Jesus commanded us to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind...and Love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 20:36-39). We do our best to follow that commandment, and to put those words into action through our mission outreach projects. We are also taught in 1 Timothy 6:17-19 to "Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life." We are a small congregation but we are mighty in the ways we reach out in love and deed to help the neighbors in our community and beyond.
Mission Year Round
Each month, the Hopewell MYR committee designates a group, charity or organization that we collect donations for that are non-monetary; the committee entertains suggestions from the congregation on groups to assist. Several examples of this would be:
Non-perishable food items like protein bars, coffee, water, etc for Box 65 (a non-profit that goes on scene of fires and major disasters to support first responders)
Each summer we invite children to attend our Vacation Bible School program. VBS includes activities and songs centered around stories or themes from Scripture to help teach children about God. In order to keep all children safe, our church participates in "Safe Sanctuary" training, procedures and guidelines (here: drive.google.com/file/d/1_qGwdOmt7YbRXI7AIim2XEkvG2KcDslM/view?usp=sharing).
Food Pantries
The Hopewell congregation donates food and paper products as part of our Mission Year Round Program to three food pantries in our community: Canal Winchester,Groveport and Ashville. Usually one or two particular items are selected for one month, i.e. peanut butter and jelly for one month, maybe bathroom tissue for a different month. We also collect much-needed, low inventory items weekly. Items are usually selected that will be fairly inexpensive and not infringe upon folks' budgets, allowing wide participation. At the end of each month, items are gathered, inventoried and then delivered to the designated group or organization. This is an on-going project.
Adopt-A-Family
We adopt families at Thanksgiving and Christmas to provide not only full holiday dinners, but also groceries and snacks to help them get through the holiday season. Our congregation also generously provides Christmas gifts that include not only toys that the children "wish" for but pajamas, clothing, coats, gloves, hats and sometimes shoes to a family in need so that they experience the "reason for the season" at a time that they may not feel much in the holiday spirit due to their circumstances.
We have worked on various projects, including building raised garden beds for Canal Winchester Food Pantry, Hazel's House of Hope, and Jackson Area Ministries; painting and doing home maintenance work for those in need; preparing and serving meals for families at Ronald McDonald House and various homeless shelters; participated in Kairos prison ministries; brought Elder Bible School programs to long-term care facilities; and visiting and ministering to shut-ins. If you know of someone in need that could use some assistance, please reach out to us at HopewellUMCGroveport@gmail.com.