Missions & Outreach

Missions Report 2007

The Missions committee of Park Terrace Community United Methodist Church includes the following members: Al Bailey (Lay Leader), Pam Bogdan, Larry Brearley, Mark Bullock, Stacey Burkey, Dick Cook, Joan Cook, Marcia Inman, Pastor Nick, Jeff Patricia, Lauren Reed (youth member), Sara Wasileski (youth member), and Stacy Wickham

Goals for 2007:
• Increase the impact of Park Terrace in our community through Missions
• Increase participation of Park Terrace in Missions (especially the youth)
• “Spend our Missions budget!” (Pastor Nick, circa January, 2007)

2007 Accomplishments:
• ACT Dinners > Served 6 dinners in 2006 and will also this year versus
4 in previous years. Dinners are every Thursday at 6:00 PM in Owego.
We have increased participation and included the youth in 2 dinners
over the past year. Left over food is always donated to the Open Door
Mission to feed residents. Our once a year chicken barbecue is famous!
• Flood Mission > Monetary donations of $1005.00 were offered during
July and August of 2006 for local flood relief. A family was identified
that needed a washer, dryer, and stove. The appliances were
purchased with supplemental Missions funds and delivered the week
before Christmas in 2006.
• “Give it Up 4” > Congregation members gave up their respective “bad
habits” for lent and donated the cash saved to one of 4 local charities:
Children’s Home; Habitat for Humanity (Tioga County Chapter); Mom’s
House; Sky Lake Camperships. A total of $2092.19 was collected!
• UMCOR Coffee Project > “Equal Exchange Fair Trade” coffees, teas,
and cocoa were purchased by Missions for use at social time after
Sunday service. The project was kicked-off on March 11th with free
product tasting and informational handouts. This project gives more
control and money to the local farmers that raise the crops in typically
very poor countries around the world. Park Terrace members are also
continuing to buy Fair Trade products for personal use at home.
• Youth Missions Trip to New York City (May 11-13) > Missions funded
weekend (out-of-pocket expenses totaled $573.27) working in the
Bowery soup kitchen for 5 youth and 4 adults. It was truly a life-
changing event for all those that participated. The group’s experiences
were shared during Sunday service on June 3rd.
• Grandma’s Attic > The annual event was held on Saturday, May 19th
during the Tioga Terrace garage sale. We took in a whopping $2701.00
just on rummage sale items, double our previous record! Barb Wolford
and Karen Reynolds MUST be mentioned for doing such a superb job
in organizing and leading the sale efforts.
• Haiti Partnership > A special collection for Haiti was taken on May 27th
and June 3rd. Donations of $230.00 were matched by Missions for a
total of $460.00 given by Park Terrace to the “Great 50 Days of Easter”
offering for the Haiti Partnership. Monies collected help provide food,
clothing, shelter, education, ministry, and emergency response.
• “In-House” Missions Project > During July, much time and effort was put
into refurbishing the three Nursery School rooms at Park Terrace. We
now have a “Blue Room”, a “Green Room”, and a “Yellow Room”!
Missions and Trustees helped organize the project, but MANY people
contributed. The primary work accomplished was upgrading and adding
new electrical outlets, painting the walls and ceiling, cleaning the
curtains, and installing 2 new bulletin/cork boards. Missions funded
purchase of the paint (~$330) and split the cost of the new bulletin
boards with Dick and Joan Cook ($500 total).
• Helped Park Terrace fulfill our 2007 Ministry Shares commitment

Goals for 2008:
• Continue to increase participation of Park Terrace in Mission activities
(this is a prime objective of Pastor Nick’s for the coming year).
• Increase our involvement in Food/Feeding Ministries – this is a
particular strength of Park Terrace. We will look into participating in
more breakfast and/or supper “soup kitchen”-type efforts.
• Repeat “Give It Up 4” (Pick 4 NEW charities for 2008, with at least one
having an international impact)
• Look for Christmas-Time Mission opportunities
• Participate in UMCOR “Special Sundays” (The United Methodist Church
has 6 special offerings per year, including “One Great Hour of Sharing”)
• Pay Ministry Shares in Full Again in 2008
• Request a doubling of Missions operating budget from $1000 to $2000