“Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?
 And I said ... Here I am Lord, send ME“                                                Isaiah 6:8

Have you heard the Lord calling? Are you looking for your answer? Here are some of the possible answers traditionally supported by CUMC:

MISSION CONTACT PERSON Asbury Shalom Zone John Brewer Bethlehem Bible College Pastor Dave Kofahl Both Your Hands Denise Trabucco Care-A-Van Ministries Bruce Eaton Clarence Community Pantry Edna Scherf Family Promise Kathy Alm Marian McAllister Sandy Warner Future in Our Hands Sandy Warner Habitat for Humanity Kevin Scherf Harvest House Edna Scherf Henderson Settlement Clay Carson International Students Kathy Bahr Journey’s End Refugee Services Ernie Aberle Prison Fellowship (Angel Tree) Jim Aberle Seneca Street United Methodist Church PJ Pasieka ShoeBox Project Diane Kofahl Young Life Kathy Yu

Please call or email the church office for more information or for the phone number of the contact person.

Bethlehem Bible College

http://www.bethbc.com/

 Bethlehem Bible College is an interdenominational Christian Bible college, located in Bethlehem, Palestine.  The College offers a BA program in Biblical studies and Christian education that combines high academic standards with a deep spiritual commitment to Christ. It is accredited by the Palestinian Ministry for Higher Education and Middle East Association of Theological Education (MEATE)as a four-year college.

Bethlehem Bible College seeks to train and prepare Christian servant-leaders for the churches and society within an Arab context who model Christ centeredness, Godly humility, biblical wholeness, creative mercy and justice in their jobs and ministries as life-long learners.

Care-a-Van Ministries (Batavia)

http://www.cavministries.org/caaboutus.htm

Care-A-Van Ministries, Inc. (CAV) was established in May of 2000 to be a street outreach. The purpose of CAV is to bring church to those in the community that otherwise would not receive the message of the good news of Jesus Christ. The CAV truck and bus are the tools to bring food, clothing, compassion, love and hope to many areas of the city of Batavia, NY.

Our team ministers on Thursday evenings, Saturday mornings, and Sunday afternoons to approximately twenty eight areas in the city. Over the last eight years approximately 20,462 needs have been met with food and all other areas of the ministry.

Family Promise of Wesern New York

http://fpwny.org/

The mission of Family Promise of Western New York  is to unite religious and other organizations in responding to the needs of homeless families in our community.  Uniting heart and hands, the network provides a way for homeless families to receive temporary shelter, meals, and assistance while seeking their own independence.  It's more than providing shelter, meals and support.  It's about keeping entire families together while they work toward having a home to call their own.

CUMC has agreed to be one of 12 host churches in the Buffalo area.  Our church will provide temporary shelter, four weeks during the year, for up to three homeless families.  We are excited about this opportunity!

Future in Our Hands

Visit http://www.futureinourhandsusa.org for details.

Future in Our Hands - USA , is a non-governmental organization created in response to the dire needs of the poor in Kenya.

Founding members of FIOH-USA, Buffalonians, Michele Sprada and Sister Linda Glaeser, SSJ, have traveled to Kenya for several summers and worked closely with FIOH - Kenya. Through their first hand experience of seeing extreme poverty in Kenya and the good work that FIOH - Kenya had started, they realized that much more needed to be done. They responded by founding FIOH - USA in order to give generous individuals an opportunity to participate in the fight against poverty in Kenya and other locations around the world.

CUMC Habitat Volunteer Group

Most of you saw the great volunteer spirit shown from our area on “Extreme Home Makeover” recently. You too can volunteer for Habitat for Humanity Buffalo which has been providing simple, affordable housing for the less fortunate for the past 25 years right here in your own backyard. We are forming a group of people to work on the 4th Saturday of the month. No special skills necessary just a willing spirit to do God’s work. Please contact Kevin Scherf at 406-2130 or Frank Temple at 689-6180.

Our mission is “Meeting Basic Needs in Appalachia”.  Our goal is to display the love of Christ through service. We accomplish this by partnering with individuals and churches across the country to touch the lives of the families we serve. Our service area includes Bell and Whitley counties in southeast Kentucky, and Campbell and Claiborne counties in northeast Tennessee.  We reach out to over 3,000 people of all ages and stages of life each year.  Take a look around our web site and you’ll see the many ways we try to serve in this community. http://www.hendersonsettlement.com

Hearts & Hands: Faith in Action

Hears & Hands: Faith in Action is looking for volunteers in Clarence. Since 2003, volunteers at Hearts and Hands: Faith in Action have helped the elderly in Erie County maintain their independence.  Services are provided free of charge, thanks to support received from a coalition of local churches and community organizations. The mission of Hearts and Hands: Faith in Action is to "connect the elderly, those with health concerns and their caregivers with trained volunteers to uphold their dignity, improve their quality of life, and enhance their ability to live in their home of choice". 

Befriend an International Student with ISI

You can potentially impact the destiny of a whole nation through one international student. Twenty-five percent of the current heads of state in the world were international students in the USA! By joining the ISI friendship partner program you can have a chance to befriend one of the world's future leaders that have come here to study. The commitment is once per month for one year to invite a student into your home and share the love of Jesus with them in practical ways. You can do this! Please contact our church’s team leader via the church office or contact Don Manta at 731-1311 or the ISI office at 639-0605 or e-mail Don at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Journey’s End Refugee Services

Journey’s End Refugee Services is a Christian non-profit organization sponsoring legal refugees through Church World Service and Episcopal Migration. Our Church has sponsored 4 families over the last 20 years, from Cambodia, Vietnam, Sudan and Somalia. They are presently sponsoring cases from Burma, Nepal, Irag and Somalia.

New refugee families are arriving every week and there us a constant need for household items such as furniture, kitchen items, and linens. 

We support the organization through financial support and volunteering as Board Members, and assisting with needs of refugees.
If you are interested in having your church co-sponsor a family or would like to volunteer in any way, contact Elaine Smythe-Bugumil, volunteer coordinator, at 882-4963.

Their address is Tri-Main Center, 2495 Main Street, Buffalo 14214.  To learn more about Journey’s End Refugee Services, go to http://www.jerswny.org

Operation Christmas Child - Shoebox Project

Clarence United Methodist Church is taking part in Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan's Purse. Samaritan's Purse is a Christian ministry led by Franklin Graham, the son of Dr. Billy Graham. People across the country are filling shoe boxes with small toys, school supplies, hygiene items, and other meaningful gifts.

This Christmas season, a needy child overseas will receive your shoe box, along with Christian literature in his or her own language. What an opportunity to reach these children with a clear presentation of the Gospel!

Be a part of this exciting opportunity every November as we share God's love with a hurting child. This is a great opportunity to teach your child the joy of giving.