Committed to social justice in Nebraska since 1966 |
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 | | Mayor Suttle with volunteers at Patach Community Garden. This was part of Celebrate Community Day, May 14, 2011. |
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| | Friends,
It has been a very busy season at United Methodist Ministries. We sponsored two days of service, helped with another, played host to singer Sheryl Crow, attended United Methodist Annual Conference in Lincoln, received a Mission Intern from the General Board of Global Ministries, and helped roughly 50 community garden partners prepare for the growing season! Stay tuned to find out how you can help as we work to eradicate hunger, poverty, and racism in Southeast Nebraska.
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Calendar of Events
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NUMB Ride for Hunger
June 25-29
Cooperative School of Christian Mission
July 22-24
Summer Camps at Camp Fontanelle June-August
United Methodist Women Statewide Meeting
October 14-15
Stand Up Against Poverty Day of Service
October
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Mission Team Update
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 The summer is well underway, and we have had our first few mission teams of the season. The first team was a junior high group of 50 from Grace UMC in Olathe, Kansas. The second was a small-but-outstanding group of adults from St. Luke UMC in Omaha. The third team was made up of the Micah Corps interns from the United Methodist Risk-Taking Mission and Justice Team. Then we hosted a one-day team from Beatrice. We are also assisting a group from the Church of the Resurrection in Kansas City with their mission experience. All of our teams have participated in meaningful mission and justice work throughout Omaha, and we thank them for their work and for helping us to sharpen our hosting skills.
We are excited that nearly one third of this summer's VIM teams that are coming to UMM are from the two Kansas Conferences of the UMC. We look forward to expanding these and building future partnerships. If your group participated in a mission experience through UMM, be sure to check our Facebook page for pictures!
If your group is still looking for a short-term mission opportunity this summer, please contact Lisa Maupin at 402.898.9862 and we will try to accommodate your needs. |
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UMM Executive Director Receives Award
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The Women's Center for Advancement (formerly YWCA) honored the Rev. Stephanie Ahlschwede, Executive Director of United Methodist Ministries, as a part of their 24th annual Tribute to Women. Ahlschwede received the award at the annual luncheon on June 7th, where she was recognized along with 10 other women fro m the Omaha community. She was given the award under the social services category. Her work as the founder of the Blue Flamingo thrift store, the Big Garden community garden program, and the Volunteers in Mission program were just a few of the many reasons why she was honored with the award. A large group of family, friends and colleagues attended the awards luncheon in honor of Ahlschwede and the other honorees. "What a joy to see someone like Stephanie who is so compassionate, inclusive, community-minded and visionary so honored," said Missouri River District Superintendent Dan Flanagan. "She is truly a leader in our community and the church." The United Methodist Ministries staff is incredibly proud of their executive director and could not be more grateful for her dedication, commitment and vision to the work and purposes of UMM and its many programs.
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2011 Days of Service
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In April, we hosted Global Youth Service Day with approximately 50 participants. These volunteers worked in several Big Gardens as well as at the Stephen Center, Neighbors United Community Meal, and Together, Inc. The youth were joined by members of the Risk-Taking Mission and Justice Team of the Nebraska UMC. The group who participated at the Stephen Center had an e specially good time. The next big day of service was Celebrate Community Day, which was a partnership between UMM and the national ReThink Church initiative. This event took place May 14th and involved roughly 230 volunteers. Several powerful stories came out of this event, including a volunteer who discovered that his recently-deceased father had served in WWII with his site leader. The site leader was able to reminisce and share valuable stories with the volunteer. This is the kind of qualitative experience that happens unexpectedly when we enter into relationship with strangers. In late May, UMM also helped the Nebraska Conference of the United Methodist Church staff with its day of service for the annual conference. On this day, nearly 90 volunteers worked at various community agencies throughout Lincoln. These days of service provide volunteers with the opportunity to be in mission within our local community while working with people that they wouldn't otherwise meet. Our final Day of Service for 2011 will be Stand Up Against Poverty which will take place sometime in October. Watch our website for more information on this. |
Grammy-winner Sheryl Crow Stops by the Big Garden
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On Thursday May 12th, the Big Garden partnered with Sheryl Crow and Tom's of Maine to hold a garden beautification event at our Camp Fire garden. Camp Fire students from Liberty and Jackson elementary schools came to the garden that afternoon and planted vegetables and flowers, and painted rain barrels, stepping stones, and a new garden sign. Grammy-award winning singer Sheryl Crow also joined the students, Camp Fire staff and Big Garden staff members at the garden located at the intersection of 26th St and St. Mary's. She helped the students plant vegetables, dug into the dirt, and mud and also answered questions about her own commitment to organic gardening and healthy eating. The event was a part of Crow's current tour, during which she has been working with Tom's of Maine to sponsor beautification events in the cities where she performs. Thank you to Sheryl Crow and Tom's of Maine for your support of the Big Garden! |
Staff Changes at UMM
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United Methodist Ministries, along with the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church, announced two staff changes to UMM this spring. Lisa Maupin, who has been with UMM for 4 years, was appointed as a Church and Community Worker at UMM. Church and Community Workers are commissioned missionaries of the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church, who, in response to God's call, are devoted to uplifting the poor and disenfranchised in rural and urban areas throughout the United States. They work to change the social inequities of poverty, racial injustice, and domestic violence. Maupin's Church and Comm unity Worker duties include coordinating VIM teams that serve through UMM; planning events including the four annual Days of Service hosted by UMM; and leading the UMM Communications Department. UMM was also pleased to receive General Board of Global Ministries Mission Intern, Erin Eidenshink, in April. Eidenshink, a native of Western Pennsylvania, is serving in Omaha for the second half of her three-year commitment as a Mission Intern. She served the first half of her missionary service in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, where she worked with Mongolia Mission Initiative and served in ministry areas that included children, youth and young adult ministry, hospice ministry and congregational and leadership development. As a part of her Mission Intern experience with UMM, she will be working with the communications and Big Garden staff, as well as at the Blue Flamingo thrift store. Congratulations to both Lisa and Erin. United Methodist Ministries is blessed by your presence and your gifts. |
Resource Library Available
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Did you know that UMM has a resource library? Our new Mission Intern from the Global Board of Church and Society, Erin, has been hard at work cataloging the hundreds of books in our library. Our book collection includes titles on gardening, children's crafts, church issues, and many social justice topics. We feel that these resources are under-utilized, and would like to make them available to you. Thanks to Erin's hard work, you can now find the entire listing of our library online! You can peruse the collection online 24-hours a day, or you can stop by our office at 2665 Farnam Street between the hours of 9 and 3 to check them out. These titles are all available for you to borrow, and we hope you'll take advantage of this great collection!
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| Big Gardens Growing | 
It has been a busy spring at the Big Gardens! We have six new urban garden partnerships in Metro-Omaha this season: at Bellevue Housing Authority, Youth Emergency Services, the Intercultural Senior Center, Tri-Community United Methodist Church, Norris Middle School, and the Teen Center. We also assisted Yates Community Center and the Douglas County Health Department in starting their garden this spring. Jackson Elementary School, which formerly had a Big Garden, is once again up and running. The rural Big Gardens are also going strong this year, and we will follow up with more information on them later. If you know of a group or individual who is interested in volunteering with the Big Garden, please see our website for more information.
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| Connect with UMM Online |
If you haven't already done so, we invite you to follow us on Facebook. We have three separate accounts: United Methodist Ministries---Missouri River District, the Big Garden, and Blue Flamingo. Here you'll find breaking news, photos, and information. Likewise, if you haven't checked our websites in a while, please do so. We are always updating news stories and photos. If you participated in any events with UMM, you just might find a photo of yourself! We hope you'll return to our websites weekly to stay abreast of mission and justice opportunities in our district. |
| Event Speakers |
Did you know that we can provide your church with speakers on themes of mission and justice? Just give Lisa or Jaimee a call at 402.898.9862 and we'd be happy to set you up.
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Blue Flamingo Thrift Store Update
|  Blue Flamingo continues to offer free yoga classes every Wednesday in the basement of Dietz United Methodist Church 1423 S 10th St. at 10am (get there a little early, class starts promptly). Basic yoga, meditation, lavender oil, and hot tea await you! Blue Flamingo currently has a large selection of children's clothing and is seeking donations of linens and kitchen items. Also, remember that Blue Flamingo carries a wide selection of Fair Trade chocolate, jewelry, scarves, purses, and other crafts. Fair Trade items make great gifts. Be sure to follow Blue Flamingo on Facebook for updates. There you'll find out about current sales, needs, and events. |
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We hope you'll join us this summer as we work to eradicate hunger, poverty, and racism. Let us know how we can help you or your church to engage in mission and justice activities.
Blessings,
Jaimee Trobough
United Methodist Ministries
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