November 8, 2020
We refuse to let Covid destroy all of our fun. Last year we had a great party for Mission Fiesta Sunday. This year, we invite you to have your own fiesta. Put on a fancy hat, pull out some good snacks and have a great time. Oh, and maybe give to a cause that is near and dear to your heart.
RHUMC’s annual Mission Fiesta Sunday will take place on Sunday, November 8. This is the time of year when RHUMC celebrates two great organizations – Heifer International and Habitat for Humanity – as well as the church’s four supported missionaries. In ordinary times we would be hosting a great party. Due to Covid, we hope that you will enjoy your own party while you consider how you might support these worthy causes. As many have discovered, this is a great opportunity to buy a Christmas gift for someone on your list and help a terrific cause at the same time.
Since Covid has made it difficult to meet in person, we are doing a mail/online giving campaign this year. You can download a shopping list (click here) and mail a check to the church office. You can also donate online at rhumc.org. In either case, please note on the memo line or the designated giving line that your gift is for Mission Fiesta Sunday. If you need gift cards to let someone know you have purchased a gift for them, let us know and we will mail them to you.
If you need more information or would like to let us know how to apply your gift via email, please contact either Kim Hall at kimhallhomes@gmail.com or Kathy Platnick at kasandersplatnick@gmail.com.
As always, many thanks for your generous hearts!
Supported Missions
Heifer International is celebrating 75 years of working with communities to end world hunger and poverty and care for the Earth. The goal of every Heifer project is to help families achieve self-reliance. Heifer teaches people how to use environmentally friendly farming methods, create and operate businesses and support their communities with their knowledge. It also strengthens communities by making large scale improvements to existing economic systems to benefit farmers. Heifer also helps women develop leadership skills so that they can have access to greater opportunities, such as education and entrepreneurship. The core of the Heifer model is “Passing on the Gift.” This means families share the training they receive and pass on the first female offspring of their livestock to another family, which extends the impact of the original gift. To learn more go to https://www.heifer.org/about-heifer/index.html
Seeking to put God’s love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities and hope. It partners with people in communities to help them build or improve a place they can call home. Habitat homeowners help build their own home alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage. Homeowners achieve the strength, stability and independence they need to build a better life for themselves and their families. To learn more go to www.habitatla.org You can also view the story of a Habitat family who recently moved into their home in Culver City (click here) and an update of a family who moved into their Habitat home 25 years ago during the Jimmy Carter work project (click here).
Red Bird Mission and its affiliated clinic have been providing ministries in the Appalachian Mountains since 1921. Today the need remains critical in this isolated, rural distressed area. Chronic poverty, lack of jobs, poor housing, and rugged mountainous terrain provide obstacles to a fuller life for the residents of this area. Red Bird strives to meet these needs through ministry in five areas: Education, Health and Wellness, Community Outreach, Economic Opportunity, and Community Housing Improvement. In addition to donating money to help support the Red Bird Mission, you can also collect Box Tops. There is a collection box in the narthex. To learn more, go to https://rbmission.org
John Elmore has spent the last two decades in Chile where he and his wife, Maria Cristina Hurtado, are currently affiliated with the Methodist Agricultural School for Mapuche Indians. For his final three years of missionary service, John will be refurbishing and revitalizing the Methodist camp “El Bosque” in El Vergel, Angol, Chile. In addition to their missionary work, John and Cristina teach Sunday school and are deeply involved in the music ministry of the Villa Emmaus Methodist Church. To learn more about John’s upcoming work, go to https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRw9bDEM5J4
The Rev. Claudia Genung –Yamamoto is assigned to ministries of community outreach and church development in Kobe, Japan. Claudia works with the Kobe Jesus Band Church and its community ministry through Kagawa Memorial Center. The Center has a café offering low cost lunches, day care, food distribution, after school program for disabled children, and programs for single families. The Jesus Band Church, where Claudia is an associate pastor, is part of the United Church of Christ in Japan (UCCJ), that continues the work of Methodism in Japan. For more information about Claudia’s work, go to https://advance.umcmission.org/p-1486-genung-yamamotoclaudia.aspx
Our newest missionary, Katherine T. Parker has served in Nepal since 2013, where her work is focused in three areas: 1) Adolescent empowerment, including sexual reproductive health and rights and menstrual hygiene; 2) Maternal and child health; and 3) Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). She is currently engaged in a project with school- and church-based youth and mother’s groups in three remote villages in western Nepal. You can learn more about Katherine’s work at https://advance.umcmission.org/p-1547-parker-katherine.aspx
