Outreach at Lynnewood

Our Commitment to Outreach

Outreach to our community, to the world, is an integral part of the worship experience at Lynnewood.  We are committed, as a congregation to living our faith through giving of our time, talent and resources to help others. 

The power of our Christian faith is that it is a faith of action and of caring.  Jesus looked at the world through a lens of compassion and lived a life of service to others.  Likewise, for us, as disciples of Jesus, we see the power of God’s grace when we are engaged with the needs of our world.

An Overview

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, Rita, 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.

Coordinated by Lynnewood’s Outreach Committee, our Outreach Program includes: Partner Ministries, Continuing Ministries, Special Opportunities, Mission Trips and our annual Ministries of the Heart campaign.

Pictures of several Outreach activities can be found in the Picture Gallery.

July Outreach - School Supplies Needed

Throughout the month of July the Outreach is soliciting school supplies to be distributed to the clients of Tri-Valley Haven in August. LUMC has 70 backpacks to fill. Please leave your donations in the plastic tub in the narthex. The following items are needed with emphasis on scientific calculators, compasses, and colored folders with pockets!

3-ring binders
Colored pencils
Erasers
Glue sticks
Graph paper
Highlighters
Red, Blue, or Black BIC Pens
#2 Pencils
Pencil sharpeners
Yellow, blue, red, green folders with pockets
Scissors
Spiral notebooks or composition books
Pencil boxes
Crayons
Protractors
Rulers
Calculators
Compasses
Binder paper (wide and college ruled)

Vacation Church School

Children, youth and adults all have a role to play in this year’s joint Vacation Church School experience with St. Claire’s Church. Children who are 3 years old though those who have completed 5th grade are invited to participate in “Finding Nemo: A Journey Through God’s Love” from 9 a.m. until noon, Monday through Friday of the week of July 5th. Youth and adults are heartily welcomed as assistants or teachers. Please see Diana for more information. Registration forms are available; see Diana.

Alameda County Food Bank

Lynnewood has been invited back to help sort and package food at the Oakland Warehouse on Saturday, July 24th from 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon. We will meet in the church parking lot to carpool. All volunteers are required to wear close-toed shoes. Sign up on the patio after church services if you are interested in participating in this worthwhile activity.

Habitat for Humanity

Lynnewood volunteers, Kathy and Bruce Martin, continue to participate in the rehab work for Habitat for Humanity along with members from several East Bay Methodist Churches. This local mission project, “REHABS IN BAY POINT” is working with Habitat for Humanity to "recycle" existing homes as affordable housing. Over the next year, volunteers will rehab several homes. The first one was a home in Livermore, and they are now several months into a project in Bay Point. This project is a group of bank foreclosed homes purchased by Habitat. Consider joining the group on one or all of the following days:

Wednesday, July 21
Saturday, July 24
Wednesday, August 11
Saturday, August 28
Saturday, September 25

Hours of work are 8:30am to 4:00pm. Bring work gloves and lunch. Habitat provides all the tools and supplies. For more details or to register, contact Steve Elliott at  SAE612@msn.com. All volunteers must be at least 16 years old.

Please register at http://eastbay.volunteerhub.com/Events/Browse.aspx, using the following instructions. The events you are looking to sign up for are titled “Build Day – Bay Point Rehab.” Please note that there are lots of rehab dates listed. Only volunteers who have entered the join code –UMC– will be able to sign up for these events. Click “sign in” in the upper right-hand corner, and click “register” to create a new account, if you have not created one previously. If you are already registered in the Habitat system, you can just search for the above event. Be sure to enter the join code – UMC – so you will be given access to the correct project and dates. After you have signed up, you will receive an automated email with all of the event information, including the address, directions, what to bring, and what to wear, etc. If you do not receive the automated email, it likely means that you did not complete the event signup process. Anyone with questions may email Volunteer@HabitatEB.org for assistance.

United Methodist Volunteers in Mission

A UMVIM trip to Cedar Rapids, Iowa is planned for the first week in November. Anyone interested in participating on the work team to rebuild from the 2009 floods are encouraged to contact Mary Ellen Huey.

Sojourner House Work Day Results

On Saturday, June 12th a hearty group of Lynnewood volunteers arrived at Tri-Valley Haven's Sojourner House for a workday sponsored by the Outreach Committee. During that rather warm day, they trimmed several large trees, stabilized long sections of old fencing, and cleaned out roof gutters. Very special thanks go to Bill Behrendt and his son, Kevin, who a few days before constructed and installed a sturdy new side yard gate for the house, which we later painted white. Those participating on Saturday in this annual outreach event included Denise and Phil Bryson, David Drapeau, MaryEllen and Doug Huey, Mark McClellan, and Lisa and Ron Rigge. Many thanks to all of you for your service to Tri-Valley Haven.

Blood Drive Results

At the recent Red Cross blood drive co-hosted by Lynnewood and Amador Valley High School, 29 units of blood were donated. Many thanks to our members who demonstrated their Faith in Action: Adam Bailey, Phil Bryson, David Carlson, Sherry Cleric, Ron Fernandez, Bob Gatehouse, Margrit Honegger, Doug Huey, Wendy Kenley, Lisa Rigge, Cindie Ross, Wynn Smith, and Heidi Stark.

Lynnewood UMC Makes Covenant Relationship with Missionary Katherine Parker

The Outreach Committee of LUMC is embarking on a new venture! As a church, we will now be in “Covenant Relationship” with a United Methodist missionary. Although the partnership is one of financial support, it will be just as vital that we make a true connection with our new friend and witness Katherine Parker. Read more about Katherine below and on the website of the General Board of Global Ministries (of the United Methodist Church). A description of the Covenant Relationship is found at http://new.gbgm-umc.org/work/missionaries.

Katherine is a member of the Mt. Tamalpais United Methodist Church in Mill Valley, CA. Katherine now serves as a missionary through the Community Health and Agricultural Development Initiative of the Methodist Mission in Cambodia. Working with local Methodist churches and their Social Concerns committees, she engages in Bible study to strengthen and nurture the witness of putting into practice the ministry of God‘s love to all. With a degree in biology, Katherine serves to teach and develop methods for assuring safe drinking water in local communities. Rice banking – a way for farmers to collaborate to sustain life and economic health – is also a focus of ministry.

As LUMC develops our Covenant Relationship with Katherine, we will be hearing more about her ministry and the life of the Cambodian people. To read more about Katherine and to follow her blog, see http://new.gbgm-umc.org/work/missionaries/biographies and type in Katherine's name or the country of Cambodia. There is also an option to sign up for her email newsletter.

The structure of the “Covenant Relationship” is suggested and encouraged by the Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church. A congregation in Covenant Relationship pledges $5/member/year toward the support of a missionary. We have the opportunity to be in ministry with Katherine and in contact in the many ways noted above.

Additionally, Katherine will be present to share with us when she is on furlough in the United States. Also, in April we will receive a special offering for Katherine Parker. Let us also add Katherine and her ministry to our daily prayer.

Let us all join in this exciting opportunity to live out our United Methodist membership vow of ‘prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness‘ as we join with God in sharing love and hope together with the people of Cambodia.

Bundles of Joy

Thanks to all who donated baby supplies as part of the June Outreach collection. We were able to put eight bags together to deliver to Axis in June. Our goal is to deliver ten bags per month to Axis. We are always told how appreciative the Axis clients are, but recently we received a card from a mother-to-be, Ethel. Ethel said, “To all who gave, thank you so much for the wonderful diaper bag filled with lots of baby stuff!!!” So if you’ve ever wondered if your donations make a difference – they do!

Bundles of Joy is an on-going project only made possible by the donations we receive. Please consider a donation from the list below. Help us continue to welcome these babies into the world and show them what a caring community we are. Donations may be left in the narthex or given to Kristin Speck, Heidi Stark or Helen Whitaker.

Contact Heidi Stark with any questions. Thanks!

Items Needed for the Bundles of Joy Project:
Newborn Diapers
Wipes, Baby Wash, Lotion, Powder or Ointment
Bottles (3 Pack)
Newborn Outfits
Baby Booties or Socks
Bibs
Rattles
Pacifiers
Cloth Toys or Stuffed Animals
Cash or gift cards (Target, Babies R Us, etc.)

BART Tickets for Habitat for Humanity

One of our ongoing projects has been to collect small value, leftover BART tickets for Habitat for Humanity.  Just bring your leftover tickets any time and leave them in the collection can by the Outreach display in the Narthex.

Outreach Responsibilities

Lynnewood’s Outreach Coordinator is Mary Ellen Huey.  Each Outreach Committee member has taken on expanded responsibilities. This includes leading Ministries of the Heart events this summer and the following programs and relationships with our outreach partner organizations:

- Heidi Stark, Bundles of Joy Program

- Ron Rigge, Homeless Initiative, Tri-Valley Haven

- Carole Carlson, Homeless Initiative, Axis Community Health

- Dot Laird, Outreach Offerings, Heifer Dinner

- Phil Cooper, Open Heart Kitchen, Giving Tree

- Jackie Shurtleff, Homeless Initiative

- Linda Van Pelt, Heifer Dinner

- Elva Cooper, Giving Tree

- Mark McClellan, Thanksgiving Food Drive

- Cynthia Carroll, Holiday Gift Warehouse

Thanks to each of these members of our congregation for their commitment to Outreach.

Ministry Partners

Ministry Partners are the strategic outreach priorities of our church.  At present they include:

Outreach Events

Each year our church identifies specific needs that we wish to address with Outreach Activities.  This year these opportunities included:

Special Opportunities

Additionally, Lynnewood identifies Special Opportunities that we wish to support during the year. These opportunities included: