATION IS OPEN!

Contact Rev. Kathy Dickriede, Coordinator of Missions & Community Engagement, for more details.
E-mail | Mission Sites | (216) 905-8738