Below is a listing of the ministries we support:
Local Missions:
The American Cancer Society
www.americancancersociety.org
Daffodil Days- orders taken in February, delivery in March.
Relay for Life- June, held at the Sykesville-Freedom District Fire Department.
American Red Cross Blood Drive
www.redcross.org
Wesley Freedom hosts 4-5 blood drives per year. Watch the bulletin for information. Signup sheets are located at the hospitality desk in both churches.
Angel Tree Ministry
www.angeltree.org
Angels will be available during the Christmas Bazaar, and the weeks leading up to Christmas. Delivery date will be specified when you pick up your angel.
Carroll County Food Sunday
http://community.carr.org/fullrecord.asp?record=335
Collection of canned goods is ongoing.
Carroll Hospice
http://community.carr.org/fullrecord.asp?record=409
Carroll Hospice provides support and services to terminally ill patients. Hospice is a special way of caring for terminally ill patients and their families. Care is directed towards enhancing the quality of a patient's life, emphasizing the dignity of the individual, and supporting the family.
Coins for Care
Loose coins in the offering plate are combined to purchase gift cards from a local grocery store to give to needy families who come to the church requesting emergency assistance.
E.S.C.A.P.E. (Enabling Social and Church Advocacy for People Enrichment)
Four times each year, Wesley Freedom provides 60 bag lunches for distribution for the His Table program. Look for sign up sheets on the Missions table.
Feed My Sheep
http://community.carr.org/fullrecord.asp?record=512
Monday, Thursday and Friday at Noon. Wesley Freedom has 3 teams who prepare lunches on the 1st Thursday, 2nd Friday, and 4th Monday. If anyone is interested in joining a team, please contact Bette Gehr Miller at 410-795-3899 or eandpmiller@comcast.net. Free hot meal, open to all.
Habitat for Humanity of Carroll County
www.habitat.org
Habitat for Humanity of Carroll County is currently an all-volunteer organization. Volunteer opportunities exist for all skills, abilities and interests. For more information on how you can become actively involved, call (410) 751-7722 or visit their website.
Meals on Wheels of Carroll County
http://www.mowaa.org/Page.aspx?pid=183
The Carroll County Meals on Wheels program has been in operation for over 30 years. The primary mission of this organization is to support the homebound with nutritious meals and other services that allow these individuals to remain living in their own homes.
Christmas in April
Look for signup sheets at the hospitality table. The Annual Easter Egg Hunt will be held before Easter to raise funds for this project.
Recycling Program
Ongoing. Look for the blue bins around the church to recycle paper. On the missions table, recycling bins can be found for plastic screw tops and batteries.
Shepherd's Staff
www.shepstaff.org
Shepherd's Staff, located at 30 Carroll Street in Westminster, is a Christian Outreach and Support Center sponsored by local churches, organizations, and individuals dedicated to providing disadvantaged Carroll County residents with temporary assistance while seeking ways to empower them with more permanent solutions.
Souper Bowl Sunday of Caring
www.souperbowl.org
Super Bowl Sunday- canned good collection.
Springfield State Hospital
www.dhmh.state.md.us/springfield/
Wesley Freedom UMC has had an active role in visiting mentally handicapped patients at Springfield Hospital for the past 22 years. Our visits are scheduled approximately 4 to 5 times a year and are open to anyone 14 years of age or older who would like to join us. Look for sign up sheets on the Missions Table.
Thanksgiving Food Baskets
Each year Wesley Freedom distributes food baskets to Carroll County families in need.
Transitions Healthcare (formerly Continuum Care Nursing Home)
www.memberofthefamily.net/fpdb/hqiprovider.php?215136
Join us on the 3rd Tuesday of each month, from 7 to 8 p.m. as we serve refreshments, play bingo, and celebrate the resident's birthdays. Transitions Healthcare is located on Second Avenue in Sykesville, off of Central Avenue.
Westminster Community of Shalom
To develop a dynamic partnership among all sectors of our diverse community, Westminster Community of Shalom will provide resources for quality and affordable housing, health and education, economic well-being, and spiritual-growth opportunities for all.
Westminster Family Shelter
Wesley Freedom began raising money during 1999 to help with some renovations to the Westminster Family Shelter located at 52 Charles Street in Westminster. Members of Wesley Freedom who would like to donate furniture and household belongings can call Second Chances at (410)848-5599 to arrange for making donations.
Regional Missions:
Board of Child Care
http://www.boardofchildcare.org/
At Christmas time, our Sunday school students save quarters in a red Christmas stocking to be donated to the BCC and traditionally, our Christmas Eve offering has gone to support their work. In addition, Wesley Freedom UMC supports the Board of Childcare by collecting "Labels for Education".
The Children's Home of Catonsville
www.thechildrenshome.net/
Established in 1863, The Children's Home (TCH) of Catonsville, Maryland is a residential care facility that provides both long and short-term services to youth 8 to 21 years of age who have experienced abuse, neglect, violence, abandonment, and/or are in need of supervised care. Through our church's Angel Tree Ministry, members buy gifts for the children at TCH. With money collected from a designated offering, we have also bought them school supplies.
Heart's Place Shelter
www.stjohnsbaltimore.org/heart%E2%80%99splaceshelter
Heart's Place is a winter emergency shelter located in St. John's of Baltimore City United Methodist Church at 2640 St. Paul Street, Baltimore. We have four dates annually when we go into Baltimore to provide dinner at Heart's Place.
Interfaith Housing Alliance, Inc.
http://www.interfaithhousing.org/history.htm
Wesley Freedom UMC is in partnership with IHA to help relieve shelter poverty in our region and empower capable households with limited financial resources to have a chance to either buy a home or rent a decent and safe dwelling. This project has been supported through our monthly Outreach Offering for the last several years.
Manna House
http://www.mannahouseinc.org/
Manna House is a non-profit agency supported by churches and other groups whose mission is to offer assistance and support to the homeless, poor and needy of Baltimore, with services contributing toward their independence and stability. Volunteers are always welcome to serve meals and visit clients.
The Susanna Wesley House
www.angelfire.com/ny5/cornerumw/
The Susanna Wesley House (SWH) at 609 Park Avenue in Baltimore is a transitional residence for women in need and their dependent school age children. Periodically, we have collections of basic household items to give to the women of the shelter.
Tri-City Outreach Support Group
www.efsp.unitedway.org/EFSP/wc.dll?EFSP~fundedorg~738400
This Mission stretches a little beyond the Greater Maryland/DC region to St. Stephen, South Carolina in rural Berkley County, a largely low-income region just 45 miles from Charleston. In 1992 Wesley Freedom traveled to this area for the first time to give assistance to elderly and low-income families who were adversely affected by Hurricane Hugo in 1984. The connections we made with the children of St. Stephen and with the Rev. Jeremiah Washington (V.I.M. volunteer and minister of The Believers' Temple) led us to further reach out by participating in "Christmas of Joy", sponsored by C.H.I.L.D. (Community Hands in Love and Development), an organization started to serve the low-income people of the St. Stephen's Area.
Global Missions We Support
Nothing But Nets
Nothing But Nets is a global, grassroots campaign to save lives by preventing malaria, a leading killer of children in Africa. Founding campaign partners include the National Basketball Association’s NBA Cares, The People of the United Methodist Church, and Sports Illustrated. The goal is to raise $100,00 by 2011 to be able to distribute another 10,000 nets in Zimbabwe. Learn more about our partnership with Zimbabwe at www.bwcumc.org. Learn more about Nothing But Nets at www.nothingbutnets.net
Bread for the World
http://www.bread.org/
Every year BFW focuses on introducing one piece of legislation that deals with hunger issues and urges churches to participate in an offering of letters. In an Offering of Letters church members write personal letters to their representatives on behalf of hungry people, expressing concern about their situation and asking for specific policy changes that will help bring about change. Here at Wesley Freedom, we run a workshop in October, educating all who attend on Bread for the World's initiatives, providing letter writing guides and materials, and encouraging everyone to take a few minutes to write a letter from their heart.
Church World Service
www.churchworldservice.org/
Blanket Sunday
Since 1946, CWS has provided more than $210 million dollars in blankets, bedding and textiles to persons displaced by war or natural disasters. CWS purchases and ships blankets worldwide (including in the U.S.). When possible, blankets are purchased near the disaster site to speed delivery and help local economies. Every $5.00 given provides a good wool or cotton blend blanket because CWS buys in large quantities
CROP
For the past several years our Junior High Youth Fellowship has organized our church's participation in the CROP walk. If you would like to sponsor a walker, see one of our youth in the Junior UMYF. If you would like to walk yourself, see one of the Junior UMYF leaders. Please note that you don't have to be in Jr. UMYF to walk--Walkers of all ages are welcome!
Compassion International
www.compassion.com/
For many years Wesley Freedom UMC has encouraged members to become a sponor of a child with Compassion International.
Heifer Project International
www.heifer.org/
For the last several years, the children in our Sunday School have saved their pennies and helped to purchase animals for families in Third World countries.
Missionary Fund
Reverends Oscar and Juniata Ramos were hired by the General Board of Global Ministries to work in the Louisiana Conference of the United Methodist Church to help within the community in securing jobs, providing help with language skills (ESOL), addressing health concerns and giving other vital assistance. After hearing about this crucial need, we committed our church to providing $1500 a year to support the ministry the Ramos team is providing.
Refugee Resettlement
In December 2002, Wesley Freedom began working with the New Windsor Refugee Resettlement Office (a cooperative Ministry of Church World Service and the Virginia Council of Churches) to sponsor two refugee women from Afghanistan
UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief)
www.umcor.org/
One way our church has helped UMCOR is by preparing emergency kits to be distributed to people in need. UMCOR provides a list of items to include in Flood Bucket Kits, Health Kits, Layette Kits, School Kits, Sewing Kits, etc.
Women for Afghan Women/Afghan Women's Fund
http://www.womenforafghanwomen.org/Welcome.html
Our church gives to the Afghan Women's Fund, which supports the reconstruction of Afghanistan, particularly schools and health facilities for women and children. Our church gives to the Afghan Women's Fund and receives regular updates about the work in Afghanistan in a newsletter.