News

Congregrations Team Up to Throw Super Bowl Bash for Homeless

  By Mary Ann Ford   BLOOMINGTON — On Feb. 3, people across the nation will go to their friends' houses for Super Bowl parties, watching the big game on a big screen and eating lots of snacks. The congregations of Moses Montefiore Temple and Wesley United Methodist Church want that same opportunity for those in the Twin Cities who are without homes — so they're having a Super Bowl Party for the homeless.   "We want to do something that gives them the...

Alum Rock UMC Partners with Housing Organization

Throughout 2012 Alum Rock United Methodist Church joined with the Foundation for Housing Equity (FHE) in East San Jose. FHE is a non-profit, charitable organization founded by John Zamora and family. Its goal is two-fold: to help empower and provide opportunities for folks in the community who need a hand-up, and also to give young people in the community meaningful opportunities and exposure to cultural music and art. Some of the events organized by FHE include the Silicon Valley Music...

'Ivy' Homelessness Book and Curriculum Event Is at South Hayward UMC in October

South Hayward United Methodist Church and "Reach and Teach" invite you to help young people understand homelessness. Attend a book and curriculum discussion about an award-winning book for middle school youth (and others), Ivy, Homeless in San Francisco, on Saturday, Oct. 20, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at South Hayward UMC.   Lunch will be provided; donations gratefully accepted.   The church is located at 628 Schafer Road, Hayward, CA 94544.   Ivy, Homeless in San Francisco...

Oma Village Is Model of Mission

By the Rev. Betty Pagett Retired Elder, CA-NV Annual Conference Oma Village is a grassroots volunteer effort to involve more people in helping Marin County's non-profit Homeward Bound in its efforts to move families with children out of homelessness. Our effort has a family flavor; "Oma" is what my little grandsons call me.    I particularly wanted to reach groups such as mothers' clubs, PTAs, book clubs, and others who care about children but aren't currently involved...

The Gift

By Kat Teraji Instant Connection Contributor On a recent Monday night, our Gilroy United Methodist Church volunteer team was serving soup to the homeless at the National Guard Armory temporary winter shelter, when a redheaded woman in her 60s caught my attention. She said her name was simply "Jenann." Dressed in a rose-colored sweater and olive green knit pants with a neat crease down the front of each leg, she looked like she could be anybody's grandma. She placed her meager...

March 30 Send-off Ceremony Scheduled for Side-by-Side

There will be a send-off ceremony for the Side-by-Side Ministry with the Homeless on Friday, March 30, 2012. The ceremony will take place at 10 a.m., at the Side-by- Side office, located in Friendship Park at Loaves and Fishes, 1321 North C Street, Sacramento, CA 95814. All friends, donors, and volunteers – past and present – are invited to attend. In February, the Steering Committee for Side-by-Side announced "a very sad but necessary step … done with a lot of...

Side-by-Side's Journey Ends

The Steering Committee for Side-by-Side Ministry with the Homeless has announced "a very sad but necessary step … done with a lot of prayer and discernment." Effective March 30, Side-by-Side will cease operation after having faithfully served the homeless in Friendship Park for more than 10 years. "As the economy continues to be tight, many non-profit organizations are struggling. Side-by-Side is not immune," reads a letter signed by the Rev. Linda Kelly-Baker on...

Guest Speaker for 2012 ACS Is Featured in Latest Edition of Interpreter

The guest speaker for the 2012 California-Nevada Annual Conference Session will be the Rev. Rudy Rasmus – who is featured in the November/December 2011 issue of Interpreter, the official ministry magazine of The United Methodist Church. The article, "A Season of Hope; Will We Sing with Mary," examines the concept of finding hope in tragedy, in hunger, and in homelessness during Advent.  "I am often trying to offer a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. Don't...

Third Annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner Planned at Valley Faith UMC, Sunnyvale

For the third straight year, Valley Faith United Methodist Church and San Jose Tongan Fellowship, both in Sunnyvale, have teamed up to provide a free Thanksgiving dinner for the community – complete with music, food, and fellowship. This year's dinner will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 23 from 3 to 9 p.m. The churches make a practice of reaching out to groups in the community – the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON) of Northern California, the Filipino Workers...

'Searching for Safeground' Film Festival in October in Sacramento

Each winter, First United Methodist Church of Sacramento hosts homeless guests on campus for overnight stays. During the cold, wet months, this is a life-saving mission (called Safeground) in which many faith communities participate.  This year, churches have been told that there will be no public homeless shelter in Sacramento, which will make Safeground more important than ever.   Costa Mantis, a filmmaker and formerly homeless individual, has produced a compelling film...

UMAC Keynote Speaker Is Featured in Powerful UMNS Story

The keynote speaker at the 2011 annual meeting of the United Methodist Association of Communicators (UMAC) will be the Rev. Lorenza Andrade-Smith, a UM pastor who has taken a vow of poverty in order to live among the homeless for three years. When her bishop appointed her to lead a ministry to the poor and marginalized, Andrade-Smith took a leave of absence from her church and Conference duties and renounced her salary and all her possessions, including her home and car.   In a...

Last Chance to Sign up for 'Stations of the Poor: A Prayer Pilgrimage'

Don't miss this special Easter weekend opportunity "Stations of the Poor – A Prayer Pilgrimage" is a rare reflective opportunity for Easter Weekend, being offered in downtown Sacramento by Side-By-Side Ministries With the Homeless.   Modeled on the traditional Stations of the Cross service, which takes participants on a symbolic journey with Jesus through His final hours, Stations of the Poor is a physical journey, taking its pilgrims from place to place in the Loaves...

Engage in Ministry With the Poor for Lent

Registration deadline is March 19 for "'Word on the Street': Radical Hospitality with the Homeless" workshop. In his new article, "Lent Is 'a Very Good Place to Be,'" Bishop Warner H. Brown, Jr. recommends an upcoming workshop as an "excellent" activity for Lent, for those in the Sacramento area.   "'Word on the Street': Radical Hospitality with the Homeless" will take place on Thursday, March 24, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at Sacramento's First United...

'Stations of the Poor A Prayer Pilgrimage': A Special Easter Weekend Event

A rare reflective opportunity for Easter Weekend is being offered in downtown Sacramento, by Side-By-Side Ministries With the Homeless. "Stations of the Poor – A Prayer Pilgrimage" is modeled on the traditional Stations of the Cross service, which takes participants on a symbolic journey with Jesus through His final hours. Stations of the Poor is a real journey, going from place to place in the Loaves & Fishes area where homeless persons find services.   It is a...

Side-By-Side's Linda Kelly-Baker Blogs on Conference Website

The Rev. Linda Kelly-Baker, founder and director of Side-By-Side Ministries With the Homeless, has accepted an invitation to blog on the California-Nevada Annual Conference website at cnumc.org. Readers of the Conference's monthly magazine Connection will remember Kelly-Baker as a popular columnist. Since Connection ceased publication in 2007 we have missed her gritty, often poignant, and always beautifully written and uplifting portraits of life on the street. We are delighted to have her...

Will You Be Counted? Register to Change the World, May 14-15

There truly is power in numbers. Doing one, two, or 20 things for the Change the World event, May 14-15, makes it possible for any church – urban or rural, large or small – to make a difference in the local community or the world. Last year more than 100,000 people from 1,000-plus churches united with a common purpose over a 48-hour period: to make a world of difference in ways both large and small, locally and globally. From California to Washington, Alabama to Mozambique, United...

'Word on the Street': Radical Hospitality with the Homeless Workshop

"Uh, oh! There's a homeless person. He's dirty and he scares me. What do I do?" What can you do? Start by gaining a deeper and broader understanding of chronic homelessness and the challenges it brings by joining the Rev. Linda Kelly-Baker and Side-By-Side Ministries for the "Word on the Street": Radical Hospitality with the Homeless workshop on Thursday, March 24, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at the First United Methodist Church, 2100 J Street, Sacramento, CA.   Explore how...

An Ordinary Meal

By Kat Teraji Gilroy UMC "In the way of God, thoughts count for little, love does everything. And it is not necessary," he continued, "to have great things to do. I turn my little omelette in the pan for the love of God; when it is finished, if I have nothing to do, I prostrate myself on the ground and adore my God, Who gave me the grace to make it, after which I arise, more content than a king. When I cannot do anything else, it is enough for me to have lifted a...

'Drive-by Giving to the Homeless': A New Ministry in Action Story

"Miracles happen all the time. I had the privilege of witnessing a couple of them myself this holiday season," writes Kat Teraji of Gilroy United Methodist Church, as she begins a Ministry in Action story just posted to the California-Nevada Annual Conference website. Teraji tells an inspiring story of the impact everyday people can have, through taking simple steps in faith. Read Drive-by Giving to the Homeless.   Highlights of all Ministry in Action stories are viewable in...

Sign up Now for October 2 Side-By-Side Workshop at FUMC Sacramento

Do you wish you had something more to offer someone suffering from homelessness or mental illness? Give a morning of your time.   Register now for a Side-By-Side Ministries workshop, "Where the Church Meets the Street: Companioning Our Homeless Neighbors," October 2 from 9 a.m. to noon at First United Methodist Church of Sacramento. The Rev. Linda Kelly-Baker, founder of Side-By-Side, a listening ministry with the homeless, will guide attendees in exploring their natural sense...