“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.” --John Wesley
Disaster Recovery – Funded by the missions team, usually at the call of the pastor, the church reaches out both locally and beyond to those placed in need by such disasters as tornadoes; hurricanes; the Jan. 13, 2010, earthquake in Haiti and similar disasters.
Festival of Sharing – A multi-denominational outreach program held annually on the third Saturday of Oct. (the closest date to World Food Day) at the state fairgrounds in Sedalia, Mo. This gathering of several thousand people from about 30 churches and faith communities statewide serves four purposes:
- Generates financial and material responses for hunger, poverty and crisis
- Meets and challenges injustice through advocacy and systematic change
- Promotes awareness of hunger and justice issues, local and international outreach opportunities and stewardship responsibilities
- Encourages and enables hands-on experiences with mission projects.
Visit www.umocm.com/festival.htm for more information.
Heifer International Project – Many people in the congregation support this international interdenominational organization founded in 1944. With headquarters in Perryville, Ark., the Heifer Project had helped more than 4 million families in 125 countries by 2001 by providing them with a variety of animals—everything from rabbits to cattle—capable of providing both food and income. Families benefiting from this assistance sign an agreement that they will give the first-born female of those animals to another family in need. In 2010, proceeds from our men's firewood sales bought another ark and in 2011, we purchased a goat for Nepal.
Mozambique Initiative – Stockton UMC has a covenant partnership through UMC's Missouri District with the Inhambane West District in Mozambique. This district has five parishes (churches) and five “extensions of evangelism” (new church starts in new areas). Mozambique is a very poor country on the southeastern coast of Africa. The covenant, handled through the missions team and lay leadership, calls for prayer support, financial support and “grassroots” contacts.
Nothing But Nets - Our congregation supports Nothing But Nets, a global grassroots campaign to save lives by preventing malaria. Malaria is a leading killer of children in Africa. It can be prevented through the use of insecticide-treated bed nets, which create a protective barrier against mosquitoes at night, when most transmission occurs. Just one bed net can keep an entire family safe from malaria transmission for up to four years! A $10 donation goes directly toward the purchase, distribution, and education about the proper use of an insecticide-treated bed net, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will match each donation, net for net. Our congregation pledged $1,000 to this cause in 2008 plus our Vacation Bible School set a goal of purchasing 100 nets.
Personal Energy Transportation (PET) of Southwest Missouri – PET systems, developed in Missouri in the mid-1990s, allow people in third world countries who do not have the use of their legs to gain mobility. PETs now are in use in more than 40 countries. Stockton UMC funds the purchase of a PET annually to be sent where it is needed. Contact petofswmo(at)sofnet.com for more information.
Volunteers in Mission – Periodically, when needs arise, various members of the congregation travel to areas in crises to help. For example, in the summer of 2006 a team traveled to Louisiana to help in the Katrina clean-up for a week. Visit http://gbgm-umc.org/vim/vimpages.html for more information.
World Thank Offering – Many UMW members participate in this disciplined way of daily giving. They say a prayer of thanksgiving as they drop coins into a special container to express thanks to God for blessings. The national organization funds missions in all 50 states and in more than 100 countries.