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. On the first of each month, we do a “Second Mile Offering” to support a specific organization. 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
Serve with Habitat for Humanity
The goal of Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity is to help eliminate poverty housing and build a stronger community. Help build a home on Saturday, April 21, 8 am-4 pm, alongside a hardworking, low-income family. (Volunteers must be at least 16 years old.) The home is in Bloomington — car pooling is available. Sign up at the Missions Table or contact Dan at (763) 772-3105 or Greg at (763) 577-0647.
Simpson Housing Mentors Needed
Simpson Housing Services needs volunteers to mentor students in grades 5-8. This is a once-a-week commitment for 10 months. Training and support provided, as well as tickets to sports, arts and educational events. Informational session will be held Monday, April 23, 6-7:30 pm. Click here to register to attend or for more information contact Charlotte at ckinzley@simpsonhousing.org or (612) 455-0850.
Serve at Second Harvest Heartland
Join Messiah members and friends to serve at Second Harvest Heartland in Golden Valley on Tuesday, April 24, 1-3:30 pm. Help package food for local food shelves and distribution centers. Ages 8 and up welcome (accompanied by an adult). Sign up at the Missions Table in the lobby or contact Linda Seaton at (612) 208-5015.
Serve at Gale Woods Farm
Help care for God’s creation on Saturday, April 28, 1:30-3:30 pm, at Gale Woods Farm (near Mound). First learn about invasive species, then work with park staff to remove some of these species not native to the park. At the end of our work, we will have an opportunity to visit the baby lambs, pigs, and chicks in the barn. (Ages 8 and up.) Sign up at the Missions Table by Sunday, April 22 or contact Linda Seaton at (612) 208-5015 for more information. A great opportunity for Prayer Partners to serve together!
UMW Spring Salad Luncheon to Benefit Bloom Early Learning & Child Care
Save the Date for the Annual UMW Spring Salad Luncheon on Saturday, May 5 at 11:30 am, in Heritage Hall. A program on the Tapestry Ministry will be presented by Leslee Jaeger and LeAnne Hobbs. All women of Messiah and the community are invited. Bring a friend and a salad to share! A free-will offering will be taken to benefit Bloom Early Learning & Child Care. Guatemalan Fair Trade products will also be available for purchase (cash or check only, please).
Children & Teen Book Drive for Re-Member
The Re-Member Mission Team would like to bring children and teen books to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation when they travel there in May. With your donation, we can give these children and youth access to tools and skills that they desperately need and make an impactful difference in their lives. Bring your new or gently used picture books, early readers and chapter books to the box at the Missions Table in the lobby by Saturday, May 12. Thank you!
Interfaith Outreach Plant Sale – Donate! Shop! Volunteer!
Spring is (almost) here! The Interfaith Outreach Plant Sale offers a fantastic selection of perennials, annuals, heirloom veggies and quality garden items. NEW this year – hand painted bird houses and a local art vendor. Proceeds benefit Interfaith Outreach.
- Donate – Pre-potted plants and quality garden items can be dropped off at the Interfaith Outreach parking lot, 1605 County Road 101 N., Plymouth, Thursday and Friday, May 17-18, 10 am-4 pm. Have pots to donate (especially gallon size)? Drop off at Interfaith Outreach starting Monday, April 16.
- Shop – Attend the one-day sale Saturday, May 19, 8 am- 4 pm, located at the Interfaith Outreach parking lot, 1605 County Road 101 N., Plymouth. Shop perennials, annuals, heirloom veggies, hand painted bird houses and more.
- Volunteer – Help us make this sale a success. Volunteers, from master gardeners to those who just like to play in the dirt, are needed. No experience necessary. Click here to sign up for a shift and learn more.
Caring for Kids Fundraising Breakfast
Did you know 500 children in our community are at risk of entering kindergarten behind? Attend Interfaith Outreach’s annual Caring for Kids Fundraising Breakfast Thursday, May 31, 7:15-8:30 am, at the Wayzata Country Club, Wayzata. Learn how you can help little lives have BIG futures. Join fellow community members who are passionate about early childhood education and be inspired by keynote speaker Dr. Megan Gunnar, Ph.D., director of the University of Minnesota’s Institute of Child Development. Register today and invite a friend! Breakfast is complimentary but donations are accepted at the event or online. Please RSVP by May 24.
United Methodist Creation Care Summit
Registration is now available for the 2018 Creation Care Summit to be held July 26-29 at Hamline University in St. Paul. This event is for United Methodists concerned about environmental justice, sustainable food, transportation options, energy systems, climate change, and environmental degradation. Click here for more information, or to register.
Adopt-a-Garden
The Messiah Outdoor Operations Committee is looking for a few volunteers to help tend our beautiful perennial gardens located around the church grounds. Volunteers will adopt a garden area to weed and trim throughout the summer. No experience needed! For more information or to volunteer to tend a garden, contact Loren.
Interfaith Outreach Volunteer Opportunities
Sort incoming Donations for Resale Select – Accept and sort incoming clothing, shoes, accessories and household items. Hang and size clothing in preparation for merchandise pricing. Middle school students welcome with an adult. Morning and afternoon shifts available, Tuesday-Saturday.
Food Shelf Donation Pickup (immediate need) – Help gather and load up donations from local retailers to be transported back to the food shelf. Heavy lifting required (40-50 lbs). Once a week, weekday mornings. Immediate need for Tuesday, Thursday or Friday morning drivers.
Deliver Snacks to After School Programming – Volunteers needed to deliver pre-packaged snack bags in driver-owned vehicle from Interfaith Outreach to after school programs held in Orono and Plymouth. Some heavy lifting (up to 20 lbs.) required. One hour every other week, weekday mornings and afternoons. Flexible schedule.
Interested in helping? – no experience required! Contact Najmo at (763) 489-7505. For more information on other Interfaith Outreach volunteer opportunities, click here. Interfaith Outreach is located at 1605 County Road 101 N., Plymouth.
Shop for Critical Shelter Needs for Simpson Shelter
Current needs include: new women’s bras (all sizes), new women’s underwear (all sizes), new men’s boxers (all sizes), new white t-shirts (all sizes), new or gently used bath towels, coffee, tea and hot cocoa. 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.
Spring Cleaning? Keep Your Donations Local at Resale Select
With the days getting longer and the air getting warmer, it’s time to go through closets – clear out the old to make room for the new! Resale Select gratefully accepts gently used items (from clothing and accessories to books and household items) and will put them to great use. Bring your items to Resale Select during donation hours, Monday-Saturday, 10 am-5 pm. Resale Select 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 & Community Partners
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 at lseaton@messiah.church
Interfaith Outreach and Community Partners (IOCP) 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. Interfaith Outreach and Community Partners: 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. Imara International: 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, 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. For more information, please 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. For more information on UMCOR, visit www.umcor.org
