Palm Harbor United Methodist Church is active in the community and the world. At PHUMC one of our core values is COMMITMENT TO MISSIONS. We show this in many ways, one way is to partner with many community missions as we continue to seek ways to be the hands and feet of Christ.
Local
The following local missions and mission organizations are supported by PHUMC.
In April the PHUMC missions will be:
Collecting Cereal for “Cereal for Summer” with Feeding TampaBay. All month long we, and our K-8
school, will be collecting boxes of cereal. Be watching for more details.
Friday, March 1 we primed a house in Tarpon Springs in connection with Habitat for Humanity. There will be many more opportunities to volunteer as PHUMC is a sponsor for the Faith Build this spring/summer. Ages 16 and able to volunteer. Be watching for more details.
Join us on Saturday, March 16 for the Florida United Methodist Children’s Home Day On Campus. This is an opportunity to tour the campus, attend special programming and performances from the children, enjoy a free picnic lunch, and more! Sign-ups will begin next week.
Back To School Supply Drive
July is the time to start thinking about going back to school. There are many children in our neighborhood and the schools we support who cannot obtain the supplies necessary for school.
Items to consider for donation are:
Notebooks Folders Pencils
notebook paper Lined paper Crayons General School Supplies
Calvin Hunsinger has also asked for some special items. Remember this school is K-12 and deals with students in a lower-income neighborhood. They have asked for:
* Men’s underwear small- XXL
* Men’s black undershirts small – XXL
* Footie socks men’s, boys
* Boys underwear medium – XXL
* Basketball shorts boys medium to XXL; men’s small to XXL
* Plain boys shirts medium- XXL
There will be a collection box in the office lobby area for your donations.
Suncoast Animal League
Christmas in July 2023 was held for Suncoast Animal League. Thank you for the overwhelming response of supplies for all of the four-legged friends that they help. It was a huge success because of you! Thank you!
FEAST Food Pantry
The FEAST Food Pantry began in 1989 and has served North Pinellas County for over 30 years. FEAST was started by Palm Harbor United Methodist Church and has grown over the years to help families in need. Each week they supply food and personal care items to food-insecure families in our community.
We are currently collecting toys for our FEAST Christmas Food/toy distribution.
Holiday Toy Drive –We will once again be hosting the Holiday Distribution on 12/21/24 for FEAST clients this year. Each family will receive food for the holidays and parents will have a chance to “shop” for their child’s gifts for Christmas. There are suggested gifts per age group based on the requests from the families. Please help us out by purchasing gifts from each age group and bringing them to the church. Help us bring joy to these families this year.
0-2
Learning Toys, Dolls, Blocks
Ages 3-5
Legos, Games, Dolls
Ages 6-9
Crafts, T-ball, Baseball, Nerf, Football
Ages 10-12
Legos, Games, Sports, Beauty, Crafts, footballs, basketballs, soccer balls, fishing
Ages 13-17
Beauty, footballs, basketballs, soccer balls, games (Jenga, block puzzles, etc), fishing, guys cologne, AXE body gift sets
Sports, Beauty
Please bring your gifts on Sunday mornings or to the church office during the week. Thank you for helping to make this a special Christmas for a child.
FEAST Christmas Food Distribution
Our annual FEAST Holiday Food and Toy Distribution will be held on 12/21/24 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. There are many opportunities to serve for this event.
Friday, December 20th we will need volunteers to help set up and pre-pack food. Times are yet to be determined.
Saturday, December 16th we will need shoppers, runners, parkers, stockers, and more. For more information and to volunteer, please contact Doug Meyer at dmeyerfl911@gmail.com
Pack-A-Sack
No child should go hungry. Pinellas County Schools provides free breakfast and lunch, but what about the weekends? We have partnered with two Pinellas County Schools, Sandy Lane Elementary School and Calvin Hunsinger School to provide sacks of food for students to help sustain them through the weekend.
Metropolitan Ministries of Pasco
https://www.metromin.org/what-we-do/pasco/
Metropolitan Ministries of Pasco provides compassion, support, assistance, and most of all, hope to those in need in our northern communities. Each year, they serve thousands of people through their holiday food and toy distribution. Through the residential program, they provide many services to help individuals and families including education, counseling, financial planning, and employment training.
Holiday Volunteer Opportunities
Every year during Thanksgiving and Christmas we partner with Metropolitan Ministries for volunteer opportunities. We have two different locations where you can volunteer this year. Please remember to sign up early as shifts fill up fast.
Be watching for holiday volunteer opportunities.
Giving Hope
This feeding the homeless ministry of Palm Harbor United Methodist Church has expanded its service to our community and has become a non-profit organization called Giving Hope. Giving Hope is passionate about providing meals and personal items to the homeless. They also are passionate about sharing the Gospel with those they serve.
Regional
The following regional mission organizations are supported by PHUMC.
Disaster Relief
We work with the United Methodist Committee on Relief and Pinellas County Emergency Management to respond to the needs brought on by natural disasters and other tragedies.
Florida United Methodist Children’s Home
The United Methodist Children’s Home in Enterprise, Florida, provides a safe, loving, nurturing environment for children who are in need of a home. The mission of the Children’s Home is to empower children and families to experience the transforming love of Jesus Christ through holistic care. This is provided through residential programs, foster care, spiritual development, and educational programs.
Kairos Prison Ministry
https://www.kairosprisonministry.org
The Kairos prison ministry is about bringing the love of Jesus Christ to prisoners and their families. The Kairos Weekend is a program that consists of carefully structured talks, meditations, and individual and group activities led by same-gender volunteers. It is an invitation to live in a personal relationship with the living Christ. Kairos volunteers continue to support graduates with weekly and monthly meetings. Kairos Outside offers support to the family members of those who are incarcerated.
Global
The following global mission organizations and missionaries are supported by PHUMC.
Operation Christmas Child
https://www.samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/
Every year, Operation Christmas Child delivers millions of shoebox gifts to children around the world. Shining the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to children affected by war, poverty, disease, and natural disaster, shoebox gifts are fueled by the power of prayer, bringing Good News and Great Joy to the ends of the earth! People are asked to fill a shoebox with toys, school supplies, hygiene items, candy, etc. that will be sent to needy children in more than 150 countries.
Sister Church in Cuba
https://www.cubaministry.org/about-1
In 2018, we entered into a covenant relationship with Union de Reyes through Methodists United in Prayer (MUIP). We support our sister church through our relationships, prayers, and financial support. We send teams to work alongside the pastor and the church, united by the love of Jesus Christ.
Global Missionaries
In the Great Commission, Jesus said “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” (Matthew 28:19). We encourage and support those who have felt called to be missionaries. Currently, we support two missionaries, Jonathan McCurley in Japan and Amy Sticha in North Africa.