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California Wildfire – Your Help Is Needed!
The Disaster Response Team from our California-Nevada Conference has been hard at work providing assistance to those impacted by the recent fires. Trained Early Response Team (ERT) volunteers have been working with local pastors and their congregations to provide support. This includes meeting with people in the Local Assistance Centers to provide a listening presence as well as gift cards, hygiene kits, and buckets of materials for cleanup. You can read more about the response on the Conference News webpage. What can you do? Here are some suggestions:
The Los Altos United Methodist Women’s goal this year for the African Student Education Fund has been to raise $28,225. That amount is sufficient to support 10 female students at Africa University with half-tuition scholarships for the 2020–2021 academic year. To date, the UMW has raised $23,188.
James Salley, Africa University’s associate vice chancellor for institutional advancement, joined LAUMC on January 26 to celebrate our connection with Africa and our support for African women who have hope for a better future with education. Since the fund was established in 2005, the UMW has raised over $400,000 and supported 68 students, most of them for two to four years until they graduate.
Donations to the African Student Education Fund can be made through the LAUMC Finance Office or through the UMW.
This month’s featured Outreach Connection agency is Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley. On February 9 in worship, Faith Partnerships Manager Karen Hernandez will speak about Habitat’s mission and how we are invited to partner with Habitat. The mission of Habitat is to put God’s love into action, bringing people together to build homes, communities, and hope. Habitat believes home ownership promotes dignity and hope, strengthens a family’s sustainability, and transforms all family members.
Through your financial support and volunteer hours, you can help Habitat homeowners achieve shelter, stability, and independence to build a better life for themselves and for their families. In addition to monetary gifts in church and online, you can volunteer at the 30-unit condominium complex in Fremont, work at the Habitat Playhouse warehouse preparing playhouse kits, or help at the Habitat Restore. For more information about volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, contact Valarie Arnesen.
All services on Sunday, January 26, will focus on LAUMC’s ties to Africa and to education for African women. What began in 2002 as a simple birthday wish to an African missionary has resulted in tuition scholarships for 68 African women at Africa University (a United Methodist institution) in Zimbabwe.
Our guest speaker at all services will be Mr. James Salley, associate vice chancellor of institutional advancement for Africa University. Because of Jim, we are able to have individual African women named to receive our support. During this academic year, 11 women are receiving half-tuition scholarships of $2,823 each. Once we begin supporting a student, we hope to continue our support each year through her graduation.
To continue to provide 10 partial scholarships for the next academic year, we need to raise $28,230. You can contribute to this important effort by giving generously at church and by shopping at the Sale-Abration between services. Please make checks payable to LAUMC with “African Student Education Fund” on the memo line, donate online, or text AFRICA and your gift amount to 650-229-5200.
Also on January 26, Los Altos United Methodist Women will present their annual Sale-Abration, 9:00am–1:00pm in the Children’s Center. A variety of gifts, snacks, and homemade baked goods will be available for you or for your valentine. Coming just before Super Bowl Sunday, you will find all the snacks you’ll need to enjoy the big game. If you prefer a healthier meal, there will be the now-famous soup mix available for purchase.
This is the only annual fund-raising event at LAUMC designated for the African Student Education Fund to benefit women. All proceeds will go directly to student scholarships. None of the funds are used for set-up.
Across the United Methodist connection, we come together to help bridge the gap between church and community by participating in a denomination-wide offering for Human Relations Day on Sunday, January 19, at all services. For more than 50 years, United Methodists have observed this special Sunday in recognition of the message Jesus demonstrated during his life: all of God’s children are important. This special offering supports neighborhood ministries through community developers, community advocacy, and work with at-risk youth through youth offender rehabilitation programs.
Our gifts are part of building beloved community. Please give generously using the envelopes provided in worship, on our online giving page, or by texting HR and your gift amount to 650-229-5200.
Our featured agency for the January Outreach Connection is MVLA Scholars, a local organization that nurtures dreams of a college education and helps break the cycle of poverty. MVLA Scholars provides renewable college scholarships and mentorship to students from the Mountain View/Los Altos high school district who are first in their family to attend college, have significant financial need, and have the drive to earn a four-year college degree. Please give generously in worship on Sunday, January 12, donate online, or text OUTREACH and your gift amount to 650-229-5200.
Update: As of January 6, $226,518 has been donated. Thank you to everyone who contributed for helping us far exceed our $150,000 goal!
This Advent, we have an opportunity to live into our new vision statement (Connection. Compassion. Courage. That all may flourish.) through supporting programs that embody the values identified: Salinas First United Methodist Church, Compassion Week 2020, and Dignity on Wheels.
You are invited to participate in Advent Generosity giving throughout the season, each Sunday or during the week all the way through our Christmas Eve services. If you make a gift donation on someone’s behalf, give them an Advent Generosity card (available at the church) to let them know.
Connection
We have been in partnership with Salinas First United Methodist Church for nearly a decade and want to sustain and strengthen this connection. LAUMC has been inspired by the work Salinas FUMC does to battle homelessness, substance abuse, domestic violence, food insecurity, and many other justice issues for the communities that it serves.
Compassion
Compassion Week empowers us to meet, understand, and love our neighbors: immigrants, hungry and homeless folks, incarcerated individuals, and others. Compassion Week 2020 will strengthen partnerships with local faith communities and community organizations.
Courage
The Dignity on Wheels mobile hygiene outreach program at Project WeHOPE provides free showers and laundry service for the homeless living in their vehicles, encampments, or rotating shelters, and for victims of natural disasters. Dignity on Wheels needs a new truck, which costs $50,000.
The Church Council has approved the recipients for this year’s Advent Generosity initiative. Our 2019 recipients will be Salinas First UMC, Compassion Week 2020, and Dignity on Wheels, an outreach program of Project WeHOPE. LAUMC has long-standing connections with each of these recipients, and their work aligns with our church’s vision statement: “That all may flourish.” During worship services in Advent, you’ll hear from representatives of each of these outstanding causes, and the Extravagant Generosity team will share a courageous goal for this year’s initiative. Watch for more information and materials by Thanksgiving. The team looks forward to journeying through Advent with you and partnering with you in our church’s generous response to God’s greatest gift.
Our October Outreach Connection is for K-12 Team, which serves students in Los Altos and Mountain View schools. Its vision is to provide a community educational program for any K-12 student in the area. All funds donated to the Outreach Connection special offering this month will be used to provide educational services and/or materials to dedicated families seeking support from K-12 Team. You can give in worship on October 20, give online, or text OUTREACH and your gift amount to 650-229-5200. Thank you for helping K-12 Team serve these at-risk youth!