Centre First UMC: Celebrating a Christmas Miracle

On December 16, Centre First United Methodist Church opened its doors to people in need through “The Christmas Miracle Workshop.”  In four hours of ministry, more than 200 volunteers served more than 700 people in need.  The opportunity to serve in a big way came about through an anonymous donation the church received on November 13. Rev. John Mullaney, Centre First UMC’s pastor, said, “We received a letter and a check from a person who doesn’t...

Small congregations Daniel's Chapel and Union UMCs partner with others to make big impact on the community

Daniel's Chapel and Union United Methodist Churches in the Mountain Lakes District are considered small congregation churches, but their impact on the Weiss Lake area is anything but small.  These congregations faithfully join Cedar Bluff First UMC and others in several cooperative ministries to the community including the Fresh Food Pantry, the clothing pantry and the Dry-goods pantries located in Cedar Bluff First UMC.  These ministries are known for volunteers including...

Calera First UMC works toward outreach objective of helping children and families in need

Last month the Shelby County Reporter featured a story on the Feed My Sheep food pantry ministry of Calera First UMC. The food pantry ministry is part of a larger outreach objective the congregation adopted two years ago of “no more needy children” in Calera. The church started working toward this objective by first building relationships with teachers in local schools.  The news article explains, “Teachers were lifted up in prayer and encouraged. They...

Pinson UMC youth work together to feed the hungry

On May 20, 2012, the youth of Pinson UMC hosted a Stop Hunger Now party for the Pinson congregation and local community during which volunteers packed 10,000 meals. Through the Stop Hunger Now assembly process volunteers combines rice, soy, dehydrated vegetables and a flavoring mix including 21 essential vitamins and minerals into small meal packages. These meal packages are shipped around the world to support school feeding programs and crisis relief. The food stores easily, transports...

Church of the Reconciler invites North Alabama United Methodists to support ministry with the homeless

The Church of the Reconciler is a multicultural, multiracial United Methodist congregation with a unique ministry in downtown Birmingham. The congregation offers many ministries and programs to Birmingham’s homeless.  On their website they explain, “While we are first and foremost a church, we also believe that Christ’s message of love and action calls us to make sure that those on the streets are cared for immediately through our feeding, worship, medical, and...

Ashland Circuit churches begin Lent with donation to Clay County schools

On February 22, 2012, the pastors of the Ashland Circuit in the Southeast District led their churches in doing something special and meaningful for their community as part of a joint Prayer and Illumination Ash Wednesday service. According to Rev. Malinda Jowers Weaver, Ashland First UMC collects book bags and supplies to give to students at the start of the new school year. As the pastors thought about this gift to students, they realized that many teachers have to find extra...

Bluff Park UMC and Promise Homes partner for new facility to house special needs adults

March is recognized nationwide as Intellectual Disabilities Month.  One special event early in the month will celebrate the partnership of a local United Methodist church and North Alabama Conference mission agency in ministry to special needs adults. On Sunday, March 4, 2012, Bluff Park UMC in Hoover will break ground on a Promise Home, a facility to house special needs adults. The groundbreaking for the home for six residents will be at 4:30 p.m. followed by a dinner at the...

North Alabama Conference Advance Specials to participate in Alabama Gives Day on Feb. 2, 2012

On February 2, 2012 the Alabama Association of Nonprofits, in partnership with the Alabama Broadcasters Association and the Razoo Foundation, is taking one day to harness the power of individual contributions statewide. Alabama Gives Day will connect new and existing donors with thousands of Alabama nonprofits through a simple one day online giving process increasing awareness of local Alabama charities. Many North Alabama Conference Advance Special Ministries are participating in this...

Bluff Park UMC builds Ham Mountain as Christmas outreach project

In mid-November 2011, a unique mountain appeared in the narthex of Bluff Park UMC and continued to grow over the next month. This mountain, which was actually a mission outreach effort of the congregation, was made of canned hams donated by members of the congregation to support the Bluff Park UMC Food Pantry. This successful project was the brain-child of Rev. Tom Duley, Associate Minister of Missions. The goal of the project was to do something special for the families served by the...

Community joins Cherokee and Margerum UMCs to share God's love at Christmas

When Rev. Kim Teehan, pastor of Cherokee and Margerum United Methodist Churches (Northwest District), got an email from the United Methodist Choctaw Mission in Philadelphia, Mississippi, on December 9 asking for donations of clothing and children’s books for the Choctaw people, she knew this was a request that needed a response. In April of 2011 Rev. Teehan was part of the North Alabama Conference contingent of churches that participated in a mission trip to the Choctaw Mission in...

Asbury UMC to host a Prayer and Missions Conference in February 2012

Asbury UMC in Madison will host a Prayer and Missions Conference on Feb. 24-25, 2012. The event is entitled, Poured Out, A Conference on Prayer and Missions and will feature more than 60 workshops on various aspects of prayer and missions. The conference is part of Asbury’s seventh Global Impact Celebration. Just as in 2008 and 2010, the Asbury UMC congregation invites others to be a part of this experience. John Bailey, Asbury’s Director of Missions shares that, “We are not...

Young Adult Missionary applications due Feb. 5, 2012

For 60 years, Global Ministries has been sending young people into service. Through the US-2 and mission intern programs, we have enriched the lives of thousands of young men and women, and through their witness touched uncountable youth, adults, and communities. The US-2 and mission intern programs develop church leaders, as young people work in communities that face issues such as poverty, racism, or environmental justice. US-2s serve two years living out faith through social justice in...

Back to School benefit concert featuring the Dill Pickers to raise funds for Urban Kids program

On Sunday, Sept. 18, 2011, Urban Ministry is hosting a "Back to School with Urban Kids benefit concert Featuring the Dill Pickers.” The concert will be at 3 p.m. at Birmingham First UMC (518 19th St. N Birmingham). All proceeds of the fundraiser will go to the Urban Kids program of Urban Ministry. Urban Kids has been in existence since the late 1980s. Currently the program offers an After-School program four days a week and a seven-week Summer Day Camp. Each year, 30 3rd-8th grade...

Chapel Hill UMC's children collect school supplies for children in need

Chapel Hill UMC’s (Northwest District) children’s group, dubbed "God's Gang," decided that during Vacation Bible School they would collect school supplies for disadvantaged children in Decatur. Sunday School Teacher Mrs. Aileen, made a school house and the children went to work. At the VBS "Shake it Up Cafe" there was a baking contest for members of the church. Each contestant had to bake two entries -- one for the contest and one to auction off. The winner of...

UMVIM, SEJ Update focuses on missionaries Teddy and Sylvia Crum

In July, Malawi and missionaries Rev. Teddy and Sylvia Crum were the featured  in a United Methodist Volunteers in Mission, Southeastern Jurisdiction (UMVIM, SEJ) Update. The Crums are from the North Alabama Conference. They began serving in Malawi this summer. Below is the UMVIM Update. It is reposted here with permission.   July Focus: Malawi Teddy, Sylvia and Lily Crum are missionaries of the General Board of Global Ministries from the North Alabama Conference. In mid-2011,...

Hartselle First UMC youth roll up sleeves and exemplify God's presence in storm recovery

Three months ago, on April 27, 2011, tornadoes devastated areas throughout the North Alabama Conference. Since the first moments following the storms United Methodists have been working together and with others to help rebuild their communities and the lives of people affected by the storms. That work is continuing for the long haul. Recently, Rev. Tom Fowler, pastor of Coutland UMC, wrote an email to Northwest District Superintendent Rev. Mike Stonbraker telling the story of how...

Fultondale UMC Students to spend 21 nights under mosquito nets to end malaria

Students from Fultondale UMC (Central District) are on a mission to heal. Joining together with 11 million United Methodists, they are fighting to wipe out malaria. To raise money for Imagine No Malaria, students are asking people to make a pledge for each night a student sleeps under a mosquito net in front of the church. The effort began July 17 and the students are planning to continue until August 7. Imagine No Malaria is an effort of the people of the United Methodist Church to raise $75...

United Methodist Women compile more than 800 UMCOR kits at spring event

The North Alabama Conference United Methodist Women collected and compiled more than 840 UMCOR kits and donated money to purchase another 133 kits during their 2011 Spring Event “Refresh and Retreat” on April 8 and 9 at Camp Sumatanga. The local units throughout the Conference collected items for Baby Layettes and Birthing Kits. Then at the April event attendees worked hard to check, prepare, compile, and pack the kits. Hands-on-Mission Task force chairperson Jo Anne Minnitt says,...

Annual Conference 2011 to collect and assemble health kits

Earlier this week Rev. Matt Lacey, Conference Director of Advocacy and Mission, made this post to the Conference Mission Blog. Every Annual Conference meeting, some person at some point during the meeting will ask me: "Matt: I enjoy a good speaker and debating contentious resolutions like any good United Methodist. But wouldn't it be nice if, you know, we did some hands-on ministry work at Annual Conference? I mean, isn't that what Jesus would want us to do?" It's a good point. A...

WE Community Gardens to hold fundraiser at Café Dupont on March 19

Three years ago, Community Church without Walls and Urban Ministry partnered together to turn an overgrown vacant lot in West End into a community garden. Rev. R.G. Lyons, pastor of the Community Church Without Walls, says, “As church members from CCWW began clearing the lot, we could not have imagined the transformative impact the garden would have on our entire community in three years. It has become a place that brings people together across racial, generational, and...