Service Opportunities

Click here to see our Missions Booklet

 

Nurture Committee

 

Lay Shepherds

The Lay Shepherd Ministry is designed to encourage members of the church to foster connections with their fellow members. Our shepherd's are volunteers who have either been nominated by members of the congregation or themselves. Each shepherd is assigned several households for which to nurture and pray. The goal of this ministry is to one day provide a shepherd for everyone in the church. The Shepherds meet monthly under the leadership of Carole Ellis.  

Martha Ministry

A caring and support ministry in the time of bereavement and illness, coordinated by Darlene Tyndall and Sandra Miller.  We are always welcoming new volunteers to this significant ministry.

CD Ministry

CDs of the Sunday Service are recorded and distributed to church members unable to attend in person.  Call the church office (763-5197) to request copies.

Stephen Ministry

Stephen Ministry is a program of our congregation that equips lay persons to provide distinctively Christian one-to-one care to those who are experiencing all kinds of life needs and circumstances, both in our congregation and community.

For more information, contact us

Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard

Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard is a local food pantry which is affiliated with Grace UMC.

Our mission statement is: Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard is called to serve those who are hungry in the Wilmington area through distribution of non-perishable emergency food. This service is provided by volunteers in partnership with the community, without regard to race or religion and with care to preserve the dignity of the individuals being served.

The Cupboard is housed in a building owned by Grace and staffed on two days by Grace volunteers. The church also provides clerical support (copying, giving out keys, answering questions). At least two of our members serve on the Board of Directors. The Cupboard was started in Wilmington in 1985 by Sister Mary Isaac in a space beside the Food Bank. It moved to a site in the Grace UMC facility in 1997 and to its current location in 2004.

The Cupboard is run entirely by volunteers. Rules, regulations and problems are dealt with by a Board of directors, which meets once per month at Grace. We have 200-300 people volunteer at the cupboard each month from various congregations and businesses. We are open from 1-3pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. We provide 3-4 days’ worth of food, given out once per month. The exception is homeless who are able to come weekly and receive a smaller portion of items which are smaller servings and don’t require cooking. Less than 10% of people who receive our food are homeless. We provide pre-packed, non-perishable food.

Donations of food may be brought to the Cupboard (313 NORTH 5^th Street) while we are open (1-3pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday or Saturday) or for large deliveries or to deliver at another time, please contact Jane Radack at 793-9236.

Volunteer jobs include food collection, receiving and sorting food, purchasing food at local stores with donated money, unloading vehicles, stocking shelves, providing custodial services, creating and maintaining client records (computer-literate people for data entry are needed!!!), packing food boxes and distributing bags and boxes of food.

To volunteer, please call Michelle at 200-9909.  Monetary donations can be mailed to Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard, 401 Grace Street,  Wilmington, NC  28401.   Donations of non-perishable food may be brought to the Cupboard between 1-3 pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday or Saturday (313 North Fifth Street in Wilmington).  If you would like to volunteer collecting food during the food drive, please call Donald at 763-3900.  If you have other questions,please callJane Spicer at 392-1551.

**Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard is a 501- (c)-3 organization, so all deductions are tax-deductible.

 

Alternative Gift Market

  

Alternative Gift Market coming up, November 6^th and 7^th!

 

The 15^th Alternative Gift Market and Craft Fair will be held from 10-12 on November 6^th and from 10-2 on November 7^th, 2010 at Grace.  If possible, this will take place in our new building! The Alternative Gift Market offers shoppers a chance to support worthy local and international projects by giving a gift to honor a friend or family member. The donors (you) receive a gift card to give the recipient, which describes the project supported. For example, for $15, you could give a bag of cement to be used in building a school for deaf or orphaned children in Kenya to your cousin, who adores children. Or, you could donate $46 and provide a Bolivian family with water for crops, livestock, and household for 10 years as a gift for your brother, who is a farmer. For a church friend, you may want to donate locally, such as $12 for night of shelter at Mercy House for a homeless man. The list goes on and on.....

 

These gifts are life-sustaining and inspire change in the world!  To read more about many of the international gifts, go to http://www.altgifts.org .  A shopping list which includes local and locally-affiliated projects will be available at the end of September.

         

In addition to the project support gifts, the Market will offer crafts from Ten Thousand Villages, a Mennonite organization, who buys the handmade items at fair market value from artisans in the developing world and sells them at stores and Gift Markets in North America (the nearest Ten Thousand Villages store is at CameronVillage in Raleigh).   We are sent a sampling of items, which include Christmas decorations and ornaments, baskets, woven, wooden and paper items, jewelry, toys and musical instruments.  In the past, each $1200 of our gift sales supported an artisan and her/his family for a year! See samples of the offerings at:      http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/home.php    

         

The Alternative Gift Market is open to church members and the general public.  There are volunteer jobs available to help with publicity, to present projects to shoppers, to act as a cashier as shoppers check out and to assist in making up cards for project shoppers.  If you would like to work or if you have questions, please contact Jane at 392-1551 or Becky at 395-4161.  Volunteering is a great way to meet many members of our congregation as they shop for their Christmas gifts!  Project gifts are tax-deductible.

 

      Prayer Shawl Ministry

    People of Grace donate their time and talent to this ministry by knitting beautiful prayer shawls.  The shawls are then given to anyone in need of a warm  shawl to help them feel the love of the congregation and the love of God. 

 

 

Prayer Care Partners for Sunset Park Elementary School

Included under our mission outreach is the Grace-Sunset Park Prayer-Care Partner Program.  We bring the love of the Lord into the elementary school setting by partnering with a staff member to pray for him or her throughout the school year, by remembering that staff member with encouraging cards, and by providing a few staff-wide treats for them throughout the school year.  Each Grace Partner remains anonymous to their partner until the end of the year at which time we have a ‘meet and greet’ luncheon.  Individually it is a small commitment of time and resources to make, but the school staff really appreciates being remembered and prayed for.

 

Shoe Box's for Samaritan's Purse

Through Samaritan's Purse directions, we fill shoeboxes with things to provide children in need with a happy Christmas.  Please contact Christina Norvell with questions. 

 

Other Ministries supported by Grace UMC

Early Bread

Get on the Bus

Habitat for Humanity

Hospice Meals

Methodist Home for Children Angel Tree

Operation Christmas Child (Shoe Box Gifts)

Wilmington Area Rebuilding Ministry (W.A.R.M.)

Wilmington Interfaith Hospitality Network (WIHN)


Call for more info: 910.763.5197

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