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Make a Difference

CUMC is involved in many ways to make a difference in the lives of people close by and around the world. Listed below are some of the Sending ministries and partnerships of CUMC starting with Local Ministries and then Connectional Ministries. For information on any of these ways of making a difference in the world, contact Rick Ellsworth, Sending Leader (see staff page).


Local Ministries


Big Brothers Big Sisters is a partner through which CUMC members develop a mentoring relationship with a young person in Columbia. There are many different types of mentoring opportunities available through Big Brothers Big Sisters providing flexibility of time involvement.

Central Missouri Food Bank serves 33 counties in central and northeast Missouri, and CUMC is helping! Through cash and food donations to the food bank, CUMC contributes toward the feeding of 75,000 people each month.

Columbia Square Town Homes has been a ministry location for CUMC since 2002, when we began serving summer lunches to kids there. This on-going ministry includes offering a Vacation Bible School for kids and Bible study for adults at the Columbia Square site.

Jail Ministry is held each third Sunday afternoon from 2:30 - 4 p.m. A CUMC team holds Bible study with women residents at the Boone County Jail. New team members are always needed.

Loaves and Fishes is a local soup kitchen. CUMC serves at Loaves & Fishes on the third Sunday of each month and cooks and serves the meals the fourth Saturday of the month. New helpers are needed.

Meals on Wheels - Members of CUMC enjoy serving their neighbors through this United Way agency. A vehicle, insurance, and valid driver's license are required.

Show-Me Central Habitat for Humanity offers weekly work opportunities. Our local houses now number more than 50.

United Methodist Women meet monthly to support missions here and around the world, to have fellowship, and to know God.

United Methodist Men welcome all men who are a part of CUMC. This group meets the second Saturday of each month at 8 a.m. for breakfast and fellowship and planning of a wide variety of service projects. Men from this group also give many hours of labor in caring for the church grounds and building.

Voluntary Action Center - CUMC partners with this local agency to provide emergency assistance such as transportation, medication, clothing, food and shelter.


 
Connectional Ministries


Behind the Screens is a collection point in Room 400 of the CUMC building where volunteers receive, sort, pack, and ship items such as baby layette kits, health kits, school kits, and clothing to persons in need around the world.
Festival of Sharing is an ecumenical state-wide event that takes place each year at the state fair grounds in Sedalia on the third Saturday of October. In anticipation of that event, CUMC works each autumn to gather items of help and to raise awareness of need so that through our participation in the Festival of Sharing we can respond to hunger, poverty, and crisis.
Global Market store, located in the music wing, promotes social and economic justice in developing countries by selling craft products in a just and direct manner. Volunteers at the store and shoppers are always welcome. Visit the global market page to see some of our offerings and current store hours.


Heifer Project International provides improved nutrition through the gift of livestock and training in livestock management.

Mozambique Covenant Partnership - CUMC has entered into a covenant to provide financial support for the pastor of Matingane United Methodist Church in the Massinga South District of Mozambique.

P.E.T. stands for Personal Energy Transportation and CUMC members actively support the PET project with financial gifts and by volunteering to build personal-energy transportation for those who cannot walk.

Rainbow Network Ministries, Nicaragua, is "a conscious visible witness to the love of Jesus Christ with particular emphasis on partnering with some of the world's poorest people...by implementing projects in healthcare, education, housing and economic development." Through Rainbow Network, CUMC has entered into a covenant with the village of Las Pilas in order to develop relationships with the people there and to assist with health care, educational opportunities for children, housing, and microloans for economic development.

Typewriter and sewing machine repair is an on-going ministry taking place in the lower level of the CUMC building. Typewriters and sewing machines provided by people of Columbia are cleaned and/or repaired by CUMC volunteers so that they can be shipped around the world to help people become self-sustaining in a developing country.

Volunteers in Mission go forth from CUMC several times each year in order to lend a helping hand and share God's love. Volunteers have helped with clean-up efforts after storms in Missouri. They've gone to the Gulf Coast to help clean up and rebuild after Hurrican Katrina. They've gone to Nicaragua, Peru, Mexico, and Mozambique, with each trip providing an enriching experience for each volunteer.