First United Methodist Church, Oak Ridge, TN
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Growing in faith and love through worship, discipleship, and service.
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The FUMC Missions Ministry Team has planned and executed Mission trips to Honduras, Nicaragua, Haiti, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. We cannot transform the world’s economy or its political systems, but we do carry Christ’s message of love to all those with whom we come in contact. We demonstrate to people that God cares and we care. Although service to others is our primary concern we have found during the many years of operation that, in reality, the mission team members receive knowledge and growth beyond measure. Most certainly this experience has been a profound one for each participant. They have all witnessed poverty and suffering from a very close viewpoint and they have had the opportunity to see Christ in the people they have encountered. The FUMC Missions Ministry Team intends to continue to send out mission teams regularly. Plans are to send multiple teams out every year and the years beyond. We work through the GBGM United Methodist Volunteer in Mission program.
Website: www.fumcor.org/missiontrips Phone: 865-483-4357
Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is an independent, nonprofit agency serving the charitable needs of Anderson, Campbell, Claiborne, Morgan, Roane and Scott counties. Its mission is to help families in urgent need with basic survival necessities and to preserve, improve, or replace existing substandard owner-occupied housing. Help is provided through two major programs. The Social Services program meets the most basic needs of the poorest residents of Anderson County by assisting with rent, utilities, food, and prescriptions; providing a data base clearinghouse for area churches and organizations to coordinate services and eliminate duplication of services; and addressing the underlying causes of the client’s current difficulty. The Affordable Housing program is a home repair, home-building program responding to the needs of economically disadvantaged homeowners. ADFAC is an outgrowth of work begun by Kathy Stimpson of FUMC and is seen in the community as a lasting recognition of her unselfish service to those in need.
Website: www.adfac.org/ Phone: (865) 483-6028 Fax: 865 481-3822 Anderson County Office on Aging (ACOA) is a non-profit agency coordinating with other agencies, organizations, churches, and businesses to serve the needs of the older population and improve their daily living. ACOA services include information and referral, outreach, senior nutrition services, transportation, homemaker services, shopping, long term care ombudsman, counseling, legal services for the elderly, and other miscellaneous services to persons over 60 years of age, with the emphasis on the frail and disabled. The organization has served over 2,000 recipients in Anderson County. Funds received from federal grants are insufficient to meet the needs. Increased gas costs have affected the entire operation, driving the cost of services beyond the modest budget. There are a number of programs requiring a cash match to continue bringing the services into the region. FUMC contributions allow ACOA to enhance the lives of the elderly with low incomes by purchasing needed items such as eye glasses, dentures, hearing aids, prescription medication and paying utility payments.
Phone: 865-457-3259 Fax: 865-463-7757 Email: AndersonOOA@yahoo.com Angel Tree Project This is a project facilitated by the Fellowship Sunday School Class. Christmas gifts are bought for needy children in our local area. In addition, food baskets are put together for the families of these children. The program has grown from a couple dozen recipient families to over 80 families and gifts for over 100 children. For specific information, contact the Fellowship Class. Contact: Fellowship Sunday School Class Phone: 865-483-4357 Appalachia Service Project (ASP) is a Christian ministry open to all people that fosters human development by addressing the housing needs of central Appalachia. ASP provides home repair services to low- and very low- income families throughout the Central Appalachia region, including Eastern Tennessee and Kentucky, Southwest Virginia, and Southern West Virginia. The goal of ASP is to make homes warmer, safer and drier, while offering transformational experiences for volunteers and homeowners alike. Each year, ASP achieves its goals with the assistance of nearly 15,000 volunteers. The summer program is especially valuable for high school youth groups and their adult advisers, and ASP also offers year-round service opportunities for college groups, individuals, family groups, and couples at the Housing Service Centers. Since their founding in 1969, over 200,000 volunteers from across the nation have worked on thousands of homes.
Phone: 800-289-4254 Website: www.asphome.org/ Baltic Mission Center – Estonia houses the sanctuary for the Estonian-speaking and the Russian-speaking congregations of the UMC in Tallinn, Estonia. Together they have over 1,000 members, most of who are living on very limited incomes. The Baltic Methodist Theological Seminary is also in the BMC with over 90 full- and part-time students from Estonia, Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, and the Ukraine. The BMC is 94% complete, with the unfinished portions being dormitory spaces for students, a soup kitchen, and a Christian bookstore.
Website: www.bmk.ee/indexenglish.html World Methodist Evangelism Phone: 615-340-7541 Bishop Judith Craig Children’s Home - Liberia Some of the most tragic impacts of the seven year Liberian Civil War have been to the children. The Liberian Annual Conference has established a home for over 100 orphaned children, ages 6 thru 12 years old. The home itself is comprised of 19 cottages, 10 for dwelling purposes and the remaining 9 for the school (they are just starting to build a new school building.) The Home provides counseling for trauma victims, primary education, preventative health care services to these and other children, social and recreational activities, and Christian education opportunities. Each year the gift from FUMC is used to pay tuition and other school fees for eight to ten of the orphans.
Webite: www.gbgm-umc.org/childrensvillage/ Phone: GBGM : 212-870-3701 Bridge Refugee & Sponsorship Services, Inc. has resettled more than 1,500 refugee families from Bosnia, Burundi, Congo, Kosovo, Iran, Iraq, Poland, Romania, Sudan, Ukraine, Vietnam and many other countries. Refugees are persons who cannot return to their birth country because to do so might result in persecution for reasons of race, religion, political beliefs, tribal affiliation or gender. With the help of churches, synagogues, and mosques, Bridge shepherds the family through the first six months of their new lives. They provide services to ensure the new arrivals' living conditions are safe and sanitary, the families are in good health, and have access to medical care, all children over the age of five are enrolled in school, the adults have fair and full employment, and the family has sufficient information to make the cultural adjustment. Church sponsorship is a 90-day moral commitment, but Bridge provides case management for up to five years. Website: www.korrnet.org/refugees Phone: 865-540-1311 Ext. 16, Fax: 865-540-1021 Change for Children is an outreach of the Holston Conference Bishop’s Initiative on Children and Poverty serving needs in the Holton Conference area and also Africa. Since that time, grants worth thousands of dollars have been awarded to church sponsored after-school mentoring and tutoring programs, Christian education activities, homeless ministries, Bible studies, team-building events, restorative justice, child care ministries, camping opportunities, prison ministry for children, food pantries, and clothing closets throughout Holston Conference. The children of Africa are the innocent victims of civil strife that has gripped much of the continent for years. Faithfulness to God requires all United Methodists to join in witnessing for peace, justice, and compassion in Africa. To that end, the Council of Bishops of the UMC established “Hope for the Children of Africa.” This initiative seeks to provide relief and reconciliation for African Children through the restoration of United Methodist churches and ministries that serve the physical, social, and spiritual need of children. Half the money raised by “Change for Children” is given each year to “Hope for the Children of Africa.”
Website: www.holston.org/ministries/children/programs/change-children-2008/ Phone: 865-690-4080 Fax: 865-690-3162 Child Advocacy Center of Anderson County opened its doors July 7, 2008. It is a nonprofit 501c3 charitable organization providing services to severely abused children and their non-offending family members/caregivers, as well as prevention services in the community. A State of Tennessee licensed mental health outpatient facility, the Center was Nationally Accredited in October, 2009. (Revised 5/23/2012)
Website: http://www.childadvocacycenter.net/ Phone: 865-463-2740 Children’s Advocacy Center of The Ninth Judicial District (Kids First) serves children who have been identified as severely physically and/or sexually abused, between the ages of 3-13 years that reside in Loudon, Meigs, Morgan, and Roane Counties. CAC provides a forensic interview, victim services, family advocacy for drug-endangered children, therapy to the child and his/her non-offending caregivers, forensic medical examinations, support groups for adult survivors of child abuse, parenting classes open to the community, parenting classes for teen mothers, and a school-based curriculum entitled SCAN (Stop Child Abuse and Neglect).
Website: www.cac9jd.org Phone: 865-986-1505, Fax 865-986-1547 Clinch River Home Health Care (CRHHC) is a non-profit United Way agency that provides skilled nursing care, physical, occupational, and speech therapy, home health aide services, and in-home health care to the sick, disabled, and elderly. It is the only home health agency in Tennessee that provides services on a sliding cost scale for indigent patients. The clients are predominantly elderly low-income citizens of Anderson county. Due to cutbacks in government sponsored programs, this agency is often the only source of home health care for low-income clients. Program funding comes through the United Way plus a variety of other fund-raising efforts by the volunteer CRHHC Board of Directors.
Website: http://crhh.net/ Phone: 865-457-4263 Fax: 865-457-9415 Community Discretionary Aid Fund is a fund used by the pastors to help people in need of emergency assistance as a source of last resort. It is a special offering given on Communion Sunday, designated gifts, and as special situations arise.
Contact: FUMC Pastors Phone: 865-483-4357 Community Mediation Services Program VORP is a restorative justice program that provides non-violent resolution of community conflicts. It brings victims and offenders of non-violent property crimes together in the presence of a trained volunteer mediator to discuss the crime, its impact, and what needs to be done to make things right. More than ninety-five percent of offenders are juveniles, most have no prior record, and all have admitted guilt. Participation is voluntary for both victim and offender. Most referrals come from the Juvenile Court/Juvenile Probation of Anderson County. Through victim-offender dialogue, victims can get answers to their questions, participate in decisions about restitution, and find closure. Offenders have an opportunity to be accountable directly to the person harmed, to participate in restitution discussions, and can resume a rightful place in the community. Teen & Parent Mediation brings parents and teens together in two to four sessions with trained volunteer mediators to resolve family conflicts using positive communication and problem-solving skills. Issues often address the teen's unruly behavior, and/or school performance and attendance. Teen & Parent Mediation helps families regain trust and respect that has been destroyed by conflict. Website: www.cms-tn.org/ Phone: 865-463-6888 Fax: 865-457-7208 Contact Helpline Inc. and Telefriend provides the community and surrounding calling area with a telephone service for crisis listening/counseling, information/referral and suicide prevention. Reassurance Contact is a service for senior citizens and the disabled who live alone. Such persons can apply for this service and receive a regular call from a specially trained volunteer. Telefriend is an after school call-in resource for children who are home without adult supervision or who need an adult with whom to share or talk. Services are free, anonymous, and confidential. The late Rev. Ben St. Clair organized CONTACT of Oak Ridge when he was a pastor at FUMC. Individuals, churches, service clubs, businesses and foundations support CONTACT. Volunteers are welcome.
Website: www.discoveret.org/orhelp Phone: 865-482-5040 Crossroads Ministries is an organization that will provide training and housing for single mothers. They will learn all the basics of housekeeping, budgeting, nurturing, and a sense of family by living in their own apartments on the grounds of Crossroads Ministry’s facility. They will learn to be responsible by attending classes, maintaining their home, finding a job, and learning new job skills. A typical residence will be 18 months followed by becoming part of a continuing education and outreach program. Currently funds are being collected to purchase a facility.
Website: www.crossroadstransition.org/ Phone: 865-258-0875 Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of the TN Heartland provides highly trained volunteers to serve as advocates on behalf of abused and neglected children who are under protection of juvenile court. CASA volunteers ensure that children receive the services they need and are not forgotten in a complex system. The goal of the agency’s work is to find safe, permanent homes for these children as quickly as possible. CASA now serves Anderson, Morgan, Roane and Scott Counties. Funding supports a full time director and program staff to manage the program, train, and interact with the volunteers. The agency is always in need of volunteers.
Website: http://casatnh.org Phone: 865-425-0888 Fax: 865-482-9977 Curamericas Global, Inc. is an international organization whose ministry is to measurably improve health and reduce unnecessary suffering, sickness and death in communities lacking access to basic services. Where Curamericas is at work, over 90% of the children under 5 years have been vaccinated, and the death rate has been cut by more than one-half compared to surrounding communities. Started in 1983 by United Methodist Dr. Henry B. Perry III of North Carolina, it has promoted home health care to over 70,000 people in 200 communities in rural Bolivia. The home-based healthcare program is staffed by indigenous health-care workers. Curamericas is now offering the same intensive health education and treatment program in Guatemala, Haiti, and Rio Bravo, Mexico, modeled after their program in Bolivia. A budget of over one million dollars is supported by United Methodist Churches, other churches, individuals, and grants. FUMC has been involved with the Curamericas Health Partner Program since 1995.
Website: www.curamericas.org Phone: 919-510-8787 East Tennessee Family Services provides emergency shelter for victims of domestic abuse. Each year 200 to 300 women and children are given temporary refuge. FUMCOR has given funds toward paying the utilities to keep this needed facility open while other support for this organization is reviewed.
Contact: Mission Ministry Team Phone: 865-483-4357 Deborah House - Romania In 1998, just eight years after the fall of the communist dictator in Romania, a Christian social worker noticed a little girl who was unable to talk or socialize normally as a result of terrible abuse. Helpless to take action because there was no adequate government or private program available, she envisioned what became Deborah House. It is located in the village of Giarmata, Romania, and provides a healing Christian home environment for girls who have been abused, orphaned, or abandoned. Through love of an extended family, these rescued girls are nurtured, receiving necessary counseling and education and now have the best chance to become emotionally and physically healed and prepared to lead a productive life. Currently, there are two homes for girls and young women who have been abused. The first home is at capacity, the second one opened near the end of 2006 and is on a ten-acre tract on the edge of Giarmata. The vision is to construct three additional homes on the same tract.
Website: http://mtbethel.org/go/missionspartners/deborah-house-romania/ Phone: 770-973-2058 Ecumenical Storehouse is a clearinghouse for kitchen supplies, furniture, appliances, and other household items for needy persons or families located in Anderson County. Clients must be qualified as low income and have a written referral to the Storehouse from a church or agency. Ten area churches including FUMC take turns staffing the Storehouse on a monthly rotation providing services to clients on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings. On Saturday, the volunteers pick up large donated items from individuals in surrounding communities. The Storehouse typically helps seven to ten families every day it is open. Good, clean used household items are always needed and may be delivered to the Storehouse any day it is open. Help is always needed.
Website: http://www.fccor.org/ecumstor.htm Phone: 865-481-0274 Elementary School Counselors Fund provides money for counselors in the Oak Ridge schools to purchase clothing or necessities for children who are otherwise unable to obtain such items. Counselors at Willow Brook, Glenwood, and Linden Schools receive funds each year to be used in assisting needy children. In addition, volunteer tutors are always needed at the schools.
Glenwood Elementary Debra Diemer, Counselor, Email: ddiemer@ortn.edu, Phone: 865-425-9401, Fax: 865-425-9360 Linden Elementary Roger Ward, Counselor, Email: rward@ortn.edu, Phone: 865-425-5702, Fax: 865-482-8561 Willow Brook Elementary Dan Schwartz, Counselor, Email: dschwartz@ortn.edu, Phone: 865-425-3202, Fax: 865-482-1177 Emerald Youth Foundation is a faith-based, urban children and youth ministry in the heart of Knoxville. The ministry grew out of a vision of Emerald Avenue United Methodist Church in 1988 to serve children and youth in its low to moderate income communities in north Knoxville. With many outreach activities, such as the winter and summer basketball league, the summer program, special events, and Emerald‘s after school program, the foundation reaches over 1000 of Knoxville’s inner city children and youth each year. The youth are directed to the program through referrals from their teachers, recruitment by Emerald’s youth workers at schools, and by the Knox County Juvenile Court office. Website: www.emeraldyouth.org Phone: 865-637-3227, Fax: 865-637-7399 Emory Valley Center, established in 1955, is a private, not-for-profit corporation that provides training, services, and support for children and adults with mental retardation and other severe disabilities in Anderson, Morgan, Scott, and Campbell Counties. Programming includes sheltered and supported employment; day activity; retirement options; housing for adults; as well as early intervention and school-to-work programs for children. Vans transport participants from their homes to activities including sheltered workshop and community jobs.
Website: www.emoryvalleycenter.com/ Phone: 865-483-4385, Fax: 865-482-5435 English Speaking United Methodist Church of Vienna, Austria is an international congregation serving the English-speaking community of Vienna, Austria, since 1978. They function as a local congregation, with weekly worship services and Sunday school for children. The worship services have an average attendance of approximately 100, and about 80 children and 45 adults participate in Sunday school and Bible study groups. There are several active small groups, as well as Bible study programs for women, young families, and adults. The congregation represents more than 30 countries world-wide, with many diverse cultures and traditions. People of other faiths who are searching for new meaning often come to this church. In addition, the church has several international families (people who have married Austrian spouses but are still searching for an English language based ministry). There is also an increasing number of Austrians who are drawn to the church because of the Gospel Choir. Many members of the church’s congregation are not of Methodist background, so one of the primary tasks is teaching about UMC culture and Christianity in general. The staff and congregation work at serving and providing community for an incredible diversity of people, nearly all of whom are “strangers in a strange land.” This church is related to the Central Conference of middle and southern Europe and is involved in mission in countries throughout Eastern Europe. Their primary source of funding is from church members and friends.
Website: www.esumc.at/ Phone: 011-43-1-895-81-75 Family Promise of Greater Knoxville is a non-profit organization uniting the faith community and other social services to provide shelter, meals, and comprehensive support to families without homes, enabling them to achieve sustainable independence. The cornerstone of Family Promise of Greater Knoxville is their Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN). They have united 15 ”host” congregations and 27 “support” congregations in the Knoxville area, numerous volunteers, their core staff, and local social services agencies into a synergistic team that provides temporary housing, meals, and assistance to families without homes to help them become self sufficient. The Family Promise Academy provides classes on nutrition, parenting, employment, and budgeting to current FP guests, former guests, and families in the community that need assistance. FP maintains a support program for families that have graduated from the FP program.
Website: www.familypromiseknoxville.org Phone: 865-584-2822 Family Resource Center (FRC) is a comprehensive social services school-based non-profit agency. It is located at Willow Brook School, but serves all of the Oak Ridge City Schools. The center’s mission is to assist at-risk children and their families in the prevention and eradication of problems that interfere with their ability to become fully functioning and independent members of their community. This is accomplished using a multi-dimensional approach that includes education, advocacy and accountability. The center services include but are not limited to parenting education, resource information and referral, linkage to community services, advocacy and support, transportation, and case management services (including home visits).
Website: http://web3.userinstinct.com/39970951-oak-ridge-schools-elementary-schools-willow-brook-family-resource-center.htm Phone: (865) 425-3205 First Steps (FUMC) is a non-profit program housed at FUMC that provides pre-school opportunities to families both within the church and in the community. First Steps offers an early childhood education to nurture social and pre-kindergarten development for ages six weeks to five years. A loving caring Christian staff leads the program.
The main source of income for First Steps is student tuition and supplemental income comes from donations and fundraisers. Visitors are encouraged to stop by the First Steps office for a tour.
Website: www.fumcor.org/preschool Phone: 865-483-6291, Fax: 865-483-9011
Food for Kids is a program where children at risk in the Oak Ridge public schools are given a package of healthy, easily-prepared food for themselves and younger siblings each Friday for the weekend. The food is obtained from Second Harvest and packaged once a month at FUMC.
Contact: Mission Ministry Team Phone: 865-483-4357 Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge is an all volunteer organization just being formed to give free basic medical care to citizens of Anderson and surrounding counties who have no health insurance and have incomes below two times the federal poverty level. Although the clinic is a secular non-profit, it is based on the Christian concept of providing humanitarian aid to the poor and marginalized. Several FUMCOR members were involved in the formation effort and others volunteer at the clinic. The clinic is located in the vacant Trinity Methodist Church Education Building. For more information, contact the Mission Ministry Team.
Website: www.freemedor.org Phone 865-483-3904 Genesis Recovery Center, Inc. is a nonprofit interdenominational organization that helps promote a “new beginning” of life for men who desire recovery from addiction to drugs and/or alcohol. A Christian holistic approach to rehabilitation is used in providing for the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of those seeking recovery. It currently operates a 12-bed facility in the old Lake City Hospital building. The program is set up to run seven months and is offered free of charge until the client obtains employment and then he donates 25% of his pay toward the ministry.
Website: www.genesisrecoverycenter.org Phone: 865-426-9411 Guatemala Outreach (Living Waters Ministries) is a mission outreach of the New Covenant Fellowship of Knoxville. Its primary mission is to provide clean water to remote villages in the Peten District of Guatemala by setting up 1000-gallon rainwater collection systems for each family in these villages. Over 150 systems have been installed, but there are still 14,000 families in the area drinking from contaminated water sources. A water truck is also used to haul clean water to the villages during the dry season. Work is coordinated with the Peten Health Department to select the villages with greatest need. They are also starting to help build churches, provide Christian ministry, and provide medicine and medical treatment in some of the villages.
Website: http://www.newcovenantfellowship.us/ωpage_id=66 Church: 865-689-7001 Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County (HHAC) is an ecumenical, Christian ministry that seeks to provide decent shelter at an affordable cost by using volunteer labor, grant money, in-kind gifts, and tax deductible donations to build homes. HHAC is a non-profit organization and is associated with the international organization, but gives them funds rather than receiving financial support from them. Each homeowner family is required to work 400 “sweat equity” hours. Houses are sold to the very low income partner families at no profit with zero interest mortgages over a fixed period from 20 to 30 years. HHAC receives funds from churches, businesses, groups, and individuals and though fund raising endeavors such as the Habitat Home Store and promotional events. The Home Store takes donations of gently used or new home supplies and resells them to the general public. Profits from the sale of the items helps fund the homes being built. FUMCOR members are active in this vital community organization through funding, sponsoring houses, volunteer crews, providing lunches, and more.
Website: www.hfhac.org Phone: 865-482-7713 Fax: 865-483-5718 Habitat for Humanity of Campbell County will soon be finishing its 27th home and plans on building two more in the coming year. This affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International continues to bring hope to Campbell County by providing decent, affordable housing to “partner” families that would otherwise not be able to own a home. They operate a small Resale Store in Woodsons Mall in LaFollette open on Friday and Saturday stocked with donated items with the proceeds going toward building another home. The affiliate operates much in the same manner as the Anderson County affiliate detailed in the Local Missions section of this booklet.
Website: www.habitat.org/cd/local/affiliate.aspxωaname=campbell%20county Phone: Phone: (423) 566-7316, Fax: 423-566-0673 Hands of Christ – Women’s Clinic in Honduras John and Ana Lamon are a husband and wife team with five shared years in the medical mission field of Honduras. John is a US citizen, and Ana is a Honduran Doctor. For years they have served the poor in small mobile clinics that they set up in partnership with church congregations from the US. The Hands of Christ is now in the process of building a women’s clinic just outside of Tegucigalpa. The primary focus will be the care of the pregnant woman and her unborn child in a safe and clean environment for giving birth. Website: http://thehandsofchrist.org Phone: 615-591-1706 Fred and Libby Dearing are serving as missionaries with the Hope for Sudan project. They have been sent by Holston Conference to help with the work started in Yei. We contribute toward their expenses. The Hope for Sudan project is working to provide clean water, medical care, pastoral training, education, supplies and leadership development in Yei, Sudan.
Contact: Mission Ministry Team Phone: 865-483-4357 Heifer Project International is an organization that works to alleviate hunger and poverty by providing struggling families a way to become self-reliant. Through the gifts of livestock and training, a family can obtain milk, eggs, wool and other benefits to feed, clothe, and educate their children. Local involvement and management of its projects are stressed, empowering communities to solve their own problems and equip the next generation to successfully face challenges. Each family that receives animals enjoys the dignity of giving one of the animal’s offspring to another family in need, becoming not only a recipient but also a donor by “passing on the gift.”
Website: www.heifer.org Phone: 404-373-5112 Henderson Campus Ministries (University of Northern Colorado) We support Bruce and Kelly Henderson, who are serving as leaders for Campus Crusade at the University of Northern Colorado. Bruce and Kelly help college students experience a relationship with Jesus Christ, grow in that relationship, and then are sent out to help reach others. Bruce was active as a youth at FUMC, and his parents, Bob and Carolyn Henderson, are members of our congregation.
Website: www.unccru.com Phone: 303-204-3154 Henderson Settlement, Inc. is a missionary agency related to the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church within the Red Bird Missionary Conference. Its purpose is to meet the basic human needs (physical, spiritual and emotional) of a community of about 4000-5000 people who live within a 15-mile radius, in a four county area of Kentucky and Tennessee. Unemployment is about 50% and approximately 80% live below the poverty level. Programs include home repair and new home construction, child and senior adult daycare, medical transports, emergency family aid, agriculture assistance programs, crafts marketing, a food pantry, youth ministries and many more. Work and retreat opportunities are available. The UPC (bar code) labels from Campbell’s Soups and other labels are collected by FUMC in support of Henderson Settlement.
Website: www.hendersonsettlement.com/ Phone: Phone: 606-337-3613, Fax: 606-337-2225 Holston Conference Annual Mission Initiative is a yearly project of the Holston conference. Each district has its own assignment for collection. Each year a new project is determined and will be publicized in church. We welcome all volunteer support.
Website: www.holston.org/ministries/missions/programs/annual-mission-emphasis/ Phone: 865-483-4357 Holston United Methodist Home for Children provides a variety of services to children and families who are struggling with challenges.
They provide residential care for boys and girls, a home for developmentally delayed females, two daycares which target low income families, foster care services, an alternative school which is located at the main campus, adoption services, a spiritual life program, in-home counseling before and after the child has been removed from their family’s care, and an adventure-based counseling program. The Home shelters, teaches, counsels, protects and loves more than 500 children each year.
Website: www.holstonhome.org Phone: 423-787-8723 Fax: 423-638-7171 Hope for the Children of Sudan is a project of Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church to provide humanitarian relief and education to the surviving children and people of southern Sudan. This project is a joint effort between Holston Conference and the East Africa Conference of the United Methodist Church. At present we are working in the Yei, Sudan, area at a newly established United Methodist Compound. This compound has over 1000 children in school, most of whom are orphans. Better school facilities, clean water, an orphanage and possible guest house are some of the dreams for the compound. Two mission teams have been sent to Yei from Holston Conference and multiple teams will be sent in 2008 and 2009.
Website: www.holston.org/ministries/missions/hope-sudan/ Phone: 865-690-4080 Hope of East Tennessee, Inc. (HOPE) is a non-profit organization providing halfway houses and outpatient counseling services for indigent men and women of East Tennessee who, after detoxification are continuing in alcohol and/or drug recovery. Room and board is provided to participants as well as counseling and educational programming, such as GED classes. Halfway house stays are normally 90 days and outpatient counseling lasts 8 weeks. There are separate facilities for the men and the women. Both programs are supported by gifts with some grant support for the men’s program.
Website: www.hopeofet.org/ Phone: 865-482-4826 Fax: 865-481-0503 Hospitality Houses of the Methodist Medical Center Foundation provide a comforting home away from home for cancer patients and their families coming for treatment. The guests find lodging, food, rest, safety, and most of all, companionship for the journey as they deal with stressful and difficult times in their lives. The longest a patient has stayed is 142 days. They never receive a bill although some guests will make a donation. Other patients are allowed if there isn’t a cancer patient in need of a room. Patients must live at least 30 miles from the hospital to stay at the Houses. Family members are allowed to stay if room is available. The operation of the two Hospitality Houses is fully supported by charitable contributions. Website: www.mmcoakridge.com/hospitality Phone: 865-835-4358, Fax: 865-835-4356 Ishe Anesu - Zimbabwe strives to relieve the misery of the homeless and HIV/AIDS infected children and unwed mothers living in Zimbabwe. The project began in 1998 at the Hilltop United Methodist Church in Sukubva, Mutare. Ishe Anesu (God is with us) provides tuition, school supplies, school uniforms and one hot meal a day for students. The students are taught Christian ethics, social and home values and hygiene. The mothers are taught sewing, knitting, homemaking and parenting skills in a Christian atmosphere. Holston Conference raised nearly $125,000 to build a new school as part of a conference mission emphasis project. The school has received many school and health kits from churches throughout the conference. The Humbanes have shared their vision for helping those in need with FUMC while on leave from Zimbabwe. Website: www.isheanesu.com Keystone Adult Day Program (FUMC) is a community service available to older adults living in Anderson and surrounding counties regardless of religious affiliation. It is designed to meet the needs of adults with functional impairments (difficulty dressing, eating, etc.) caused by physical or cognitive problems. Keystone provides a comprehensive program with a variety of health, social, and other related support services. Services provided are pet therapy, music therapy, exercise, nutritional meals, and a caregiver support group. Keystone is located at FUMC. Operating hours are Monday through Friday (7:30 am-5:30 pm).Contact: First United Methodist Church Phone: 865-483-6631, Fax: 865-483-90 Kissy United Methodist Eye Hospital - Sierra Leone The work of volunteers at the Kissy Eye Clinic takes place in partnership with Dr. Ainor Ferguson, a Sierra Leone ophthalmologist, and is coordinated in this country through the work of Dr. Lowell Gess. Gess retired as a missionary with the GBGM in 1975 and went on his 180th trip to Africa in 2006. The eye clinic see an average of 100 patients daily with approximately 900 surgeries (mostly cataract extractions) performed yearly. Sierra Leone is one of the poorest, least developed countries in the world with a population of over six million and has only five doctors practicing in the field of eye care. The clinic continually needs volunteers trained in all levels of eye care as well as financial support to maintain the necessary equipment and supplies.
Website: http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/work/health/hospitals/kissy/eyeunit/ Phone: 320-762-1888 Love Russia (Genesis Project) is a Christian humanitarian charity working with orphans in Russia. Love Russia’s mission is to promote a charitable purpose in the territories of the former Soviet Union, including relief of poverty, suffering, and distress by demonstrating practical Christian compassion and, where appropriate, sharing the Christian faith. One of the main program elements of Love Russia is the “Genesis Project”. Through this project, Love Russia provides funding for education fees, accommodations, and living costs for orphaned students enrolled in bonafide education courses when they reach the mandatory orphanage move-out age of 16. Counseling and teaching life skills are part of the project. Without this project, orphanage “leavers” are strictly on their own and 90% are either dead or in prison within two years of leaving. Overall, the Genesis Project has achieved a 96% success rate and is being looked at as a role model by other charities in other areas of the country.
Website: www.loverussia.org Phone: +441983530262 Lovelace, William and Helen - Ukraine are missionaries in Kiev, Ukraine. William is the District Superintendent of the Ukraine and Moldova Annual Conference, consisting of 14 churches. William is also the pastor of the Bila Tserkva United Methodist Church, a city 60 miles south of the capital, Kiev. Helen is an ordained deacon and has an appointment to develop lay leadership and social work programs in the Annual Conference. Helen is also the founder and president of the United Methodist "Daybreak" Street Children Day Center, which provides a bridge between life on the streets and a normal family environment, either in their own homes, foster care, or other family-oriented environment such as a family-centered children's home. FUMC supports the needs of William and Helen through the covenant Relationship. Right now, the Lovelaces express a particular need to buy a building for the Street Children Program. The building will cost about $200,000, and they are requesting assistance from many churches.
Email: whlovelace@gmail.com Phone: 011-380-50-310-1591 Maple Tree Children Center provides affordable, stimulating, and safe daycare and pre-school for 40 children ages one month to five years. Of the families served, 93 % are headed by a single parent and 50 % qualify for the “Families First” program. With adequate daycare available, parents work outside the home, participate in job training, or further their education. In early 2007, Mountain Women’s Exchange partnered with the Center and began to organize the purchase and renovation of a church building for the Center. Once the initial investments have been made, daycare fees will go towards maintaining the Center’s important work in care and early education of disadvantaged children. Website: www.annasmile.org/Daycare.html Phone: 423-784-7000 Morgan-Scott Project is a Cooperative Christian Concern Agency started in 1972 by an ecumenical group of Christians and serves needy families in Morgan and Scott Counties. The project goals are to awaken new potential and to enable spiritual and educational growth as well as to develop economic, health, and socials resources within Morgan and Scott Counties of Tennessee. The agency works mainly with the elderly, handicapped, and low-income families. Services include meeting education and health needs, supplying fertilizer and seed for gardens providing emergency financial aid, operating a thrift store, and distributing bakery goods donated by Kroger in Oak Ridge. The agency responds to extemporaneous needs that arise within its area of operation. Morgan-Scott is funded by donations from churches, individuals, and some income derived from the thrift shops. The opportunity exists for a short-term mission trip to the area to repair homes.
Website: www.morganscottproject.org/ Phone: 423-965-3131 Mountain Communities Parent Resource Center is located in the White Oak community of Campbell County, an isolated mountain top area with only one elementary school, one store, one fire station, and the Parent Resource Center. The mission of the Center is to create positive, lasting change in the lives of disadvantaged children. Programs include after-school participation for children in grades 3-5, teen leadership, drug and alcohol prevention, enhancement activities, school tutoring, summer camp, parenting classes, accelerated reader/library, home visiting, health outreach, opportunity store, school supplies, and Wesley Preschool for 4-year-olds. The recipients are low-income and many families served are considered at risk. There is no public transportation and those who do find minimum wage or part-time jobs often do not have reliable transportation. Improving self-esteem, motivating the children to learn and introducing the students to community service are all part of the Mountain Communities Parent Resource Center’s goal. Email: june_pyle@hotmail.com Phone: 423-784-7858, Fax: 423-784-7832 Oak Ridge School Nurses Shoe Project The Oak Ridge School Nurses Project is an outreach ministry to identify children who are in need of shoes. The school health clinics see many students which allows for identification of the need. All children from preschool age through high school are the recipients of this assistance.
Contact Betsy Jernigan, Nurse Coordinator, at 425-9031, or bjernigan@ortn.edu. Oasis of Love Ministries, Inc. opened its doors in 1998 to provide a safe and secure environment for women and children fleeing family violence. A long-term approach to recovery is used lasting from six months to one year. Clients are connected with various community services such as DHS, job training, education and childcare. All services are provided free of charge. This ministry receives no government funding, only donations from private individuals, churches, and other organizations. Support from FUMC is used to pay for utilities, food, cleaning supplies, and other daily necessities for clients.
Phone: 865-457-2659, Fax: 865-457-8891
Obninsk Project - Russia FUMC has a unique “Russia Initiative” that parallels the Russia Initiative Program of the United Methodist Church. Working jointly with the Sister Cities Program in Oak Ridge, we have been involved in a number of projects focused on disadvantaged children in Obninsk. Two mission teams have visited Obninsk, and the city leaders have made several trips to Oak Ridge. During those visits, our new Russian friends gained practical “hands on” experience from experts in rehabilitation and other humanitarian programs in Oak Ridge, and the lessons learned have been transplanted to Obninsk. Our church has been instrumental in the establishment and growth of an orphan home that has provided a home, food, clothing and loving attention for over 40 children left on the streets or abused by birth parents. We also have helped to fund and support a center that provides aid to more than 400 children suffering from various birth defects and serious illnesses. Recently we have added support for a youth group in a Russian Orthodox Church near Obninsk.
Contact: Ken Luckmann, Phone: 865-483-3958 Email: kluckmann@bellsouth.net Operation Classroom - Liberia is a committee of the Holston Conference that is working to upgrade the schools and hospitals in Liberia. In addition to funds that help with student scholarship support and basic building needs, it encourages churches to supply basic study kits for students (YES kits – Youth Educational Supplies), books for libraries, and teaching supplies. They also take donations of layette kits (baby supplies) for the Ganta hospital and Holston Prenatal clinic.
Website: www.holston.org/media/ministry/resource/ZwedruSchool.pdf Phone: 865-687-2410 Partners for Children is a nonprofit child development center for fifty plus preschoolers. It focuses on low-income families and was founded in 1989 by UMC Knoxville Cooperative Parish and a local textile union. Partners for Children is located at Inskip United Methodist Church of Knoxville and licensed by the state of Tennessee with its highest ranking. Scholarship funds are given to PFC from various sources to subsidize the enrollment of children of low-income working families who do not qualify for state support, but who meet criteria established by Partners for Children for assistance. Partners for Children’s most critical and continuing need is support for its scholarship program, especially since the state limits the state support for the individual family. The curriculum follows that of the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation for preschoolers, and its staff is well-trained through the Tennessee Early Childhood Training Alliance, is certified in CPR, and undergoes health screening and extensive background checks.
Website: http://www.partnersforchildren-knoxville.org/ Phone: 865-689-9516 Peanut Butter Project - Sierra Leone was developed by Dr. Mark Manary, a member of the pediatric faculty of Washington University, St. Louis as a way to save the lives of malnourished children in Malawi. Peanut butter is combined with vegetable oil, sugar, whole fat powdered milk and Nutriset vitamin and general mixture to produce a ready-to-use therapeutic food supplement for children aged six months to five years. Following a simple protocol, children are weighed and measured. If they are at 85% ideal weight for their age or below, they are given the supplement. The supplement needs no cooking or refrigeration for up to four months. The program has operated in Sierra Leone with the help of Volunteers in Mission since January 2007. The Peanut Butter Clinic is held at the Taiama Health Clinic and Maternity Center operated by the Sierra Leone Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church and has served over 375 children.
Website: http://www.projectpeanutbutter.org/PPB/About.html Phone: 731-431-7674 Plateau Home School provides an after-school tutoring program for children in grades K through four who are recommended by teachers and parents. The school is based in Lancing, TN, a rural area with limited resources but accessible for those living in the western fringes of Morgan County. The children come from families who lack the economic means to seek help elsewhere. The goal is to help these children overcome potential learning problems before they fall so far behind that they become too discouraged to try to improve their school work. A real need is to increase library resources and to expand personnel so as to serve all children in the area. The Plateau Home School provides safe transportation, nourishing snacks, and days of celebration. Funding is provided by small grants, fundraisers, individual donations, and church groups.
Email: plateauhomeschool@yahoo.com Phone: 423-346-6737 Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFB&D) is a private, non-profit organization serving people having any difficulties which render them unable to read standard text. They provide taped educational books, books on diskette, library services and other educational and professional materials. The Oak Ridge chapter is the only one in Tennessee. Volunteers are welcome.
Website: www.rfbd.org/southeast/ Phone: 865-482-3496 Fax: 865-483-9934 Red Bird Mission is an agency under the umbrella of the United Methodist Church Board of Global Ministries. Founded in 1921 in Ball County, Kentucky, it has expanded to serve rural residents in a five- county area of southern Kentucky. Its ministry includes a Christian School (K-12), housing for high school students, early childhood classes for pre-K and 3-4 year olds, medical and dental clinics, pharmacy, community outreach (clothing and food assistance, adult education, transportation, elderly ministries and family ministries), community housing improvement, and economic opportunities with two resale stores and craft marketing.
Website: www.rbmission.org Phone: 606-598-3155 Fax: 606-598-3151 Reelfoot Rural Ministries is a mission program of the Memphis Conference of the United Methodist Church. It is located in a remote rural community in the northwest corner of the state. Lake County, one of the counties served, has the lowest per capita income of any county in Tennessee. RRM strives to meet the needs of low-income and elderly families with services including two daycare centers, transportation, meals for daycare and senior adults, a thrift store, school supplies, a Christmas store, a dental clinic, work camp projects, and worship services. Their central focus is on the children with many of their programs developed to meet their needs.
The two daycare centers are licensed to serve a total of 86 children from age six weeks to five years.
Website: www.reelfootruralministries.org Phone: 731-538-9970 Robertsville Middle School Titans Club provides at-risk students an opportunity to belong to a club that has scheduled events, speakers, community service projects, field trips, and academic tutors. The club continually emphasizes the importance of education, career planning, solving problems, and improving self-confidence. Field trips include ballgames, rafting, business tours, and biking trips. Donations support travel and food expenses for the club activities.
Phone: 865-425-9201 Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian church. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs without discrimination. In Anderson County, the Salvation Army ministers to the general public with limited direct aid consisting of clothing, food and shelter. As part of the Knoxville division, Anderson County residents have access to programs based in Knox County. Services include the Shafer Center for emergency family shelter, Operation Boot-strap for homeless men, the Joy D. Baker Domestic Violence/Homeless Shelter, and disaster relief that provide emergency supplies and services. Website: www.uss.salvationarmy.org/uss/www_uss_knoxville.nsf/vw-search/DDFEEA1BCEF05D2285257464006E076Bωopendocument Phone: 865-525-9401, Fax: 865-524-7748 Samaritan Hands - Central & South America is a non-profit organization led by the Fairview United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. It partners with the Guatemala Methodist Church to provide support to the Hogar Del Nino, an orphanage in Santa Cruz for children abandoned as a result of civil war. Samaritan Hands has built New Horizons Methodist School in Paraguay, which accommodates 350 children. Other activities of Samaritan Hands include helping college students take time off school to volunteer in a mission setting.
Website: www.fairview-umc.org/missions/33/guatemala Phone: 865-983-2080 Scarboro Learning Center, Inc. has been serving children since 1950. The Center was founded to assist working parents of lower economic means with affordable, quality childcare. Enrollment is open to preschool-age children and school-age children for before and after school care. Tuition fees are based on a sliding fee scale and determined by the family gross income. FUMC has for many years committed financial resources and provided volunteer support to the daycare.
Website: www.discoveret.org/sdcenter/ Phone: 865-483-6871 Fax: 865-483-6875 Seckel, Carol and Kevin are serving as missionaries serving in Frankfort, Germany. Carol is the Coordinator of English Language Ministries and International Congregational Ministries with the United Methodist Church in Germany. Kevin is the pastor of the New Hope English-speaking Fellowship of the United Methodist Church in Frankfort, Germany, and also works with the Ghanaian congregation in Frankfort am Main. Carol and Kevin are members of First United Methodist Church in Oak Ridge and consider Oak Ridge their United States base.
Contact: Mission Ministry Team Phone: 865-483-4357 Second Harvest Food Bank The goal of Second Harvest Food Bank is to provide nutritious food when needed to the 224,000 at risk people that live in our 18-county area. The following is a distribution breakdown of services provided by Second Harvest over the past year: 39% of recipients were youth and children, 12% were seniors, and 49% were adults. The vast majority of our clients are families that are impoverished or “working poor” who seek food assistance. Working poor families are those that hold a job, do not qualify for government assistance, and do not earn enough to fully support their family. Assistance to Second Harvest comes in various ways: monetary donations, food donations, working in the warehouse sorting food, and assisting in the Knoxville Harvest, which rescues prepared and perishable food from local restaurants, grocery stores, schools and other facilities.
Website: www.secondharvestknox.org Phone: 865-521-0000 Fax: 865-521-0040 Senior Nutrition Program is administered by the Area Agency on Aging for residents of Anderson, Campbell, Claiborne, Morgan, Scott, and Union Counties. There are centrally located sites for meals to be served daily. Transportation is provided to participants who do not have their own transportation. Home-delivered meals are provided to those who are confined to their homes for various medical conditions. A nutritious meal is available to anyone over 60 years old or the spouse of anyone over 60 years old. There is no charge to participate in the program, but there is a suggested contribution based on monthly income. All contributions are used to offset the raw food cost of the program. Help is always needed to deliver the “Meals on Wheels”.
Website: www.ethra.org/services/aging-disability/aging-and-disability.htm Phone: 865-691-2551 Fax: 865-531-7216 Seth Mokitimi Methodist Seminary – South Africa is a fund being used to complete the building of the new Seth Mokitime Seminary at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa and to support scholarships to the seminary. Many of the people serving as pastors in Africa have little or no formal religious or pastoral training and wish to obtain this training.
Website: www.divinity.duke.edu/publications/2008.01/features/feature4/sidebar2.htm Phone: 919-684-2813 Society of St. Andrew is a Christian ministry dedicated to ending hunger in America by providing fresh produce to those in need. They do this through three projects. The Potato Project is a nationwide program that provides donated potatoes and other produce from farmers to hunger relief agencies and then distributes them for free to people in need. The Gleaning Network uses volunteers to glean fields after harvest for crops. The salvaged produce is taken to food distribution centers. Through Harvest of Hope, volunteers learn about alleviation of poverty and do gleaning work.
Website: www.endhunger.org Phone: 1-800-333-4597 Fax: 434-299-5956 St. Andrews Center opened its doors in 2005 in the former St. Andrews UMC location in the Highland Park area of Chattanooga. It provides academic, social, cultural, economic, and spiritual growth opportunities to families and children in the Highland Park and surrounding communities and offers a home to other non-profit agencies with missions in harmony with their own. Most of the children served are Hispanic immigrants who need extra help to succeed in school. Within the first year it has attracted a diverse community of partners to share the building. These include four worshipping congregations, the Regional Homeless Coalition, the Children’s Nutrition Program of Haiti, the Chattanooga Girl’s Choir, Stand for Children, a Neighborhood Reading Center and a Read Aloud nook.
Website: www.st-andrewscenter.org Phone: 423-698-9872 St. Luke’s Family Center (Also called Kiev Street Children Ministry or Dosvitok Street Children’s Center) is a ministry to homeless children of the Ukraine and endeavors to be a bridge between life in the street and a healthy home environment through Christian ministry. The center is basically a day care center which provides children with a hot meal, a medical examination with ongoing primary medical care, Bible activities, and time for school work six days a week. The program was started by Bill and Helen Lovelace, whose ministry has been supported for years by FUMC, and is supported by many United Methodist congregations throughout the world. Website:http://new.gbgm-umc.org/advance/projects/search/index.cfmωaction=details&id=3016162&code=14054A GBGM Phone: 212-870-3600 Strength for the Journey provides a retreat experience for persons living with HIV/AIDS at the retreat center at Buffalo Mountain, TN. The mission is to provide a safe, caring, and healing community for those living with HIV/AIDS by offering an opportunity for spiritual and emotional growth in a supportive and nurturing environment. Holston Conference Camp and Retreat Ministries sponsors the “Strength for The Journey” retreat with additional support provided by businesses, churches and individuals. Scholarships are available for those in need so that no one will be kept away for lack of finances. Website: www.sftj.info Phone: 865-982-1273 Tabitha’s Table is a project started by Robertsville Baptist Church where singles or families may come on Monday evenings for a nutritional meal and fellowship. There is no sermon, questions, or charge for the meal, and transportation is arranged. Each week food is purchased, prepared, and served to 30-50 persons and taken to an additional 8 - 12 homebound adults. Tabitha’s Table is operated entirely by volunteers; therefore, helpers are always welcome. FUMC volunteers currently staff Tabitha’s Table the 4th Monday evening of each month.
Website: http://www.rbcor.org/ Phone: 865-483-1316, Fax: 865-482-5858 Ulster Project of Oak Ridge - Northern Ireland is dedicated to promoting friendships between Protestant and Catholic teenagers in Northern Ireland. They build tolerance and trust while living with families in Oak Ridge for a month and participate in fun activities, serious discussions, and worship services. We support this project by providing host families, building space for activities, and financial support.
Website: www.ulsterprojectortn.org/ Phone: 865-482-2205 United Methodist Committee On Relief (UMCOR) is the agency through which United Methodists may respond to needs at home and throughout the world. UMCOR regularly posts Advance Specials for immediate needs such as hurricane relief, and for long-term needs such as world hunger. Advance Specials allow directed giving to specific projects or needs. One hundred percent of the donated funds reach their target. UMCOR also funds church and community workers who are assigned to communities to manage and provide aid to those in need.
Website: gbgm-umc.org/umcor/emergency Phone: 800-554-8583 Vital Visions was founded on the belief that relationships between Christians, Muslims, and Jews present the greatest peacemaking challenge in the human family. It strongly believes that peace is possible when people learn about history, hear stories and meet each other face to face. These venues present unique opportunities for understanding. Vital Visions, which is international in scope, funds television and theatrical productions that explore the dynamics of faith and cultures. It conducts seminars and workshops that promote peacemaking, understanding, education and dialogue between Jews, Christians and Muslims. It also conducts events that help Americans understand religion and politics in the Middle East so that peaceful solutions may be found. Current projects involve work with at least 17 national religious leaders.
Website: http://www.vitalvisions.org/ Phone: 865-483-6823 Volunteers in Mission (UMVIM) In 1976, a special movement was organized in the Southeast called United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (UMVIM). This grassroots organization gives direction and impetus to the volunteer effort in the United Methodist Church worldwide. "Christian Love in Action" is the motto of UMVIM may serve locally in churches and communities; serve in annual conference projects such as community centers, children's centers, camps, and Vacation Bible Schools; or they may serve nationally or internationally, sometimes ecumenically, in projects such as construction, social outreach, or medical assistance. Persons may serve as an individual volunteer or as a member of a team.
Website: www.umvim.org Phone: 404-377-7424 Wesley Foundation - University of Tennessee-Knoxville Located at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, the UTK Wesley Foundation is the presence of the United Methodist Church on the college campus. It functions as any church does with weekly worship services, small group Bible studies, service projects, mission trips, and fellowship times. The spring 2006 semester featured two mission trips to Biloxi, Mississippi. In addition, it provides a residence program for eight United Methodist students and maintains a substantial facility for students to study, relax, and eat. The congregation consists of college students attending the University of Tennessee and surrounding schools. Many come from United Methodist churches and consider the Wesley Foundation their church during the college years.
Website: http://web.utk.edu/~wesfound/Wesley_Foundation/About_Us.html Phone: 865-522-2728, Fax: 865-524-4256 Wesley House Community Center offers faith-based comprehensive services and programs to “the working poor” in the Mechanicsville, Lonsdale, and Beaumont neighborhoods of inner-city Knoxville. Sixty-five children in grades 1-8 participate in an after-school program featuring devotions, tutoring, recreation, life skills, performing arts, cultural education, and leadership training. Staff members meet with families, teachers, principals, and other agencies to facilitate the children’s progress in school and life in general. The 2007 all-day summer enrichment program was so popular that 75 families had to be turned away due to the enrollment cap of 65 participants. In addition to children’s programs, Wesley House provides wellness services to senior citizens, Friday lunches and educational programs, weekly check-up phone calls, and/or medical house calls by an LPN. The holistic, Christian approach of Wesley House aims to change lives in these neighborhoods where 68 percent live at or below the poverty level.
Website: www.wesleyhouse.com Phone: 865-524-5494 Wesley Woods inspires children, youth and adults to live in a Christian community, grow as disciples of Jesus Christ, and experience adventure in the midst of God's wondrous creation. The Townsend, TN, camp offers summer camps and programs in Christian Education, Environmental Education, and Adventure Education all year long. The camp is open to school groups, church groups, Girl Scouts, and Boy Scouts who utilize the camp for retreats lasting a day, a weekend, or a week. One of the principle needs is scholarships for children who cannot afford to attend summer camps. Website: www.campwesleywoods.com/ Phone: 865-448-2246 Fax: 865-448-3904 Youth Mission Trip (FUMC) Our youth are involved in two major mission trips each year. One is a short-term project that is usually a local job that takes a weekend to complete. The other is a more extensive project that usually requires a week in length. The weeklong trip rotates between being local, regional, and international in nature. These trips are often limited to 15 youth and are intense work projects.
Website: www.fumcor.org/youth Phone: 865-483-4357, Fax: 865-483-9011 Angel Food Ministries is a food ministry that now serves thousands in 17 states. Kern UMC in Oak Ridge distributes food in Oak Ridge. This is a monthly program whereby persons can place an order and receive approximately $50 worth of nutritious food for $28. The food is preordered and then distributed, usually the fourth Saturday of each month. FUMC supports this program by supplying workers on the distribution days and sponsoring 15 families in the food program.
Advance Special is a mission approved by the General or Conference Board of Global Ministries and is supported with voluntary and designated gifts of individuals, families, groups, or an entire congregation. An appealing feature is the fact the total amount given goes to the cause designated.
Connectional Giving This is a specific portion of the FUMC budget called “our fair share” that goes to Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church each year. The determination of where the money goes is made at the Conference level. Approximately 30 % of this money is used for outreach mission projects. Emerging Issues is a FUMC budget item that makes discretionary funds available to the Mission Ministry Team so they can respond to immediate needs that come to their attention during the year. Examples are hurricane, tornado, or flood relief. The fund can also help meet special local needs which are beyond the capacity of the pastor's Community Aid Fund. The church is thus able to respond immediately to local, regional, or world calls for assistance in cases where there is not enough time to plan and execute a special offering.
General Board of Global Missions (GBGM) is the mission agency of the United Methodist Church. It is through this agency that short term or standard term (3 year) missionaries are sent throughout the world. They also provide many resources to the local congregation to promote missions in the local congregation.
Mission Emphasis Event The Mission Ministry Team plans and implements a special mission event to inform the FUMC congregation about the 90 or more projects that FUMC supports. Such an event may have speakers, displays, videos, samples of food of particular countries among the possibilities. Speakers often include missionaries on leave, clergy and lay persons who have had the experience of visiting and working among many of the world’s men, women, and children in need.
New World Outlook This is the mission magazine for the United Methodist Church. It helps the local members keep up on what the UMC is doing in mission throughout the world. This magazine is available in the FUMC library or by personal subscription.
Response This is the mission magazine for United Methodist Women. It features mission work and trends throughout the world. This magazine is available in the FUMC library or by subscription.
Sager Brown is the name of the United Methodist Committee on Relief depot in southern Louisiana where relief supplies collected by United Methodist Churches in the United States are sent to be distributed worldwide. Volunteers are always needed. Resource Center is the division of the United Methodist Church where local churches can order printed and multimedia resources to be used with the local congregation.
Short Term Mission Trip A mission trip undertaken by church members and friends that can be completed in one or two weeks.
Special Offering is directed to specific recipients designated yearly by the FUMC Mission Ministry Team. From time to time where there is an unforeseen or immediate need such as a tornado or other natural disaster, FUMC’s Mission Ministry Team may go directly to the congregation for an additional special offering.
Box Tops for Education FUMC with Church Women United save these for Plateau Home School, Lansing, TN. Please save the coupon that says Box Tops for Education found on many General Mills products. There is a list in the collection box at FUMC of the products which have the Box Tops symbol. Campbell Soup Labels and other labels, UPC symbols, etc. FUMC with Church Women United save these for Plateau Home School. Please save the UPC Label and the Campbell’s symbol beside it. Note: We no longer need to save the front part of the label. There is a list of the other product labels that can be turned in for education in the collection box at FUMC.
Prescription and Reading glasses Our FUMC Mission teams take these on our humanitarian trips.
Please bring the above items to FUMC. There are small chests with marked drawers near the “Collection Corner” at the FUMC Vienna Rd. entrance. Recycle Used Printer Cartridges This is a project of Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County in which FUMC participates. Please place your empty printer cartridges in the designated tub which is located in the hall on the way to the Multipurpose Room at FUMC. Contact the Mission Team for specifics.
Fellowship of the Least Coin is a worldwide fellowship of prayer. Women all over the world periodically give the least coin (pocket change) in a special offering that goes into a central world fund and from this fund grants are made to help alleviate poverty. This is a project of Church Women United. Contact UMW for specifics.
Blanket Sunday is a project of Church World Service whereby funds are collected for blankets to be distributed to those in need around the world. New and used blankets are collected and given to the Oak Ridge Ecumenical Storehouse for distribution to those in need in our community. Blanket Sunday is traditionally held in February when $5 sends the warmth of a blanket around the world. Contact UMW for specifics.
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First United Methodist Church 1350 Oak Ridge Turnpike Oak Ridge, TN 37830 865-483-4357 Powered by E-zekiel