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2024 Special Offerings
Each month we present an organization or project to highlight and with whom to share the gifts God has so graciously given to us! Please give generously! Please make your checks out to St. John's UMC and write the name of the organization to whom you wish to donate in the memo field of your check or donation on-line.
November: Native American Ministries Sunday
This special offering will go to support vital ministries and churches in the Native American
communities. The offering allows The United Methodist Church to partner with existing native
ministries to develop new programs on behalf of Native Americans. Fifty percent of the funds
collected on Native American Ministries Sunday remain in the Annual Conference to develop and strengthen Native American ministries in the conferences. Twenty-five percent of donations received fund scholarships designated for Native Americans attending United Methodist schools of theology. Twenty-five percent of the donations collected are used to create beneficial programs including mentoring programs, peer support systems, funding for economic development projects, and restoring traditional and historic ways that bring forth new leaders for Native American communities.
December: No Special Offering
2024 Past Special Offerings
January: Youth Missions Trip 2024
In July our youth are headed to Sager Brown Depot in Baldwin, Louisiana to volunteer with the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). Every year more than 2,000 volunteers prepare approximately $4 million in relief supplies for shipment from Sager Brown to disasters all over the US. We can start the new year by helping the youth in their fund-raising efforts for this trip. Please give generously.
February: Covenant with Missionaries
February is the month that we support our UMC Missionary, Dr. Brenda Forbes, in Nicaragua. She and her husband (also a doctor) live in Managua, Nicaragua. She works with Accion Medica Christiana (AMC), a Nicaraguan Christian Medical group, which specializes in health and development in impoverished rural communities. As a dentist, Dr. Forbes works with a community- based primary dental health program where she also mentors volunteers and interfaces with AMC's international partner organizations. Please give generously.
March: Lenten Offering
Lent is the time of preparation, a time of sacrifice, a time of renewed focus on God, a time of giving. Traditionally at St. John's, the Lenten Offering goes to support many and varied local ministries. In the past we have supported such ministries as the Ramp Project, Mobile Food Pantry, Hopeworks, Asbury Pie Cafe, Wesley House, McCurdy Ministries, Barrett House, Silver Horizons, lunch bags for the homeless and many more. St. John's has been very generous in supporting ministries that help our community, the need being greater than ever this year. So as we think of Jesus' great sacrifice for us, may we sacrifice in our own small way and continue to give generously to those in need.
April: Cuidando Los Ninos
The mission of Cuidando Los Niños is to break the cycle of homelessness for children and families. They do this by providing high-quality early childhood education, case management, supportive housing, and parent education. The cost of the homeless is borne by the entire community. Healthy communities are those in which all members can share in wealth and opportunity. Poverty creates divisions within a community. Please give generously.
May: El Cavario Border Ministries
Border Ministries is a conference-wide ministry. The goal is to love our immigrant neighbors by both supporting immigration ministries at the border and immigrant communities throughout the NM Annual Conference. El Calvario UMC - El Calvario is located in Las Cruces, NM. They offer shelter and travel arrangements to immigrants traveling to sponsors in the US. They also work with Afghan Refugees who are settling in the community. In addition, they provide an Advocacy Center, Resilience & Well-Being Program, and a Commercial Kitchen Incubator to help people get back on their feet financially. Please give generously.
June: Locker #505
Locker #505’s mission is to provide appropriate school clothing to K-12 Greater Albuquerque Metro (including Sandoval, Valencia and Torrance counties) students in need. Locker #505 student clothing bank is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization that has established a student-focused facility where children can try on and choose outfits that they feel good about wearing. Having appropriate school clothing allows children to concentrate on their school work, not their clothing. It also helps keep children, who might not go to class because of their clothes, stay in school. It is crucial to Locker #505 that each student is treated with the utmost respect and kindness and leaves Locker #505 feeling good.
July: Zuni Elementary School Supplies
It's hard to believe, but school will be starting again soon. So this month we have the opportunity to support our neighbors at Zuni Elementary school. Chef Tim has the back-to-school staff luncheon on the calendar, and United Women of Faith, along with this special offering, will purchase school supplies to be given to the school at that time. There may be more opportunities for continued support in the coming year, so please give generously.
August: Wesley House, UNM
This month we have the opportunity to support Wesley House at UNM. College Wesley Foundations are so important in developing the faith of young adults, as Wesley House has shown over the years. The Wesley House at UNM has housed up to eight students and provided meals, Bible studies and fellowship to many more.
But the pandemic has hit Wesley House hard. Fewer students in the house has meant less money from rent. And since Conference funds dried up several years ago, Wesley depends on the generosity of folks like us in the local churches. A Christian home away from home means so much to young adults in a vulnerable period of their lives. Please give generously to Wesley this month.
September: United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR)
In September we have the opportunity to give to UMCOR. Gifts this month lay the foundation for UMCOR to share God's love when a crisis such as a hurricane or earthquake occurs. The money we give this month underwrites UMCOR's administrative costs so that 100% of any gift to a specific UMCOR project goes directly to that project. UMCOR is known for its quick and lasting response to crises all over the world. Please give generously. For more information about UMCOR see https://umcmission.org/umcor/.
October: Two in One (Methodist Children's Home and Providence Place)
The offering this month supports troubled children, teen mothers, adoptive parents, and young adults with special needs. The Methodist Children's Home and Providence Place, both in Texas, rely on our support. As one child put it "They (MCH) are here for me when no one else is. They never give up on us. I now know that God is always there for me too." Please give generously.