Roots of Peoples United Methodist Church
Part 70 Epilogue 4
The Story Continues: Involvement In Missions
As mentioned in the last episode the Church Life Committee joined the leadership of Missions, Fellowship, Discipleship, the Lay Leader and the pastors together for planning activities that all of the above mentioned areas were engaged in. Involvement in local missions included collecting food for the Food Pantry housed at the First Congregational Church, serving meals on 5th Wednesday of the month at the Wayside Soup Kitchen and serving meals at the Root Cellar four times a year to those that participate in their worthwhile programs. Even more recently Missions, under the leadership of Carol Bruneau, has assisted in the Root Cellar’s Christmas Angel program.
A connection with Southern Maine Community College was made after initial discussion in the Church Life Committee. In 2008 an on campus religious Bible Study group was organized with leadership being both from the pastors and from the laity of Peoples. We have continued to provide assistance when asked by the group who now assists students get acclimated when coming to live in the dorms on campus and meet regularly as a campus authorized group with their own leadership.
Another activity heading into its 4th year is the sponsorship of an International Extravaganza. Well attended a meal is served featuring the foods of foreign cultures. Attendees are given a recipe to prepare and bring with them. Families in attendance have a great time of fellowship eating together and then experiencing presentations from folks who have either grown up in a foreign culture or who have been on mission trips. Those in attendance have heard and seen presentations on missions in Ecuador, Russia, Tanzania, the Philippines and Cuba. At the first of the Extravaganza’s Merrill Kaiser announced and launched the most ambitious Heifer Project the church had ever sponsored. The goal was to collect enough money to supply what Heifer called an “Ark”. The Sunday school as well as general membership took on this project with gusto. Merrill thought that it might be three years to collect $5000, but in reality the total was collected in just about one year. This was remarkable in the light that Peoples people were supporting many other activities as well.
A major activity for Church Life and Missions in particular was getting out the message for UMCOR (United Methodist Committee On Relief) on the needs of those that live on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico that were so devastated by especially Hurricane Katrina. Peoples also served as the repository not only for what we collected, but also for many other churches in the state of Maine. It was from this point that UMCOR sent a truck to pick up what had been collected. In 2010 again Peoples became the drop point for churches collecting health and layette kits that would be used to replenish the supply that had already been sent to Haiti following their horrendous meeting with destruction caused by an earthquake in January of this year.
While much focus on church life and missions may have come from the Church Life Committee it is also within the work of the United Methodist Women to involve themselves in the support of various missions. Long the supporter of Red Bird Mission in Kentucky they still continue to do that today. Locally they continue to supply such items as mittens and hats to the Teen Center in Portland.
Another ministry with a mission that has expanded in its mission is the Shawl Ministry that was started on February 4, 2006. The intention of this group was to make prayer shawls to be given to folks that were either in need of comfort as a result of hospital visits or experiencing extreme grief or relocating to such places as nursing homes. A small cadre of women meets once a month after working on their own to knit these comfort giving wraps. A few others while not meeting regularly have been contributors to this ministry and mission as well. At this time in March of 2010, 89 shawls have been blessed with many already distributed. In addition to the shawls the Shawl Ministry has also taken on a mission with Mercy hospital to provide Hearts for Healing Pillows to primarily women who have had cancer treatment and find them useful in buffering their bodies from, as an example, automobile safety belt. In a few instances men have also found such pillows comforting. They are distributed at Mercy Hospital’s Oncology Department where a partnership has been developed to continue this form of comfort for years to come. Additionally The Shawl Ministry when not devoting time to shawls and pillows has also with the help of outside friends provided both the Barbara Bush wing of the Maine Medical Center and the Oncology Department with knit hats, some for as small as preemies.
Many folks usually without notice have been involved in local missions by assisting folks who need rides to doctor’s appointments, providing meals for others who may need meals for a period of time due to illness or other reasons. Some members have donated clothing to various local shelters. Some others have volunteered their services to mow and rake the church lawn or a needy housebound member or friend.
Together and separately the traditions of providing service that have been written about in the past continue today and that opportunity for service has encouraged other members of the Peoples community to take part as a group and silently as individuals.