|
 Missions Ministry
Our
Mission
First United Methodist Church of Oak Park is committed
to
serving
the needs of our local and
global communities.
Rainbow
Covenant Commitment Met Through Market Day
Your Market Day purchases each month support our
mission goals.
They
also enhance your menu. In addition to donations over the years to
the Oak Park - River Forest Food Pantry and the Public Action to
Deliver Shelter [PADS], our Market Day funds supplied aid to: 
- Clancy Inter College, Mathura India (historic
ties to FUMC) to meet
shortfall on our goal, $159;
- Heifer Project (not just animals to
eat, but stock to allow family sustainable farming) $50;
- McCurdy
School (Espanola NM, Hispanic and Native American, family crises),
$500;
- Methodist Homes and Services (residential home
and community
elder care in Chicago) $100;
- Native American Ministry of Presence
(work with Chicago American Indian Center), $200; and
- Senegal
Wellness Program (African rural health), $100.
Please see the calendar for
the Market Day Ordering and Pickup schedule. If you have questions
about ordering, please visit the Market
Day website or our church
coordinator, Judy Eckberg, at marketday@fumcoakpark.org.
Fifth
Sunday Missions
On
the fifth Sunday of the month, First United
Methodist Church of Oak Park takes a special offering collection for a
local or global mission project. Our congregation has chosen to support
the Ndjungu Mission in Senegal. There is a specific need for support of
the Wellness Programme described in the Newsletter below. This
UMC health care delivery service renders help to "the deprived and
destitute who are in the remote areas which have virtually no medical
facilities." Its staff of 12 have given priority to the pandemics
of
Malaria, HIV/Aids and Tuberculosis, but because of limited resources
can't meet other important needs like diarrhea, malnutrition, pneumonia
and other infantile diseases. For more
information about this featured mission project, please contact the
Mission chair, Ed Hiestand at missions@fumcoakpark.org.
- Fifth Sunday
Presentations and Updates
Day
In The Village -- 
Nothing But Nets
The Mission and Revitalization Committees sponsored
this joint appearance at the Day In the Village Event on June 3, 2007
to raise awareness about this program to prevent malaria in poor
countries. You may go to nothingbutnets.org for more information on how
you can help--one net at a time. Please contact the
Mission chair, Ed Hiestand at missions@fumcoakpark.org
for specific ways our congregation is helping this international
initiative.
- Click here to go
to the slideshow in the picture gallery.
CROP
Walk
To help stop hunger, walk in the 24th Hunger
Walkathon West CROP WALK was held on May 6th under the leadership of volunteer
coordinators Craig Zeller or Lowell Eckberg: [cropwalk@fumcoakpark.org].
You can also learn more at www.oakparkhungercropwalk.org.
One
Great Hour of Sharing & Mission Fair
First Church hosts a mission fair in each year in
March. The fair begins during the Worship Service at 10 a.m.
and then moves to the Fellowship Hall at 11:00 a.m. A special
designated
offering is taken during the worship service to support the
following three projects:
- One Great Hour of
Sharing--Offering will help cover the administrative costs of
UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) as they respond with
disaster relief.
- Human Relations Day--Offering
will help support Community Developers, United Methodist Voluntary
Service, and the Youth Offender Rehabilitation Program.
- Native American
Awareness--Offering will help support this program that
recognizes the contributions of Native Americans.
Even though the fair may end, our support does not.
Contributions may still be sent into the church office. Checks should
be made out to FUMC. We, the missions committee, are willing to answer
any questions
you may have about the role of First Church in the support of our
mission projects and why we choose to lend our support. Questions may
be sent c/o Edgar Hiestand, Chair, missions@fumcoakpark.org.
Oak
Park -- River Forest Walk-in Ministry
The participating faith communities and community
service organizations are united in partnership to provide
compassionate, effective, non-duplicated emergency assistance to people
in need. The Walk-In Ministry, housed at First United Church of Oak
Park, 848 Lake Street, Oak Park, IL 60301, provides emergency services,
assistance, and referrals to those in immediate need. For more
information, contact Janet Haisman at (708) 383-2035 or via walkinministry@fumcoakpark.org.
For an
information
packet on the Walk-In Ministry, including sign-up and referral forms, click here.
- Current Needs for
the Walk-In Ministry
- Winter Coats for Adults
- Hats, Gloves and Scarves
Public
Action to Deliver Shelter (PADS)
Shelter is provided once a week for the community.
Please see calendar for schedule. For more information about PADS
please visit their website
or contact our local church coordinator, Lowell Eckberg at pads@fumcoakpark.org.
- Current Needs for
PADS
- Wash Cloths
- Large Bath Towels
- According to Lowell, we are currently "okay" when it
comes to sheets and
pillowcases. He says "Thanks!"
- Please put these items into their respective bins on
the tables in the Great Hall.
Community
of Congregations Food
Pantry
First Church contributes paper products to the Oak
Park -- River
Forest Community of Congregations Food Pantry. Housed at the First
United Church, 848 Lake Street, Oak Park, the food pantry services
those in need Saturday from 9:00 to noon and some Wednesdays from 3:30
p.m. to 5 p.m. For more information about the needs of
the food pantry, visit the Community of Congregations website or email our
local church coordinator, Lowell Eckberg
at foodpantry@fumcoakpark.org.
- Current Needs for
the Food Pantry
- Paper Towels
- Toliet Paper
- Please put these items into their respective bins on
the tables in the Great Hall.
LifeSource
Weekly Blood Drive event held at First Church. Please
see calendar for schedule. Please visit LifeSource for more information.
Alcoholics
Anonymous
Weekly meetings held at FUMC of Oak Park. Please see
calendar for schedule. For more information, please visit the Alcoholics Anonymous site.
Recommended
Resources and Links
Contact
Us -- Mission Committee
|
