Undie Sunday
We are often called upon to help others meet their most basic living requirements such as housing, nutrition and clothing.
Another overlooked but equally important category to be considered: New underwear for all sizes, for men, women, and children.
Now is the time to provide NEW underwear for those in need. So, bundle up those essential items and bring them with you to the "Undie Sunday" services between January 22nd and February 12th.
Cash donations can also be given and will be used to purchase items needed at a discount. Your donations can be placed in the Undies Baskets in the Narthex.
Mitten Tree—Call for Yarn
We have an angel that spends her year knitting beautiful hats and mittens for our Christmas Mitten Tree. Her donations fill the tree. Her supply of yarn is almost gone. If you would like to help out, please purchase the following type of yarn from WalMart and bring it to the Church Office, or place it by the Church Office mail boxes in Wesley House.
Make sure it is the RED HEART Brand. On the label it needs to say Worsted Medium; No Dye Lot.
Your help will be greatly appreciated.
Missions wants to thank all that participated in the Mitten Tree giving. 36 mittens & gloves, 57 hat and mitten/glove sets, 5 scarves, and 29 hats were collected in December and divided between the Odanah Church and Pennys & Nichols.
News from
Stains Memorial Children’s Home, India
During the Christmas holiday season, the staff and workers at the Philip and Timothy Stains Memorial Homes brought the love of Jesus to the poor. The plan is to give new clothes, Christmas Cake and dinner to all the children and staff of their 4 children’s homes. They have also planned to have programs in 8 mission fields for the village congregations and children. As part of the programs they plan to give blankets to 100 tribal families and gifts to 1000 children along with Christmas cake. David Gnaniah has asked for prayers to support their work and wishes us a Christ centered Christmas and a Blessed New Year
Christmas Offering
$1,785 was collected in December for the Christmas offering. The five selected organizations for this year’s offering will receive the following: Northcott Neighborhood House: $250, UM Children’s Services: $150, Heifer Project International $600, United Methodist Committee on Relief: $260, and The Oconomowoc Urgent Needs Community Fund: $525. Thank you for helping make a difference in the lives of many.
Blanket Sunday - February 12, 2012
What is the Church World Service Blankets+ Program? Blankets+ is a special mission opportunity for all ages. Some 8,000 congregations and groups across the U.S. hold CWS Blankets+ events, providing funds to help people in need around the world, including the U.S.
For over 60 years, Church World Service has worked in partnership with local communities to identify their needs and access the resources they need to build the foundation for a more viable future, including:
· Blankets, tents, food and other emergency supplies in the wake of a disaster
· Tools and seeds for refugees returning home to replant their fields
· Wells for families living in drought prone areas to provide clean, safe water to drink and to irrigate crops and gardens
· Literacy training and microcredit for women struggling to realize their potential.
Many of you remember the Church World Service Blanket Pro-gram. Blankets + is more than just blankets, and just like the original Blanket Program, a $5 donation can purchase a blanket for someone in need.
Latvia Mission Initiative - February 5, 2012
Latvia Mission Initiative: Methodism first came to Latvia in early 1921, quickly grew to 20 congregations, and in 1925 sent its first missionary to India. World War II and the Soviet period reduced the church to barely nothing until Latvia regained its independence in 1992. The re-birth of Methodism in Lithuania is an amazing story of God's grace and God's people sharing with one another.
Today, The United Methodist Church in Latvia has 13 organized churches in Latvia (11 Latvian speaking, 2 Russian speaking). Two major programs are Wesley Camp, a 30-acre retreat on the shore of the Baltic Sea, and Hope Center, which provides shelter for homeless and underage pregnant girls:
Wesley Camp and Retreat Center was purchased through the combined efforts of the North Alabama, Holston and Red Bird Missionary conferences and serves United Methodist from Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.
Hope Center provides young women shelter, confidence and skills to live on their own by teaching them how to cook, manage their time, shop for food on a budget and give them an opportunity to finish their education, if possible.
Lithuania Mission Initiative - February 12, 2012
Lithuania Mission Initiative: Lithuania United Methodist Lithuania gained independence in 1991. In November 1994, two members of the the General Board of Global Ministries staff, accompanied by the Rev. Arthur Leifert - a Lithuanian-born German pastor - went on a fact finding mission for traces of Methodism in Lithuania.
They visited eight cities, located three former Methodist parson-ages, and found two Methodist church buildings (in Kaunas and Pilviskiai). The team met three surviving Methodists; one of whom said her only link to her past was the Lithuanian Methodist hymnbook published in 1923. Based on the mission team's findings and a consultation between Global Ministries and Bishop Vaxby of the Northern Europe Central Conference, it was decided to launch an initiative to renew Methodism in Lithuania.
The first Methodist service was held on August 30, 1995, in Kaunas. Over fifty years, Methodists in Lithuania had been denied their places of wor-ship and existence as a religious body. A new day began. Nine congregations were started: Kaunas Sanciai (1995), Siauliai (1996), Taurage (1996), Pilviskiai (1996), Birzai (1997), Kybartai (1998), Kaunas Eiguliai (1999), Vilnius (2000), Kazla Ruda (2000).
Nepal Mission Initiative - February 19, 2012
Nepal Mission Initiative: The United Methodist Church in Nepal currently has 22 congregations and is steadily growing. High in the Himalayan Mountains, Nepal is predominantly Hindu. All of the congregations have indigenous leaders. The Rev. Devi Bahadur Bhujel, a missionary, is the senior pastor. Born and raised in Nepal, he began his journey in Christian faith when he heard a radio broadcast about Jesus Christ. As his faith deepened, so did his commitment to serve Christ. While studying for ministry in India, he met his wife, Karuna, who died in a motorcycle accident in April, 2005.
The United Methodist Church will have its first mission center in Nepal through the generosity of an individual church member in New Jersey. Mr. Chang W. Kim of Arcola United Methodist Church, Paramus, NJ, has given $100,000 to the General Board of Global Ministries toward the purchase of a building in Kathmandu to house offices, a congregation, and housing for the pastor. The board will add another $114,000 to the project.
The United Methodist Church has had a presence for almost fifty years in Nepal through the United Mission to Nepal, and continues this strong and important relationship of vital medical and health, agrarian, educational, and a variety of technical services and ministries in a country with tremendous needs.
Southeast Asia - February 26, 2012
Southeast Asia: Southeast Asia is opening up to Christian mission, and The United Methodist Church is there on the ground floor. The area, which includes Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand, is one of more than a dozen "mission initiatives" of Global Ministries. The first formal annual meetings of the mission took place early in 2008, but a Unit-ed Methodist presence goes back to 1998. Vietnam now has about 60 United Methodist local churches and fellowships, most of which are in the Ho Chi Minh City area, although there are five newer congregations in the Hanoi area. Much of the church's social ministry in Vietnam takes the form of providing job training to women and scholarships that enable children to attend elementary school.
The United Methodist Church is quite new to Thailand, where the work began in 2006. There are three United Methodist churches.
The United Methodist involvement in Laos began in 2004 with Hmong United Methodists in the United States. Now there are some 80 churches. Much of the Laos work is in community development.
