MISSIONS AND OUTREACH

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1 MISSIONS AND OUTREACH Through missions and outreach, we learn to love our neighbor and love God. First United Methodist Church is a church that understands the importance of missions and outreach. First Church began as a mission of the Mississippi Conference of the Methodist Church when the Rev. Alexander Talley was appointed as a missionary to Pensacola. One hundred and ninety four years later First Church strives to share the love of God to our neighbor through Christian service and charitable giving. The following list is a summary of some of the missions First Church has been involved with during the past year. You are invited and encouraged to learn more about these great organizations and contribute your time and resources to further the kingdom of God through missions and outreach. MISSIONS THROUGH CONNECTIONAL GIVING Through missions giving and the connectional structure of the United Methodist Church, we are changing the world. No one local church has the combined resources of our United Methodist connection. But together, as The United Methodist Church, our institutions, colleges, hospitals, seminaries, missionaries, and ministers throughout the state and nation are having a huge impact for good. In 2014, First Church contributed approximately $129,000 to missions through connectional giving (apportionments) to the United Methodist Church. Africa University The Africa University Fund helps transform Africa by educating and empowering students from across the continent through Africa University, the first fully accredited, United Methodistrelated educational institution on the continent. The Africa University Fund supports the general operating expenses of Africa University including faculty salaries and vital infrastructure. Black College Fund In 1972, The United Methodist Church established the Black College Fund to provide support for United Methodist-related historically Black colleges. Through connectional giving, we re supporting the important work of 11 schools committed to academic excellence based on the Christian perspective of community service and social responsibility. Today we support more historically Black colleges and universities than any other religious denomination. Conference Benevolence Fund Our annual conference supports a myriad of ministries, missions, programs and administrative tasks. These include the connectional ministries and communications, the mission and ministry fund, the district superintendent s fund, conference claimants fund, health insurance fund, equitable compensation fund, conference administration fund, congregational development, board of pension and health benefits, and more. District Administration Fund The District Administration Fund supports the critical work of the church from the district level. District Missions Fund The District Missions Fund supports a myriad of ministries, missions, programs and administrative tasks at the district level.

2 Episcopal Fund The Episcopal Fund makes the shepherding ministry of our bishops possible and allows us to be a connectional church. Our bishops not only lead in the connectional ministry of the church, but you will also find them on the forefront of world issues encouraging secular leaders to incorporate faith into their decision making. Today the bishops of The United Methodist Church are providing spiritual leadership to more than 11 million persons in a broad range of settings on four continents, including North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. The Episcopal Fund pays bishops salaries, covers their office and travel expenses and provides their pension and healthbenefit coverage. General Administration Fund The General Administration Fund supports the critical work of the church and helps The United Methodist Church to function most effectively. This includes implementing trustworthy administrative oversight, supporting the legislative process of the church, and curating the rich history of the United Methodist Church. Guided by God s Spirit, the General Administration Fund is the oil that lubricates these gears moving the church s work forward to impact hearts and lives. Without it, the life-giving work of The United Methodist Church simply wouldn t be possible. Jurisdictional Administration Fund The Jurisdictional Administration Fund supports the critical work of the church from the jurisdictional level. Ministerial Education Fund Since 1968 the Ministerial Education Fund has helped thousands of men and women become pastoral leaders in The United Methodist Church. It is nurtured and funded by United Methodists to provide needed scholarships through annual conferences and funding for the support of our thirteen United Methodist seminaries in the United States. It also supports programs that encourage men and women to respond to the call to ordained ministry, continuing-education opportunities for pastors across the connection, and course-of-study education for local pastors. The World Service Fund The World Service Fund is the primary avenue of support for the global mission and ministry of the United Methodist Church. The World Service Fund connects the local church to a long list of Christian missions and ministries throughout the denomination in the work of the general church agencies and other national and international programs. The four main focuses of the World Service Fund include developing principled Christian leaders for the church and the world, creating new places for new people and renewing existing congregations, engaging in ministry with the poor, and stamping out killer diseases of poverty by improving global health. UNITED METHODIST AFFILIATED MISSIONS In addition to our connectional giving, First Church supports a variety of United Methodist affiliated mission organizations through individual and group contributions and volunteer support. In 2014, First Church contributed approximately $25,000 to United Methodist related local and global missions. Backpack Ministry The Backpack Ministry provides food for at-risk children at Lipscomb, Ferry Pass and O. J. Semmes Elementary Schools. These children, who usually receive free breakfast and lunch at school during the week, are often at-risk of going hungry during the weekend and when they are away from school. The Backpack Ministry helps provide these children with much needed nourishment to last them until they return to school the next week.

3 Bahamas Methodist Habitat Bahamas Methodist Habitat (BMH) is a non-profit outreach ministry of the Bahamas Conference of the Methodist Church. BMH serves communities and individuals who are in need of emergency home repair or have experienced home damage after natural disasters, such as hurricanes or earthquakes. Casserole Ministry Ruth s Kitchen, the kitchen ministry of First Church, provides frozen casseroles to individuals in need. These meals are often given to those who are grieving, recovering from illness, home bound, parents of newborns, and others. Our Pastoral Care Team usually delivers these meals. Flower Ministry The Flower Ministry delivers bouquets made from the sanctuary flowers used in church during worship on Sunday. Deliveries are made weekly to recommended individuals and have included the home bound, those recovering from illness, mothers of newborns, individuals celebrating a special occasion, or anyone in need of some encouragement. Imagine No Malaria Imagine No Malaria is the United Methodist church-wide effort to overcome malaria in Africa and eliminate deaths caused by this preventable disease. To date, United Methodists around the world have donated more than $66 million towards this goal. Juvenile Justice Reform First Church works closely with the Department of Juvenile Justice and the Escambia Youth Justice Coalition to help make positive changes to the juvenile justice system in Escambia, the state of Florida and the United States through ministry, service, advocacy and lobbying. Pensacola United Methodist Community Ministries (PUMCM) Located in the Brownsville area of Pensacola, PUMCM serves in one of the most under resourced neighborhoods in Escambia County, Florida. PUMCM is helping Escambia county s most vulnerable residents: homeless individuals and families, children living in poverty, U.S. veterans, the mentally ill, former inmates, substance abusers and others in need. The main purpose of PUMCM is to promote the dignity and welfare of the under resourced in our community by addressing their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. Prayer Shawl Ministry The Prayer Shawl Ministry is a group who love to knit, crochet, and more importantly desire to encourage fellow church members in hard times. Prayer shawls are presented throughout the year to women and men who need assurance of God s love and comfort during high and low spots in their lives. This group also knits scarves and shawls that are given to the class of graduating seniors yearly, provides prayer squares for church groups as they travel, and provides booties for newborn babies. Serving the Hungry Plus The Serving the Hungry Plus program at First Church provides 100+ hot meals for those in need in our community on Mondays and Thursdays at 11:00am. Food is served in a dedicated, covered space on the east side of our church campus. In addition to providing food, men s clothing is also available for those in need. Sewing Ministry The Sewing Ministry at First Church is made up of individuals who enjoy sewing and have a heart for missions. During the past year this group has made clothes for a variety of mission projects. These projects include making children s hospital gowns for Kisses for Kate, sewing dresses for girls in Africa through the International Dress a Girl Program, providing 200 blankets for the Backpack Ministry kids, making clothes for the children of Bahamas Methodist Habitat and the Haiti orphanage, and making 50 school supply bags for the United Methodist Committee on Relief.

4 Suit Yourself Suit Yourself provides much needed clothing and accessories for women entering or reentering the work force. Women are referred to Suit yourself from 27 area non-profit groups who also provide counseling and training for these women. This is the only program of its kind in our area. Suit Yourself, located in the Outreach Building on the campus of First Church, is a ministry of the United Methodist Women at First Church. Over the past 19 years, thousands of women have been helped, with 85 being helped in the past year. United Methodist Children s Home The United Methodist Children s Home has 3 programs in Northwest Florida which help abused, neglected, and abandoned children. The Gulf Coast Group Home is a residential facility that provides a home for up to 6 teenaged girls. West Florida Foster Care is a family foster care program that currently provides family homes for 28 foster children throughout Northwest Florida. Crestview Teen Center is a skills training program for youth in foster care or who have recently aged out of foster care. United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) UMCOR provides humanitarian relief and disaster response in the United States and internationally. UMCOR steps in when natural disasters, war, or conflict have done so much damage that communities are unable to recover on their own. LOCAL AND GLOBAL INTERDENOMINATIONAL MISSIONS First Church also supports a variety of local and global interdenominational mission organizations through individual and group contributions and volunteer support. In 2014, First Church contributed approximately $45,000 to a variety of non-profits and interdenominational local and global missions. 90Works (formerly Family Counts) 90Works is an organization that believes homelessness, poverty and family violence can be overcome by self-sufficiency. 90Works invests in people who will strive to secure affordable housing and gainful employment with our team of professionals that are experts in navigating public and private resources. A holistic approach incorporates solutions for transportation to work and access to healthcare for physical and emotional challenges. Alcoholics Anonymous Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength, and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. This program meets everyday from 12:00pm-1:00pm in the Outreach Building at First Church. Circles Northwest Florida Circle Northwest Florida is a prosperity initiative of Catholic Charities that helps to provide a path for residents below the poverty line to long-term self-sufficiency, reaching across generations to teach self-reliance and effective problem solving. Circles teaches participants how to build financial, emotional, and social resources, while at the same time working with community leaders to encourage policies that uplift and support a family s path to prosperity. Each participant s move to prosperity is customized to their specific needs and combines formal education and support with informal mentoring. Cocaine Anonymous Cocaine Anonymous is a twelve-step program for people seeking recovery from drug addiction. Cocaine Anonymous is patterned very closely after Alcoholics Anonymous, although the two groups are unaffiliated. This program meets everyday from 5:30pm-7:00pm in the Outreach Building at First Church.

5 Council on Aging Council on Aging helps seniors in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties live healthy, safe and independent lives in their own familiar surroundings by providing community based, in-home programs and services such as Meals on Wheels and Alzheimer s respite care. Future 4 Haiti Missions Future 4 Haiti is a non-profit Christian organization dedicated to supporting the children of Ouanaminthe, Haiti. The organization is a coalition of individuals, churches, corporations, and anyone who has a heart for helping the less fortunate. Future 4 Haiti supports the Sur Le Rocher organization, which provides a home for the abandoned children of the region where they can receive the proper shelter, nourishment, medical care, and education that they deserve. College Sur Le Rocher is a primary school that provides education, free of charge, to the children of Ouanaminthe who otherwise would not receive any formal schooling. Habitat for Humanity Pensacola Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit, Christian ministry whose purpose is to build homes and improve communities in partnership with low-income families in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties. Habitat builds energy efficient, quality homes and sells them to eligible low-income families at cost with a no interest loan. No profit is made on the homes built by Habitat for Humanity and mortgage payments are used to build more homes. Manna Food Pantries Manna Food Pantries is a local, grassroots non-profit organization dedicated to fighting hunger in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. Their mission is to offer emergency food assistance and meet the food related needs of vulnerable populations, while engaging the entire community in the fight against hunger. Milk and Honey Outreach Ministries Milk and Honey is a community-based non-profit organization that provides early intervention programs for at-risk children and youth in Pensacola s inner city. Milk and Honey provides comprehensive capacity enhancement services to increase student performance particularly in reading, math, and computer skills and to prepare students for college and careers by enhancing communication and leadership skills. Programs include after school tutoring, summer and spring camps and an annual conference for girls. Narcotics Anonymous Narcotics Anonymous is a nonprofit society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem. Narcotics Anonymous uses a traditional 12-step model that has been expanded and developed for people with varied substance abuse issues. This program meets at First Church every Thursday from 12:00pm-1:00pm in room S117. Transition House of Loaves and Fishes The Transition House of Loaves and Fishes is a joint Christian effort of area churches and individuals that helps homeless families with children by providing a furnished home and support services for a period of up to two years. Each family receives intensive social work with special emphases on goal planning, financial planning, employment skills, educational opportunities, counseling and parenting. Additionally, the program can offer assistance with medical care, transportation, clothing vouchers, and referrals to appropriate community resources. Families are also ministered to physically and spiritually. United Ministries United Ministries provides assistance to families with dependent children who have emergency needs, such as housing and utilities. United Ministries is a community partnership of many different churches and individuals who volunteer time and resources to provide emergency aid to those in crisis in our community.

6 MISSION RELATED EVENTS Throughout the year, First Church has a number of mission specific events designed to raise awareness and encourage congregational support of local and global missions. Great Day of Giving The Great Day of Giving is an annual event (normally in November or December), which promotes missional giving and volunteerism. In 2014, First Church gathered together on December 7th to send letters to our military families overseas, make crafts for homebound residents, provide gifts for 52 children via the Angel Tree, prepare food boxes and for 74 families in need, donate over $4,400 to area mission agencies, and raise $2,135 for the Methodist Children s Home. Great Day of Service The Great Day of Service is an annual volunteer outreach day (normally in February) where the congregation joins together to serve the community through hands-on mission work. The day begins with breakfast and worship, before we divide into various work projects around our community. In February 2015, nearly 200 people served at 10 area work projects. Mission work included landscaping, cleaning, painting, general maintenance work and more. Hearts for Service Hearts for Service is a mission group for children 2nd 4th grade. Each year this group participates in a variety of activities to raise funds and awareness for a variety of mission projects that impact other children. International Adult and Youth Mission Trips First Church understands the value of participation in international missions. Over the years First Church has established relationships with international ministries specializing in effectively ministering and serving alongside local mission organizations outside the United States. Over the past few years, First Church has sent both youth and adult mission groups to Haiti and the Bahamas, to minister alongside Bahamas Methodist Habitat and Future 4 Haiti. Upcoming youth and adult mission trips to the Bahamas are scheduled for the spring of Second Sunday Serving at Loaves and Fishes First Church provides volunteers to help serve food at Loaves and Fishes Soup Kitchen on the second Sunday of every month. Loaves and Fishes Soup Kitchen serves approximately 4,600 meals to the homeless each month. A hot breakfast is served at 7:00am, Monday through Friday, lunch is served on Saturday at 11:30am and dinner is served on Sunday, Monday and Wednesday evenings at 5pm. Vacation Bible School Each summer the children who attend Vacation Bible School at First Church participate in a mission project to support other children around the world. In 2015, the children donated over $2000 to purchase Bibles for children in Thailand. UNITED METHODIST WOMEN (UMW) The United Methodist Women of First Church is a group of women with a heart for missions. In addition to running Suit Yourself, the UMW supports a variety of local mission agencies, especially those impacting women and children. Individual small groups (circles) within the United Methodist Women also select specific mission projects to support. Through pledges, donations, fundraising activities and volunteering, the UMW provides support for the United Methodist Children s Home, the Weekend Kids Feeding Program, Milk and Honey Outreach, Manna Food Bank, Youth Mission Trips, St. Joseph s Medical and Dental Clinic, Sacred Heart Children s Hospital, Camp Happy Sands, local area schools and more. In 2014, the United Methodist Women donated more than $34,000 to local mission organizations.