Local Missions
Food Ministry
Our April Mission Moment focuses on Food Ministry here at MUMC. You can designate your giving in person or online to Food Ministry (envelopes available in the Info Hub and Narthex). Help support our ongoing food outreach including More Than a Meal, Distributions, Meal Blessings, and more.
Our next distributions are:
May 13 & 14
July 15 & 16
September 16 & 17
Food items can be dropped off in the Community Center. Monetary donations are also accepted through your designated giving.
Click here for an extended list of items that our Food Ministry needs.
More Than a Meal
More Than a Meal is a food ministry of MUMC that gives a sense of connection as well as a meal. Many of those who need food are also in need of seeing a smile and hearing a kind word. On the last Saturday of each month, we cook a meal and serve in our Fellowship Hall. You can help cook, clean up, or hand out meals while interacting with guests.
Often a group will get together to work the meal and enjoy fellowship while giving back to the community. The time commitment is four hours. The gift of your time and energy is much needed!
Please use this link to sign up online through SignUpGenius.
Shoe Drive
Visit the bin in the Gallery to drop off sneakers in any condition to raise money for The Sub Zero Mission! The drive is hosted through gotsneakers.org, an organization whose mission is to partner with the sneaker community to recycle and reuse sneakers. Sneakers donated help to purchase gloves, winter hats, and boots for the homeless population in northeast Ohio and beyond.
Change the World Day
Join us for our annual Change the World Day on May 4th where we will be partnering with Sleep In Heavenly Peace to build 60 beds. Sign up online here. You can also help support the cost of supplies for this mission by designating your giving to Change the World Day. To learn more about SIHP, visit their site, https://shpbeds.org/
Plarn Mats
One of Mentor UMC’s new projects is making Plarn Sleeping Mats. Plarn is plastic yarn made out of plastic grocery bags. The Sleeping Mats will be sent out into our local homeless community. They are great for those who need a barrier between them and the hard ground. They have been sent for disaster relief, for the homeless, and for those who need temporary sleeping arrangements. This is a great activity for families, journey groups, and friends of all ages. We hope that this project will bring together people for a fun “craft” with a great purpose! Visit the display in the Gallery to learn more!
Disaster Relief
Donate to disaster relief by visiting UMCOR’s website.
Caring Servants
Who are we? Caring Servants is an extension of the pastoral visitation ministry to the
homebound or chronically ill members of Mentor United Methodist Church. As such, we are not
a committee, and instead focus on the care needs of our faith community as servants of Christ.
What do we do? Caring Servants provide regular contact through cards, calls, visits, or “special
deliveries” on a monthly basis. By using a buddy system and focusing on 4-6 people we “share
the care” on a regular basis in order to keep people connected to their church.
What we are asking? Maybe you have a heart for the needs of others and are able to listen to
people who are increasingly isolated. All we ask is that you prayerfully consider being a part of
our caring team of Jesus followers.
Fill out the Caring Servants Monthly Report HERE
Project Hope for the Homeless
Find out about Lake County’s only homeless shelter, their new Families Moving Forward program, and how you can help support this important ministry. Read More
The Homeless shelter of Lake County, located at 25 Freedom Rd. Painesville, relies on volunteers to provide a meal each night for 40 individuals and drop it off at the shelter by 6:45 p.m. Mentor UMC coordinated the first Wednesday of each month and you can help! Contact the Church Office at 440-255-3496 to sign up to help.
Click here to view details about February’s Mission Moment for Project Hope.
Joseph Ministry
The Joseph Ministry was created to help local people with small repair jobs. It consists of a small group of volunteers that assist our neighbors when skill level, age, illness, or misfortune prevents them from doing things around the house that need to be done.
Click here to learn more
Ohio Guidestone
Royal Family Kids Camp
Royal Family KIDS is the nation’s leading network of camps and mentor clubs for children of abuse, abandonment and neglect. If you are 16 or older, you can help! Camp is scheduled to begin for staff Friday evening June 7 with children arriving Saturday June 8 and staying through the afternoon of Wednesday June 12. You can apply to be a volunteer full time or part time by visiting their site. Click here to check it out. Thank you to Abbie Akucewich for sharing an RFK “Story of the One” with us, which can be viewed here.
It is that time of year when Royal Family Kids is gearing up for another year of camp. The number of kids that can have a potentially life-changing experience this summer depends on the number of teens (age 16 and older) and adults who choose to volunteer their time to create positive memories for children who have experienced neglect and abuse.
Camp this summer is scheduled to begin for staff on Friday evening June 7. Children ages 6 through 11 arrive on Saturday June 8 and stay through the afternoon of Wednesday June 12. At camp children receive positive attention and encouragement as they engage in many activities including sports, fishing, crafts, music, chapel time and a special birthday party, all designed for the children to experience success and build self-esteem. Volunteers are needed both full and part time to have fun and make moments matter in a child’s life.
Volunteers are interviewed and receive a background check for the safety of the children. Also, all volunteers receive training before the start of camp. The only cost of volunteering is your time and you may be richly rewarded knowing you made a positive difference in the life of a child. For further information speak with Johanna Martin johannamartin@sbcglobal.net and visit this website For The Children | Royal Family Kids #271 | Willoughby Hills (rfkwilloughbyhills.org)
Catalyst Ministry
Did you know that MUMC has a relationship with Catalyst Ministry, the children of Painesville City Schools, and Woodlawn Home Community in Painesville? Catalyst Ministry is a federally recognized, not for profit organization that is focused on investing resources in the local community through Christian centered initiatives. It was founded in 2009 and MUMC has worked with CM on various endeavors for many years. This has included student tutoring, Vacation Bible School, and other events for the residents of Woodlawn Homes. They also provide meal baskets at Easter and Christmas. They also provide new shoes for the school-aged children of Woodlawn Homes (if needed) in the fall.
Catalyst Ministry and MUMC have been involved with Woodlawn Homes for a number of years. Woodlawn Homes is a Lake Metropolitan Housing Authority Community made up of 70 townhouse homes on the streets of Sanders, Shelby, and Homeworth in North Painesville. The units have 2-4 bedrooms and are intended for families who meet income qualifications and screening of LMHA. The US Dept. of Housing and Urban Development oversees LMHA and its treatment of all applicants. most are single parent homes and many children (who could use help) live in this community.
Our MUWF does a great deal to help the people of Woodlawn Homes. They purchase coats and boots for children in need each winter. They also help provide baskets of laundry detergent, cleaning detergent and other household needs in the Spring to the residents. And they sponsor social events for the children and families at the Woodlawn Homes’ Community Center throughout the year. Opportunities for these events will be posted in the Weekly Update and church website.
Current Catalyst Min Needs
Volunteer at Woodlawn
On Mon, March 4th from 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM, the MUWF will be sponsoring another craft luncheon at Woodlawn Homes in Painesville. With Catalyst Ministry, we will be teaching our guests basic stitches of crochet and doing a simple project. We will be serving soup, salad, bread and cookies. On Sat, March 23rd from 1 PM - 3 PM will be an Easter Celebration for the children of Woodlawn Homes. There will be crafts, games, candy, lunch, and reading the story of Easter. If you are interested in helping at either of these events please contact Carol Ryan at 440-488-0541 or Carol Hoskinson at 1-330-655-4180. Thank you for your help!
