Outreach is our faith in action, living out Christ’s love beyond our church walls.
This ministry expresses our love and concern through focused action consistent with United Methodist Social Principles, reaching out in God’s love to those in need. A variety of outreach projects provide opportunities for compassionate service at the same time nourishing our Christian connections and relationships: Sunday suppers, CWS Crop Walk, refugee ministies, JFON, New Hope Food Pantry, Kids Above All, Avenues To Independence, Faith In Place Winter Farmers Market, and more.
Opportunities for Outreach Ministry include:
New Hope Community Food Pantry We collect and distribute food items as a part of this Chicago site’s community services. Groceries are collected and delivered once a month to support the pantry.
Crop Hunger Walk A community wide event that brings awareness to the issue of local and world hunger, it is coordinated with other area churches and held in October. Proceeds benefit Church World Service and our local Maine Township Emergency Food Pantry.
The Giving Tree Christmas gifts for children, new winter protective clothing, gift cards and cash donations afford our congregation the opportunity to share generously with the children and families served by Kids Above All and other helping organizations in the Chicagoland area..
Sunday Suppers First UMC partners with local churches and other community organizations in providing a meal on Sunday evenings for the hungry. Meals are served at Park Ridge Presbyterian Church, September through May.
Exodus World Service Refugee Ministries Bi-annual Welcome to America Pack of household items for a recently resettled refugee family in the city of Chicago, language and citizenship tutoring, baby care packs and advocacy.
Kids Above All Back Pack and School Supplies Drive, Christmas Gifts and 5th Sunday appeal financial giving, prayer and support through Outreach and United Methodist Women. “Since 1894, Kids Above All has placed the safety, well-being and education of all kids above everything else, building better lives for more than 150,000 impoverished children and families in the Chicago area. Though Kids Above All’s programs and services have evolved over time to meet our clients’ ever-changing needs, our 125-year-old mission to protect, heal and educate our clients remains at the core of our work to stand up and step up for kids so they can rise up and achieve their full potential. kidsaboveall.org
Green Ministries We promote faithful stewardship of the earth through Green Ministries composed of the following: Monarch Butterfly Waystation, Axehead Lake Cleanup, Winter’s Farmers’ Market with Faith in Place, recycling throughout the church, reusable coffee cups and utensils for fellowship and community meals, reduction of paper usage, energy efficient lights and flower gardens for church and community wellbeing, advocacy and promotion of faithful environmentalism.
Special Giving Holidays and 5th Sundays allow for dedicated financial giving towards mission projects and ministry partners. Donations for Mother’s & Father’s Days and 5th Sundays are routinely shared with Kids Above All, Northern Illinois Justice for Our Neighbors, The Harbor, Avenues to Independence and United Voices for Children as well as The United Methodist Committee on Relief, (umcor.org) the denomination’s international global relief organization.