Joy of Giving

Joy Of Giving

Even though Christmas is over, you can still donate to The Joy of Giving.

The Joy of Giving has been a long Christmas tradition of the First United Methodist Church of Palo Alto. It is a natural expression of our faith in Christ and our caring and love for our people in every part of the world.

Through the Joy of Giving you can designate which listed organization(s) your financial gift should be given. As you can see below, we have global opportunities as well as local opportunities to which you can give.

Make your checks payable to: First United Methodist Church and mark them "Joy Of Giving". Please add a note indicating which of the designated groups you want to donate to, and how much of your donation each group should receive.

Send your donation to: First United Methodist Church of Palo Alto, 625 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94301

If you wish to give a gift in honor of someone on your Christmas list, you may request a gift card from the church office.

Click here for the Joy of Giving information brochure and donation form.

Click "Show rest of Joy of Giving 2011" to learn more about the organizations that are part of this year's Joy Of Giving program.

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Doug & Ellie Norris Scholarship Challenge Gift

Congratulations to Doug and Eleanor Norris on the establishment of the Douglas and Eleanor Norris Scholarship at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, Doug’s alma mater.

To date over $31,515 has been given towards the scholarship fund.

Great news! A Family Camp couple will match dollar for dollar any gift made to the Douglas and Eleanor Scholarship Fund between now and December 31st up to $2,500!

Doug and Ellie are thrilled with the response of those who share their vision of providing significant scholarships so young people can answer their call to pastoral ministry.

If you wish to join this matching challenge with a year-end tax-deductible contribution, the first scholarship awarded next fall can be increased.

Make your check to “Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary”,
designate it for the “Douglas and Eleanor Norris Scholarship Fund”
and send it to: Garrett-Evangelical, 2121 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL. 60201.

If you have questions, or would like information on other ways to give (including online giving, making gifts of stock, or planned gift commitments), email David Heetland at David.Heetland@garrett.edu or call him at 847.866.3970.

Thank you for joining Garrett-Evangelical in honoring Doug and Eleanor through this scholarship which will help prepare persons for ministry for generations to come!

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Japan Earthquake - You Can Help

Help those affected by the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.

Contribute now to UMCOR for the relief effort.

In response to the Earthquake on March 10, 2011 that struck Japan, the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) will be working with local communities to rebuild. You can donate here.

100% of your gift will be used to provide emergency relief and long-term recovery support.

For the latest on how funds are being used, here's an update from The Reverend Cynthia Fierro Harvey, Deputy General Secretary of UMCOR.

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2011 Centennial Endowment Grant Requests

Since 1990, the Centennial Endowment Funds has awarded over $800,000 in grants. Thanks to all those whose generosity, both in money and time, have made such gifts possible.

This year a total of 15 Centennial Endowment Funds grant requests have been made by various church committees.

These requests will be reviewed in April by the members of the Centennial Endowment Funds committee. Their recommendation on which items should be funded will be presented to the Administrative Board for final approval.

Once again we are publishing the grant applications online so that everyone in the church can see what is being requested.

Download the 2011 Centennial Endowment Grant Requests here.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to speak to any member of the Centennial Endowment Funds committee.

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Imagine No Malaria

Every 45 seconds, a child in Africa dies of malaria. Millions of lives, needlessly lost each year. A continent. Entire nations…slipping away. Slipping through life’s precious net. Unless you hear the buzzing inside you.

The bite of malaria doesn’t have to kill. But only if you stop it.

Imagine No Malaria is more than just a campaign against a disease that kills children and destroys families. It’s a movement, to make real change in the world.

Join us as we work with families in Africa to end millions of needless deaths from this disease.

Imagine No Malaria helps us take the next step in this fight. Think of it as Nets Plus. We continue to support Nothing But Nets, because bed nets are an effective tool against the disease. But, we’re doing more…improving Infrastructure, Communications and Education.

Our team of malaria experts in Africa have been working tirelessly in this life-and-death fight. Thousands of miles of travel, countless meetings and plenty of sleepless nights have helped achieve a great deal in a very short time.

And we are not alone. Imagine No Malaria has some pretty awesome partners to help make beating malaria a reality. We work with organizations who are global leaders in the fight against malaria and other diseases of poverty

We invite you to learn more:

Visit the Imagine No Malaria Website: www.imaginenomalaria.org

Follow Imagine No Malaria on Facebook: www.facebook.com/umcImagineNoMalaria

and

Twitter: NoMalaria

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Donate Online to First Church

We now offer the ability to make an online donation today to the First United Methodist Church of Palo Alto securely through PayPal.

Your gift is vital to our mission: The Children in our Midst, the Mission at Our Doorstep, a Place of Hospitality and Grace.

Donations help us provide the many programs and ministries of the church including: Children and Youth Ministries, Faith Development and Education Programs, Community Outreach Mission and Service Projects, and Worship. Please note a PayPal account is not required.

To make a donation, just click on the Donate button below.

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World Thank Offering

Each year United Methodist Women across the United States celebrate a World Thank Offering in November. This is an opportunity for individuals to respond to God’s abundance and grace with spontaneous gifts of gratitude.

Through Thank Offering contributions, mission projects are supported in all 50 states and in almost 100 countries. These projects vary from support to schools, hospitals and clinics, day care centers and homes for senior citizens to educational training courses to prevent soil erosion, leadership development, sewing and nutritional courses, and medical training.

An offering will be collected at the November Circle meetings and this year the focus will be on encouraging Congress to raise the minimum wage to a just living wage.

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Haiti Earthquake - How You Can Help

A major earthquake hit Port-au-Prince, Haiti on January 12, 2010, causing widespread destruction. Millions of people are affected and thousands are feared dead. The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has close ties with the Methodist Church in Haiti and is responding to the devastating earthquake with funding, material resources and prayers.

UMCOR executive, Melissa Crutchfield says, “We are working with our partners on the ground to provide immediate relief to the people in Haiti. UMCOR has worked in Haiti for many years. We anticipate that there will be years of rebuilding needed and are prepared to work with the people to help them through that process.”

Working with partners, Action by Churches Together, Church World Service, Global Medic and the Methodist Church, UMCOR is channeling its resources to respond effectively to the people most in need.

How You Can Help
Gifts to support UMCOR's Haiti Relief efforts can be online. Go to http://secure.gbgm-umc.org/donations/umcor/donate.cfm?code=418325&id=3018760 to donate.

You can also donate by check. Checks can be made to UMCOR with Advance #418325 Haiti Emergency in the memo line. Checks can be put in the church offering plate this Sunday or mailed to UMCOR, PO Box 9068, New York, NY 10087.

UMCOR Sager Brown is coordinating a shipment of health kits to provide individuals with basic necessities. Instructions for assembling and shipping health kits are available at http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/getconnected/supplies/health-kit/.

Please pray for all of the people affected by the earthquake in Haiti. Thank you for your faithful support for all of God’s children. 100% of gifts made to this advance will go to help the people of Haiti.

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Nothing But Nets

The children of Africa need us to help stop the spread of malaria.

In the poorest parts of the world, where effective window screens are lacking, insecticide-treated bed nets are arguably the most cost-effective way to prevent malaria transmission. One bed net costs just $10 to buy and deliver to individuals in need.

You can buy a net by going to www.nothingbutnets.net.

Nothing But Nets is a global, grassroots campaign to save lives by preventing malaria, a leading killer of children in Africa. Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly challenged his readers to donate $10 for the purchase of an anti-malaria bed net, and thousands of people have joined the campaign. The people of The United Methodist Church, along with Sports Illustrated, NBA Cares, the United Nations Foundation and several other groups, are raising funds to purchase bed nets to end malaria. You can join the cause and contribute money for bed nets that will keep children and families safe.

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Support our Church with eScrip

One of the easiest ways to support our church is through the eScrip program.

eScrip has signed up hundreds of merchants (including Safeway, Andronicos, Draegers, Macy's, Piazza’s and Round Table).Whenever you shop at one of these merchants, the church will receive a portion of the proceeds.

Simply log on to the eScrip website at www.escrip.com and sign up your merchant cards (such as the Safeway club card) and the credit cards you use to shop. The church's ID number is 137957517.

If you have previously signed up to support the church, make sure your credit cards are up to date on the site. If you've already signed up with eScrip to support another group, such as a school, eScrip allows you to support up to three groups.

Simply go to their website and edit your existing user information. Feel free to call Craig Norris if you have lost your ID number or if you have any other questions.

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Food Drive

Help feed and clothe the needy in our community.

The Outreach Committee is collecting canned food for the Food Closet. Every Monday morning we deliver the collected food to the InnVision Food Closet.

Please bring items to the collection bin in the Narthex .

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John Wesley Society Dinner

Approximately 30 people attended the 2006 John Wesley Society dinner and program sponsored by the Centennial Endowment Committee. Following welcome and introductions by Reverend Archer Summers, Nancy Glaser recognized four new members of the John Wesley Society.

The new members are Marsha Sterling, Bart Cox, and Bob and Carol Olmstead. The Society was established by the United Methodist Church to recognize those who have made significant endowment contributions to the Church. At First United in Palo Alto, those contributions are administered by the Centennial Endowment Committee who recommend the award of significant grants of money each year to worthy projects within our Church, in the outside community, and overseas as well. The Methodist Foundation invests most of the Centennial Endowment funds and representatives of that organization attended. Mark and Kathy Parsons drove from Sacramento where Mark is the President of the Foundation.

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School Library, Cabala, Angola

School Library, Cabala, Angola

Estimated Project Cost: $10,000

The purpose of this initiative is to build a library as part of an expansion of a one-room school in the community of Cabala. Funds are needed for materials to make bricks and secure other materials for construction of the library, as well as (later) to outfit the library with furniture and books.

Cabala is one of 20 villages selected by the West Angola Conference (UMC) and Angola Ministry of Health for working in partnership with the California-Nevada Conference (UMC). Villages selected for the partnership were chosen based on need, presence of leadership that will likely promote and sustain the assistance efforts, and accessibility to construction equipment and supplies.

JP Maguire, Volunteers in Mission (VIM) coordinator of the California-Nevada Conference, has been working closely with West Angola Conference leaders to make plans for construction of the library that ultimately will encourage the habit of reading and improve education for children in the community. VIM teams from the California-Nevada Conference will work alongside people from the community of Cabala to build the library and provide follow-up.

Click here to read about the other Many Faces of Africa project, the Community Maternal and Child Health Care at Maua Methodist Hospital in Meru, Kenya.

Click here to download the Many Faces of Africa projects brochure.

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Community Maternal & Child Health Care

Community Maternal and Child Health Care,
Maua Methodist Hospital, Meru, Kenya

Estimated Project Cost: $14,117

The purpose of this initiative is to enable Maua Methodist Hospital to greatly expand the existing community health care outreach work that takes essential preventive and curative health care services to areas within our district where such services are not available and the population is too poor to seek services from other sources. Our goal is to provide maternal and child health services to eight communities.

Our Goals
The following are very important and achievable goals that we want to accomplish.

1. Make regular monthly visits to the eight sites.

2. Increase usage of ante-natal services and especially prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV.

3. Have 10% of mothers who deliver babies to accept family planning methods and to maintain the continuation rate at more than 70%.

4. Achieve 80% completion of primary immunizations.

5. Reduce incidence of malaria and prevalence of worm infestation. Prevention of malaria in a pregnant woman will not only save the life of the unborn child, but will prevent the mother from becoming severely ill and unable to provide for herself and her family.

6. Educate communities on ways to prevent burns especially to small children. Offer ear-nose-throat and eye primary health care services.
In order to be able to take those services to the eight communities, we will need a vehicle with enough space for five staff and the required supplies and tools.

Additional information about Maua Methodist Hospital can be found at www.chak.or.ke/maua-methodist.asp.

Click here to read about the other Many Faces of Africa project; the School Library in Cabala, Angola.

Click here to download the Many Faces of Africa projects brochure and donation form.

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Centennial Endowment Grants

Since 1988, almost $700,000 in grants has been awarded by the Centennial Endowment Funds. A short presentation has been prepared which highlights some of the projects and the organizations that have benefitted from our these grants.

Click here to view the presentation.

Give the gift that keeps on giving - Remember the Centennial Endowment Funds in your will.

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Centennial Endowment Grants Have Made A Difference

Over the years the church needs funds outside our regular church budget to keep our physical plant safe, secure and accommodating. The following is an interview with the chair of our trustees, Allen Wood, on how the Centennial Endowment Grants have helped over the years…….

“All capital expenses must come from either Centennial Endowment grants or direct bequests – so over the years these funds have made an important difference to our physical plant. For example:

• $7,736 was awarded in 1991 to build our first handicap accessible restroom. We took a closet and turned it into the restroom. That project paved the way to doing the whole millennium remodeling. We were also granted $5,960 for refurbishing the Patio Room that year.

• In 1992, we replaced the one Patio Room door with the current large, inviting doors with a $7,555 grant. When we had only one door it just really blocked foot traffic, especially when serving food in the Patio Room.

• The existing outdoor sign (on the corner of Webster & Hamilton) was installed in 1994 with a $2,800 grant. It really helps to let passersby know who we are.

• In 1995 we were awarded $6,500 to fix the closures on the heavy (and dangerous) main doors of the church.

• In 1996 $1,470 was awarded to redo the entry from Webster Street. We had a badly sloped walkway and rain gathered there. This greatly enhanced our entry into church.

• Finally, I’d like to mention the series of grants that we were awarded in the late ‘90’s totaling over $19,000. They were to purchase six new exterior doors for the education building. The old ones were wood and falling apart. One of the two that went out to the parking lot fell apart on a windy day. We eventually replaced all the doors which resulted in better security, better appearance and certainly easier for people to enter and exit.”

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United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR)

UMCOR is the disaster relief agency within the United Methodist denomination.

Whenever and wherever an emergency occurs throughout the world, this agency is the one that responds initially on behalf of the United Methodist church. 100% of your donations are used directly for relief services.

How can you help? A yearly offering is taken at First Palo Alto for UMCOR's general fund, and special offerings are taken when we are asked to respond. All donations are welcomed.

Contact: http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor

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