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
Second Mile Offering
Our February Second Mile Offering supports Emma Norton Services. Emma Norton combats poverty in our communities by partnering with women, children, and families who are homeless and experiencing the challenges of mental and/or chemical disabilities. ENS provides affordable housing, basic needs, and support services in an environment that fosters stability and encourages personal growth. Each year, Emma Norton Services helps over 200 people by providing a supportive community, resources, and personal development opportunities while they work to build a better life without having to worry about basic needs, like a safe place to sleep. For more information on Emma Norton Services, visit www.emmanorton.org.
You can offer your support all month for Emma Norton through monetary donations or by donating much needed items. Give throughout the month of February, online by selecting “Second Mile Offering,” or in worship with cash or check designated for Emma Norton. Click here for a list of much needed items at Emma Norton. Please leave your item donations in the basket at the Missions Table in the lobby.
Ladies Night at Resale Select
Where friendship and fashion meet: Grab your girlfriends and join us for Ladies Night at Resale Select, Interfaith Outreach’s store, on Thursday, February 21, 6:30-8:30 pm. Enjoy complimentary sips and bites, socialize and shop, and support the families we serve with your purchases. Their newest merchandise will be unveiled for this event, so you can find great bargains on quality items!
Donations of new or gently used women’s clothing and handbags are needed to prepare for this event. Thanks for checking your closets and dropping off items at Resale Select Monday-Saturday, 10 am-5 pm. Resale Select is located at 1605 County Road 101 N, Plymouth.
Bloom Winter Golf Friend-Raiser
Join Bloom Early Learning & Child Care on Sunday, March 17, 3-6 pm at the Twin Cities hottest new sports venue, Topgolf, 6420 N Camden Ave, Brooklyn Center, for an afternoon of friendly competition and friend-raising! Fun for beginner and advanced golfers! Never played golf? No problem. Don’t own clubs? Don’t worry, we’ll supply them. Like having fun with lots of friends? This is the place to be! You and your friends will hit golf balls that track each shot’s accuracy and distance while rewarding points for hitting targets on the outfield. A bit of friendly competition, combined with delicious food and beverage and the opportunity to do good, make for an afternoon of memorable fun! Bloom Early Learning & Child Care is an award-winning child care center at Messiah Church, dedicating half its capacity to children from economically disadvantaged families with the goal of giving every child a great start. Tuition assistance comes from Bloom’s scholarship fund, made possible by friends like you! Click here to register.
American Red Cross Blood Drive
Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood. It is essential for surgeries, cancer treatment, chronic illnesses, and traumatic injuries – this lifesaving care starts with one person making a generous donation! Would you consider donating? Messiah is hosting a blood drive on Tuesday, March 26, 12-6 pm. Click here to sign up to donate: https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/drive-results?zipSponsor=MessiahPlym
Baby Boom at Imara!
Imara International is having a Baby Boom! By mid-May, they will have seven babies under 1 year old, including twin girls and five boys. They are in need of cloth diapers, infant boys sleepers, and clothing sizes 3-6 months and 6-9 months. Caleb, the 5-year-old, is in need of pants and t-shirts size 5-6, and Gift, age 6, is in need of girl outfits, size 6-7. These contributions would be greatly appreciated! Please leave your donations in the basket at the Missions Table in the lobby. Contact Kathy at (763) 227-4308 with questions. To learn more about Imara International, visit www.imarainternational.org.
Spirit Lake Mission Trip
The Spirit Lake Reservation is located in central North Dakota on the shores of Devils Lake, and is home to more than 6,000 people in the tribes of Pabakse, Sisseton, and Wahpeton bands. Those who call the reservation home live in extreme poverty and struggle with flooding and a high unemployment rate.
This summer, July 7-13, make it your family’s mission to live life through service with them and join in a Minnesota Conference-wide mission trip. This experience offers comfortable accommodations and a variety of meaningful service work for volunteers of all ages, as well as opportunities to engage with the Spirit Lake community and culture. Registrations and deposits are due by Tuesday, April 30. Total cost is $200 per person (includes lodging, food and transportation). Click here to register. For questions or information contact Becky. To learn more about the Spirit Lake Ministry Center, visit www.spiritlakeministrycenter.org.
Simpson Shelter is in Need
Simpson Shelter has on-going needs, but with the cold weather, the needs increase. Please consider sharing a bit of warmth with those in need. Current needs at Simpson Shelter include: bath towels (gently used or new), dish towels for the kitchen, cereal, coffee (ground preferred), tea and hot cocoa, thermals for men and women (all sizes), waterproof hats and gloves for men and women, bras (all sizes), women’s underwear (sizes 5 and 6), men’s boxer shorts (all sizes), white t-shirts (all sizes), white socks for men and women, hand and foot warmers, disposable razors and shaving cream, and travel size soap, shampoo, conditioner, body wash and lotion. Please drop off your donations at the Missions Table in the lobby. Remember, all items need to be un-opened and new, unless otherwise indicated. Contact Lavinia for more information, or with questions.
Healthy Snack-Packs for Local Students
Looking for a one-time volunteer opportunity you can do from the comfort of your own home? With your help, Interfaith Outreach supplies local kids with healthy snack-packs during after school programs. Volunteers purchase and assemble the packs creating a simple, fun, interactive volunteer experience. For as little as $89 worth of items, you can provide healthy snacks for 100 kids. Visit iocp.org/volunteer (click “One-Time” icon) for details. Contact Najmo at (763) 489-7505 with questions or for more information.
Give the Gift of Warmth
As the cold weather drags on, Interfaith Outreach continues to need new and gently used warm outerwear – coats, parkas, snow pants, gloves/mittens and scarves. Women’s and men’s 2XL-4XL coats especially needed. Program participants have access to the coats you donate free of charge through Resale Select. 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, Monday-Saturday, 10 am-5 pm.
Interfaith Outreach Volunteer Opportunities
Interfaith Outreach is always looking for volunteers – no experience required! (High school age or older unless otherwise noted.) Find fulfilling and fun opportunities to give back:
- Food Shelf – Join other Messiah members volunteering at Interfaith Outreach’s Food Shelf on Friday mornings. Contact Linda for more information.
- Children’s Play Area (urgent need!) – Supervise and play with children (ages 0-8) in their lobby. Check in children and supervise them while parents access our resources. Volunteers 13+ welcome. Ages 13-15 need to volunteer with an adult. Wednesday/Friday 9 am-noon or Monday/Tuesdays 3-5 pm.
- After School Mentor (urgent need!) – Assist elementary, middle or high school students with activities, homework, job applications, college preparation, and success in school and life! 2-4 times/month after school.
- Resale Select Cashier – Afternoon cashier needed to assist customers. Flexible schedule and training provided. Shifts available Tuesdays through Saturdays. (Great opportunity for mature high school students to gain new skills and experience.)
- 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. Positively impact adults aspiring to learn English so they can create futures for themselves. One ride per week (transporting to Interfaith offices) 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.
