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Fifth Sunday Mission
Fifth Sunday Mission experiences take worship right out into the neighborhood. Each 5th Sunday for a
little more than a year we have experienced a short, informal worship in the Fellowship Hall and then gone out into the community
to serve in various ways. We have helped the High School with bark dusting and litter, sorted nuts and bolts and dusted
at the Habitat ReStore, picked up litter, prayer walked, beautified the entrance to Joseph Gale Elementary, helped with fall
clean-up at the Senior Center plus hands on mission projects back at the church for those who cannot get out to do the other
activities. Although those going out is only a percentage of the worshippers, the enthusiasm is great.
Currently, 5th Sunday begins with a youth provided breakfast that is a fund raiser for their mission trips. Fifth
Sundays in 2012 are January 30, April 29,, September 30 and December 30. Worship starts at 10 a.m. Work projects
are between 30 minutes and 1 hour. Breakfast times will be available in Sunday bulletins and website calendar.
If you have a good idea for future projects, please let Rhoda Markus know.
Church Garden flourishes
on the Birch Street side of the property. In 2009 we delivered over 1800 pounds of fresh produce to the St. Vincent de Paul
food pantry, including tomatoes, green beans, squash, carrots, radishes, beets. This year we've planted all those plus popcorn!
Come by and check it out. If you'd like to help, contact :
Karl Swenson (503-628-5638, karls@coho.net) or
Lois Oakberg (503-357-8129, tomatoseed@comcast.net).
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| Church garden on Birch Street |
Family Bridge (Formerly Interfaith Hospitality Network) Forest
Grove UMC is part of the Family Bridge organization. This is a group of twelve congregations in western Washington County that cooperate
to provide housing and other help to families who are struggling with homelessness. About six times a year, guests stay
for one week in our building, using the library and Sunday School rooms as bedrooms. They have dinner with us during
that week, and take other meals at the Family Bridge day center in Hillsboro. Our volunteers cook meals and serve as
hosts, offering a safe and welcoming place to be a temporary home. The professional staff of Family Bridge offer social
services, including help with job search, housing search, and parenting classes.
WESTCO WESTCO is
a last resort emergency fund for folks in Western Washington County who are in a crisis situation which threatens their housing,
health or financial stability. Help might include rental assistance, medical, transportation, utilities, or other emergencies
when other resources are not available. Our goal is to help familes or individuals with immediate needs while promoting
long-term self sufficiency. Donations are vital for continuing this service to our neighbors in need. Ideas and
volunteers for fund raisers are always welcome. For more information, contact the church office.
Habitat for Humanity For
more information, contact Merrill Ludlum at 503-357-3518.
Hispanic Ministries There are numerous
ways an individual can be in ministry to and with the Hispanic community of Forest Grove. For information contact the
church at fgumc@teleport.com or 503-357-2689.
Partnership with Joseph Gale
Elementary School
The church is partnering with Joseph Gale Elementary School, the closest school to the church,
to offer our support to the teachers, staff, workers, and students in this time of budgetary cutbacks leading to reduced staff
and increased class sizes. You can help from home(i.e. cutting things out for kindergarten teachers), at the school with no
student contact (i.e. do photocopying for teachers), at the school with student contact (i.e. helping in the classroom when
they have a computer lesson), once a year (i.e. helping organize the annual Veteran’s Day assembly), once a week (i.e.
be a lunch buddy to a child), every day (i.e. help in the library, a classroom, etc.), or anything in between. A weekend food
backpack program is being organized (contact Rhoda Markus at revrpm@frontier.com). There are plenty of opportunities to live
out the gospel in a real way that is making a difference now in the lives of children. If you are interested in helping, check
out this list of ways you can volunteer. Contact Ann Ulum at 503-357-1386 or the church office.
Odds & Ends Did you know we collect glasses for the Lions? Mary Jane Nordgren takes
care of Campbell soup labels. We also collect food for St Vincent De Paul at the Catholic Church.
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