First United Methodist Church of Palo Alto

The Joy Of Doing	Where Does Your Light Shine?	Haiti Earthquake - How You Can Help	Campbell Soup Labels - UPC Codes
Greeters Needed - Urban Ministry Monday Meal	Old Medicine Disposal	Chuck's Mission 2006 Trip To Kenya & Rwanda	Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteers in Mission (VIM)

The Joy Of Doing

At First Palo Alto we show our committment to the Joy of Doing every day by volunteering around our community, around our church and around the world.

We invite you to join us. Roll up your sleeves and help us and/or help a worthy organization. Your valuable time and valuable skills can be put to great use.

Below are just a few ideas on how you can be of service.

Thanks for being a part of The Joy Of Doing

Where Does Your Light Shine?

During June and July you may have seen the big display board in the Narthex lit up with a border of electric lights. In fact you may have contributed one of the many stars in it – or information on a sheet that was highlighted in a star. Each star exemplified how a member or friend of our church serves in the community.

We correlated your community outreach into the following categories: Civic, Community Support, Arts, Helping the Needy, Global, Education, Seniors, Nature, Hospital, Animals, and One-on-One care. More than one individual is involved in each of these categories; and some individuals are involved in several.

We heard from about 50 of you. Beyond the big board with the stars, we have carefully noted the details you provided on separate sheets or interviews. It is being shared with the pastors, hospitality and UMW. Some of you indicated that additional help was needed and welcomed.

Download the summarized results.

We are sure that more of you are involved in these and other ways to serve in the community. We encourage you to add your voice and thus light to help others to know your service – and to get more needed participation.
– Ted Dolton and Michele Conway for the Outreach Committee

Haiti Earthquake - How You Can Help

UMCOR Responds to the Earthquake in Haiti

A major earthquake hit Port-au-Prince, Haiti on January 12, 2010, causing widespread destruction. Millions of people are affected and thousands are feared dead. The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has close ties with the Methodist Church in Haiti and is responding to the devastating earthquake with funding, material resources and prayers.

UMCOR executive, Melissa Crutchfield says, “We are working with our partners on the ground to provide immediate relief to the people in Haiti. UMCOR has worked in Haiti for many years. We anticipate that there will be years of rebuilding needed and are prepared to work with the people to help them through that process.”

Working with partners, Action by Churches Together, Church World Service, Global Medic and the Methodist Church, UMCOR is channeling its resources to respond effectively to the people most in need.

How You Can Help
Gifts to support UMCOR's Haiti Relief efforts can be online. Go to http://secure.gbgm-umc.org/donations/umcor/donate.cfm?code=418325&id=3018760 to donate.

You can also donate by check. Checks can be made to UMCOR with Advance #418325 Haiti Emergency in the memo line. Checks can be put in the church offering plate this Sunday or mailed to UMCOR, PO Box 9068, New York, NY 10087.

UMCOR Sager Brown is coordinating a shipment of health kits to provide individuals with basic necessities. Instructions for assembling and shipping health kits are available at http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/getconnected/supplies/health-kit/.

Please pray for all of the people affected by the earthquake in Haiti. Thank you for your faithful support for all of God’s children. 100% of gifts made to this advance will go to help the people of Haiti.<

Campbell Soup Labels - UPC Codes

Please collect the UPC (bar codes) from Campbell products (including Pepperidge Farms) for a UMW mission project at McCurdy School.

A container is in the lobby of the Education building with a poster showing various products that qualify. It will be greatly appreciated if you cut or tear off only the section with the UPC code - please do not submit the entire label. This will be a great time saver.

Thank you for your help.

Nancy Olson, UMW President

Greeters Needed - Urban Ministry Monday Meal

Can you spare just 3 hours a year to serve as a greeter at the Urban Ministry Monday Meal?

Every Monday night our church, in cooperation with the Urban Ministry of Palo Alto, hosts a meal in our Fellowship Hall for the homeless in our community. This meal is part of Urban Ministries' Breaking Bread program.

Breaking Bread currently offers a free hot meals every day of the week, six in Palo Alto and one in Menlo Park. The meals are at the same church on the same day each week, and are intentionally spread out among various locations so that people with transportation issues will always have at least some services near their home.

Urban Ministry staff members deliver food for each meal from various food storage areas. There, a team of volunteers prepares the meal, then serves it and cleans up. Each of the meals has five teams of volunteers that rotate, so that each team cooks and serves once every five weeks.

The Outreach committee of First Palo Alto provides two volunteers to monitor the our building during a time when the building would otherwise be closed.

We are asking you to volunteer just 1 Monday a year from 4pm to 7pm.

To volunteer, please contact Ann Robar, 650-961-3739.

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Old Medicine Disposal

JUST WHAT MEDICATION CAN I DISPOSE OF AT CHURCH ?????????

Are old and outdated medicines gathering dust in your medicine cabinet? Safely dispose of them at church.

Gather your unwanted medications. Leave items in the original container. Mark out any personal information, if you wish.

Bring items to church and deposit into the locked medication barrel in the Education Building lobby.

THINGS TO BRING
• Prescription medications
• Over the Counter medications
• Medical samples
• Medications for pets
• Vitamins
• Medicated ointments/lotions
• Inhalers
• Liquid medications in glass or leakproof containers

PLEASE DO NOT BRING
• Needles/sharps
• Thermometers
• Controlled substances/narcotics
• IV bags
• Bloody or infectious waste
• Personal care products
• Business waste
• Empty containers
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Aerosol cans

Your participation in this program helps keep toxic and cumulative substances out of our water supply and prevents land pollution.

And remember to also bring your used batteries and computer ink cartridges to recycle in the containers in the church office.

Chuck's Mission 2006 Trip To Kenya & Rwanda

Our own Chuck recently took a mission trip to Kenya and Rwanda with Church World Service. During his trip he visited the Maua Methodist Hospital in Kenya. This is the same hospital that our youth will be visiting during their 2007 Mission Trip.

Chuck kept us up-to-date on his activites by email. Read his trip reports.

Chuck's Trip Reports
Trip Reports 1 & 2
Trip Reports 3 & 4
Trip Report 5
Trip Report 6
Church World Service Helping Aids Orphans

Volunteer Opportunities

There are many different ways that you can help out at FirstPaloAlto.

What are your interests?

What are your skills?

Got a little time to spare? Got a lot of time to spare? It doesn't matter!

We need you!

Volunteers help the church:
     be of service to others
     run smoothly
     look beautiful
     be a place of hospitality and grace
     and much, much more

Contact the Church Office at 650-323-6167 to find a volunteer opportunity that's perfect for you.

Volunteers in Mission (VIM)

United Methodist Volunteers in Mission brings together thousands of volunteers to serve in various mission service around the World.

Both lay and clergy serve together in annual conference projects such as community centers children's centers, camps and vacation Bible schools.

They may serve nationally or internationally in projects ranging from construction to evangelizing to social outreach and medical assistance.

How Can You Help? Anyone who can spend some time, a few hours for some projects to several days for other projects. RV'ers traveling to other areas can make scheduled stops to work on projects. Expenses are paid by the volunteers. Contributions from the congregation help to pay for the materials that are used on the projects.