Epworth Missions and Outreach

The Missions & Outreach Team serves the Church by developing and facilitating effective ministries that bear witnesses to the giving nature of Christ -- within our Church membership, locally in the community, and internationally throughout the world. The 2010 Team members include Frieda Jeffers (co-chair); Zoe Burger (co-chair); Dan Sharpe; Evelyn Sharpe; Chrissy McKenzie; Kim Ashby; and Rev. Bill Jones.

Empty Bowls Hunger Project

The "Empty Bowls" project is a local project to fight hunger. We pay $10 for each blank bowl and paint it during one of three painting sessions at Epworth (see the calendar). This is a fundraiser. 

Professionals will "fire" the bowls in a kiln and we display them on the alter. Later, they will be sold at the Empty Bowls gourmet meal at the College of Notre Dame in March. At the night of the event, for $15, you get a good meal, a painted bowl, and you help the missions helping the hungry. For more information, click here: EMPTY BOWLS  

United Churches Assistance Network (UCAN)

One of Epworth’s areas of longest-standing mission support is that of UCAN (United Churches Assistance Network), located here in Cockeysville. UCAN is an all-volunteer, cooperative organization comprised of 13 local churches that together create a centralized fund that provides emergency financial assistance to families and individuals in the areas of eviction prevention, utility turn-off avoidance, medicine, lodging, food, and transportation. Emergency food packages (from the Cockeysville Food Pantry) are made available to UCAN clients, as are vouchers for the Thrifty Penny as needed for clothing assistance. UCAN serves individuals and families in the following zip codes, but is able to refer inquiries from other area to appropriate organizations closer to their area: 21111 – 12252 – 21136 – 21030 – 21031 – 21131 – 21093

The first Sunday of each month, the special offering plate during Communion is specifically for donations to UCAN. Additionally, the 3^rd Sunday of September has been designated “UCAN Sunday” where a special offering is collected for UCAN. Check their web site: http://ucanmd.org/

UCAN Gift Cards

Did you know that Epworth also has a supply of UCAN gift cards “To Honor” and “In Memory Of” loved ones that can be used as alternative gifts for birthdays, anniversaries, or other special occasions, including as a sympathy gift in lieu of flowers? Check with the church office for one of these cards if you’d like to make a donation as an alternative gift. 95% of all funds given to UCAN are distributed to people in need, with only 5% used for overhead. A full 100% of donations to UCAN is tax deductible.

Manna House

The first Saturday of every month, a small but dedicated group of 2-3 volunteers leave Epworth at around 7:30, to serve breakfast at Manna House in Baltimore. Manna House offers assistance and support to the homeless, poor, and needy of Baltimore with services that contribute toward their independence and stability. On average, over 175 persons are served morning meals each day of the year. After the morning meal, clients are given assistance with health & hygiene, life skills counseling, health care, and other services that include access to computer and internet use and training to help in taking steps toward regaining economic self-sufficiency, self-determination, and self-esteem.

Epworth makes both monetary contributions, as well as food donations throughout the year in support of Manna House. We are always looking for volunteers to assist with serving breakfast the 1^st Saturday of each month. Although no one under 14 years of age is allowed to volunteer, this is a wonderful way for youth to get community service hours partnering with parents or others. Contact the church office if you are interested. Also, be sure to check the Missions bulletin board for a list of items and clothing always needed for this wonderful cause. See their web site at : http://www.mannahouseinc.org/

Food Pantry Collections

The last Sunday of each month as you leave worship, you’ll most likely be handed a brown paper bag, with a list of suggested food for donation to our monthly food drive.  Did you ever wonder where all the food goes?  A majority of the donations are given to the Northern Baltimore Cluster Food Pantry, with other pantries receiving a portion throughout the year.  Your March and September food donations go directly to the Cockeysville Food Pantry, while Manna House receives food donations made in June and December.  Must you buy only what’s on the list each month?  No.  Each time you receive a brown bag, you’ll also be given a list of “suggested” food to buy.  This list is only a guideline.  Feel free to take advantage of sales and donate foods that will be wanted and needed by those needing to feed a family.  Just a note or two:  No perishable foods. No “home canned” foods.  No “out of date” or “expired” foods.  Your food donations, no matter how large or small, are always greatly needed and much appreciated, as food pantry shelves remain dangerously close to empty. 

Food Angels 

Epworth has several “angels,” including the Food Angels, a cross-generational group that comes together for fellowship in the kitchen to make meals, casseroles, soups, and desserts 3-4 times a year to distribute to shut-ins, members, friends, and families in crisis and/or upheaval (childbirth, surgery, accident or injury, a death in the family, etc.). 

To make food for this program, there must be a Certified Food Handler present when food is made in the church kitchen.  We currently have several Certified Safe Food Handlers among our congregation, but we’re always looking for more. For information on future class dates and locations, see http://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/Agencies/environment/environmentalhealth/food%20program/food_managers.html. Please contact Rev. Kim Hall if you are interested.

CROP Walk

Fall’s crisp air and changing colors usher in the annual CROP Walk for the Hungry in October.  Area churches, organizations, and individuals gather at the NCR trail to walk for world hunger.

  One-fourth of the proceeds from donations stay in the County (divided equally between the Northern Baltimore Cluster Food Pantry, Hereford Food Pantry & UCAN), while the rest is distributed by Church World Services worldwide.  This is always a well-attended, well-sponsored family-friendly event orchestrated by the Youth and Young Adults of Epworth.  Contact Pastor Bill for more information. 

Baltimore County Christian Workcamp

The 3^rd week of July each year (This year the workcamp will be July 19-23, 2010), Epworth joins with other churches, individuals, and organizations to spend a week with the Baltimore County Christian Workcamp helping with repairs to homes of the elderly & poor families in Baltimore County. Spearheaded by Hunts United Methodist Church, BCCW welcomes volunteers of all ages to perform all types of work (ramps, plumbing, electrical, carpentry, roofing, interior and exterior painting, caulking, inside and outside cleanup). Everyone is welcome for as much or as little time as you can donate. Epworth traditionally prepares breakfast on Wednesday morning for the volunteers. Contact Beth Waltrup or Pastor Bill Jones if you are interested in participating in this worthwhile endeavor.

School Supplies

Were you aware that hundreds of children in Baltimore County cannot afford basic school supplies to start the school year?  Epworth supports an ongoing effort to collect book bags, paper, crayons, pencils, and other basic school supplies to distribute to children throughout the county in preparation for the start of school.  Look for the collection box in the narthex, or contact the church office for more information.

Street Cards for Homeless

Do you sometimes encounter a street person, a homeless person, or a person begging for help, and aren't sure what you can or should do?  Here's a good place to start:  Hand the person a Street Card.  Just what is a Street Card?  Created by the Baltimore County Public Library system in cooperation with the Baltimreo County Communities for the Homeless, Street Cards are wallet-sized resources, that fold out accordian-style, and provide access information for employment services, food and food pantries, temporary shelters, free health services and walk-in clinics, financial support, legal aid, and other emergency services.  Pick up a Street Card (or several) from the back of the narthex or the church office & carry one with you to hand out as needed.  Street Cards are also available at any Baltimore County Public Library.  For more informaton:  http://www.bcpl.info/info/comm/comm_streetcard.html

Trunk or Treat

This is a Halloween tradition that is an outreach to the children of the community and the church. Families decorate the trunks of their cars, trucks, and vans with different themes and provide an opportunity for the children to walk safely in the church parking lot to see the decorations and collect candy. For the church members, it is a lot of fun to dress up and create fanciful decorations in their cars.  Youth collect canned food donations for local food banks at admission.  The Epworth Everybody Else active adult group (E3) provides "spider dogs" as a fundraiser.

FEATURED MISSIONS

1. Thrifty Penny Thrift Store -- one of the oldest and most important missions that Epworth UMC has provided for the community. We have a separate web page just for this featured mission. http://epworthalive.com/ThriftyPenny.dsp&PATH=&SITEID=ThriftyPenny.dsp&TEMPLATEID=

2.  Bahamas Mission Team -- a group of 30 youth and adults from Epworth UMC will travel to Nassau, Bahamas June 27-July 3, 2010 to do emergency home repair service through Bahamas Methodist Habitat: www.methodisthabitat.org.

3. Angel Food Project -- this is a project that is coming up this fall and it also is expected to be huge.  Get a sneak preview of what this program entails, by checking out its individual tab at the top of the page, or visit their national web site: http://www.angelfoodministries.com/

UPCOMING EVENTS

March 12 - Mission Team Cookie Lee Jewelry Fundraiser - The 2010 Bahamas Mission Team will host a Cookie Lee Jewelry fundraising party in Fellowship Hall, 6-8pm -- complete with fun, food, fellowship, and friends!  There will be many wonderful jewelry pieces for sale at reasonable prices - just in time for Easter or Mother's Day - and 100% of the profits will go directly to support our Bahamas Mission Team!  If you cannot attend, please see Pastor Bill Jones or any mission team member to view a catalog.

March 15 --5pm -- 7^th Annual Baltimore County Rally for the Homeless & Candlelight March -- Trinity Episcopal Church, Towson, 5:00pm Dinner / 7:00pm Meeting -- Are you aware there is a tremendous and growing homeless population here in Baltimore County? Join with the Baltimore County Communities for the Homeless for the 7^th Annual Rally for the Homeless on Monday, March 15, 2010 for a Candlelight March to the County Courthouse to raise awareness of the plight of the homeless. We’ll meet at Trinity Episcopal Church, 120 Allegheny Avenue in Towson at 5:00 for a light Dinner and Networking, followed by a candlelight march to the County Courthouse for the County Council Meeting by 7:00. Mark your calendars for this important event as we make an impact to address and end homelessness in Baltimore County

March 15 - March 19 -- Donations collected in the Catacombs for the Yard Sale, Silent Auction and Pit Beef Sale on March 20th.  Contact Rev. Bill Jones to set up a time to drop off your treasures.

March 19 - 7pm-10pm -- Empty Bowls Golden Ladle Reception -- with heavy hors d’oeuvres, wine and beer, soups, a silent auction, and family activities. Tickets for the Golden Ladle Reception are $75, or $600 for a table of 10. Proceeds support programs of St. Vincent de Paul, specifically Beans & Bread, which serves an average of 300 meals a day, provides day respite, and housing assistance for many homeless persons and families in the daily struggle for survival in Baltimore City.

March 20 - 9am-2pm -- Mission Team Yard Sale, Silent Auction and Pit Beef Sale -- in the Epworth church parking lot.  It looks like this will be a HUGE sale that you will want to invite all your family and friends to.  Donated items from the congregation will be sold at a large yard sale -- complete with furniture, exercise equipment, a piano, video games, clothes, and more!  The Thrifty Penny will be open for sales that day.  There will be a Silent Auction in which you can bid to win wonderful items.  Come join us for some scrumptious Pit Beef as well!  All proceeds will benefit the 2010 Bahamas Mission Team. (Rain Date:  March 27)

March 20 - 3pm-7pm -- Empty Bowls Soup Night -- College of Notre Dame, Doyle Hall: 4701 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21210, (come anytime!) --  Browse among the hundreds of bowls, then pick one to keep, enjoy gourmet soups supplied by local restaurants, bid on a silent auction and enjoy family-friendly activities. Tickets are $15 per person (children 5 and under are free) or purchase a pack of 10 tickets for $125. Extra bowl tickets are available for $10.00.

April

April 4 - Food donations benefit North Cluster Food Pantry

April 17 - Epworth Mission Monday night at Chick-Fil-A on York Road in Cockeysville.  Diners mention that they are there for Mission Monday and Chick-Fil-A will donate 20% of sales that night to our Bahamas Mission Team!

April 23-25 - 30 Hour Famine Hunger Awareness and Fundraising Weekend - Youth and leaders will fast for 30 hours while exploring ways in which we can make a difference in combatting hunger issues in our world.  For more information, contact Pastor Bill Jones.

April 27 - Passports needed from Mission Team members

May 

May 1 - 8am - 10am -- Flapjack Fundraiser Breakfast at Applebee’s Restaurant on Padonia Rd. to support the 2010 Bahamas Mission Team.  Buy a ticket for All-You-Can-Eat pancakes, syrup, butter, link sausage and a beverage choice (coffee, orange juice, soda or tea). We are shooting to sell 300 tickets!  For more information, contact Pastor Bill Jones. 

May 2 - Food donations benefit North Cluster Food Pantry

May 19 - Epworth Mission Monday night at Chick-Fil-A on York Road in Cockeysville.  Diners mention that they are there for Mission Monday and Chick-Fil-A will donate 20% of sales that night to our Bahamas Mission Team!

June 

June 6 - Food donations benefit Manna House

June 21 - Epworth Mission Monday night at Chick-Fil-A on York Road in Cockeysville.  Diners mention that they are there for Mission Monday and Chick-Fil-A will donate 20% of sales that night to our Bahamas Mission Team!

June 27 - 7:30am - Bahamas Mission Team departs church -- Please pray for our mission team as they leave the church to head to the airport and on to Nassau, Bahamas for 7 days.  There they will work with Bahamas Methodist Habitat, an emergency home repair outreach ministry of the Bahamas Conference of the Methodist Church to repair and build homes for low income families in the Nassau area.

July

July 3 - 6:30pm - Bahamas Mission Team returns to church -- Please welcome our mission team home from their mission work in Nassau, Bahamas.

July 4 - Food donations benefit North Cluster Food Pantry

July 19 - 23 -  Baltimore County Christian Workcamp --Sign up to help with housing repairs for the elderly and working poor of Baltimore County.  Work as little or as much as you can, from one day to the entire week.  Epworth serves breakfast on Wednesday, July 21st.

July 31 - 4pm - 6:30pm - Bahamas Mission Trip Dinner & Presentation

August

August 1 - Food donations benefit North Cluster Food Pantry

September

September 5 - Food donations benefit Cockeysville Food Pantry

October

October 3 - Food donations benefit North Cluster Food Pantry

October 31 - Don't miss out!  Epworth's Annual Trunk or Treat event where we create a safe Halloween for neighborhood children.  Sign up to decorate the trunk of your car or truck, donate non-perishable food items for the youth to give to local food pantries, purchase "Spider Hot Dogs" created by our own E3's, and win prizes for the top three decorated trunks!

October 31 - Trick or Treat So Others Might Eat (TOTSOME) - Epworth youth "trick or treat" to collect canned food goods from area communities for local food pantries.

November

November 7 - Food donations benefit North Cluster Food Pantry

November 7 - 21 - Operation Christmas Child - shoebox collection for delivery on November 21st

November - Young Adults collect and assemble Thanksgiving food baskets

November 21 - 1pm - Epworth Youth & Young Adults decorate a tree for the annual Kennedy Kreiger Festival of Trees at the Timonium Fairgrounds.

December

November 7 - Food donations benefit Manna House

Missionary Sponsorship - Sue Porter, RN

Did you know Epworth sponsors a Missionary? Suzanne Porter, RN, a missionary with the Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church now serves at the Ganta Medical Complex in Ganta, Liberia, and visited Epworth in December to report on her work. From 2001-2006 Suzanne worked in a medical facility and with a community development program in Central Asia, with a focus on the delivery of medical care, training of assistant nurses and improving the health of the people living in remote and underserved mountain villages.

Currently, Sue is working in mission at the Winifred J. Harley College of Health Sciences, where the dormitory buildings were decimated by war in 2003. In addition to training nurses to work in Liberia, a county that has some of the worst health statistics in the world (3^rd in infant mortality), Sue is working to raise funds for the renovation of three dormitory building for the students of the College. Epworth proudly continues its annual support for the missionary work of Suzanne Porter.

UMCOR

Whenever disaster strikes, the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is quick to respond, usually second to arrive on the scene, only behind the Red Cross.  And, long after the Red Cross and other organizations leave, UMCOR volunteers stay behind, working alongside individuals and families to meet their housing, medical, and other needs.  Epworth has donated flood buckets, school kits, and health kits during times of disaster, and has also spent time on a summer Mission Trip to UMCOR headquarters to make repairs, stock their warehouse, and sew school kits to assist in UMCOR’s missions.  UMCOR channels 100% of monies donated directly to relief, keeping no monies behind for administrative costs.  A once-yearly offering supports and sustains the mission work of UMCOR.

Samaritan's Purse / Operation Christmas Child

Each November, Epworth collects and delivers over 150 shoeboxes filled with toys, crafts, and hygiene items to Operation Christmas Child to be delivered to children around the world, spreading the love of Christ to children and families through the Samaritan’s Purse program.  Several members of the church have received correspondence from families who received their shoeboxes.  Members collect crayons, school supplies, small toys, toothpaste & toothbrushes, soap & washcloths, brushes, and other small items to pack a shoebox in November.  For more information, contact Rev. Bill Jones.