Missions &
Outreach
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The Oakland UM Missions Ministry offers
support for local, national and international missions and offers
support to various evangelists and missionaries serving in the "mission
field". Each year OUMC takes on many special projects and sponsors
mission trips within the US and around the world. Recent mission
trips have included Mississippi and Louisiana to help Hurricane Katrina
victims and to Mexico. A current trip is being sponsored to Peru
to help rebuild a church in a town stricken by an earthquake.
Other mission and outreach projects include hosting a block party for
the community, purchasing nets for families in Africa to protect them
from malaria, providing shoeboxes for Samaritan Purse and kits of needed
for UMCOR to distribute to those in need. Not only does OUMC
support many missions financially but members actively engage in
participation. Another local outreach to the community is OUMC's
"Sharing With You" cable television program seen locally on Channel 9.
Oakland has always had a passion to help others beyond the church
building walls. Below is a sampling of some of the missions
actively supported by OUMC:
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Pancake Breakfast
Laura Courtney is holding a Pancake
Breakfast in the Fellowship Hall to help raise money for her mission
trip to Ukraine. The event will be held on Saturday, July 17th
from 8 am t 11:30 am. The cost is donations only. For additional information,
please contact the church office at 269-3678 or email
oumc@atlanticbb.net. |
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Great Food
For All
Great Food For All is hosted by
Calvary United Methodist Church in Windber. Great Food is a
program which offers discounted price food boxes. A Basic Family
Food Box is $30 and the Empty Nester is $20. Pick up date is Saturday,
July 24th from 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. Food must be ordered ahead of
time and Order brochures are on the OUMC News Tables. You may now order
online at
www.greatfoodforall.com For additional information,
please contact Rose Steadman at 467-8078 or email
oumc@atlanticbb.net. |
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Ball Caps For Peru
Josiah Parker has been collecting
baseball caps to send to the children in Peru as Jonathon Edwards
suggested. If you would like to help him in this project, there
are boxes in each lobby. We will collect them through the end of
Vacation Bible School. i8f you have any questions, please call
Josiah and the Parkers at 479-5335. |
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Prayer Shawl
Ministry
Do you knit or crochet? Share
your gift with other sin our community. A new ministry opportunity
is coming to OUMC. It is the Prayer Shawl Ministry. We will
be meeting once every other month beginning in September on the THIRD
Thursday. Starting on September 17, 2009 from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. we will
gather in the church parlor to knit, crochet, pray and fellowship.
Come and learn how to bless others who need our warming support of
prayer. Just bring your needles or hook, and a large skein of
yarn. This is a ministry open to all ages and gender. No
experience is required. You do not need to be a member of OUMC and
it is open to ALL family and friends within our community. So
spread the word and COME! See how far God can hook your talents
and spread His love to mankind who need a warming touch wrapped around
them! For additional information, please
contact the church office at 269-3678 or email
oumc@atlanticbb.net. |
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Blankets Of Love
On July 19, 2009, the Congregation of
Oakland UM Church was given a unique ministry opportunity. Pastor
Randy had a $50 bill for anyone who agreed to accept this money to
multiply it and use it for good. Donna Cartwright was one of the
27 people who accepted $50 for a Kingdom Assignment. After prayer
consideration, her Kingdom Assignment is to provide blankets and
pillowcases for the children staying at the Children's Inn located at
the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD. The
children's Inn, a residential "place like home" for sick children and
their families, o0pened its doors in 1990 and has been in continuous
operation, year-round, 24/7 since then. Children come from across the
Country and around the world to stay together with their families.
While in the lively atmosphere of The Inn, the kids and their families
can put aside the challenges they face, and the kids can just be kids.
A spokesperson for the Inn was very encouraging and excited about this
Project, and Donna has decided to make the blankets and pillowcases for
the children who spend time at The Inn. The blankets will be made
from kits, and white pillowcases will be decorated for the children.
Her goal is to send 200 Blankets and Pillowcases of Love to The
children's Inn. As they are completed, they will be taken to The
Inn every three months by her friend, a precious 10-year-old-young lady
who is a patient at the NIH. She has already been able to purchase
10 blankets. If you would like to help multiply the 450 that she
received and make the lives of sick children a little brighter by making
a monetary donation, or by contributing a blanket kit or white
pillowcases, please see Donna or call her at 255-2711. May the
Lord bless you for God's arms of love to His precious children. For
additional information, please contact the church office at
269-3678 or email
oumc@atlanticbb.net.
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Peruvian Bracelet
Fundraiser
The Mission Team has received colorful
bracelets from Jon Edwards, our missionary in Peru. They were made
by the Peruvian people to whom he ministers, and are being sold for $5
each. The purpose is to help in their building program. The
bracelets will be available from Mission Team members. During the
week they may be purchased from George D'Angelo in the church office. For additional information,
please contact the church office at 269-3678 or email
oumc@atlanticbb.net. |
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Health Kits for Haiti
UMCOR along with the Western
Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist church will be
collecting Health Kits for Haiti. Value of a kit is around $12.00.
If you would like to participate, please place the following items
inside a resealable one-gallon plastic bag: 1 hand towel (15" x
25" up to 17" x 27", no kitchen towels), 1 washcloth, 1 comb (large and
sturdy, not pocket sized), 1 nail fail or fingernail clippers (no emery
boards or toenail clippers), 1 bath-size bar of soap (3 oz. and up), 1
toothbrush (single brushes only in original wrapper, no child size
brushes, 6 adhesive plastic strip sterile bandages, $1.00 to purchase
toothpaste (NOTE: UMCOR Sager Brown is now purchasing toothpaste
in bulk to be added to healthkits before shipping to ensure that the
product does not expire before they are sent.) Important Kit
Assembly Instructions: All items included in kits must be new
items. All emergency kits are carefully planned to make them
usable in the greatest number of situations. Since strict rules
often govern product entry into international countries, it is important
that kits contain only the requested item-nothing more. Do not
include any personal notes, money or additional materials in the kits.
These things must be painstakingly removed and will delay the shipment.
For more information, please contact the church office at 269-3678 or email
oumc@atlanticbb.net. |
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Native American Children
Mission Project
The A.S.K. Prayer Group has an ongoing
project to support our Native American missionary for children in
Wyoming. Every fall we send scarves, mittens, hats, etc. and we
also make tote bags to be distributed to the reservations for Christmas.
A sample tote bag is in the Bedford Street mailroom to give you an idea
as how to make them. Thanks for any and all help you are able to
give for this worthwhile project! For additional information,
please see Margie Allen or contact the church office at 269-3678 or email
oumc@atlanticbb.net. |
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5th Annual Block Party
Come one, come all to the 5th Annual Block Party on Saturday, August
14th from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm. Stay as little or as long as you
like. There is free food, children's activities, great music and
entertainment, pony rides and much more! Everything is FREE so
come on down and get to know your neighbors and make some new friends!
The Block Party is a fun day for everyone in the entire family.
For additional information,
please contact the church office at 269-3678 or email
oumc@atlanticbb.net.
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Sharing With
You
Oakland Church's TV presence on local
television began in December of 1984. The staff of Sharing With
You strives to produce an informative, interesting set of programs each
month illustrating how God's love is made visible through Christian
organizations and the testimony of Christians in our community.
Pastor Randy is a knowledgeable and warm host, who sometimes gives a
teaching. For
additional information, please contact the church office at
269-3678 or email
oumc@atlanticbb.net. |
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Crop Walk
The Crop Walk is an inter-faith
community event that raises funds to stamp out hunger.
Millions of people around the world must walk to get water and food,
to find safe shelter, to gather wood for fuel, to go to school, to
farm distant fields, to take goods and produce to market, and to
seek medical care. We are a blessed people so "we walk because
they walk." Twenty-five percent of the funds raised locally
will go to area food banks. The Johnstown Crop Walk is held in
September of each year in Central Park downtown. If you are
interested in participating in the Crop Walk, please contact
the church office at 269-3678. |
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BLOCK
PARTY |
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The Annual Block Party
is a great community outreach event to the local mission field.
Hundreds of people from the community come to participate in the
event which features free food and refreshments, children's games and
activities, music, drama, dance and even community yard sales.
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