What in the World is Asbury Doing?

Through Apportionments, Asbury contributes to: Ministry of Pastoral Support, Ministry of Administration, Ministry of Outreach & Benevolence, Ministerial Education Fund, Black College Fund and Africa University Fund.

Asbury Directly Contributes to:

World Giving

Project AgGrad: Supports promising young people from developing countries as they advance to the masters or doctorate level in production agriculture.

Africa University: Educates men and women across Africa to lead, champion change and build a different Africa.

Africa Church Growth and Development: Supports the growth of churches in Africa

International Persons in Mission: A program to support missionaries from countries outside the U.S. to their own country or other countries in the world.

Compatible Technology International: Develop and provide inexpensive and useful devices (such as the potato dehydrator, the peanut grinder and simple water chlorinator) to help families, small-scale farmers and business people improve family nutrition and increase their income in places such as India, Africa, South America and the Caribbean.

Agape House World-Wide Ministries: Since 1994, a multi-denominational organization providing medical and social services, education, food and clothing primarily to the working poor and senior citizens. In addition to the work they are doing in this country, construction is also underway on a clinic in Nigeria.

Heifer Project International: Provides breeding animals to poverty stricken families (primarily in Africa and South America) so they can improve their nutrition and income. In 2002, Asbury youth worked on the Heifer Project Home Farm in the U.S. during a special Mission Trip.

General Board of Global Ministries: Hosts a multitude of mission projects throughout the world. Asbury’s United Methodist Women supports through their mission pledge.

Crusades Scholarships: for overseas students studying in the U.S. Supported by the United Methodist Women.

The Asbury United Methodist Women send packages of clothing to Zimbabwe, Africa and put together school bags for a mission school in Africa.

Nationally

Parish Partners - Rio Grande Rio Grande Conference

The Rio Grande Conference, the only Spanish-language conference in The United Methodist Church, maintains and preserves its identity, language, culture and traditions in its outreach and ministry with Hispanic people in New Mexico and Texas. Literally thousands of Hispanic Americans hunger for the gospel.  Through the Parish Partners program, we help provide salaries for sending pastors to these people.

Red Bird Mission - A United Methodist mission in the Appalachia Mountains providing medical and educational and spiritual help in one of the poorest regions of the United States. The Campbell’s Soup Labels we send are joined with many others and have helped provide equipment and vehicles.

Locally

Food Sack Ministry - A supply of sacks of assorted groceries is kept on hand and a sack is given to any local resident who calls or comes and asks for food.

Free Community Suppers served each Wednesday evening. We have been serving about 80 - 100 people each week with 1 - 2 new people each week.

Community Carnival in the summer to provide fun and to be a welcoming neighbor in our area. In 2002 about 200 of our neighbors joined us for it.

Adventure Club for elementary age children meets Wednesday nights during the school year.

Teen Center for Middle and High School students is open on Wednesday nights during the school year along with other Teen activities.

Asbury opens its doors to provide space for Cocaine Anonymous which meets Wednesday evenings at 7 p.m. and Pointman Ministries, a ministry to veterans, which meets at 10 a.m. on the first Saturday of each month.

Meals on Wheels - provide hot noon meals to shut-ins.
Asbury volunteers drive delivery routes. Keenagers support the program financially. Contributions are also part of the church budget through the Church & Society Team.

Local Food Shelves at Simpson United Methodist Church and Sabathani Community Center
Food and money is gathered and divided between these two food shelves. Many people donate food or money on a weekly basis. Every March a special campaign to raise money and food is held. In March 2003, Asbury raised 386 pounds of food and over $1000 in cash for food shelves.

Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery - provides a safe place for children when their parents become unable to care for them temporarily.
The Dorcas Sewing Circle makes beautiful baby quilts for them.

Walker Residence - a United Methodist sponsored residence for Seniors
At Christmas, Asbury members provide small gifts to help residents feel cared for during the holidays. The Dorcas Sewing Circle makes lap robes and bags to hang on walkers for residents. UMW members also sponsor occasional parties to uplift residents.

Emma Norton Services in South St. Paul
Mission: to provide safe, affordable housing services in a Christian atmosphere for women alone and hospital families.
Asbury’s United Methodist Women (UMW) supports their ministry with paper showers. The Asbury UMW also helped furnish a housing unit for a single mother and family in the new Emma’s Place.

Joyce Nursery School at Joyce United Methodist Church in South Minneapolis.
Mission: to provide a bilingual nursery school to the Spanish speaking immigrants in the neighborhood, helping them learn language and social and school-readiness skills in preparation for public schools.
Asbury UMW invest in these children by donations to Joyce Nursery School.

Mitten Tree
Every year, Asbury members and friends decorate a tree with warm winter hats, mittens and scarves to give to those in the community who lack warm clothing during our Minnesota winters.

Simpson Housing Services in South Minneapolis
Mission: to provide free shelter and affordable housing with support services to homeless men, women and children and help them make the journey from homelessness to self-sufficiency.
The UMW contributes financially. At Christmas, Asbury members participate in the “Adopt-A-Family” program to provide Christmas gifts to homeless families.
The Youth Group stayed overnight and prepared and served breakfast at the shelter on May 31, 2003.

CoAM (Cooperative Adults Ministry) - a support program sponsored by many South Minneapolis churches, dedicated to enriching the lives of seniors, primarily through trips and educational opportunities.
The Church & Society Team donates money toward this program and members donate time.

Marie Sandvik Center - a shelter and ministry in South Minneapolis. They provide a loving refuge and beds, household goods, food, clothing and prayer for thousands of men, women and children.
The Marie Sandvik Center is one of the recipients of warm winter clothing gathered on the Mitten Tree each year. And the UMW supports it financially.

Sharing and Caring Hands - a Minneapolis based ministry providing help with food, housing and transportation to the unemployed and working poor in our neighborhoods.
This mission is supported by the UMW.

Minnesota School of Missions- an interdenominational organization which holds annual classes on missions and offers scholarships to senior college and seminary students preparing for Christian ministry.
Supported by Asbury UMW.

School Drive - organized by the Neighbor to Neighbor churches (an interdenominational group of churches in the neighborhood)
Asbury collected 980 items for Northrop Elementary School students.

Sports Equipment Collection - an effort by the Hiawatha YMCA to take a trailer load of sports equipment to the Sioux YMCA which is on the Indian Reservations in South Dakota. There is much unemployment, alcoholism, and a lack of programs for the youth. It also permitted Asbury persons to donate unused sports items.

Susan Lindahl Fund - an opportunity for Asbury people to assist Susan Lindahl in the cost of airfare and other financial obligations in the adoption process of two Russian girls.

Thomas Murray Fund - an opportunity for Asbury people to assist in the resettlement of the Murray family who were refugees from Sierra Leone. They arrived in August of 1999 so this was three years ago.

Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches - an ecumenical organization of churches in the Twin Cities.
In partnership with them, Asbury supports the Minnesota Foodshare, Metro Paint-A-Thon (painting homes of eligible Senior Citizens), HandyWorks (providing services such as snow removal, repair and cleaning to allow Seniors to stay in their homes), the Division of Indian Work (ministry to the Native American population), Urban Immersion Service Retreats (training volunteers to meet the most needy in our communities), Correctional Chaplaincy program in the prisons, Discover Support Groups (nurturing low-income mothers to independence) and more.