"Love your neighbor . . ."
"Love your neighbor . . ."
ENGAGE AND SERVE
"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." Mahatma Ghandi
Church is about sharing God's love by offering hope and healing to those looking for more meaning in their lives. We grow in our faith by taking progressive action outside the church walls to help others in our community right here in the La Mesa Village and around the world in relevant and meaningful ways.
Like Christ, we are drawn to help those in need, caring for the sick, serving the homeless and abandoned, and simply being there for people so they know they are not alone. We seek to care for all of God's creation through our advocacy for the environment as well as the marginalized. Volunteer and be a part of our community outreach ministries through community involvement and activism. Together we can make a difference.
Like Christ, we are drawn to help those in need, caring for the sick, serving the homeless and abandoned, and simply being there for people so they know they are not alone. We seek to care for all of God's creation through our advocacy for the environment as well as the marginalized. Volunteer and be a part of our community outreach ministries through community involvement and activism. Together we can make a difference.
Community Outreach MINISTRY
Putting faith into action in public life - we are called to care for the most vulnerable members of our society and to work for social justice in our communities. We make our voices heard at the local, county, state and national levels.
Community Outreach's principal efforts have been on feeding the homeless (our "neighbors-in-need"), advocating for affordable housing, responding to racism through activism for safety and advocacy with racial understanding. We also seek to respond to global warming through our Earth Care Ministry. We conduct candidates’ forums and meet with city officials to advocate for services that nurture people and the environment. Our primary act of mercy is our monthly Fresh Start (see below) where we provide a hot breakfast, showers, bag lunches, clothing, bus passes and referrals for those who are unsheltered. We have a voice at city and county meetings and with the East County Homeless Task Force. Currently, Pastor Christian serves on the La Mesa Police Oversight Board and Village Association to remain connected and relevant in the community.
All those interested in attending are welcome. We welcome members from other faith traditions and community activists who enrich our meetings with their attendance.
Meeting: Second Monday of every month at 6:30 p.m. on Zoom
Contact: Lois Knowlton or 619-466-3094
Community Outreach's principal efforts have been on feeding the homeless (our "neighbors-in-need"), advocating for affordable housing, responding to racism through activism for safety and advocacy with racial understanding. We also seek to respond to global warming through our Earth Care Ministry. We conduct candidates’ forums and meet with city officials to advocate for services that nurture people and the environment. Our primary act of mercy is our monthly Fresh Start (see below) where we provide a hot breakfast, showers, bag lunches, clothing, bus passes and referrals for those who are unsheltered. We have a voice at city and county meetings and with the East County Homeless Task Force. Currently, Pastor Christian serves on the La Mesa Police Oversight Board and Village Association to remain connected and relevant in the community.
All those interested in attending are welcome. We welcome members from other faith traditions and community activists who enrich our meetings with their attendance.
Meeting: Second Monday of every month at 6:30 p.m. on Zoom
Contact: Lois Knowlton or 619-466-3094
fresh start Saturday
On the last Saturday morning each month, Fresh Start volunteers feed the homeless (our "neighbors-in-need") in a warm and friendly environment, offering a hot breakfast, hot showers, lunches to-go, personal items and fellowship to our neighbors. Some of the roles and responsibilities include:
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Our main purpose of the ministry was to break the stigma of interacting with the homeless. Therefore, rather than just serve the food, we set up round tables where we invite our church members to sit and have breakfast with our unsheltered guests. It is a way to break bread together. If you don’t have time to participate but want to help, we welcome in-kind donations. On Sunday mornings, there is a box for Fresh Start in the Social Hall where you can drop-off your items. Our neighbors regularly need:
Your contributions help us continue our commitment to building community, loving our neighbors and working together for peace. |
Caring Ministry
The Caring Ministry/Prayer Team meets weekly for contemplative devotion and prayer, study and support of our church family/community and each other. We provide a weekly monitor and check-in for those in our community who are ill, shut-in (homebound) or in need of supportive care through visitation, mailings and telephone calls
Contact the Caring Ministry or Dona Shaw to volunteer or to add someone to our visitation list.
Contact the Caring Ministry or Dona Shaw to volunteer or to add someone to our visitation list.
To learn more, visit http://www.prayerquilt.org/
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Prayers and SquaresCan you touch a prayer? Can you pull it close and feel its comfort? You can if it's part of a Prayer Quilt from Prayers & Squares, the Prayer Quilt Ministry.
It's a simple idea with powerful results, but our Prayer Quilts are more than just colorful, comforting blankets. The warmth they bring comes from the prayers that are tied into each knot. Hundreds of quilts have been made for those in special need of prayer. Anyone may ask for a prayer quilt. The only requirement is that the recipient of the quilt gives permission for a prayer. It is a gift of love. Contact Dale Powell. |
Earth Care Ministry
Our mission is to inspire, inform and involve the members of the La Mesa First United Methodist Church and the surrounding community to participate in activism protecting the earth and caring for all of God’s creation in sustainable ways. We envision activities grounded in the interconnectedness between the spiritual, the natural world and one another. We envision progressive activities that embrace inclusion, justice, and respect as we work in solidarity with vulnerable and marginalized communities.
Regularly, we provide earth advocacy education opportunities and activities that live out our mission. One way we are engaged in the community is through our participation in the La Mesa Community Garden. Good for kids, good for youth, and good for people of all ages, getting your hands in the dirt makes us one with ecology and one with one another.
Regularly, we provide earth advocacy education opportunities and activities that live out our mission. One way we are engaged in the community is through our participation in the La Mesa Community Garden. Good for kids, good for youth, and good for people of all ages, getting your hands in the dirt makes us one with ecology and one with one another.
Guatemala Mission Project
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For more than 20 years, we have been working in the highlands of Guatemala to serve the indigenous communities. Through the Guatemala Project, we have built medical and dental clinics, a tailor's trade school, houses for widows and homes for mudslide victims, wood efficiency stoves, schools for children as well as having taken medical teams to serve the needs of people who may have never before been seen by a doctor. So very many lives are transformed, one by one, family by family in Guatemala.
In a single year in the community of Saquilla:
To learn more, visit https://www.sdguatemalaproject.org/ |
To learn more, visit http://guatemalaproject.org
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To learn more, visit
http://guatemalaproject.org/Student-Scholarships.php
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Sponsor a Guatemalan StudentIlliteracy is a major problem in Mayan communities, many students never going beyond the 4th grade. Often there is no money for tuition or supplies, and commonly, children are needed to work in the home or family business. Scholarships can make the difference of a lifetime!
Through the Guatemala Mission Project, you can help provide school scholarships to youth and young adults in Guatemala. You may sponsor an elementary school child for only $75 a year, a middle school student for $100 or a high school student or trade school young adult for $150. Scholarships cover school fees, books and supplies, making it possible for very poor, sometimes orphaned, children to continue their education. To learn more, visit www.sdguatemalaproject.org/sponsor-a-student |