Make an Impact
Messiah Church is a church of compassion and community outreach. Members and friends of Messiah devote their time and talents to support local, national and global missions. From serving at the local food shelf to traveling to developing countries we serve through mission, there is a place for you to get involved! Sign up for any of these service opportunities and community outreach programs at the Missions Table in our lobby. For more information, contact Linda Seaton, Missions Committee Co-Chair.
Messiah Church is committed to supporting several organizations consistently and long-term. Each month, we do a “Second Mile Offering” to support a specific organization, and when you visit for the first time, you can elect to have Messiah make a donation to one of several organizations on your behalf.
Current Needs & Volunteer Opportunities
Christmas Offering
Each year we give away our entire Christmas offering as a gift to two organizations special to Messiah Church. Our 2018 offering is dedicated to lifting up, empowering and equipping people displaced by natural disasters across the United States, and local children from low-income families. Your Christmas Offering is a gift to purchase supplies for Health Kits for disaster relief through UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) and support the Bloom Early Learning & Child Care Shirley Robinson Scholarship providing tuition assistance for children of low-income families.
Give throughout the month of December, online by selecting “UMCOR,” or “Bloom Early Learning & Child Care” or in person with cash or checks designated for Christmas Offering.
Click here to read more about our Christmas Offering Recipients
Serve at Second Harvest Heartland
Join Messiah members and friends to serve at Second Harvest Heartland, 7101 Winnetka Ave N, Brooklyn Park this holiday season. On Saturday, December 29, 12:30-2:30 pm, we’ll measure, label and pack produce or rice. Ages 8 and up. Sign up at the Missions Table in the lobby, click here, or contact Linda Seaton.
2018 Sleep Out
Did you know that one in five – that’s 429 – of the 1,966 families who came to Interfaith Outreach last year were experiencing homelessness? This is a heartbreaking spike, and we approach this year’s campaign with a sense of urgency. Show your support for our neighbors with a contribution and participate in Interfaith Outreach’s 2018 Sleep Out events. With your help, we can prevent homelessness in our area and help struggling families stabilize, strengthen and thrive.
- Donate Online – A gift toward this year’s goal of $2,400,000 helps keep families and kids of our community safe, in their homes and empowered with new reasons to feel hopeful. Click here to donate.
- Plan a Sleep Out or Bedless Night – Plan an outdoor sleep out or stay inside, before Monday, December 31, while exploring some of the ways our neighbors experience homelessness. Bundle up in boxes or tents (or crash on couches or carpets) to help raise support for struggling families. Download your Sleep Out toolkit or Bedless Night Guide here.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service – Health Kit Packing Party
Continuing our tradition of honoring Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy through serving our community, we will be assembling 5,000 health kits for US disaster relief. On Monday, January 21, 5-7 pm, join your community for a Health Kit Packing Party at the Medina Entertainment Center, 500 Highway 55, Medina. The kits we pack provide basic hygiene necessities to people forced to leave home because of natural disasters. This is a drop-in event — come and stay as long as you can. Let’s work side-by-side to make a positive difference in this world!
Shop for Critical Shelter Needs for Simpson Shelter
Current needs include: new thermals for men and women (all sizes), new waterproof and/or windproof hats and gloves for men and women, men’s boxers (sizes S-XL), white t-shirts (sizes S-XL), bras (all sizes), shampoo, conditioner, and body wash, cereal and ground coffee. Please drop off your donations at the Missions Table in the lobby. Click here for more information on Simpson Shelter or contact Gerry at (952) 484-2888.
Love our Neighbors this Holiday Season
Donate new and gently used outerwear – coats, parkas, snow pants, scarves, hats, gloves, mittens and boots – to Resale Select to help families through the coldest Minnesota months. Women’s and men’s 2XL-4XL coats especially needed. Please go through your closets, spread the word to co-workers and friends, and bring your donations to Resale Select, 1605 County Road 101 N., Plymouth.
Interfaith Outreach Volunteer Opportunities
Interfaith Outreach is always looking for volunteers – no experience required! Find fulfilling and fun opportunities to give back:
- Resale Select – Volunteers are greatly needed to cashier at our store, assist customers, or sort incoming donations. Help especially needed on Friday or Saturday afternoon shifts. Flexible schedule! Sign up online when you want to volunteer, after you’ve been trained in.
- Children’s Play Area (urgent need!) – Supervise and play with children (ages 0-8) in our lobby. Check-in children and supervise while parents access our resources. Volunteers 13+ welcome. Ages 13-15 need to volunteer with an adult. Mon/Tue 3-5 pm, Wed/Fri 9 am-noon, Wed 4-6 pm and 6-8 pm.
- Donation Receiver – Greet and thank donors. Load donations of food, household goods and clothing. Help manage donation storage area. Flexible schedule! Help especially needed Tuesday-Saturday afternoons, 1:15-5:15 pm.
- Driver for Adult Learners – Provide scheduled rides in driver-owned vehicle for Adult Basic Education (ABE) classes. One ride per week during the daytime.
Interested in helping? Contact Najmo at (763) 489-7505. For more information on these and other Interfaith Outreach volunteer opportunities, visit iocp.org/volunteer. Interfaith Outreach is located at 1605 County Road 101 N., Plymouth.
Local Missions
Bloom Early Learning & Child Care
Bloom is an accredited, award-winning, non-profit early learning center housed in Messiah Church. Because poverty early in life is a proven barrier to success later on, Bloom passionately strives to break the cycle at the start through nurturing care and exceptional early learning programs.
By providing scholarship assistance to half the children in our center, Bloom enables low-income single mothers and families to work or pursue education to improve their futures while giving their children the best possible start in their lives.
- Serving children 6 weeks through Pre-K
- Providing a nurturing, safe and intimate environment
- Using values-based programs and excellent curriculum with stellar outcomes
- Dedicating 50% of enrollment spots to children from families living under the poverty level in the Plymouth/Wayzata area
Our Shirley Robinson Scholarship Fund is a memorial to the wife of former Messiah Church pastor, Rollie Robinson, who originally challenged his congregation to help break the cycle of poverty through the provision of high quality, affordable early learning and child care. Gifts from individual donors, grants and fundraising events, as well as those from corporations, public organizations and faith communities, help Bloom assist children of low-income families. Contact Mary Olsen at (763) 449-0600 or visit www.bloomearlylearning.org.
Interfaith Outreach
Messiah Church has been an important partner in Interfaith Outreach’s efforts on behalf of the community to serve at-risk families in Hamel, Long Lake, Medicine Lake, Minnetonka Beach, Orono, Plymouth and Wayzata. For opportunities to get involved, contact Linda Seaton.
Interfaith Outreach was launched in 1979 by a small group of believers who envisioned a way for our community to respond to the unmet needs of struggling families and individuals in our midst, and to help them move toward self-sufficiency. From its modest beginnings in a church basement with no budget and a volunteer staff, Interfaith Outreach has grown to a sophisticated direct service provider and respected community catalyst. To learn more about Interfaith Outreach, visit www.IOCP.org.
Habitat for Humanity
A Christian non-profit organization, supported in the Twin Cities by Messiah UMC for more than 20 years. Habitat provides guidance, materials and volunteers to help owners restore their houses, protecting their investment in the home and restoring pride of ownership. Additionally, Messiah supports, “Brush with Kindness,” a ministry of Habitat to help 125 families each year to rehab their homes. Habitat is supported at Messiah through volunteer workdays periodically throughout the year.
For more information, please call the church office at (763) 473-6968. To learn more about Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, visit www.tchabitat.org.
Simpson Housing Services
Messiah partners with Simpson Housing Services by providing many service opportunities including serving meals at the Emergency Shelter, working as an overnight volunteer at the Emergency Shelter and tutoring children. They are also in continuous need of donations such as socks, T-shirts, underwear, toothpaste, toothbrushes and deodorant.
For more information on Simpson housing services contact our office at (763) 473-6968, or visit www.simpsonhousing.org.
The mission of Simpson Housing Services is to provide free shelter and affordable housing with support services to homeless men, women and children. They assist individuals and families in their effort to improve their life situations and advocate for their human and civil rights.
The Simpson Center for Servant Ministries (Simpson CSM)
Simpson CSM is a ministry that seeks to cultivate holistic vitality in the urban community by building relationships with neighbors and partnerships across urban/suburban/rural communities. Messiah Church partners with Simpson CSM by volunteering their time and talents through community meals, food pantry, clothing store donations and produce fairs.
The CSM carries out its work through Health and Wellness activities, service opportunities and through the Poverty and Justice Institute. For more information on Simpson CSM, call the church office at (763) 473-6968 or visit www.simpsoncsm.org.
Imara International
Messiah Church is proud to be in partnership with Imara International and to support its Executive Director, and Messiah member, Carol Erickson, through its prayers, and donations of time, talent, gifts and service. To find out about the next mission trip opportunity, and ways you can help, contact the church office at (763) 473-6968 or visit www.imarainternational.org.
Imara International is a U.S. based non-profit 501(c)(3) organization working in Kenya. Imara’s purpose is to provide an opportunity for teenage mothers to earn a high school degree and learn marketable skills to support themselves and their children. Imara fosters a safe, healthy environment where respect, faith, and teamwork are a central focus. Infants and children who are part of the Imara family are provided healthcare and early childhood education. Imara’s program is structured to teach life-sustaining skills that build strong families and communities while breaking the cycle of poverty. To learn more about Imara International, visit www.imarainternational.org.
Light of Hope
Light of Hope provides care, shelter and education to Kenyan girls in need. They develop leadership skills and help girls realize and reach their potential. For information about Light of Hope, visit www.LightOfHopeKenya.org or contact John Harmon at (612) 298-2069 or at jpharmoncpa@msn.com.
Feed My Starving Children
Feed My Starving Children is a non-profit Christian organization committed to feeding God’s children hungry in body and spirit. Messiah Church partners with FMSC by providing financial resources and countless volunteer hours packaging healthy meal-packs. To learn more about Feed My Starving Children, visit www.FMSC.org.
The approach is simple: children and adults hand-pack meals specifically formulated for malnourished children, and we ship these meals to nearly 70 countries around the world.
United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR)
UMCOR is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to alleviating human suffering around the globe. UMCOR’s work includes programs and projects in disaster response, health, sustainable agriculture, food security, relief supplies, and more. UMCOR is a ministry of The United Methodist Church through the General Board of Global Ministries.
Messiah Church supports UMCOR through various project (health kits, flood buckets) as needed by the organization. To learn more about UMCOR, visit www.umcor.org.
