Ministry Partners
Outreach at Lynnewood includes: financial support; regular donations of food, clothing and other goods; and volunteering our time. We devote a significant portion of our church budget to outreach programs. We offer the opportunity for our members to participate in at least one outreach activity each month.
We collect a monthly offering for particular needs. These offerings are for: disaster relief (such as the Tsunami in Indonesia, the earthquake in Pakistan and Hurricanes Katrina and Ike); United Methodist Programs (such as Peace With Justice, One Great Hour of Sharing or World Communion Sunday); or a specific local or regional need identified by the Outreach Committee.
Here are the profiles of some of the organizations Lynnewood supports.
Habitat for Humanity has become a worldwide success thanks largely to the efforts of President Jimmie Carter and his wife Rosalyn. Habitat builds homes for low-income families locally, statewide, throughout the U.S. and around the world. Lynnewood supports these efforts with our time, talents and treasures.
Hope Hospice provides compassionate care for patients and their families facing the challenge of a life threatening illness when curative treatment is no longer appropriate. Patients receive palliative and comfort care (for pain and symptom relief) in their home so that they can live their lives as fully as possible, with dignity, surrounded by their family and friends.
Based in Dublin, Hope Hospice serves the Tri-Valley and neighboring East Bay communities. The Hospice relies on donations of time and financial support to provide care and bereavement support, regardless of ability to pay.
The Open Heart Kitchen (OHK) was founded as a soup kitchen in 1995. Lynnewood, along with several other churches, was a founding sponsor. We hosted meal preparation for a number of years, until OHK outgrew our church kitchen and moved into its own facility.
OHK now provides 10,000 free meals each month to Tri-Valley residents in Dublin, Livermore and Pleasanton. Meal preparation and serving is mostly staffed by volunteers from various churches. In addition to its core lunch program, OHK operates school lunch and senior meals programs. Food donations from stores, parishes and the community help. Monetary donations and grants cover other operating expenses.
Pleasanton Community Counseling Center
Lynnewood helped found and hosts a community counseling service known as the Pleasanton Community Counseling Center. The Center provides individuals, couples, families and children counseling in a safe and supportive environment. They provide a full range of counseling services, including addressing the many issues of life - marital problems, addiction, depression, parenting, grief, abuse, stress and more.
The Center is staffed by MFT Counselors and MFT interns.
The interns have received a Master’s Degree in Counseling but are not yet
licensed; they are supervised by licensed counselors, on an individual and
group basis, as required by law.
The counseling services are offered on a sliding fee basis
that is meant to enable anyone and everyone to receive the services they
need, regardless of income. Most individuals receiving services from the
Center would not otherwise be able to afford counseling.
The Center provided 897 counseling sessions from January-October,
2009.
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Pleasanton Gardens is a low income senior living community located in a campus setting near downtown Pleasanton. The low rise bungalow style apartments offer independent living at a very affordable price.
Lynnewood, along with several other churches, was an original sponsor over thirty-five years ago. We continue to provide members of the Board of Directors. Members of our congregation routinely volunteer their time assisting residents with chores and errands.
The Tri-Valley Haven operates shelters for abused women and their children and homeless families. They provide sexual assault prevention programs, community outreach, counseling and a crisis hotline. The Haven also operates a food panty in Livermore. Their traveling HOPE Van visits sites in the Tri-Valley as a means to provide hygiene, health and counseling support to the homeless.
During the Spring of 2006, Lynnewood entered into a three year partnership with Tri-Valley Haven to further address the needs of the homeless. Our commitment is to:
- Assist with transportation: We have donated a van and money to operate the van.
- Provide transitional assistance: Help homeless families get into housing through financial aid for utility deposits, initial rent payment, etc.
- Provide supplies and support: Thus far we have provided hygiene kits, clothes, new and used books, and “graduation baskets,“ laundry baskets filled with household goods to help start a home.