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.
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.
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.
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.
About the Recipients
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 Wheelsmobile 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.
Press play to watch the Advent Generosity 2019 video!
How to Participate
Cash or check to LAUMC: Place in the offering plate or give to the church office, designated for Advent Generosity.
PayPal: Visit paypal.com or use the PayPal app and send your donation to adventgenerosity@laumc.org.
Online Giving: If you have an online donation account for LAUMC, visit our giving page and give to the Advent Generosity gift fund.
Text message: Text AG and your gift amount to 650-229-5200 (follow the prompts to set up an account if you haven’t already).
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!
Posted by Robb Serna on Sunday,September22nd,2019 in Give
On September 29 we will take a special offering in worship for Peace With Justice Sunday, one of the offerings we share with United Methodists all around the world. Because of the Peace with Justice Sunday offering, the people of The United Methodist Church are able to make a difference together by sowing seeds—and yielding fruit!—of peace. When you give to this special offering, you are combining your resources with those from around the church to make a lasting difference in the world. Recent projects span from exonerating the wrongfully convicted in the U.S. to working for peace in Palestine.
Special offering envelopes will be in the bulletin, or you can give online or text PEACE and your donation amount to 650-229-5200. Please give generously to this fund, just as you give generously to so many other important parts of God’s work in our community and in the world.
The New Covenant Choir invites everyone to participate in its annual “Change for Change” collection. Bring your spare change to church on Sunday, September 22, and drop it in the collection bucket in the Narthex. The collected change will go to Salinas First UMC’s prescription medicine program, which helps homeless clients afford medications that are critical to maintaining their health.
Our featured agency for the June Outreach Connection is MVLA Scholars, which nurtures dreams and helps break the cycle of poverty. The organization 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. Not only is paying for college a big hurdle for these students, their parents often don’t know how to help them navigate the application process or assist with issues that might arise in college. The Scholars program provides funding, one-on-one mentoring by adult volunteers, and assistance in finding career-relevant internships.
Please give generously in worship on Sunday, June 9, donate online, or text OUTREACH and your gift amount to 650-229-5200.
These days it feels as if life at LAUMC is overflowing the cup that contains it. As a congregation, we have always leaned in toward need. We give extravagantly to meet those needs. It’s just who we are. On Sunday, April 28, we began this year’s financial commitment campaign. Each Sunday through May 19 you’ll hear about some of the ministries and programs that are expanding beyond our walls—overflowing. From Compassion Week to The Changemaker Initiative to Front Porch, our new ministry in Mountain View, the horizon is rich with possibility for living our mission with bigger vision, bigger impact, and in a bigger neighborhood than we have reached out to before.
Commitment Sunday is May 19. As you prepare to make your financial commitment for the 2019–20 fiscal year that begins on July 1, imagine yourself pouring even more into LAUMC’s cup. Printed commitment cards are available at church, or submit your commitment online via the button below.
From Phil Pompei and the whole Extravagant Generosity team, thank you for the generous part you play in this overflowing-cup kind of church!
