Epworth Missions and Outreach
The Missions & Outreach Team serves the Church by developing and facilitating effective ministries that bear witness to the giving nature of Christ -- within our Church membership, locally in the community, and internationally throughout the world. The team members include Frieda Jeffers (co-chair); Zoe Burger (co-chair); Dan Sharpe; Evelyn Sharpe; Chrissy McKenzie; Kim Ashby; Barbara Jones; and Rev. Bill Jones. If you have a passion for a current mission area, or a passion for a particular area of missional or outreach ministry that may not be listed on the website -- contact any of the Missions & Outreach Team members, or the church office. The Team is here to serve as a resource and a support system for the various ministry areas of the church and the congregation. Epworth is a missional church focused on shining the light of Jesus Christ to the community, both regionally and internationally. Come join with us in our missions and outreach endeavors! We welcome all ideas and all ages!!!! You're never too young or too old to be involved in missions!
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. Check out our web page, or drop by to find special holiday bargains! Click here for more information.
2. Mission Team 2012 -- Epworth's Intergenerational International Mission Team is currently hard at work preparing for our 2012 Mission trip to work at a Cherokee Indian Reservation in North Carolina, June 24 - 30, 2011. All ages are welcome! Join with other individuals and with other families as we become God's hands at work to help our neighbors both locally and globally! Click here for more information!
LOCAL MISSIONS:
Since its inception, Epworth has been an avid supporter of Empty Bowls, a mission-focused event spearheaded by St. Vincent de Paul, to raise both awareness and funds to fight hunger and homelessness in the Baltimore area.
This year’s 5th annual event was held at the College of Notre Dame on Friday evening March 11th and Saturday, March 12th. The event was a sell-out (over 1,800 people in attendance!), with a fabulous array of gourmet soups from over 40 local restaurants, lots of kid's activities, silent auction items, and a wide variety of gorgeous bowls from which to choose. This is a remarkable family-oriented event that both continues to grow each year and engages all ages in working to alleviate hunger in the Baltimore area. For those who may have "missed out" because of the early sell-out of tickets to Saturday's events, next year's events promise to be even larger! You'll need to remember to purchase your tickets early, though! Stay tuned throughout the year as we schedule "bowl painting parties" and keep you updated as news about Empty Bowls 2012 become available.
For more information, contact Frieda Jeffers or Zoe Burger.
INTERNATIONAL MISSIONS:
Persons in Ministry - Brazil
Each February, Epworth sends a donation to Persons in Ministry (PIM), an outreach program of Global Mission Partners, in support of the coordinator of the Susanna Wesley Safe House for Girls in the city of Viama in Southern Brazil. The program, run by a Brazilian Methodist woman, ministers to young girls who are victims of violence and sexual abuse, by providing for the Christian education of the girls through Sunday School and worship, literacy programs, the coordination of physical and mental healthcare, and the development of opportunities for personal and career development.
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 (3rd 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. To participate, stuff a shoebox with crayons & a coloring book or pad, school supplies, a stuffed toys or small toys, toothpaste & toothbrush, soap & washcloths, brushes, a t-shirt and/or other small items, and bring your shoebox(es) to the church in October or November for delivery to a local shipment site. All boxes are then sent to a distribution center where they are sorted, and have a message of God's love included in the proper language for the destination country, and are distributed to children around the world. For more information, contact Rev. Bill Jones.
Did you pre-pay on-line for shipping your shoeboxes and register to have your shoeboxes "tracked" so you'd know to which countries your shoeboxes were delivered....but haven't received notification yet? While some members already know where their boxes were sent (Haiti, Zambia, Peru, to name a few), others have not yet heard. Don't fret! Since many of the small villages are virtually inaccessible to modern traffic and delivery systems, or some areas may be in remote jungle or less-traveled areas of the globe, Samaritan's Purse must rely on the availability and schedules of guides or messengers or other means of delivery in order to gain access to children living in remote or isolated areas. As a result, many packages do not get delivered at "Christmas time" and, instead, continue to be delivered even through August (as many of us are beginning to start assembling items and packing boxes for the Fall!). While your boxes may be in the "later delivery" groups, you can still expect to be notified once your shoeboxes find their way to their eventual destination! Thanks, always, for your continued support of this wonderful minstry to spread the love of Jesus Christ throughout the entire globe!