Our church joins other churches in providing a gratis lunch for the community of Hampstead. We are scheduled to provide lunch and a time of fellowship to 15 to 35 guests seven times a year. We welcome all, seniors as well as parents with young children. For some the meal is important, others are fed by the fellowship. The cost of the meal is covered by donations from Wesley congregants. Dedicated volunteers feel their lives are enriched by those we serve.
We are very fortunate in our church to have so many members who have contributed to the community for many years. Periodically we plan a potluck luncheon to honor those in our church who are 80 years and older. The entire church is invited to help us celebrate these members.
Each Fall, we support the Operation Christmas Child program that is project of Samaritan’s Purse. We provide shoes boxes for the members of the congregation to fill with small gifts along with $7 for postage to ship the boxes. The Samaritan’s Purse distributes the boxes worldwide to children as they listen to a Gospel message. This gives us all an opportunity to spread God’s love to children in another part of the world. Church members with children are encouraged to have their children assist with filling the boxes. This gives them a chance to be
part of this evangelism.
We are very blessed with many gifts in our church. In early November we “adopt” a few families to support for Christmas. We get information from local organizations and make out gift tags that we hang on a tree at the back of the church. The tags have specific gifts that can be purchased by church members and wrapped. The gifts come back to the church and someone on the committee delivers them. This is another opportunity to involve children in picking out presents to give to someone with no expectation of a return gift. It is our way of reaching out to the community.
This is an organization that helps support girls and women who are dealing with an unplanned pregnancy. They offer testing, support, counseling and help to provide alternatives to abortion. Each year they provide baby bottles that can be filled with a check, bills or coins to help support their program. You will see the bottles in the back of the church around February. Once you have filled one bring it back and take another if you would like. We will deliver the bottles back to the center.
This Christian organization has the mission of releasing children from poverty in Jesus’ name. They operate throughout the world. We support this organization in two ways:
We sponsor two children on a monthly basis. We have church members writing to them while we provide the financial support
Periodically, we celebrate Compassion Sunday. Many people in our church sponsor Compassion Children. These Sundays provide an overview of the program and give others in the church an opportunity to select a child to sponsor.
This is a volunteer agency is dedicated to helping older and disabled adults remain independent in the community. Their volunteers provide services including transportation, light housekeeping, visits and help with shopping. We support this group through quarterly donations.
United Methodist Committee on Relief is a worldwide organization that provides whose mission is to provide relief from suffering through disaster response, and projects in health, agriculture, food support, relief supplies and more. The outreach committee provides the organization quarterly financial support.
Early in December, we organize a group to go caroling to church members who have difficulty getting to church as well as the local facilities that support the elderly such as Golden Crest and the Hampstead Senior Living apartments.
This an organization that provides homemade blankets to children in need. Members of our church construct the blankets that are donated to the local chapter to be distributed.
We provide financial support quarterly for a local minister who ministers to those in a local prison.
When someone in the church has a need a coordinator puts out a call for members of the church to sign up to provide a visit and a meal.
This is a ministry that is dedicated to feeding the working poor in the Dominican Republic. We support this group through quarterly donations.
Each Mother’s Day, we provide a donation to a charity that focuses on helping women in need in honor of that day. For Father’s Day we provide a donation to a program that helps men.
This is a chance for people in the church to show off a little talent. We have people sing, dance, do gymnastics, humorous readings, magic, etc. It is a night of fun and fellowship which gives the people of the church a chance to see some of the hidden talents of their fellow members.
This is a Christian organization based in Westminster that reaches out to those in crisis in Carroll County. Their mission is to show Christ’s love through supporting people in their time of need and encouraging pathways to self-sufficiency. We support them in different ways:
We provide a quarterly donation to the organization
Spiritual Easter Baskets - in early spring we set out plastic Easter eggs in the pews of the church. We ask that people place coins or bills in the eggs. We then use that money to purchase supplies for the Spiritual Easter baskets. We often recruit one of the Youth Sunday School classes to help us to fill the baskets.
This is an organization that supports people in need in our area. It was originally founded by local churches and is still supported by those community churches as well as other organizations. We support NESAP in several ways:
Food Donation Box: located in the front of the Fellowship hall. Those who would like to donate food to NESAP but have difficulty getting there can leave their donations in the box. It is then delivered to NESAP.
Quarterly Donation: We use some of our funds to provide NESAP with a check quarterly to help support their work in the community.
Back to School Program: This program actually starts in the late spring and early summer since NESAP begins distributing school supplies and support in August. We contact them to help determine what their greatest needs are and then provide the church members an opportunity to purchase items or provide financial support for the purchase of items.
Cookie Walk: The Cookie Walk is a twist on a bake sale. We usually hold it on the day of the Christmas Cantata. Cookies are provided by anyone who likes to bake. The cookies are displayed around the room and people are encouraged to select mixed dozens of cookies that they then purchase from the Committee.
Soup and Bread Sale: Once a year, usually in early November, we have a fundraiser where volunteers prepare homemade soup and bread for members of the church to purchase. It is always just in time for the cool weather.
Baked Potato Luncheon: This luncheon is both a fundraiser for the group and a chance for the church family to share a meal together. The Outreach Committee prepares a meal of baked potatoes with toppings and salad for a reasonable price.
Restaurant Fundraiser: We sometimes have local restaurant fundraiser where we get a percentage of the profit for a particular night when people register as participants.