Mission Cafe May 31

Our Mission focus at this Cafe is Grandparents Raising Grandchildren.  We are hoping to raise $150 during our Mission Cafe to create a scholarship so families in this program can participate in the annual summer camp held at Camp Calvin called Camp Remix.

At Fayetteville First UMC we strive to follow the example of Jesus in ministering to both our family of faith and the community abroad.  The foundation of Methodism was based on creating a community of believers that gather together to bring about social action.  Here at Fayetteville First UMC, we accomplish this goal in so many ways.  We gather together to visit our home bound members; we gather used cell phones for troops overseas; we make and deliver lunch to children in need over the summer; we raise money to buy gifts for foster children at Christmas.  Our congregation and the small groups within this church touch the lives of our neighbors as well as those in need thousands of miles away in Africa and Haiti.

In 2009 our congregation touched the lives of hundreds with our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness.  Our congregation and small groups raised and donated more than $50,000 to the following projects: 
Africa Amani ya Juu, Belize Trip (Youth Mission Trip), Blood Drive, Bric A Brac, Christian City, Christmas Pageant, Craddock Center, CORE, DART (Drug and Alcohol Rehab Treatment), DFCS Angel Tree, DFCS Easter Baskets, DFCS Shoebox Ministry, Family Support Project, Fayette Intermediate, Fayette Samaritans, Fayette Thrift Shop , Fayette Youth Protection Home, Flood Buckets through the N. Georgia Conference of the UMC, Friday Johnson Home (mentor/meals), Gracie’s Closet, Great Day of Service, Handy Helpers, Heifer International, Honor Flight Foundation, Joseph Sams School, LaFayette & Dogwood Forest Nursing Homes, Lenten Lunches, Lumier Medical Ministries (Haiti), Meals on Wheels, Phone Card Drive, Pregnancy Resource Center, Project Hope, Promise Place, Square Foot Ministry, Southland Nursing Home, Southwest Christian Hospice, Summer Sack Lunch Program (joint effort w/ 5 other organizations in our community), United Methodist Children’s Home, United Methodist Committee on Relief, and Victims of Domestic Violence.  While several of these projects are coordinated through the Mission Council, Fayetteville First UMC’s small groups have taken an enormous initiative in organizing the vast majority of these projects!

Click on the underlined projects to find out how you can join our efforts in ministering to our community and abroad.  If you are interested in participating in a project not highlighted, please contact the Mission Lay Leader, Lindsay Blythe or our Director of Missions and Adults 50+, Laura Cox for more information on how to become more involved.

Local Mission Efforts

Handy Helper
We are a service ministry helping those who need assistance with various odd jobs around the house.  All Handy Helpers are Fayetteville First United Methodist Church volunteers – let us know your area of interest and we will put you to work!

Mission Café
We meet and raise money to support various mission projects on the 5th Sundays.  We sell donuts, coffee, tea, and various baked goods (donated by our congregation) in an effort to raise money and participate in God’s fellowship before and after each of our 3 Sunday services in the Family Life Center.  In addition, Joan Aycock sells handmade jewelry and accessories from Haiti and Africa in an effort to support disabled women in making a contribution to their community.  Come by for some fresh brewed coffee, great conversation, and affordable fashion!

Fayette Samaritans Food Pantry
Fayetteville First collects donations to support Fayette Samaritan Food Pantry on a yearly basis.  In April and October, we make an effort to stock their pantry with their updated grocery list based on the needs at that time. Please check out their website for more information on what to donate and leave your donations in a number of marked bins for collection at the church.

Sack Lunch Program
During the school year, a growing number of children use the free lunch program.  During their 10-week summer break, we coordinate with 4 other faith based organizations to deliver a well balanced meal to the children’s home for lunch.  This year our efforts will began on June 1 and continued through August 7.  In years past, it costs about $2300 (for our church alone) and requires the effort of more than 20 people per week to provide these meals – if you would like to volunteer your time washing fruit, making cookies, putting lunches together, or delivering the meals, please contact Lindsay Blythe or Laura Cox.  If you would like to make a donation to the program, please contact Joyce Mucha.

Angel Tree
In the four weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas we focus our efforts on supporting children in need.  Through a joint effort with the Division of Family and Child Services (DFCS) and Fayette Youth Protection Home (FYPH), we attempt to bring Christmas to a group of foster children.  Many of our congregation members and small groups “adopt” a child or family of children and purchase clothes and toys to be delivered for Christmas.  If you are interested in adopting a child for Christmas, look for the Angel Tree adoption book in the Family Life Center after Thanksgiving.

Foster Family Christmas Party – Sunday, December 14
On Sunday, December 14, we will host a Christmas Party for the children up for “adoption” through our Angel Tree program.  We invite each of the foster families to bring the children to our church for food, games, crafts, singing, and pictures made with Santa.  Each child is also presented with one gift ($10) from Santa Claus.  The party allows the children and the foster families to directly feel the support of our church and remember the “reason for the season”, as well as gives our members the chance to meet these children and shower them with the love of Jesus.  We have dozens of volunteers to help put the party together and we begin collecting $15 cash donations to purchase the gifts for the children after Thanksgiving.  If you would like to make a cash donation or volunteer your time or services to the party, please look for more information in the Family Life Center after Thanksgiving.

Great Day of Service
This annual church-wide mission project began several years ago and is an opportunity for all church members to be involved in service to the citizens of Fayette County.

Global Mission Opportunities

Among the financial contributions we make to the organizations below, Fayetteville First UMC sent a mission team of adults to Cuba in January of 2008 as well as a group of adults and youth to Belize in July of 2008.  Everyone thoroughly enjoyed their eye opening experiences and look forward to making additional impacts abroad in the future.

Lumiere Medical Ministries
Lumiere Medical Ministries is a non-denominational, non-profit mission working in partnership with Haitian churches and organizations to serve the health needs of the Haitian people in the name of Jesus Christ. Lumiere provides financial assistance, long-term missionaries, procurement of supplies and equipment, and a regular rotation of expatriate doctors, nurses and technicians who work in Haiti for varying periods of time. The ministry's Advantage Program provides assistance to persons with physical disabilities through a rehabilitation clinic & brace shop, a vocational training program for young women with physical disabilities and a school sponsorship program. For more information, contact Lumiere Medical Ministries at (704) 823-0271 or visit their website at www.lovetheycanfeel.org.

Church Funded Missions

Several members of our congregation have taken their heart's missions and turned them into bricks and mortar organizations within the community.  Our church congregation continues to support them and their outstanding impact on our community.

Square Foot Ministries
Square Foot Ministry is a Christian based home repair and construction ministry located in Fayette County, Georgia. Their goal is to serve the Lord our God through serving those in need. The Board of Directors, friends, and volunteers come from all denominations of faith and walks of life.  Square Foot Ministry provides an opportunity for people to put their faith and love into action. Diverse groups of people work together to make affordable housing and better communities a reality for everyone, creating a community where bonds between individuals can grow. They work to identify families and non-profit organizations that can benefit from their ministry. When a need is identified they formulate a plan to meet that need through the combined efforts of their members, local churches and volunteers in the area. The goal is to employ God's gifts of resources, talents, and wisdom for the purpose of providing shelter and home repairs for the needy in Fayette County and surrounding areas.

For more information, e-mail: sfm@squarefootministry.com.

Fayette Youth Protection Home
Fayette Youth Protection Homes is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to providing a safe, nurturing environment and supportive services to children and youth who have been the victims of abuse, neglect or other tragic family circumstance.  In 1986, a group of Fayette County citizens recognized the need for children to have a safe place protected from abuse and neglect and formed Fayette Youth Protection Home, Inc. FYPH built and opened the Jim Friday Home in North Fayette County in August, 1989. FYPH contracted with Georgia Baptist Children’s Homes to provide the clinical services and staff for the children. A second facility, the Asden Johnson Home located in Brooks, GA, opened in August, 1998. In July of 2005, the two homes were consolidated into one home, the newly-named and renovated Friday-Johnson Home in Brooks. FYPH offers several services to these in-need children including: Grace for Children - placement of children ages birth through 21 into loving private foster care homes; Friday-Johnson Home - a residential group home located in Brooks, GA, school-age children receive protection and healing through a structured and homelike environment, comprehensive services, and most importantly, lots of hugs; and Gracie’s Closet - Fayette County foster children shop for clothing, baby gear, books, and school supplies all at the low, low price of nothing!  For more information, visit their website at www.fyph.org.

Southwest Christian Hospice
Southwest Christian Care serves the metro Atlanta area and is dedicated to providing the highest quality care and support for terminally ill patients, children with special needs, seniors and their families.  Their services are provided at no cost to the patients or their families.  For more information on Southwest Christian Hospice, visit their website at www.swchristiancare.org.

Promise Place
Promise Place [formerly known as The Fayette County Council on Domestic Violence] was established in 1989 as a private nonprofit organization to serve domestic violence victims and their families in the Griffin Judicial circuit, which include Fayette, Spalding, Pike, and Upson Counties. They are a non-governmental agency and is the sole provider of comprehensive services to adult victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse.  In just fifteen years Promise Place has grown from a small, grassroots organization to an active, community recognized agency with 5 paid staff members and over 50 active volunteers.  They promise to provide: counseling, a 24-hour hotline, case management, community outreach, children's counseling, a transitional residence, date violence education, legal advocacy and assistance, domestic violence response team, emergency food and transportation, group counseling for victims and abusers, and individual counseling for victims & abusers.  For more information, visit their website at www.promiseplace.org.

Safe House Ministries
SafeHouse Outreach is an urban outreach committed to affecting real change in the lives of those in the margins of society, by providing a hand up, not just a hand out.  They provide practical, emotional, and physical assistance to those living in the margins, and help integrate them back into society – to lead healthy, functional lives.  For more information, visit their website at www.safehouseoutreach.org.

United Methodist Connectional Missions

United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR)
To aid in extending Christ's love, United Methodists have established the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) as a channel for sharing the compassion of their Lord wherever God's people are in need. Today, UMCOR's ministries — aiding refugees, providing relief in disaster areas, and confronting the challenge of world hunger and poverty — are helping to heal the hurts of humanity in more than 100 countries. UMCOR maintains a corps of trained disaster response specialists for quick reinforcement of local efforts, and it keeps a supply of relief materials in warehouses for dispatch when and where required. When a disaster strikes, United Methodists start asking what they can do to help. UMCOR responds by using its experience to show local churches and annual conferences how they can get involved in the most constructive way and by reinforcing local relief efforts with resources provided by the whole church. For more information on getting involved, please visit the UMCOR website at www.gbgm-umc.org/umcor.

United Methodist Children's Home
The mission of The United Methodist Children's Home is to serve the needs of children and their families in crisis. An agency of the United Methodist Church's North Georgia Conference, the Children's Home is dedicated to meeting needs with love, concern, and a high level of professional and administrative competence. Their services are family-centered, reality-based, and goal oriented. Services are provided at the Columbia Drive campus, in off-campus foster care, and throughout North Georgia from satellite offices. The Children's Home is committed to growth in the number of people served and continued improvement of services offered. They also seek to develop new approaches to meet needs. You can get more information at their website www.umchildrenshome.org or call 404-327-5820.