Conference Advance Specials is a missional stewardship program of second-mile giving by generous churches, groups and individuals to support primarily local ministries. Churches that want to give to support Conference Advance Specials should first fulfill their primary connectional stewardship commitments to the conference and general church by remitting apportioned funds and direct bill payments.
RESOLUTION 2019 – 12
RESOLUTION TO THE 2019 ANNUAL CONFERENCE SESSION
Resolution relating to Advance Special Applications
Presented by Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Secretary of Global Ministries (CSGM)
WHEREAS, the Conference Advance Special is a program of ministry which can seek funds from a local church that keeps its financial commitments to the Conference and General Church in full in the previous year’s budget and has a desire to extend its support of the mission of the church through designated giving; and
WHEREAS, a list of Conference Advance Specials would resource local churches, either in need of support for their programs and ministries, or local churches eager to extend their support of the mission of the church; and
WHEREAS, practicality indicates a change in the time period covered by a list of conference advance specials to as soon as possible after they are approved;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the following programs and ministries of the annual conference having completed the appropriate applications, be designated as a list of Conference Advance Specials for the year July 1, 2019 through September 30, 2020.
Person Responsible for Presenting Resolution: Barbara Drake, Conference
Secretary of Global Ministries.
ANAWIM COMMUNITY PROJECT OF CASA DEL PUEBLO
$10,000
Applicant: Rev. Lilian S. Cotto
Director: Juan Suarez
215-254-0225
lucreciacotto3@gmail.com
Casa del Pueblo is the Latino ministry of Lehman Memorial UMC in Hatboro. ANAWIM, meaning “the blessed poor of Yahweh”, the poor who depend on the Lord for deliverance, is the outreach program and first phase of a Community Center, which was started in 2016. Serving neighbors from Hatboro, Willow Grove, Horsham, Warminster, and Warrington, the ministry provides food, clothing, housing referrals, medical and dental referrals and transportation to appointments. ANAWIM seeks to develop disciples of Christ by exposing participants to music that glorifies God and witnesses to the Christian message. It celebrates diversity by attracting Latino families from different countries and providing them with instrumental music classes, liturgical and folkloric dance classes. The ministry is committed to love and justice by providing immigration referrals, legal and family counseling, GED classes in Spanish, translation services, and ESL classes. Participants are exposed to Latino role models in a positive atmosphere of care, respect, and affirmation.
ANCHORAGE BREAKFAST PROGRAM
$10,000
Applicant: Rev. Joseph F. DiPaolo
Director: Patty Eastep
717-682-9976
director@anchoragebreakfast.org
This 501c3 organization provides a free breakfast at First UMC, Lancaster for people who are economically challenged. Meals are served from Monday through Friday between 8:30 and 9:45 am. Anchorage serves a hot breakfast to 150-200 guests each morning, and does not close for inclement weather or holidays. In 2018, 40,074 meals were served by 150 volunteers, divided into daily teams who prepare the food and staff the cafeteria line. Social Service agencies are invited to be present as a resource. Volunteer “listeners” circulate among the guests to encourage and assist them. Funds from Advance Special giving will be used this year for an additional freezer and the daily food expenses.
BREAD OF CHRIST FEEDING MINISTRY OF FIRST UMC, BANGOR
$15,000
This ministry uses the church kitchen to feed people through a variety of programs. A community lunch is served on the 4th Sunday of every month, providing a free, hot, nutritious meal for about 100 people each month. Pasties, a local Welsh tradition, are made by church members and sold on the 2nd Saturday, eight times per year, to raise funds for the ministry and to give to the needy. Breakfast with Santa is a free breakfast buffet that serves 100 children and their families, while sharing the gospel of Christ through word and action. Ride for Relief is an annual motorcycle charity ride benefitting UMCOR, while providing a hot breakfast and hot lunch to riders. Back-to-School welcomed over 400 people last summer to receive backpacks with school supplies, haircuts, and manicures, while snacks prepared in the kitchen were distributed. New in 2019 will be the Summer Lunch Program in partnership with the Slate Belt YMCA. It will provide free lunches to children and their families every day during the summer. Funding is needed to update the kitchen with efficient appliances, including a commercial oven/stove, refrigerator, chest freezer, and dishwasher.
COKESBURY SUMMER READING AND LUNCH PROGRAM
$3,000
Applicant: Sandra M. Cislo
307 Market Street, Marcus Hook, PA 19061
610-416-5112. 610-485-6162, smcislo@yahoo.com
This is a ministry of Cokesbury UMC, which provides a 4 week, free summer reading program and healthy lunch for 60-75 children, grades K-4, who live in high poverty areas of Marcus Hook, Trainer, and Lower Chichester. Recognizing that education can be the key to unlocking the chains of poverty, this ministry encourages children to read over the summer in order to avoid the educational setback associated with summer break. Because school lunch is often the only nutritionally sound meal that children in poverty receive, and because it is not available in summer, a healthy lunch is provided along with education by certified teachers and trained instructional assistants.
4th GENERATION CHILDREN’S MINISTRY
$5,000
Applicant: Rev. W. Matthew Whayland
1709 Center St., Lebanon, PA 17042
St. John’s UMC 717-273-4011 wmmwhayland3@gmail.com
This ministry is an outreach to children of the Pleasant Hill section of Lebanon, by members of St. John’s UMC, who staff the weekly evening program of scripture stories, songs, crafts, and a hot meal from September to June, and summer activities from June to August, including a backyard carnival, campmeeting, Vacation Bible School, and day trips.
HOPE CHRISTIAN COUNSELING
$3,000
Applicant: Rev. Susan L. Worrell
Mail: P.O. Box 91, Unionville, PA 19375. Location: UMC of West Chester, 129 High St. West Chester, PA. 610-436-9298. 484-883-7628. hopechristiancounseling1@gmail.com
This non-profit 501c3 ministry offers Christian based professional counseling, spiritual direction, retreat and workshop facilitation and training for individuals and groups by qualified, certified, or licensed professionals and/or ordained clergy who have expertise in areas including but not limited to addictive/compulsive behaviors, mental health concerns, grief, loss, life transitions, relationship issues, visitation ministry, and small group ministry. Service is available to all regardless of ability to pay a full fee.
LIGHT OF MARNIE
$10,000
Applicants: Jennifer and John Lafferty
315 Municipal Drive, Thorndale, PA 19372
John: 610-470-1369 JohnL@lightofmarnie.org.
Jennifer: 610-766-0944 JenL@lightofmarnie.org
SHALOCA Christian Academy is the perfect example of our Global Ministries “ABUNDANT HEALTH”, Our Promise to Children Initiative. It is an elementary school with classes from Preschool to 8th grade, in Lower Johnsonville, Liberia, West Africa. The school has provided education for children for 11 years, and presently has 173 students, who receive basic and Christian education. In the past year there has been building expansion and other improvements including bathrooms. Work is underway with the government to bring clean piped water to the school. Rev. James Coleman, an ordained Wesleyan pastor, founded the school when he was serving in Liberia. He has completed his M.Div. at Drew Seminary and hopes to be ordained in the United Methodist Church. Light of Marnie is supported by Thorndale UMC.
LUMINA
$10,000
Applicant: Correen M. Russo
20 E. Clay Street, Lancaster, PA 17602, 717-394-8412 (office), 717-808-8633 (cell), correen.lumina@gmail.com
LUMINA serves nearly 1,000 economically disadvantaged individuals in Lancaster annually using volunteers from 75 churches in West District. The program has 4 focus areas:
- Children’s Ministries: weekly Kids’ Night discipleship programs, summer day camp, field trips, scholarships for residence camps.
- Clothing Bank: professional clothes for men and women returning to work after job loss, domestic abuse, illness, recovery from addiction, or incarceration.
- Nutrition education and cooking classes for children and adults.
- Affordable housing for low income families through rehab of blighted city properties in partnership with Manifest.
NANTMEAL UMC NATIVE AMERICAN MINISTRY
$2,000
Applicant: Rev. Dennis Keen
359 Nantmeal Road, Glenmore, PA 19343
610-948-3787. 484-942-7935
Dennislindakeen@gmail.com
For three years, Nantmeal UMC has been supplying the children of Dupree Elementary School on the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Reservation in Dupree, South Dakota, with clothing, personal hygiene products, and school supplies. Dupree is a town of abject poverty with prevalent problems of drug abuse, alcoholism, and suicide. It is located in Ziebach County, one of the poorest counties in the country. In 2018, the Commission on Native American Ministries (CONAM) donated $1,000 which enabled Rev. Keen to visit Dupree and see the living conditions of the children and their need for winter coats, hats, gloves, and boots, plus backpacks, books, pencils, and crayons. By donating these items, the congregation is making a difference in the lives of the children, and hopefully will be able to help break the cycle of poverty.
SPIRITUAL RENEWAL MINISTRIES
$10,000
Applicant: Rev. Sara Davis-Shappell
P.O. Box 724 Southeastern PA 10399, 610-873-3988, 610-873-8328, 610-613-6253 SpiritualRM@aol.com
This ministry celebrates over 25 years as a growing and integral part of EPC, providing retreats, spiritual direction, seminars, prayer circles, and preaching. Financial donations are used for scholarships to companion churches, groups, and individuals desiring to deepen their relationship with God in Jesus Christ and overcome racism, poverty, and injustice which are destructive to relationships with God, others, and self. Members of the conference clergy and laity make up the board of directors.
Note: Church treasurers are advised to remit contributions through the monthly remittance. Funds will then be forwarded to the approved Conference Advance Special.