Outreach is very important to us here at First United Methodist Church of Clarion and there are many opportunities for volunteerism.
Please select from the list below if you are interested in joining a specific group, or would like general information.
Local Ministries:
First United Methodist Church LOVE CUPBOARD will be distributing food and hygiene items by drive through fashion for the month of March.
Distribution will be March 17 from 4:30-6pm. Please remain in your vehicle. We will check you in from this point and bring the items to you.
Love Cupboard is a food pantry ministry provided at First United Methodist Church. Love Cupboard distribution is from 4:30pm-6:00pm on the 3rd Wednesday of each month.
Individuals and families are able to receive help with food and hygiene products from our pantry during this time. Photo identification is required to receive items.
The Love Cupboard item of the month for March is
FOUR PACK TOILET PAPER.
Please place donated items in the box
located just inside the Gathering Area.
If you have questions, or would like to help prepare packages for the Love Cupboard, please contact our church office.
Vision: Local organizations working together to feed members of the Clarion community and beyond who may be hungry, lonely, and/or would like to enjoy a meal with others.
Mission Statement: To provide a nutritious, hot meal each week to the members of our community in a safe environment that offers an opportunity for fellowship and to know about Christ. A meal will be offered every Wednesday evening at 5:00pm. Meals will be provided at First United Methodist Church in Clarion (600 Wood Street) with the exception of the third Wednesday of each month at which time the meals will be prepared and provided by First Presbyterian Church of Clarion (700 Wood Street).
If you have questions about this mission or would like to sign up to help serve, please contact one of our Meals of Love Committee Members at mealsoflove2020@gmail.com alternatively you can contact our church office by clicking HERE or calling 814-226-6660.
Karen G. Luderer Memorial Scholarship Fund Announcement
Karen Luderer lived her life as a devout Christian. Throughout her life, Karen epitomized the values of Christianity. She always looked past someone’s indiscretions and valued the person. Karen spent years helping the less fortunate. Whether it was her prison ministry, 4th Avenue Adventure ministry, or any of the many committees in which she partook, she was always willing to listen, counsel and help. She never sought the spotlight. In fact, she went out of her way to avoid it. Helping others was her reward. In this light, the family of Karen Luderer wishes to establish the Karen G. Luderer Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Criteria
-A high school GPA of 2.50
-SAT score of 800 or an ACT score of 16
-A member of the United Methodist Church, an active member of the Youth Group of the United Methodist Church or a former member of the Youth Group
-Traditional and Non-traditional students are encouraged to apply
Selection Process
Interested persons will give a short presentation to the Selection Committee using PowerPoint or other presentation method. We are holding in person interviews as well as Zoom interviews to accommodate all students that are studying away from home. In the spirit of Karen, the Selection Committee wants to learn of the person beyond a resume. The presentation should provide the committee sufficient information to get to know the person. Topics may include: any hardships/challenges in life, the role of religion in their life, specific experiences of volunteer work, specific experiences of Youth Group/work camps, and any life experiences that will provide insight into the person. This list are examples only. The presentation need not include these topics. The Scholarship will not just focus on grades and accomplishments, but the person as a whole. The presentation should be about 10 minutes and no more than 20 minutes. An interview will follow the presentation.
Award
Recipients will receive $1,000 Scholarship fund that will be paid directly to the recipient’s institution. Student will provide name of university, address and personal account number in order for church to make appropriate distribution. The Scholarship is renewable, so long as the Student maintains a GPA of 2.50, for a maximum of 4 years.
Application
An application form can be found HERE, or picked up at the First United Methodist Church Office, 600 Wood St, Clarion, PA 16214 or may be requested via email at kludererscholarship@gmail.com.
Deadline
All applications should be received by March 31, 2021. Selected Applicants will be invited to provide the presentation/interview during the month of April. Specific dates will be announced via church announcements and newsletter.
The Local and Global Missions Team seeks to provide opportunities for the Church at large to use God given gifts to further His Kingdom on earth. We are not all evangelists in the formal sense, but we have all received gifts that we can use to help in the work of the church, by supporting missionaries and also by supporting causes which show the love of God.
In the past we have contributed to such things as the AIDS Orphan Trust, UMCOR flood buckets and health kits, the Potato Project, ‘Nothing but Nets’, foster homes in Russia, The Gulf Coast Relief, and Blanket Sunday. We have also given financial assistance to members of our congregation engaged in mission work.
For more information, please contact our church office.
What Exactly Is Stephen Ministry?
Stephen Ministry is a ministry in our congregation in which trained and supervised lay persons, called Stephen Ministers, provide one-to-one Christian care to individuals facing life challenges or difficulties. We are caring Christian friends who listen, understand, accept, and pray for (and with) care receivers who are working through a crisis or a tough time. We are not counselors, but trained lay caregivers. Our role is to listen and care—not to give advice or counsel. Stephen Ministers are also trained to recognize when a care receiver's need exceeds what they can provide. When that happens we work with care receivers to help them receive the level of care they really need.
The name Stephen comes from St. Stephen, who was the first lay person commissioned by the apostles to provide caring ministry to those in need as recorded in Acts 6. Stephen Ministry has been around since 1975, when Kenneth Haugk, a pastor and clinical psychologist, began it to multiply the caregiving in his congregation in St. Louis, Missouri. If you or someone you know could benefit from the care of a Stephen Minister, you can talk to Pastor John or one of our Stephen Leaders. Any of our Stephen Ministers would also be happy to help you through the process. (If you want to talk about Stephen Ministry for someone else, make sure you get his or her permission first.)
We always welcome new members who would like to serve as a Stephen Minister. Stephen Ministers engage in 50 hours of training in Christian caregiving, including general topics such as listening, feelings, boundaries, assertiveness, and using Christian resources in caregiving. In addition, their training covers specialized topics such as ministering to the divorced, hospitalized, bereaved, and aging. Let one of your Stephen Ministers know if this is a ministry in which you would like to serve.
Our Stephen Ministry Leaders are: Sandra Foster (814-227-7797), Suzan Hahnfeldt (814-229-3807) or Barb Krupnik (814-229-2723).
For more information, please contact our church office.
At First United Methodist Church of Clarion, our youth and adults participate in an annual mission work camp. This is an ever-growing event with over 50 participating in recent years!
In 2013, we had the opportunity to work with Habitat for Humanity in WestHuntingdon, WV. 41 youth and adults from our church built a home for an adult woman with special needs who would be living independently for the first time in her life.
In 2014, we worked at a Free Methodist church camp near Kane, PA, completing a camp center for their ongoing ministry. Youth from the Free Methodist camp in Kane worked alongside our youth; in fact, many of them returned to work with the youth this past summer in 2015.
In 2015, we worked again with Habitat for Humanity, this time in Shinglehouse, PA, to build a home for a young family. A small group of youth and adults also returned at the end of the summer to help complete the exterior of the home.
In June 2016, the youth group helped the Kiski Valley Habitat for Humanity in Apollo, PA, build a home in Vandergrift, PA. The group consisted of 29 youth, 3 college students and 13 adults. We were excited to learn new skills on this project as we were faced with an incomplete foundation upon arrival. The kids loved learning new things as we completed masonry work, filling the foundation with gravel and ultimately erecting both exterior and interior walls. We filled in our extra time with swimming, miniature golf, ice cream, Pirates game, Gateway Clipper Rides, dinners and devotions. As I write this from my perspective, it is extremely difficult to relay the exact feelings a person has when participating in these trips. What I know from personal experience is how the youth respond to the challenges both on and off the worksite. On the worksite, they rise to the occasion and fulfill physically demanding tasks. I have seen them naturally form assembly lines to move product around the worksite. They take the initiative to get involved. They learn new skills. They improve upon skills learned in previous years and ultimately they learn how to work together to accomplish much. Many Youth develop their leadership skills that can be used throughout their lifetime. There is a sense of pride at the end of the week by every individual involved – “We did that” is a common statement that you hear. Off the worksite, the time we spend together in fellowship with each other is an extremely important part of the entire work camp experience. Everyone feels like they belong – both youth and adults. We spend a lot of time laughing and talking about previous year’s work camps. As I said earlier, it is extremely difficult to explain how you feel after participating in our work camp but I encourage everyone to speak to any individual that went this year and find out what it is all about. As an adult that goes year after year, these work camps are life changing. I promise you will never return the same as you left.
Youth make a point in their busy schedules to always reserve time, each year, for this very special youth ministry event.
If you would like more information please contact Shelly Rhoades (Youth Director) at youthdirector@fumc-clarion.org.
