Church of the Good Shepherd United Methodist

Serving others in Christ through worship, study, witness and mission.

MISSIONS & SOCIAL OUTREACH

"But what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" Micah 6:8b

The Missions and Social Outreach Committee guides the church in the direction of reaching out to help others in our community and world through projects and information.

GOOD SHEPHERD REACHING OUT ~ THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY!

Church of the Good Shepherd is to be commended for your excellent support of the opportunities we have to assist in several very worth outreach efforts.

Here are the results of some of our special giving in year 2007:

Blanket Sunday $310 Human Relations Sunday $ 55

Native American Ministries 144 One Great Hour of Sharing 445

Peace w/Justice Sunday 108 UM Student Day 131

World Communion Sunday 101 World Hunger (Wheat Bouquet) 459

NNEMAP (Caselot Food Drive) 1579 Habitat for Humanity 220

YWCA Family Center 530 2007 COGS Christmas Card 313

2007 Paper Recycling 918 Crop Walk 1661

Global AIDS Fund 302 City BBQ Fundraiser (Habitat) 115

Fill-A-Bag Sunday 1200 *Estimate of Groceries by NNEMAP staff

2007 Super/Souper Bowl Sunday 146 *Estimated value of 117 cans

The above gifts total over $8,700. In addition, COGS supported Faith on the Eighth and the YWCA Family Center with donated food items and volunteer time; Touching Little Lives with baby layettes, blankets, hats, etc.; and Health Kits Supplies for the needy.

Another $2500 was forwarded from Good Shepherd to the following Methodist Advances in 2007 from our Committees General Budget:

Elma Jocson -- Missionary to Nepal $1100

Susanna Wesley – Home for Girls—Brazil 500

Greater Columbus Habitat 400

“A Child” – Children and Youth Worldwide 500

Daily Bread (Food for Poverty Stricken) 300

World Hunger 500

Parish Partners – Rio Grande Ministries 300

Thanks Church of the Good Shepherd for your wonderful support in 2007!

The Committee on Missions and Social Outreach

Ongoing Projects

Faith on Eighth

The Church of the Good Shepherd prepares an evening meal the second Thursday of each month for the men at Faith Mission. Because there is no kitchen at Faith on Eighth, we prepare meals and take them to the mission. You can help by preparing food, providing supplies or money for supplies, serving, and/or cleaning up. If you would like to be involved, contact Sue Crawford who is the chairperson for this project.

Habitat for Humanity

Good Shepherd members have been participating in the activities of Habitat for Humanity as members of the Beechwold/Clintonville/Dublin Partnership and have supported it financially for at least ten years. Our Tuesday Crew and our Thursday Crew have helped build thirteen houses. We are committed to help build a house on Woodland Avenue soon. In the meantime, our crews go throughout the city working on various houses and projects for other groups and partnerships under the direction of the Constructions Manager.

Come join us in this effort to eliminate substandard housing in our community!

Near Northside Emergency Material Assistance Program

NNEMAP has been a project of our church for a number of years. One of our many projects related to this agency is our collection of food. People bring food to the church and place it in a receptacle in the narthex and it is then taken weekly. Our program expands during the summer and fall with the addition of fruits and vegetables from the garden and trees. Our gardener is Andy Anderson.

Paper Recycling at Good Shepherd

The green and yellow receptacle in front of the church garage is the center of our paper recycling effort and embodys the spirit of our committee. Members of Good Shepherd and the community deposit their recyclable paper 24/7. In 2006, we kept 57 tons of paper out of the landfills, and saved much water, energy and many trees. Keep up the good work!

Touching Little Lives

Our committee provides patterns for our church library and collects items for TLL which distributes these to babies in need through the local hospitals and social service agencies. Find out more about this organization here.

YWCA FAMILY CENTER UPDATE

It has been just two short years since the Family Center opened its doors as the only “front door” emergency shelter in central Ohio, offering safe accommodations, meals, key support services and childcare to homeless Franklin county families. The Center is now meeting or exceeding the expectation of the primary funder, the Community Shelter Board, with 70% of families achieving stable housing within 21 days. The Family Center model will be featured in video produced by the National Alliance to End Homelessness, marking the third time it has won national attention.

Although 2007 was a challenging year for the Family Center financially, they were able to continue to serve families thanks to the generosity of many donors and supporters. They are extremely proud of the fact that with 3 years remaining on a 5 year building loan, the remaining balance is less than$500,000.

Commitment to serve as an innovative center of excellence that transforms people’s lives remains strong; yet, the challenges faced by the families being served continue to grow. The average monthly income of Family Center residents was only $503 at the end of 2007. The potential for a weakeconomy in 2008 increases the likelihood of even greater challenges for central Ohio families in the future.

As always, the YW appreciates our generous contributions of both time and money. COGS continues to be a part of the work to transform lives. The financial and volunteer support of our congregation is greatly appreciated.

Other Projects Supported During the Year

Health Kits

World Communion Sunday Offering

CROP Walk

Festival of Sharing

Blanket Sunday

NNEMAP Caselot Drive

United Methodist Student Sunday

Christmas Card (Habitat 2006)

New Life United Methodist Church Offering

Human Relations Sunday

Souper Bowl Sunday (Soup for NNEMAP)