Porter United
Methodist Church
Open Hearts. Open Minds. Open Doors.
MISSION OUTREACH
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Porter United Methodist Church is blessed to have many outreach ministries, both local and global, that are supported by our congregation to help those in need. Each quarter, we focus on a specific mission outreach. Besides the missions listed below, in the past our congregation has been involved in packing shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child through Samaritan's Purse and collecting items to put together "Purses of Hope" - an outreach to women in need, those who’ve been abused, and those who are homeless. To read more about this special mission of the ladies of the church or to see what items we are collecting for the purses, click HERE.
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In addition to the missions supported by the church, the children of our church are learning about giving with an open heart. Each quarter, they take up weekly offerings during the worship service to help support outreaches that are kid-centered. In the past, the children have supported the Porter Police's program Christmas with the Cops, TrueNorth Training Stables, State Park Little League Challengers, Heifer Project (through VBS), Jacob's Ladder, and the VNA Phoenix Center.
Our current mission outreach is being done as a partnership with Compassion International through the sponsorship of a child on a monthly basis. Above is our child, Carla Yvancar Seance from Haiti. The focus of Compassion International's work is to fight poverty personally. They are child-focused. When a child is registered in their program, the beneficiary of the support is the specific sponsored child. They work with the most vulnerable and neediest of children.
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Through our sponsorship, our little girl will be offered:
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medical checkups and health care.
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health and hygiene training.
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ongoing Christian training through a local church.
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educational assistance, including textbooks, school uniforms, post-secondary courses, tutoring, test and lab supplies and even literacy and financial training for caregivers.
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key life skills training, mentoring and vocational programs.
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nutritious food and supplements to protect against malnutrition.
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recreational activities and support to development self-confidence and social skills.
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protection from crime, violence and danger.
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access to special services like surgeries and disaster relief.
The minimum standards for our Child Sponsorship Program dictate that each church-run child development center provide 4-8 hours of programming each week, at least 48 weeks out of the year, and that individual child attendance be taken each time the center is open.
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While at the church-based child development centers the children receive life-changing opportunities that would otherwise be out of their reach, and which build on, add to and extend their school lessons.
Info taken from the website https://www.compassion.com/
2020 Supported Quarterly Mission Outreaches:
Christmas with the Cops
MAF Impact 2014/2015
Members from Porter UMC present a check to the VNA Phoenix Center during the May 19th worship service.
FRONT ROW (L to R): Ayden Edwards, Cooper Schultz, Jordan Schultz
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BACK ROW (L to R): Gretchen Seidler Gibbs (supervisor from the VNA Phoenix Center in Valparaiso), Judy Reales (missions chair of Porter UMC’s congregation) and Pastor Liz Lahaie.
Check Presentation to VNA Phoenix Center
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During the worship service on May 19th, our Missions Chair Judy Reales (with the help of some of our wonderful Sunday School children) presented a check in the amount of $396.47 to Gretchen Seidler Gibbs, a supervisor from the VNA Phoenix Center in Valparaiso. This wonderful organization helps children and young adults who have lost someone in their lives process their grief. Before the age of 15, statistics show that one out of every twenty children may lose a parent and one in five will lose a close family member or friend. When this happens, they feel all alone but when they have help coping during this stressful time, they learn they don’t have to be. The VNA Phoenix Center, located at 2401 Valley Drive in Valparaiso, is able to offer this service free of charge through support from the community and income through other VNA programs.
We will be continuing to collect for our quarterly missions throughout the summer. This helps the children grow in their relationship with members of the church and also discover that kids like them - no matter what their age - can help make a difference in the lives of other children within the community.
"Frontline" Life Recovery Bibles
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During the last quarter of 2019, the entire church (children’s collection included) will focus on donations to purchase Life Recovery Bibles for Frontline Foundations, Inc. Frontline serves as a source of hope to young men and women suffering from drug and alcohol abuse while also providing an effective treatment and recovery support system.
The Life Recovery Bible is based on the 12-step recovery model. All money collected will go towards purchasing these Bibles that Frontline uses during their addiction treatment classes and, ultimately, gives to each participant at the completion of their course.
