Mission and Outreach Ministries
Mission work is woven into the fabric our church. Many of the groups, classes, organizations, and age related ministries are engaged in reaching out in the name of Christ. In addition, our Missions Committee helps connect people from the congregation and the community to those most vulnerable and in need. Our mission work includes opportunities locally to touch the lives of our neighbors, and globally to share the love of Christ across the globe. There is a chance for everyone to participate through giving and hands on ministry. We are the hands of Christ! Come, help make a difference!
For additional information, contact Rev. Amy Strader at amys@fumc-cs.org, 719-471-8522 x102. If you would like to volunteer for any of our mission and outreach activities, please submit the Volunteer Sign-Up Form at the bottom of this page.
Family Promise of Colorado Springs: Announcement
Family Promise of Colorado Springs is relaunching their Rotational Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN) in April, and First United Methodist Church (Downtown and Prairie Campus) will be a Host and Support Congregation in May!
With a mission to “mobilize the community by advocating for and empowering families with children to achieve housing stability”, Family Promise of Colorado Springs is a network of congregations who help provide shelter and support for families with children who are experiencing homelessness. FUMC will host up to four families at FUMC’s downtown campus for three weeks in 2023, starting May 28.
It takes a lot of volunteers each host week to pull this off, so please consider getting involved!
Further volunteer training will follow in April and May for those interested. Questions? Contact Deacon Kymm Hockman at kymm@GenesisEquipping.com. Please help us support these families in crisis!
Feed My Starving Children: Parry’s Pizza Fundraising Days
EAT and HELP Support Feed My Starving Children!
Head to any of the three Parry’s Pizzeria Colorado Springs locations (Interquest, S. Nevada, Barnes) on the dates listed below from 11:00am - close (dine-in or carry-out). Let your server know that you want to support Feed My Starving Children (FMSC)! Our Colorado Springs Annual FMSC MobilePack in August will receive 20% of the total bill!
May 16, June 14, and July 13
Our 2023 MobilePack will be taking place at Bethel Lutheran on August 11 and 12. We have partnered with several churches to share the work. To learn more and donate to our Colorado Springs MobilePack - From Hunger to Hope - visit give.fmsc.org/cosprings
Early volunteer registration is available starting June 16, 2023 for FUMC and partner churches – use the Special Code – PARTNER
General volunteer registration opens June 30, 2023.
Until all are fed!
Monthly Food Collections
FUMC collects non-perishable foods the first Sunday of every month. For the whole year of 2023, we will be collecting food for Westside Cares.
We remember “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35Thank you for your generosity in donating non-perishable foods every month. The food can be put in the wooden missions donation boxes by the church doors.
Help us care for Westside CARES
2023 | missions donation boxes | jlynreid@comcast.net
Our food collection for all of 2023 is Westside CARES. Westside CARES is a volunteer-driven interfaith organization that each year provides care to over 22,000 neighbors. When considering donations, please provide only unopened/unexpired packages of non-perishable FOOD items. Please do not leave any other types of donations.Each month we will highlight the need for specific food items. May is protein month (canned beans/tuma/chicken). Other suggested items include: small jars of peanut butter, jams and jellies, canned chicken/tuna, and canned fruits/vegetables.
Please drop off ONLY unopened and unexpired canned and boxed food donations (other items can not be accepted) at the church in the missions donation boxes found by the doors. Thank you so much for your support!
Rides for Rubbish
Rides For Rubbish Volunteers Needed
Monthly on 3rd Sundays | 1:00pm | Marian House | 14 W Bijou St. | Dave or Lorna (719) 636-3277Mother Theresa said “not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” It is sometimes difficult to figure out how to respond to the homelessness and extreme poverty in our midst. We can give money to organizations that support the folks we see on the street every day, and that is a good thing, but maybe you are looking for the personal connection that can provide understanding. FUMC has a ministry to this community that allows you and your family to touch lives. Once a month, a small group of volunteers walks with clients of the Marion House to pick up trash in downtown parks. The clients earn bus passes to help them for the next month, we get a bit of exercise while helping clean up downtown, and maybe provide a bit of comfort to someone. The clients are very appreciative and often speak of how important it is to them to earn their bus passes. Consider signing up to help this ministry; it is a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. The group meets at the Marion House on the third Sunday of every month. Please come walk with us. Contact Dave or Lorna for more information.
FIRST STARS
A special ministry to local families at Christmas time
At Christmas, we participate in a gift drive for local 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 the church and our hard-working 'elves' organize and distribute the gifts to the students at schools, 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 wonderful and very intensive labor mission that requires many 'elves' (volunteers) during a very hectic time of year.
If you are interested in helping to bring special joy to some hard-hit local families and would like more information about how you can be a blessing this Christmas through our First Stars program, please contact Carol McCallister at tundra77.cm@gmail.com or sign-up online by filling out the Volunteer Sign-Up Form on this page.
Family Promise of Colorado Springs: Announcement
Family Promise of Colorado Springs is relaunching their Rotational Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN) in April, and First United Methodist Church (Downtown and Prairie Campus) will be a Host and Support Congregation in May!
With a mission to “mobilize the community by advocating for and empowering families with children to achieve housing stability”, Family Promise of Colorado Springs is a network of congregations who help provide shelter and support for families with children who are experiencing homelessness. FUMC will host up to four families at FUMC’s downtown campus for three weeks in 2023, starting May 28.
It takes a lot of volunteers each host week to pull this off, so please consider getting involved!
Further volunteer training will follow in April and May for those interested. Questions? Contact Deacon Kymm Hockman at kymm@GenesisEquipping.com. Please help us support these families in crisis!
United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR)
As the humanitarian relief and development arm of The United Methodist Church, the United Methodist Committee on Relief assists United Methodists and churches to become involved globally in direct ministry to persons in need. Visit UMCOR at the UMCOR UMC Website: umcor.org
UMCOR comes alongside those who suffer from natural or human-caused disasters – be it famine, hurricane, war, flood, fire or other events—to alleviate suffering and to be a source of help and hope for those left most vulnerable. We provide relief, response and long-term recovery grants when these events overwhelm a community’s ability to recover on their own. UMCOR also provides technical support and training for partners to address emerging and ongoing issues related to disaster relief, recovery, and long-term health and development.
Feed My Starving Children
MobilePack 2022 Update
What an amazing couple of days we had in August! The FMSC team wants to thank everyone for their support of this wonderful mission. Here are a few numbers from our very successful weekend:Number of volunteers during the 2-day event: 380Number of meals packed: 101,088Funds raised: $28,606 (money above the $25,000 goal will be seed money for the 2023MobilePack276 children fed for an ENTIRE YEAR!The food is being sent to Kenya.What a true blessing this weekend was! It was the best MobilePack yet. Another blessing, Bethel Lutheran has once again offered to host next year’s 2023 MobilePack. Their space is perfect for this type of event and has room for growth.We are looking to expand our planning team if this is something that is calling to you pleasecontact Barb Donnegan at barbdonegan@gmail.com.Again, we would not have been able to do God’s work in feeding his most vulnerable children without your support. Many thanks!The FMSC TeamFeed My Starving Children is a Christian non-profit organization committed to feeding God’s starving children hungry in body and spirit.
Hunger becomes hope and it starts with food. FMSC meals allow children to develop healthy bodies so they can go to school, earn a living and bring prosperity to their families, communities and nations.
What is FMSC?
- Meals are donated around the world in schools, orphanages, clinics and feeding programs in up to 102 countries to break the cycle of poverty and deliver hope.
- In the 2018/2019 fiscal year 347,746,728 meals were delivered to 78 partners in 58 countries.
- FMSC does not receive any government aid and pays for the meals through donations.
- One meal costs 25 cents. 91% of the donations are spent directly on the feeding programs and 99.8% of the meals are securely delivered.
What does the meal include?
- There are 3 Manna Packs, 1 rice and two potato. They are packed based on the needs and ages of the children. The Potato-W formula is for the infants and the Potato-D formula assists with symptom management and rehabilitation from diarrhea. The rice formula is appropriate for children and adults age 1 year and older.
What is a mobile pack?
- FMSC brings a semi-truck filled with ingredients and supplies to the host site. The host volunteers sign up to pack the individual meals.
- The host site does collect donations to cover the cost of the ingredients and also has some additional costs for supplies related to the pack.
- Anyone between the ages of five and 105 can volunteer.
For more information about the Feed My Starving Children organization, volunteer sign up, and donations visit https://give.fmsc.org/cosprings.
COVENANT RELATIONSHIP
First United Methodist Church has named a covenant relationship with missionary Ken Koome Nkando, who serves the east Angola Episcopal area as Missions Finance Executive. Ken is educated in finance and community development; he oversees the management of programs and project funds to the Methodist designated beneficiaries. Ken and his wife, Faith, have two daughters. They are members of the Charles New Methodist Church in Nairobi, Kenya. We look forward to serving together with them in their mission.
Volunteer With Us
We are all called to bring healing and wholeness to the world around us but some of us are called to missions and outreach in a specific way, with compassion and courage, bringing God's love and hope in more specific, structured ways. We would love to add you to our team. If you are interested in becoming part of this team at First United Methodist Church, please contact amys@fumc-cs.org