Missions and Volunteer Opportunities

Since Grace church is a mission church, reaching out is a priority of this congregation. Everyone is asked to participate in one of the following or invite others to get involved in a point of ministry not listed and yet discovered by the membership.

*** VIM TRIP ***  Mission trip to Pine Ridge Indian Reservation

Dates are June 5th thru 12th and 12th thru the 19th, 2010.   We will be filling the first week and then starting on the second week.  For more information contact Grace United Methodist church office at 1-307-634-7472 or email gumc@bresnan.net

Coin Fund

Every month we have a specific focus on a mission project that receives the support of the congregation by placing coins in the mission fountain every Sunday. Change can make a change. Six of the Sundays support the denominational special offerings, and six Sundays support local outreach. A special offering is taken twice a year to supplement all of the above listed ministries, Easter and Christmas. From those offerings we add $100 to each of the above, thus raising just under $2000 a year with a minimal effort and a maximum effect.

LOCAL OUTREACH and HANDS-ON MINISTRY:

Each member of the church is invited to participate in the following hands-on ministries within our own community.

COMEA SOUP DAY: sponsored by Missions and Outreach on the last Thursday of the month.

COMEA BREAKFAST DAY: feeding breakfast to the homeless on the last Sunday of every month.

VOLUNTEERS IN MISSION: traveling to national and international worksites sponsored by VIM. This ministry includes construction, repairs, upgrades, VBS, etc.

LOCAL OUTREACH: Provided for low-income families, homeless families and homeless individuals for emergency shelter, food, prescription medication and hardship moves please contact Kristina at 634-7472.  Cases will be verified thru an application process.  Community outreach programs available in Cheyenne include:

• Comea House                      - 1504 Stinson Ave  -               (307) 632-3174

• Home Away From Home        - 2600 18th St         -               (307) 634-2273

• Safehouse Shelter                 - 1813 Carey Ave     -               (307) 634-8655

• Needs, Inc.                           - 900 Central Ave     -               (307) 632-4132

• Welcome Mat                       - 907 Logan Ave       -               (307) 634-8499

• Salvation Army Sally House   - 601 E. 20th St       -               (307) 634-2769

• Cheyenne Interfaith Hospitality Network - 2950 Spruce Drive -  (307) 772-8770

~ 2009 ~

THE WYOMING HOME OWNERSHIP PROGRAM:  The Wyoming Home Ownership Program works with families that have jobs, but few resources to help them get into permanent housing.   It consists of classes geared to help them learn how to plan their budgets, home maintenance, saving for down payments and emergencies, and many other topics to get ready for home ownership.  The program lasts for 2 years, and at the end, they will have saved money towards a down payment. 

A sponsor church “adopts” a family in the program by pledging additional funds toward the purchase. Along with other grants from the community and governments programs, the family will have accumulated $18,000 toward their dream of home ownership. 

This program helps not only the people involved, but by promoting social justice issues throughout the community.

CHEYENNE INTERFAITH HOSPITALITY NETWORK:   CIHN is an organization, comprised of local churches that have banned together to provide short and long term assistance to families that have become homeless and need a “leg up” rather than a “handout”.

The program, a local chapter of “A Family Promise”, started in Cheyenne in 2000 and has helped many families get a fresh start when they had no resources or direction as to what they should do next. When they find themselves without a job, a home, any type of security at all or family to help them, their futures can seem bleak and without direction caused by the overwhelming hopelessness of being homeless.

CIHN begins by putting a roof over their head and food on the table from the churches that house them.  They live within the churches and are cared for by them while the network’s case workers help them to find jobs, day care, medical care if needed, and eventually getting them into their own residence with rent subsidies, and even furniture donated by church members. 

Grace United Methodist has been a part of this program since it’s inception in 2000.

CHEYENNE DAY OF GIVING:  In May of 2006 a group of representatives from area congregations in Cheyenne banded together with an idea to have a drive where people could others in the community less fortunate than themselves.  This effort is now the “Cheyenne Day of Giving” that puts people together, regardless of what faith they belong to, to help their fellow citizens in a variety of ways.

To participate in the Day of Giving you can:  Donate blood, Register to be a bone marrow donor, Register to be an organ donor, Bring non perishable food, personal care items, and other items needed for distribution to agencies such as:  The Salvation Army, Safehouse, Wyoming Coalition for the homeless, Cheyenne Interfaith Hospitality, Network Beth El Ministries Needs Inc., Comea House.  (Cash donations are accepted as well to help the organization provide emergency needs to member agencies between drives.) 

In the past 3 years we have distributed close to 30 tons of supplies to these organizations that help those in need, not to mention the blood donations, and bone marrow and organ donors that have registered since that first year.  The “Cheyenne Day of Giving” is the second Friday in May each year.  For more information contact Pam Pallak at 637-5193.