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Missions
 We support many local and international missions. For the local missions we give to local Food Pantry and deliver Meals on Wheels.
Wherever the need arises, be it a tsunami overseas, people displaced by wars, or natural disasters here and world-wide, you are part of our church's outreach when you participate in the mission offerings.
You may use these quick links to jump down to required section:
Prayer Shawl Ministry • Thanksgiving Ingathering • Joppa Ministries
Heifer International • Skow Cottage
Around The World • Churchwide Giving
Highlights • January Newsletter 2012
JOPPA
MINISTRY
JOPPA’S
mission in Des Moines is to create a community of unconditional love, support
and hope for the homeless and to help end homelessness in Polk County. Monetary
donations are always welcome. Please mark your check “JOPPA.” There is a box in
the narthex for other items you might like to donate to this special mission
project.
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FOOD PANTRY WISH LIST
ALL
frozen meats (hamburger, ham, turkey, chicken, pork/beef burgers, roasts, etc.);
frozen items like pizzas, fruits & vegetables; ALL canned meats (tuna, chicken,
ham, Spam, salmon); Soups (all kinds); Fruits (applesauce, fruit cocktail,
pears, peaches, mandarin oranges); Vegetables (peas, corn, all varieties of
beans); Cereals (all varieties of dry cereal, oatmeal); Pancake flour/syrup;
Flour, sugar, pizza crust mix; Peanut butter, Paper products; & all kinds of
pastas (macaron & cheese, all Helpers)
Gifts for the local food pantry are accepted at all times. There is a box
located near the church offices where you can place your gifts or delliver them
to Sacred Heart.
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PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY
The ministry of prayer shawls began as a conference UMW project in 2005. Individuals weave prayers into the shawl as they are knit or crocheted of soft, fluffy yarn. As they make the shawl, they pray for the person who will receive it (whether they know who it will be or not.) The shawls are then blessed during services at the church and given to those in need of love and prayers. The prayer shawls are a tangible reminder that the recipient is being prayed for by the congregation. They are literally being “wrapped in God’s love.”
If you are interested in making the shawls, patterns are available at the church office. If there are those who don’t care to knit or crochet, but would like to donate money or yarn toward the project, you may leave your donations at the church office or place them in the offering plate marked “Prayer Shawls.” Our special thanks to all who have participated in this wonderful project.
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INGATHERING NOTES…..
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 What
is the Thanksgiving Ingathering?
The Thanksgiving Ingathering is
a way for local churches in the Iowa Conference to help alleviate
hunger in Iowa and around the world. Churches put together kits for
the UMCOR Depot and Iowa-Nigeria Partnership, make bazaar and
auction items, and collect money for several hunger projects.
The Ingathering is held on the first Saturday in November of
each year. There are five sites around the conference – Cherokee is
the nearest site for our church. In 2011, the event
began at 8 a.m. with check-in of kits, quilts & bazaar items.
Coffee & rolls were served
from 8-10 a.m.; a Silent Quilt & Woodcraft Auction from 8 a.m. to
12:30 p.m.; Program at 10 a.m.; Lunch at 12 a.m.; and the live
Quilt Auction at 1 p.m.
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JOPPA MINISTRIES
 Our mission is to create a community of
unconditional love, support and hope for the homeless
and to help end homelessness in Polk County
 There are as many reasons for
homelessness--some have lost jobs or family
members; some have had accidents or
unfortunate medical issues; some are war
veterans and young adults with no
support system. Addictions and mental
illness are prevalent. Operating entirely on
donations from individuals, families,
churches and concerned organizations, Joppa
volunteers build relationships while helping
the unsheltered to stay warm, dry and
healthy.
Our goal is to eliminate
homelessness. Typically, this process involves
significant time mentoring as well as
raising the necessary funds to help with a
deposit, and rent for the first month or so,
and:
1) Helping people acquire furnishings, IDs,
transportation and jobs
2) Assisting people in overcoming current
circumstances and mitigating any past
mistakes
3) Advocating for, and connecting people to,
resources including treatment and counseling
4) Responding to emergencies and individual
needs via a 24-hour hotline
5) Providing continued aftercare in people's
new homes once they are off the streets
This is what Joppa does. And, we can
only do it with the help of people like you! |
Joppa: A Community Solution to Homelessness
Website
Joppa: The Faces of Homelessness Video
   
JOPPA MINISTRY 2010-2011
Joe Stevens,
founder of Joppa, had asked if our church would consider committing to
certain Sundays during the year. He often asks churches and organizations
to commit to one Sunday a month. However, due to the longer distance we
have to travel, he asked if we would commit to the 5th Sundays of the month,
of which there were three before summer 2011. We decided to go for it!
More than anything,
please keep Joppa in your prayers. They work from a very small budget and
rely heavily on volunteers. The friendship and help they offer
the unsheltered in Des Moines is truly transforming for these people. Thank
you!
Click Here for contents of the July 2011 letter from Joppa.
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 Heifer International
"A hand up, not
a hand out."
HEIFER PROJECT INTERNATIONAL
In 1939, as a Midwestern farmer and church
worker named Dan West ladled out rations of milk to refugees of the Spanish
Civil War, he realized that simple relief aid would never be enough. That’s
when it hit him. “These children don’t need a cup, they need a cow.” After
returning to the United States, West formed what is now Heifer International, an
organization dedicated to ending hunger permanently. Five years later, on June
18, 1944, the first shipment of 17 heifers left York, PA, for Puerto Rico, in
what would become a campaign that would save the lives of million. The mission
of Heifer International is to work with communities to end hunger and poverty
and care for the Earth. By providing gifts of livestock and training in their
care, Heifer gives families in need a source of food and income. But the key is
the idea of Passing on the Gift. For six decades, Heifer International has
provided millions of struggling families with animals and training, and then
watched as they passed on the gift of their new skills and animal offspring to
neighbors in need. This simple act has transformed countless lives and
communities.
Donations for the
Heifer International Project are being accepted throughout the year. Please
make your checks to the Early UMC and mark “Heifer Project” in the memo column.
Gifts will be dedicated the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Thank you
for your faithfulness in supporting this mission project.
Small boxes for collecting change for
the Heifer Project International are available in the narthex.
The campaign will conclude the Sunday before Thanksgiving.
The mission of Heifer International is to
alleviate world hunger and save the earth. Begun more than 60 years ago, Heifer
has enabled more than seven million impoverished families to lift themselves out
of poverty and achieve self-reliance in more than 128 countries by providing a
“living loan” of an animal. The family’s health and standard of living is much
improved by what that animal can provide such as milk from a cow or goat, eggs
from poultry, neat from rabbits, wool from llamas, or the draft power from water
buffalo. Key to success of the program is that Heifer provides extensive
training in animal care, ecologically sound agriculture practices and community
development. “Passing on the gift” is another key to Heifer’s success.
Families who receive an animal repay the loan by passing on one or more of the
animals’ offspring to another family and so on. One gift multiplies through the
community. Presently, Heifer International provides more than 27 types of
animals that provide food and/or income to struggling families in 48 countries
including the U.S.
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SKOW COTTAGE
The first Sunday of each month is designated as Skow Cottage Sunday. The Early UMC has "adopted" Skow Cottage on the campus of the Iowa Juvenile Home in Toledo, Iowa. Most of the residents of Skow Cottage do not have family able to provide for their basic needs. And because of state budget issues, "larger" items like furniture, rugs and exercise equipment are neither available nor updated for the cottage.
The first Sunday of
each month, is designated as
SKOW
COTTAGE SUNDAY.
The
residents’ Wish List is posted on the church bulletin boards. You may bring
your gifts any time during the month and place them in the box in the narthex.
The congregation helps to brighten the lives of these young ladies, ages 13 to 17, by providing some of the items of their Wish List
(posted on the church bulletin board).
You
may bring your gifts any time during the month and place them in the box in
the narthex. Your gifts are deeply appreciated and well used.
 One Thousand
Cranes of Hope
July 2011 Newsletter
The flock of cranes in
our sanctuary has been increasing. We have sent $505 to Japan for disaster
relief after the 8.9 earthquake followed by a tsunami which generated walls
of waves 33 ft high. It was the largest recorded earthquake in Japan and the
fifth largest in the world. Thank you for reaching out and blessing a nation
on the other side of the world.
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AROUND THE WORLD
 United Methodists are called to step out of our corner of the world to spread the good news, transform hopelessness into hope and help God's children wherever they may be.
Methodism's founder John Wesley said, "I look upon all the world as my parish." Wesley reminded us that we are called to step out of our little corner of the world to spread the good news, transform hopelessness into hope and help God's children wherever they may be.
I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.
Matthew 25:35-36, NRSV
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 While it would be wonderful if we could reach out personally to everyone who needs our help, we know that is impossible. So we gather regularly with our congregation and put money into the offering plate, and through a carefully crafted system of United Methodist mission and ministry our gifts stretch around the world.
Your contributions to your local church not only benefit your local congregation, but also have regional, national and international impact through our connectional giving system. Most of the money you give is used to support the ministries of your local church. A small portion funds regional ministries.
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CHURCHWIDE GIVING
 Finally, a portion of your giving goes to the general church to support programs on a national and international level, which have been agreed upon by lay and clergy delegates of General Conference. We share the cost of these ministries, with each local church being responsible for contributing a fair portion or "apportionment."
The power of our collective giving enables us to spread the love of Jesus Christ, educate clergy, encourage cooperation with other faith communions, fund General Conference, nurture historically Black colleges and Africa University, and support bishops.
 We can go beyond these primary gifts to the church and contribute to additional ministries through the Advance and churchwide Special Sundays with offerings. The Advance for Christ and His Church offers individuals and groups an opportunity to contribute to specific programs, missionaries and ministries of their choice. Six times a year, Special Sundays focus churchwide attention on specific ministries of the church such as promoting peace and justice and providing scholarships and student loans.
We live in a global village, and the world is our parish. When we give generously, our gifts do wonderful, life-changing things in the name of Jesus Christ.
At the general or churchwide level, United Methodists support ministry in three ways.
* Apportioned funds: A portion of each local church budget
* Special Sundays with offerings
* Designated giving
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