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 area in our lobby. For more information, contact Linda Seaton, Missions Committee 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
Easter Offering: Bloom Early Learning & Child Care and Imara International
Our 2021 Easter Offering supports Bloom Early Learning & Child Care scholarships and Imara International:
Bloom Early Learning & Child Care is a nonprofit early learning center located here at Messiah Church, with a special mission to make the highest quality childcare, programs and curriculum accessible to the entire community. Last year, to keep Bloom’s programs fully staffed, they started a temporary school-age program for the staff’s children. This program had room for just a handful of other kids, and one of their alumni scholarship families was desperate for care. Without it, mom would have had to quit her job and lose the momentum of financial stability she had built up. Scholarships for her boys to attend this school-age program were an answer to prayer, powered by generous donations to Bloom’s Shirley Robinson Scholarship Fund. The Easter offering supports this scholarship, providing this necessary tuition assistance. Our goal is to provide Bloom with $15,861, the cost of a scholarship to support a preschooler for all-day, year-round care. For more information on Bloom, visit www.bloomearlylearning.org.
Imara International, one of Messiah Church’s covenant mission partners, is a US based nonprofit working in Kenya 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. As a result of the pandemic, it is no longer possible for the Imara moms and school-aged children to attend school outside the Imara home. As a result, Imara has hired teachers and purchased supplies to provide education opportunities in-house. Our goal is to provide Imara with $28,000, the estimated cost for educating 20 moms and their children for a year. For more information on Imara, visit www.imarainternational.org.
Give throughout the month of April, online by selecting “Easter Offering” and indicating a recipient, by texting a dollar amount to (763) 333-2673 and following the prompts, or by mailing a check (indicate “Bloom” or “Imara” in the memo) to: Messiah Church, 17805 County Road 6, Plymouth, MN 55447. Undesignated gifts will be evenly distributed.
Iglesia Piedra Viva (IPV) Paper Goods & Personal Products Collection
Messiah Church is continuing our relationship with Iglesia Piedra Viva (IPV), Church of the Living Stone, with donations for their next item distribution event on Friday, April 23 (and continuing through August). IPV is a Spanish-speaking United Methodist Church serving 41 low-income families living in South Minneapolis. Messiah has partnered with this congregation since its beginning.
Please consider donating only these paper goods and personal products. (Please no food donations at this time, as this is currently being provided from a different source):
- Diapers
- Baby wipes
- Laundry detergent
- Paper towels
- Napkins
- Toilet paper
- Cleaning supplies
- Dish soap
- Hand soap
- Toothpaste and toothbrushes
- Deodorant
- Shampoo
For this April distribution event, labeled item donations can be dropped off at Messiah by Thursday, April 22 during church office hours (Monday through Thursday 9 am-4 pm or Friday 9 am-noon). We will continue to accept donations of these items though August for other summer distribution events. Please wear a face mask, maintain physical distancing and use the available hand sanitizer while in the building.
Simpson Shelter is in Need
Simpson Shelter is in need of some items. Can you help? Throughout April we are collecting combs, brushes and hair picks (for curly hair). Travel-size personal care items are always welcome as well (larger items are difficult to carry for mobile individuals): deodorant, disposable razors, shaving cream, shampoo, conditioner, soap, body lotion, toothpaste, and toothbrushes.
Labeled item donations can be dropped off at Messiah in the atrium outside Heritage Hall and arrangements will be made to deliver them to Simpson. Donations can be dropped off Monday through Thursday 9 am-4 pm or Friday 9 am-noon. Please wear a face mask, maintain physical distancing and use the available hand sanitizer while in the building. Or contact Lavinia to schedule a contactless pick-up.
To see a current list of other ways to help Simpson Shelter, visit www.simpsonhousing.org/ways-to-help/give-supplies. Instructions for monetary donations, links for shopping their Amazon Wish List, and a complete list of current needs can all be found here. For more information on Simpson Housing Services, visit www.simpsonhousing.org.
Let’s Restock the Shelves at Imara
With 16 babies (and two more on the way!), Imara International needs our help restocking their baby supplies. Throughout April, Messiah is collecting these much needed baby items, to be delivered to Kenya on upcoming spring mission trips. Please consider donating:
- Cloth diapers
- Plastic/waterproof diaper covers
- Training underwear (18-24 months)
- Baby boy clothes (birth to 3 years)
- Bibs
- Baby hats
- Baby towels
- Toddler toys
- Sippy cups
Imara International, one of Messiah Church’s covenant mission partners, is a US based nonprofit working in Kenya to provide an opportunity for teenage mothers to earn a high school degree and learn marketable skills. Infants and children who are part of the Imara family are provided healthcare and early childhood education. For more information on Imara, visit www.imarainternational.org.
Labeled baby item donations can be brought to the Spring Fling on Sunday, May 2 from 11:30 am-1 pm OR dropped off at Messiah through Wednesday, May 5 during church office hours (Monday through Thursday 9 am-4 pm or Friday 9 am-noon). Please wear a face mask, maintain physical distancing and use the available hand sanitizer while in the building.
American Red Cross Blood Drive
Make a big difference in the lives of others by giving blood. Please consider donating blood at the American Red Cross blood drive on Tuesday, May 25, 12-6 pm in Heritage Hall. Visit RedCrossBlood.org and enter “MessiahPlym” to schedule an appointment or click here: www.RedCrossBlood.org/give.html/drive-results?zipSponsor=MessiahPlym.
If you have received a COVID-19 vaccine, knowing the name of the manufacturer is critical in determining your blood donation eligibility. All blood donations are currently being tested for COVID-19 antibodies. Click here to read about the American Red Cross’s special COVID-19 procedures.
Interfaith Outreach is Open and Here to Help
If you or someone you know needs help with rent, utilities, food, employment or other challenges, please reach out to Interfaith Outreach. Front desk hours are Mondays and Tuesdays 9 am-6 pm, Wednesdays and Thursdays 9 am-5 pm, and Fridays 9 am-noon. Learn how to make an appointment to visit the food shelf, talk to a case manager, get help with looking for a job, and the other services offered at iocp.org/gethelp.
Serving Opportunities
Looking for opportunities to serve our neighbors? Check out the following organizations that are now accepting volunteers:
- Feed My Starving Children: www.fmsc.org
- Interfaith Outreach and Resale Select: www.iocp.org
- Second Harvest Heartland: www.2harvest.org
- Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity is looking for volunteers at work sites and at their ReStore locations: www.tchabitat.org
All organizations have safety protocols in place.
Local Missions
Bloom Early Learning & Child Care
Bloom is an accredited, award-winning, nonprofit 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 nonprofit 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 nonprofit 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 nonprofit 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 nonprofit 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.
