SERVING OUR WORLD- MAKING A DIFFERENCE
 

 

Help Make a Difference:

 

Advent Adopt-A-Family

Each year, our congregation supports families in need through our local Adopt-a-Family program, coordinated by the Medford High School National Honor Society.

 

​​Local Food Shelves

We offer the following opportunities to support our area food shelves (all supplies are donated, and all proceeds go directly to local food shelf organizations):

• Annual Spring Breakfast, hosted by the Men of BGUMC - open to the public

• Annal Fall Run 4 the Loaves 4-Mile Run/Walk - open to the public

• Annual Fall BBQ Cook-Off - open to the public

• November 2023:  Evening of Thanksgiving Fun - open to the public

• November 2024:  Special Offering for the Waseca Area Neighborhood Service Center and Food Shelf Thanksgiving Food Basket Program

 

Prayer Shawl Ministry

Artisans in our congregation knit/crochet prayer shawls of warmth and love to be given to people in need of support and prayer.  Our congregation “loads” each shawl with prayers for its specific recipient before it begins its journey into their lives.  We know the power of prayer, for we have seen it at work first hand. 

​

Sharing and Caring Ministry for Organizations that provide support for Persons in Need

• November 2022 and 2023:  Hands-On Project for Medford Public Schools.  BGUMC partnered with Medford Public Schools to help replenish their supply of spare winter clothes for their students.  Our congregation gathered, and/or made an abundance of toasty socks, sweatshirts, pull-over jackets, t-shirts, long underwear, hats, mittens, gloves, and scarves to help keep children warm who may not have access to much in the way of winter clothing.

• April - May 2023:  Hands-On Project for United Methodist Midwest Distribution Center in Illinois.  BGUMC gathered materials for, and assembled, Personal Dignity kits to be delivered by our MN Conference of the United Methodist Church to the Midwest Distribution Center in Illinois, an organization founded/supported by the United Methodist Church.  Their mission:  to show God's love in a practical way to those in need.  Supplies, including Personal Dignity Kits, are distributed freely in times of crisis through the organization's trusted partner non-profits throughout the US and the world, working with people from all places and backgrounds.   

• February-March-November 2024:  Blankets and Backpacks.  We partnered with the employees of Steele/Waseca Co-op Electric to make hand-tied doubled sided fleece blankets, to crochet/knit blankets, and to purchase new blankets to be given to the organizations listed below for their work with people in need.  (In addition, we collected new and used backpacks, to be given to Bethlehem Inn, of Waseca, for distribution to their residents, who often arrive with nothing more than the clothes on their backs.)

  • Bethlehem Inn, of Waseca, a faith-based organization that provides short-term transitional housing for homeless women and children, as well as social service connections to empower these families to improve their lives and be able to journey toward a more stable future.

  • South Central Human Relations Center, an organization that provides support services for persons in Dodge, Steele, and Waseca County.

  • An elementary school in Owatonna, as they care for several of their students (and families) who are experiencing homelessness.

• January-February 2025:  House-Cleaning  Mission Opportunity in Support of Emma Norton Services.  BGUMC gathered cleaning supplies, paper towels, surplus Christmas cards/notepads, and new and/or gently used winter gear to help replenish the shelves and supplies at Emma Norton Services.  Emma Norton Services is a United Methodist related organization in St. Paul, MN, that is a trauma-informed organization that promotes healing and recovery, bringing a full array of resources to women, individuals, and families who have experienced homelessness.   They provide safe, secure, affordable housing for people in transition while connecting people to a comprehensive network of community services to help stabilize their lives, build confidence, and enable self-sufficiency.

​

​​Special Mission Offerings (Quarterly, in celebration of Lent/Easter, Springtime, Fall, Advent/Christmas)

During these seasons of the church year, we support people and programs outside of our congregation through special mission offerings, which have included the following:

• Bethlehem Inn, of Waseca, a faith-based organization that provides short-term transitional housing for homeless women and children, as well as social service connections to empower these families to improve their lives and be able to journey toward a more stable future

• Disaster relief programs of the United Methodist Church, both in the USA and overseas

• Emma Norton Services, a Twin Cities organization affiliated with the United Methodist Church, that provides transformational housing and growth for women and families on their journey of recovery

• Local Food Shelves and Minnesota Food Share

• Local Families in the midst of heartbreaking circumstances

• Love Offering of the MN Conference of the United Methodist Church - an annual project which supports various service programs in MN, the USA, and overseas

​​

United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries Mission Work

• 2023:  We supported the work of the Kamisamba Farm and Training Center in the Democratic Republic of Congo

• 2023:  We supported the work of two missionaries in SE Asia who are serving the people of that region.