Outreach at First of Weatherford
Threads of Love - a sewing ministry that makes burial gowns, blankets, booties, hats, day gowns, sleepy vests, positioning aids, Lovie Dolls, miscarriage wrappers, etc., for premie babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. We service John Peter Smith Hospital in Ft. Worth. The items are assembled into packages and a prayer card is included with each item or package given. Our goal is not to just dress babies, but to use the clothes made as a tool for reaching parents and families at a time in their lives when they need to be reassured that God is there and that He is always faithful. We made over 1500 items and delivered them to the hospital in 2009.
Center of Hope - Quarterly we prepare and serve meals at the Center of Hope. We serve 300 to 400 meals in a 4 day time period each quarter. We have 30-35 people involved in this ministry during the week as they prepare and serve the meals to the clients of Center of Hope. With each meal served, we sit down and talk with the client about their needs and prayer requests. We pray with them and share Jesus with them. By the time the client leaves, it is our goal to share with them how special they are to God and us.
Support of Missionaries - We send money to William and Jerri Savuto who are United Methodist Missionaries at the Maua Hospital, Maua, Kenya, as they minister to the people there.
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Operation Christmas Child Boxes - In October, the congregation of FUMC fills shoe boxes with toys, hygiene items, t-shirts, shoes, candy, etc., and a hand written note to the child who will receive the box. Our children and Youth have a "filling party" time when they fill several boxes. All the boxes are then placed on the altar in our sanctuary and prayed over on the Sunday before they are sent to children all over the world.
Mission of the Month - Each month we have a special mission emphasis. Sometimes the mission is local and sometimes it involves another mission area. When the mission is introduced to the congregation, they are given an explanation of the mission and told what the needs are (ex. money, specific items, volunteers, etc.) Some Mission of the Month have been:
- Collection of non-perishable food items for Center of Hope, Manna, and the Weatherford Senior Center. Each of these organizations give groceries to those in need.
- Habitat for Humanity - helping to build a house in Weatherford by supplying money and labor.
- Grace House Pregnancy Center - collecting of diapers, baby hygiene items, baby bath towels and wash cloths, and baby clothes to be given to those in need.
- Child Protective Services - collection of school supplies, clothing, car seats, toys, etc. for the case workers to have for the children coming into CPS care.
United Methodist Women mission project for the year. Sometimes this means providing items for layette kits that were sent to Sager Brown, a distribution center in Louisiana, and then sent on to disaster areas around the world. Other times we have collected, baby formula, school and art supplies, and paper goods for the United Community Centers in Ft. Worth.
Items collected and mailed to soldiers in Afghanistan that were given to the Afghan children as the soldiers go on their "Good Will" missions. We collected crayons, pencils, pens, coloring books, volley balls and soccer balls (deflated and with needles and air pumps), candy and small stuffed animals. The soldiers told us that these things make a true difference as the soldiers continue to win the hearts and minds of the next generation of Afghan adults.
UMCOR Flood buckets and Health Kits - We collected money for and assembled these kits. The flood buckets are sent to disaster areas and the Health Kits were sent to Haiti.
Kids Against Hunger - we raised money and prepared nutritional rice packets that are sent around the world to help eradicate child hunger.
Heifer International - This was the mission project for our Vacation Bible School. The children and the congregation raised money to provide animals (and education on how to care for and use the by products of the animal) to people all over the world so that they can become self-sufficient.
Throws for the Nursing Homes - we collected throws for the residents in the nursing homes in Weatherford, who were in need of them.
Providing New School Clothes to children in Weatherford who would not have them. We get the names and sizes for local children who's parents can not afford new clothes. Families in the church then buy new pants, shirts, underwear, socks and shoes for them. Each child ends up with 4 or 5 complete new outfits and two pairs of shoes, so that they too can start school with brand new clothing.
Angel Tree Prison Fellowship - We provided toys at Christmas for twenty children in the Weatherford area who have an incarcerated parent.