Monday, September 06, 2010
|
|
|
| | | | | The United Methodist Church has a long history of concern for social
justice. It is our mission to inspire all persons to respond with gifts
and service to the needs of people both locally and globally, through
outreach programs supported by FUMC. Mission service and outreach to
others is woven into our very being as followers of Christ and members
of FUMC Colorado Springs. This website highlights our top priority
missions. |
KAIROS means "God's Special Time" in Greek. The mission of the KAIROS Prison Ministry is to bring Christ's love and forgiveness to all incarcerated individuals, their families, and those who work with them, and to assist in the transition of becoming a productive citizen. KAIROS volunteer teams of 30-40 dedicated men and women go into prisons to pray, share love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ, share meals, and fellowship with the incarcerated on a one-on-one basis. The first visit is a 3-day event, during which time the team teaches a short introductory course on Christianity. Subsequent visits are monthly half-day reunions with the prisoners over a 12-month period.
Savings to the taxpayer are substantial. As one former prisoner put it, "It cost the governments about $1,000,000 to try me and to imprison me for several years, but a $100 program keeps me out!" In addition to having a positive impact on prisoners, the program has a very favorable effect upon volunteers. Many volunteers acknowledge that the team training, with its emphasis on introspection, honesty, sharing, and community, enhances their own spirituality.
If you are interested in more information about KAIROS Prison Ministry, please contact Roland (Ozzie) Oswald at bettya@q.com.
To learn more about KAIROS International, click on this link:
http://www.kairosprisonministry.org/templates/System/default.asp?id=23761
At Christmas, we participate in a gift drive for families that are unable to afford Christmas presents. The First Stars mission gathers names of local school children, along with their clothing and toy gift ideas. Our volunteers make "stars" with the student information and our members select one or more stars and purchase the requested items. The wrapped gifts are returned to church and our hard-working "elves" organize and distribute the gifts to the students at school, during the week before Christmas. This mission truly captures the meaning of Christmas and spreads Christ's love to children and their families in need. First Stars is a wonder mission, but it is very labor intensive and requires many "elves" (volunteers) during a very hectic time of year.
If you are interested in more information about First Stars, please contact Val Stevenson at v.stevenson@comcast.net.
FUMC is one of eight downtown churches that established Ecumenical Social Ministries as a nonprofit organization in 1982. At the time, each of these churches was involved in social ministry to those in need in small ways. By collaborating, they have been able to combine financial, in-kind and volunteer resources to serve the most vulnerable. Considered an outreach extension for the community, ESM responds to the emergency social service needs of low-income, homeless and unemployed individuals and families in Colorado Springs. In addition to our overall financial and volunteer support to ESM, our congregation also collects food items each month for the Food Pantry program, and oversees First Fund. With the generosity of our members, First Fund collects tens of thousands of dollars yearly that are distributed by ESM, specifically for medical needs.
A volunteer loads up all the donations made each month by the FUMC congregation to the food pantry and household items distributed by ESM.
First United Methodist Church (FUMC) participates in a cooperative program with other churches in Colorado springs, called the Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN) or just The Network. Each congregation in The Network provides overnight lodging and meals for up to 16 people (three or four families) for one week, two to four times each year.
Our guest are families who are temporarily without a home, due to accident, illness, or other emergency. Each family has been screened by social workers before being accepted into the program. Families stay in you church for seven nights, starting on Sunday evening through the following Sunday morning. Families arrive "home" each day around 5:00 pm and leave by 7:00 am in the following morning. Families go the to e IHN day center each morning to prepare for school or jobs or pursuing affordable housing. They receive counseling and support from licensed IHN social workers. Most families regain economic stability and are able to leave The Network within two to three months.
Volunteers in the IHN program provide homeless families with basic human needs - shelter, safety, and sustenance - with a spirit of warmth and hospitality. In addition to setting up rooms, furnishing meals, and overnight hosting, volunteers do simple but immeasurably important things. They talk to guests. They listen to them. They treat them with respect. Volunteers can be a source of hope, when hope has been lost.
If you are interested in more information about Interfaith Hospitality Network at FUMC, please contact Teri Stephens at stephenstl@comcast.net or Katy Adams at katy_adams@comcast.net.
For more information on IHN in Colorado Springs, click on this link: http://www.ihn-cos.org/
With our prime downtown locations and large physical building, FUMC applied for and became a Model 2 Red Cross Shelter. As a Model 2 shelter, the Pikes Peak Chapter of the American Red Cross provides the support and needs for those affected and FUMC provides the facility and the manpower with trained volunteers. We have 20+ volunteers who have received hours of required training in order to enable FUMC to become a much-needed Red Cross shelter in the event of a local disaster.
For more information, contact Peggy Schnurr at psoop@q.com.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|