WHUMC is a mission-minded church. Many of our members are involved in a number of mission areas.
The Appalachian Service Project Team
will be gone the week of June 27th. A welcome home party will be held
for this special group of young people on:
Sunday, July 4th - Immediately following the 11:00 o’clock service -
Windsor Hall
For information about the summer
2010 ASP program, please contact David Benson at 774-7124
KATRINA REBUILD TRIP PLANNED
Housing reservations have been made for
the week of May 8 -15
at the Presbyterian Outreach Center in Slidell, LA to return for our 4th
trip to assist in repairing homes damaged by hurricane Katrina.
Volunteers from Fincastle UMC have been invited to join us in this effort. We hope to have about 15 people to go on this trip. If you are interested in participating, call John Stokes at 473-1578 or Vince Clinevell at 774-5846.
All volunteers who plan to go are asked to attend an information meeting immediately after church (12:15 AM) in the church library.
After Care Ministry: For over 25 years a strong
team of volunteers from among our membership have provided a warm
social setting where adults with mental disabilities can come
together twice a month for fun, games, music, arts, crafts and a
meal. Recipients of this ministry, come mostly from local group
homes and independent housing, and are referred by Blue Ridge
Behavioral Health Care. Goal: $1500
Appalachian Service Project (ASP): Another outreach project of
Windsor Hills UMC for over 25 years, ASP involves sponsoring a team
of youth and adults for a week each summer who travel to Appalachia
to repair homes and make them safer, drier and warmer. Our
involvement in ASP provides a wonderful opportunity for our youth to
grow in character and sensitivity. Goal: $2,500
Disaster Response Fund: This fund enables volunteers from our
congregation to exemplify Christian love in action through
short-term mission service trips. In the past four years, teams from
Windsor Hills UMC have labored significantly to rebuild homes
damaged by hurricanes in Pensacola, FL and in Slidell, LA. A return
trip to Slidell is planned for May of this year. Goal: $1500
Kairos Prison Ministry: engages trained teams of volunteers who
present an introductory 3-day weekend course in Christianity to
incarcerated men and women. “I was in prison and you came to visit
me” Matthew 25:36. Goal: $150
Local Missions: By nature, many local outreach needs are fluid and
unpredictable. Our Local Missions fund, new in 2010, will enable the
missions committee of Windsor Hills UMC to address requests that
come in throughout the year which are not addressed by our church or
mission budget. Goal: $2000
Military Family Support Cente, located at 302 1st Street, S.W.
Roanoke, provides support to the families of our mobilized military
who live outside the support radius of a military base. Goal: $1000
Roanoke Area Ministries (RAM), is an ecumenical organization which
serves as an advocate for the homeless and poverty-stricken, helping
people in need through programs including emergency financial
assistance, employment counseling and placement, a hot noon-time
meal each day and shelter for the homeless. It’s aim is to empower
people to move from dependency to self-sufficiency and in so doing,
help to build a stronger, healthier community. Goal: $1250
Roanoke Jail Ministry: This fund helps support ministries to
incarcerated male and femail inmates who are serving time in our
local jails. Goal: $500
Roanoke Rescue Mission reaches out to hurting people in the name of
Christ. In 2009 our local Rescue Mission assisted over 20,000
persons by providing a variety of effective ministries, including:
Emergency Shelter, Meals Program, Recovery Programs for Addiction,
Recovery Learning, and Legal Services. Goal: $1250
Roanoke Valley Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN): This outreach
mobilizes 30 local churches and over 1,000 volunteers to return
homeless families with children to independence by providing
temporary housing, meals and skills development. IHN also provides
case management to assist families in overcoming causes of
homelessness and creating goals for employment, housing, and
education in their return to independence. Goal: $500
Trinity COP Summer Camp Fund provides scholarships to
underprivileged children and youth of Roanoke to attend Camp Alta
Mons
AfterCare Social Club: In the spring of 1983, AfterCare was formed to provide a social setting where adults with mental disabilities come together for fun in games, music, arts and crafts and refreshments. The AfterCare Social Club meets twice a month at the church and also goes on special outings for pizza, baseball games, bowling, shopping and a picnic. Club members live in homes for adults, in group homes or independent housing and are referred by Blue Ridge Behavioral Health Care. 20 church members volunteer with this ministry that has provided more than 200 club members with program since WHUMC participation in the program.
UMCOR Kits for Conference
All kits or bulk items need to be at the church by June 1. Boxes for kits will be in the library. This June 1 deadline will give me a week to inventory, pack and label the boxes. Tom Lee is again in charge of collecting kits at the Virginia Annual Conference to be held June 8-11 at the Roanoke Civic Center. For each kit we must send $1.00 for shipping and handling.
Other Missions Opportunities
Expanded Shepherding Ministry
The Shepherd ministry is expanding. Currently we
provide shepherds for all adults in our church. Soon we will have
shepherds for all 36 youth from 6th grad through college age. The job of
shepherd is not difficult and can be extremely rewarding. This expanding
ministry is simply a job of loving and communicating with our younger
members. To help you out we will meet with all of the shepherds in
February. We want to keep the flocks small (3-6 youth per shepherd), so
we hope many of you will prayerfully consider giving a small portion of
your time to this important ministry.
Contact Anne Kidd at 772-4886 or ckak1@cox.net or Phyllis Butts at
774-8062 if you are willing to love a youth.
Henry Fork Service Center:
Campbell’s soup labels are
collected for this program for children and youth in Franklin County,
Virginia.
Society of Saint Andrew-Potato Project: each Advent season members of the church support this mission by saving their change in special potato project banks. The Society of Saint Andrew is a national nonprofit hunger relief ministry. Through their gleaning projects and potato projects they saved 25,480,885 pounds of food for the hungry.
Ronald McDonald House: WHUMC provides support to the Ronald McDonald house by collecting aluminum soda can tabs. The aluminum is recycled and the proceeds provide a home-away-from home for families of seriously ill children undergoing medical treatment in Roanoke.
Salvation Army Christmas Doll Project: each year women of the church create outfits from sportswear to formal gowns for over 100 18” dolls to be given to underprivileged children in the Roanoke Valley.
Relay for Life: WHUMC has a team that walks in the Relay for Life supporting the American Cancer Society.
Trinity UMC Community Outreach Program: The United Methodist Women and other groups in the church provide 5 to 7 dinners each year for the children and youth at the community outreach program.