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CUMC's World
Missions and Community Outreach Programs
The church actively supports a large number of world mission and community
outreach programs on a regular basis, as well as providing support for
emergency relief and special needs. To learn about these
programs, click on the following links, or simply scroll through the items
that follow. The church organizations that sponsor a program are shown
in italics at the end of each program description.
Additional information about our long-standing commitment to mission and
community service can be found by linking to 100 Years
of Community and reading the articles.
The Community Resource List provides phone numbers
for numerous help-line assistance groups and organizations within the community.
After School Program at The Cove
Launched in April 2005 The Cove is an after school drop-in center
for students in Grades 6-8. Its purpose is to provide a safe, supervised,
and enriching environment for students whose parents may not be at home when
school is dismissed. A part-time employee of the church provides daily
supervision, while church volunteers assist in activities and supervise a
homework area. There, students may complete work without distractions and
may use computers for the purpose of word processing and research (using
Encarta, World Book, etc.) Available activities include crafts,
chess, board games, ping pong, and video games. The Cove
is open every school day and welcomes all middle school students.
After-school Task Force
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Bargain Box
On the first Sunday of each month clothing and household items are collected
and taken to the Bargain Box. Clients from Interval House
Project Self
Sufficiency are able to go there and get suitable clothing for employment.
Church & Society Committee Back to Top
Beach Cities Interfaith Services (BCIS)
BCIS, formerly ESA then IURD, is a non-profit human
services organization. The mission of BCIS is to prevent homelessness
and decrease the human suffering of underserved individuals and families in
our community. BCIS provides groceries, assistance with payment of
utility bills, used clothing, hygiene products, job listings (use of the
internet to assist with job search and resume writing), vocational
counseling and linkage to other community resources.
BCIS also receives donated “new” toys and other holiday
items which are given to parents of needy families to be given to their
children for Christmas along with food baskets. An “Angel Store” is
set up at BCIS a few weeks prior to Christmas and families then can make an
appointment to “shop for their children”.
They also sponsor a literacy program called “Cuddle up
and Read”. Once a month, volunteers read to 2nd graders at
Oak View Elementary in Huntington Beach and, four times a year, distribute
stuffed animals and a book for each child attending these classes.
CUMC makes an annual financial gift and collects children’s toys for BCIS, in early
December. A large box is placed in the narthex for church members to
deposit their gifts. A Church and Society team member sits on BCIS's
advisory board.
BCIS is located at: Main Street
Library
525 Main Street
Huntington Beach, CA 92648
714-969-4462
Hours Tues – Friday 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Program Director is: Carol Sneary
BCISHB@surfside.net
Website:
http://www.bcis-hb.org
Church & Society Committee
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Blood Drives
ONE HOUR OF YOUR LIFE CAN MEAN A LIFETIME TO SOMEONE ELSE -- BE A DONOR!
At any moment, any one of us, or someone we love, can be in
need of a life saving blood donation. Statistics show that 75% of the
population will receive blood at some point in their life. In order for
supplies to be available for us, we must make sure that they are available
for others.
For this reason, our church, in conjunction with the American Red Cross, has
sponsored two blood drives each year for the past several years. In 2005,
we added a third drive. Dates for the blood drives, generally held in
January, May, and September, are announced well
ahead of schedule in the Announcements and
Chimes. Generally, scheduling begins
about 6 weeks before the event, with a table set up in the patio between and
after services for signups. Also, appointments may be scheduled by calling the
church office (714-842-4461) or by registering on-line at
www.givelife.org and entering the
sponsor code (unitedmethodist1). To
donate blood, one must be at least 17 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds,
and be in good general health.
Walk-ins are always welcome, and childcare is provided upon request.
The blood drives
take place in Moore Hall. We usually collect 40-45 units. Our goal is to
increase our output to 50 units per drive.
Church &
Society Committee
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Bus Tokens
When
funds are available, packets of
one-day bus passes are
purchased and provided to the church office where they are distributed to
those in need of local transportation.
Church & Society Committee
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Camp Scholarships
Each year the church provides qualifying youth with full or partial "camperships" to attend
an elementary, junior high or senior high summer camp.
Christian.Education.Team
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Community Resource List
The Community Resource List provides phone numbers for
numerous help-line assistance groups and organizations within the
community. Annually, we update the list and provide it to CUMC-HB members
and the Nursery School.
Church & Society Committee
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Conference Benevolences
For many years, the church has met it's annual commitment of giving
approximately $90,000 to the United Methodist Church Conference. That
sum is pooled with funds from all the 35,784 United Methodist Churches and
from 905,770 United Methodist Women members. Among other things, that
pool helps support 1,812 mission personnel, 102 United Methodist-related
community centers and mission colleges, 225 retirement homes, 70 hospitals
and health care facilities, 82 four-year colleges, 10 universities, and 13
schools of theology.
All Church
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Emergency Relief and Special Needs
On special occasions during every year CUMC, together with the wider United
Methodist Church, asks for special offerings for particular ministries of
the wider church. These include:
Ø
"One Great Hour of Sharing," to support the ongoing work of the United
Methodist
Commission
on Relief, our emergency response agency,
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"Human Relations Day," to support scholarships and community centers,
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"United Methodist Student Day," to support scholarships,
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"Golden Cross Sunday",: to support clinics and medical programs, and
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Special emergency offerings for disaster-response.
All Church
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Eye Glass Collection
A box is provided in the church office for collection of used eye glasses
which are periodically
picked up by a Lion's Club
volunteer for recycling of frames.
Church & Society Committee
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Facility Usage
For many years, CUMC has provided space for non-profit groups to hold
meetings. These groups include Alcoholics Anonymous, Alanon,
Overeaters Anonymous, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Daughters of the American
Revolution and others.
All Church
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First-time Visitor Program
The sooner someone from our church meets with a first-time visitor, the more
likely it is that the visitor will return. CUMC has a visitation program in
which a two-member team checks the sign-in pads for "first time visitors"
immediately after the second Sunday service. The team then makes a brief,
same-day door-step visit to thank them for visiting CUMC. As a “Thank you!”
gift, they are given a small loaf of banana bread inside a CUMC mug. The
team answers any questions the visitor has and then departs, leaving a "look
forward to seeing you next Sunday!" message.
Outreach Committee
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Food Closet
 CUMC-HB
supports an on-campus Food Closet which assists close to 100 individuals and
families-in-need with basic necessities, enough for a few days each
month. This service is made possible solely through the generous donations
of food, time and resources given by the congregation and local Scout
troops. The Food Closet is open every Friday from noon - 2pm. For
information about receiving food or becoming a Food Closet Volunteer, please
contact the church office.
Food Closet Task Force
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Global Ministries - United Methodist Women - Women's Division
Our United Methodist Women (UMW) directly support the Global
Ministries Women's Division Program Areas of the The United
Methodist Church. The Women’s Division is actively engaged in fulfilling the
mission of Christ and the church and in interpreting the purpose of United
Methodist Women. The division advocates for the oppressed and dispossessed,
with special attention to the needs of women, youth and children.
United Methodist Women
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Habitat for Humanity
 We organize one or two Saturday work parties
per year to assist Habitat for Humanity of Orange County at construction
sites in the Huntington Beach and surrounding areas. We typically
supply 15 volunteers to paint, roof, side, drywall, trench, and perform
other work as directed by Habitat construction leads. A number of
members of our congregation have become dedicated Habitat for Humanity
construction leads who volunteer numerous weekends per year.
One fall Sunday per year, following each of our morning worship services, we
sell Habitat merchandise to raise funds. Items for sale include
shirts, Christmas pins, mugs, cards, mouse pads, and large appliance
donation cards.
Church & Society Committee
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Heifer Project International
In the Fall of each year since 1995 the church has devoted one Sunday to
allow members and friends to support the work of
Heifer International. This
organization does so much more than simply put food in the mouths of hungry
people. Heifer helps people, the "project partners," to learn to feed
themselves using indigenous animal species ranging from bees to water
buffalo. The goal of every Heifer project is sustainability – project
partners achieving self-reliance. And year after year, as partner families
“pass on the gift” of knowledge and one or more of their animals’ offspring
to others in need, they become links in a network of hope, dignity and
self-reliance that helps hundreds of others care for themselves.
Missions Commission
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Holiday Philanthropy
During the holiday season, Christmas presents are collected and
delivered to two different philanthropies:
1) Children's toys go to Beach Cities Interfaith Council in Huntington Beach
(was IURD);
2) Gifts for teenagers go to the Orange County Adoption Unit and gifts for seniors go to Senior Santas and Friends at Orange County Social
Services.
Gifts are collected in a box in the narthex starting the Sunday after
Thanksgiving and continuing through the second or third Sunday in December.
Volunteers separate and bag the gifts and deliver them to the different
charities.
Church & Society Committee
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National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Orange County
NAMIOC is a support group involving individuals needing
help, families,
and health care professionals. CUMC's Church and Society Committee
supports NAMIOC by publishing local education meetings from September
through June. During the month of May, a table with information about
mental illness and supports groups is available regarding mental illness.
Also, CUMC has generously given donations of clothing, shoes, and other
items to NAMIOC and Mental Health Association of Orange County to assist
the needy.
For mental health emergencies, call 911. The
closest Adult Mental Health Orange County Outpatient Clinic is in
Westminster (714-896-7566). The mission of NAMIOC is to provide
emotional support, education, and resources for families and individuals
affected by mental illness. There are several NAMIOC programs that are
free to the public:
Stigma Elimination Campaign. This provides information and
public presentations to communicate education and information that addresses
the misconceptions about mental illness and the attitudes that cause stigma.
School Outreach Program. Trained family volunteers provide
lessons in schools to help students, parents and teachers identify the
symptoms and treatments of mental illnesses and their impact on society.
Basics Program. This is taught by trained volunteers in a 6
week course designed to foster learning, healing and empowerment among
families of children and adolescents with emotional/mental/neurobiological
disorders. Mano a Mano. This is very similar to the Basics Program but is a
9 week course and is offered in Spanish only.
Providers Education Course. This is taught by trained
consumers, family members and a mental health professional. It is a 10 week
course for mental health professionals designed to foster recovery by
leading providers to a better understanding of the lived experience of
mental illness.
Family to Family Education Program. This is taught by trained
volunteers in a 12 week course for families of individuals with serious
mental illness. This course provides knowledge of the illness and required
coping skills to facilitate the treatment process and contribute to their
loved one’s return to health. This course is also available in Spanish.
In our Own Voice. Presentations by those who are recovering
from mental illness are designed to raise awareness and reduce stigma by
providing a dialogue on the issues related to recovery from severe mental
illness.
Peer to Peer. This is taught by trained “mentors”, or peer
teachers, who are themselves experienced at living well with mental illness.
It is a 9 week experiential course on recovery for any person with mental
illness.
FaithNet. It is a religious outreach program which educates
clergy and congregations about mental illness to reduce stigma and
misconceptions which prevail in the faith community.
Church & Society Committee
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Orange County Social Services Adoption Unit
CUMC holds two collection drives each year to provide needed items to
children, in the social service system, who are awaiting adoption or were
newly adopted.
Our congregation has generously provided
furniture, appliances, household items, “gently used” children’s clothing,
car seats, and strollers, etc., to the foster and adopting families, but the
largest number of gifts go directly to the children from the social workers
on special occasions such as birthdays, and the celebrations of final
adoption. Coloring books and crayons, toys, dolls, and stuffed animals are
most wanted, but in December board games, sports balls, puzzles, and items
for teen-agers are added to the “wish lists.”
The two collection dates are scheduled in early spring
and early autumn for receiving donations on the patio on Sundays. However,
donations can be taken to the church office during working hours at any time
of the year. Holiday gifts are also shared with the Adoption Unit social
workers.
Church & Society Committee
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Pastor's Discretionary Fund
The senior pastor's discretionary fund is a limited-sum budget, used for
emergency aid to CUMC's own members.
Pastor Back to Top
Project Self Sufficiency
Our United Methodist Women (UMW) actively support a local community
self-help program known as Project
Self-Sufficiency. This
program assists low-income, single parents in achieving economic
independence from governmental assistance through a network of community and
county services. It is coordinated through the City of Huntington Beach
Community Services Department and both public and private agencies are
involved in the program. The public sector, involved through the Project
Self-Sufficiency Task Force/Single Parent Network of Orange County,
coordinates access to resources, such as housing subsidies, child care,
education, job training and a variety of other benefits. The private sector
is involved through the Project Self-Sufficiency Foundation, a nonprofit
organization with non-profit 501(c)3 status. The purpose of the foundation
is to raise funding for child care, transportation, tuition, job training,
and other needed services. Rental assistance is provided through the Orange
County Community Housing Corporation (OCCHC), while job training and
educational resources are provided by a variety of public and private
entities. Project Self-Sufficiency began in 1985, when the City of
Huntington Beach participated in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development’s national Project Self-Sufficiency Program. Since then, the
Huntington Beach program has gained national recognition as one of the best
in the country.
United Methodist Women
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Scholarships for Ministry Students
Write-up in preparation.
United Methodist Women Back to Top
Scouting Programs
The Boy Scouts of America and Girl Scouts of the USA are two of the nation's
largest and most prominent values-based youth development organizations.
These organizations, in partnership with committed adult volunteers, provide
proven programs for young people that build character, develop personal
qualities and social conscience, encourage a strong sense of personal worth
and self-esteem, and that train them in the responsibilities of leadership
and participative citizenship. CUMC provides organizational support and
meeting facilities for several local scouting groups.
Scouting Team
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Self-Help Interfaith Program (SHIP)
This is an ecumenical program supported by about 20 churches in
northwest Orange County which provides year-round shelter, food, and
counseling for homeless persons. The program affords those individuals the
opportunity to find employment and save enough money to rent their own place
to live. Twice each year, for a two-week period, CUMC offers six to eight
homeless guests temporary sleeping quarters (in Moore Hall) and provides
breakfast, a self-prepared sack lunch, and a hot dinner. Specific help
opportunities for church members include providing, preparing or serving
meals, supplying paper goods, set up and take-down before and after the
two-week stay, staying overnight, joining the guests for their evening meal,
kitchen cleanup after guests leave for their next host-church, or
volunteering as a Personal Advisor. For more information please visit the SHIP
web site.
Missions Committee Back to Top
Shoes
for Students
Periodically the church
collects and delivers new and gently-used men’s shoes to students at the Union Theological Seminary in the
Philippines.
Missions Committee Back to Top
Shower
Ministry
For three weekdays each week the church
opens its men's and women's showers to homeless persons who have no regular
access shower facilities. Towels,
bath soap, shampoo and conditioner samplers are furnished, and volunteers
launder the towels and washcloths.
All Church Back to Top
Southwest Community Center
Headquartered in the local community of Santa Ana, the Southwest
Community Center provides food, clothing, shelter, guidance,
health, and referral services to economically disadvantaged individuals and
families, and assists and encourages those whom they serve to achieve
self-sufficiency. CUMC's United Methodist Women (UMW) and Missions
Commission join with several other area churches to actively support SWCC,
including meals and financial aid.
United Methodist Women, Missions Commission
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Summer Choir School
Open to all CUMC and community children in grades 4 through 8, this
week-long Monday-to-Friday summer experience teaches the children the
fundamentals of vocal and instrumental music, and the role of music in
worship. On Sunday during the regular worship services the children have
an opportunity to participate in worship and share what they have learned.
Check the June and July CHIMES
newsletters and the Weekly
Calendar for
schedule details. Registration forms are available July 1.
Music Ministry
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Third World Handarts
Third World Handarts is non-profit marketing resource for
impoverished artisans and craftsmen and craftswomen worldwide. Each Fall, in
conjunction with Heifer
Project International, the
church hosts representatives who provide an opportunity for members and
friends to purchase unique and beautifully-crafted gifts and keepsakes for
all occasions. The proceeds from these product sales contribute to our world
outreach giving.
Mission Committee
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Toberman Neighborhood Center
Formerly the “Toberman Settlement House,” this non-profit facility has
supported the Los Angeles-county community of San Pedro since its founding
in 1903 by providing real-life opportunities and educational capacity to
achieve moral, spiritual and financial independence. Programs include gang
intervention and prevention, domestic violence counseling, financial
literacy, state-licensed child-care, a senior center, a thrift shop and many
others. The facility was recently honored as United Way’s “Non-profit
Organization of the Year.” Our United Methodist Women (UMW) unit provides
regular support for the activities of this organization. Please visit
www.toberman.org for
more information.
United Methodist Women Back to Top
United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR)
The church supports UMCOR by providing donations to on-going and emergency
relief projects, as well as participating in UMCOR sponsored projects.
Equal Exchange Coffee Project - CUMC-HB has joined the UMCOR
Coffee Project. We now purchase the coffee, used on Sunday morning, by
UMW, at Wednesday Night Supper, and at other church functions, through a
fair trade organization called Equal Exchange. For each case of coffee
purchased, Equal Exchange makes a contribution to UMCOR programs that
support community based co-operatives in coffee growing regions. Equal
Exchange was founded in 1986 to create a new approach to trade.
Consumers are offered fairly traded coffee direct from small-scale farmer
co-ops in Latin America, Africa, and Asia.
Equal Exchange is committed
to:
- pay fair price for coffee,
- work with co-operatives that are owned and governed
by the farmers,
- to offer credit farmers can afford,
- encourage ecologically sustainable farming practices.
Over 700 Methodist Churches, as well as other denominations, support this
project.
To learn more about Equal Exchange, go to
www.equalexchange.com/interfaith
Tsunami Relief - CUMC-HB collected and donated over
$7,000 for aid to Tsunami victims.
All Church
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Vacation Bible School
Each summer, usually during the month of August, staff and volunteers devote
their time and talents to offer a Vacation Bible School (VBS) experience to
the children of the church and surrounding community. The VBS activities are
scheduled Monday through Friday during the morning hours. While the theme
changes each year, there are always games, food, fellowship, music and a
Christian message of God's love for everyone. During worship services on the
following Sunday the children share some of the music they learned during
the week. Beginning in June, you can check
the CHIMES newsletter
or call the church office for details.
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World Missions (Missionary Support)
"Missionary" is one of the oldest and most honored offices of the Christian
church, with origins in the New Testament. The letters of Paul are those of
a missionary called and commissioned to Jesus Christ. Missionaries witness
and serve in dramatically different locales and cultures and engage in a
range of professions and activities. They come from many places and
backgrounds. Missionaries are a tangible connection between the church and
mission. Our church currently supports Terry & Muriel Henderson
serving in Mexico, David & Lorene Person serving in the Congo, and Joseph
and Lydia Templeton serving in the Los Angeles inner-city.
Missions Commission
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Youth Mission Projects
Each summer our senior high school youth and young adults participate in
life-changing experiences through acts of service to others. These projects
afford an opportunity to work on projects in remote communities which can
demonstrate the profound power of serving people whose life circumstances
are significantly different from our own.
Gulf Coast Katrina Recovery – This week-long work team
project directly helps families in the Gulf-coast states of Louisiana and
Mississippi to recover from the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina in
2005. Arranged by local
Mississippi Annual Conference United
Methodist coordinators, projects can include debris collection and removal,
rough carpentry, dry-wall installation, painting, roof repairs, and so
forth. The work teams are housed and fed at local United Methodist Church
facilities which were modified to accommodate large groups of volunteers.
Work days begin and end with a brief worship experience. Since Katrina, over
65,000 United Methodists have joined work teams … and the work continues.
Sierra Service Project (SSP) – Begun in 1975 by a group of United Methodist ministers, SSP is an
independent non-profit organization providing opportunities for service
repairing the homes of Native Americans. Each summer the program draws
approximately 1,200 teenagers, 250 adult volunteers and 36 paid summer staff
from many Protestant churches who live, worship and work together at a
number of different project sites. These dedicated souls spend time on a
Native American reservation doing a variety of home repairs, from fixing (or
sometimes installing) roofs to building porches and stairs, from installing
plumbing to building wheelchair ramps. Each house is unique. SSP
believes that young people develop a strong and deep understanding of God's
gifts and God's grace through the direct experience of being in service to
others. Want to learn more? Please visit the Sierra
Service Project website.
Youth Group, All Church
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