Mission Focus
(Scoll down for more Missions)
 
 
 
United Churches Assistance Network (UCAN) is an ecumenical partnership of sixteen local churches in North Baltimore County that have pooled resources in an effort to better respond to the needs of the community. Together they offer financial assistance and supportive guidance to those in crisis situations and where required, refer clients to the Cockeysville Food Pantry and the Epworth Thrifty Penny for clothing. UCAN is an all volunteer organization. We have NO payroll.
 
UCAN opened its doors on June 3, 1996 providing assistance to adults & families. These monies included food certificates, lodging, prevention of evictions, utility payments (gas, electric and heating fuel oil), transportation (including MTA tokens) and prescriptions. This aid is in addition to assistance provided through networking with other community assistance networks within Baltimore County.
 
 
 
Tend My Sheep Haiti along with our partners have continued the work at the Duparc Farm Ministry. It was a very challenging year in Haiti. But, in spite of serious inflation and ongoing terrible violence, our amazing workers and staff have accomplished many things.
 
TMS Chicken Project – A large chicken broiler house on the property had been badly damaged in recent hurricanes, and the roof was almost totally gone. Thanks to a generous donation, we were able to put a new roof on and repair all of the other damage. We purchased chicks and were able to raise them and sell them in the market in town. We raised more and sold some, and as food became dangerously scarce, we gave some to vulnerable people in the community.
 
The Duparc Goat Herd – Enclosing about an acre of land, the cinder block goat enclosure walls housed a large goat herd prior to 2011. The two earthquakes badly damaged the walls surrounding the enclosure and needed extensive work. Thanks to project donors, the goat enclosure walls were repaired, and a new weather shelter and water basin were built. Late last summer, goats were purchased, and the vet began vaccinating and doing regular health checks. Farm workers are busy preparing a pasture area for goat grazing next to our community soccer field. We are purchasing more goats, and as funds become available, we will have enough pasture to graze a large herd. We are organizing a program to give young people female goats to begin their own herd, and the rest will be sold.
 
Crop Fields – We have cleared fields overgrown due to years of neglect and begun planting. We grow a large amount of corn, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, onions, and other vegetables. We have also been planting bananas and plantains and fruit trees. We purchased a corn grinder that enables us to grind corn grown on our farm and for other farmers in the community.
 
Work for Food Program – At this time, the church on the farm is focusing heavily on providing food to the starving. Food is being distributed in exchange for work to those able to work. The workers are caring for our crops and clearing additional overgrown fields so we can continue to expand our production. Some food is purchased, some is packed in the USA and shipped, and some is grown or raised on the farm – including vegetables and ground cornmeal. Those who are unable to work receive food packets for free. All food packets go with the gospel message, and when possible, a hearty meal is shared following Sunday services. Church services are full and overflowing!
 
Thank you for your continued support and prayers.
 
 
 
Children in Maryland are exceptionally vulnerable to child sex trafficking. Individual vulnerabilities include housing instability and homelessness, domestic violence, sexual abuse, low self-esteem, social isolation, and untreated mental health or substance abuse in the family. Children in the child welfare system, including foster care, are disproportionately at risk. In Maryland, the intersection of a major seaport, international airports and interstate highways used to transport children within and without Maryland further foster an illicit marketplace for children.
 
Through donations and support, Araminta provides Educational Services, Prevention Strategies, and Survivor Services.
 
To report suspected trafficking:  Call The National Hotline 1-888-373-7888 (All Calls Confidential)
 
 
Christmas Mission Projects
The holiday season is approaching fast! This year we have three different choices on how we can help our community in need.
 
  1. Prologue Inc. is collecting donations of new toys for children of all ages. These will be given to children experiencing homelessness. Please bring in your new unwrapped gift by December 4th. We will deliver them to Prologue for distribution. (If your toy requires batteries, please include them with your gift.) They often fall short on gifts for preteens and teens. Suggestions from Prologue are small denomination gift cards to fast food places, nerf stuff, games, playing cards, and journals.
  2. Once again, we will be providing our FELT children with a box of food to nourish them through the 10-day Christmas break. We are currently providing for 9 children. If you would like to donate food items, please let Dawn know and she can provide you with a list of commonly used products. If you would like to make a monetary donation, please indicate FELT on the memo line.
  3. Araminta is asking for Target, Walmart, Visa, MasterCard or American Express gift cards to be given to survivors of human trafficking. These gift cards allow them to shop for their children at many different stores. You can either bring in gift cards or make a monetary donation and we will buy the cards. Please indicate Araminta on the memo line. Donations and/or cards should be in by December 4th.

 

Thank you for always supporting Mays Chapel Missions. The generosity of our congregation allows us to touch so many lives, near and far. We’d love to hear your ideas and thoughts on different ways we can do this. See any Mission Team member for more info.

 

Thanksgiving Baskets
 

Continuing our tradition at Mays Chapel, we will be collecting funds to use for Thanksgiving meals for families in need.  Please have your donation in by November 6.  

If you would like to participate in this mission. Please include “Thanksgiving Basket” on the memo line of your check. 

 
FELT – Feeding Empty Little Tummies
 
Since 2015, we have been providing children in need from Mays Chapel Elementary School with weekly backpacks of food so
they have enough to eat over the weekends and breaks. This year we started out with 6 children. That number will fluctuate
throughout the year as circumstances change or families relocate.  In past years, we have provided weekly backpacks to as many
as 18 children. These past two years have been especially hard for many families in our community. Making sure the children have nutritious meals when they aren’t in school enables them to concentrate in school and succeed in life.
 
Thank you for your support in helping us with this very important mission. For monetary donations please mark
your donation FELT. For food donations, please check with Dawn for a list of appropriate items.
 
 
 
Church World Service (CWS) was founded in 1946 and is a cooperative ministry of 37 Christian denominations and communions, providing sustainable self-help, development, disaster relief and refugee assistance around the world. The CWS mission is to eradicated hunger and poverty and to promoted peace and justice at the national and international level through collaboration with partners abroad and in the US.
 
The Northern Baltimore County CROP Walk helps to end hunger by raising funds for programs locally and in over 30 countries around the world. 25% of the funds we raise will go directly to the Baltimore North Cluster Food Bank.
 
Please consider walking with us on September 25th at 2pm at Leister Park in Hampstead, MD. Donations can be made to CWS/CROP or online at https:/crophungerwalk.org/parktonmd
Thank you
 
School/Art Supplies
 

Every year teachers spend up to $500 or more of their own money to help children who lack school supplies. This year we have three different donating opportunities to support teachers and children.  Children in need at Mays Chapel Elementary.  30 homeless children (preK-12) who are from families that are helped by Prologue Inc.  And, 25 kindergarten children, taught by Miss Emily, where art supplies are a real luxury.  Please bring your donations to church by August 14. Or, if you prefer, write a check with school supplies on the memo line and we’ll do the shopping!  Thank you!!

Supplies needed 

Beads – kindergarten, Binders – ½”, 1”, 1 ½”, Bingo Daubers, Color Pencils, Composition notebooks – WIDE RULE, Crayons – 24 pk,
Dry Erase Markers – Expo, black, Erasers – large Pink Pearl, Erasers – pencil top, Folders – solid color, plastic with prongs & 2 pockets,
Glue Sticks – regular & large, Markers – washable, Paint – washable, Paint – water color, Pencils – Sharpened, Pencil Boxes,
Pencil Pouch – large zippered, Pencil Sharpeners, Pens, Scissors – student, Tissue Paper.

Backpacks for- 11 preK & K students, 10 -students in grades 1-3, 3 -students in grades 4-5, 4-students in grade 7, 
2-students in high school

 
 
The Baltimore County Christian Workcamp was founded by two Methodist ministers in 1984. It is now run by lay people. All work is done by volunteers of all ages (8 years to 80+) and all funds are raised by donation or grants. Their mission statement is “To provide home repairs and assistance for the needy in Baltimore County by volunteers of all ages”
Each year over 40 homes are repaired throughout Baltimore County during the third week in July and at other times throughout the year.  Repairs may be as simple as yard cleanup or as large as building a ramp. Often ramps provide handicapped access to the outside that may have not been possible for months or longer
.
Homes are suggested by the County Department of Social Services or Department of Health, food banks, churches, personal referrals, etc.; sites are then prioritized by need and resources available. The number of sites on which work is performed in any year depends on the number of volunteers, their expertise, the magnitude of each project, the weather, and BCCW’s finances.  (In 2022, the week will be JULY 17 – 22, 2022, our 39th year.)
 
 
 
“It starts with breakfast. Manna House provides the homeless and poor of Baltimore City with the assistance and support to move towards independence and stability. We help transform people’s lives by feeding them first.” (Manna House Website)
 
Manna House has been one of Mays Chapel’s mission focus for many years. Our very last face to face mission experience was serving breakfast at the center the day before the pandemic shut us down. We look forward to going back soon and serving breakfast again. Manna House adapted to the pandemic closure by changing the way they served. Volunteers packaged boxed meals to hand out not only to the homeless and poor that would have normally come in, but also to the community at large. They still continued to offer services such as health care, showers, clean clothes, identification papers, cases management and much more. They have started renovating the space next to them (a former restaurant). This new space will provide them with a much larger kitchen and eating area.
 
-How can I help? Let Dawn or Pastor Laurie know if you would be interested in serving breakfast one morning. (We would go as a group, not alone.)
-Volunteers are always needed to pack hygiene kits, sort clothes and organize storage of donated items.
-Mays Chapel collects travel size toiletries to donate for their hygiene kits.
-Monetary donations are always needed. Please mark your donation “Manna House” and the church will send it along.
 
As always, thank you for your support of Mays Chapel missions.
 
 
 
Our mission is to improve the quality of life and provide equal opportunities to people of all abilities through community development and employment services while raising public awareness.
 
Inspired by the success of our Expressive Arts Therapy program, we launched our Meaningful Day program in 2019. This is a Monday-Friday program that aims to provide an elevated experience for young adults of all abilities after they exit the educational system. Karina Association offers the Meaningful Day program via our approval as a Service Provider for DDA and DORS.
 
We provide Community Development Services to our participants, where they are immersed in their community via volunteering and hands-on learning opportunities. CDS fosters personal growth and development of new skills through engagement in community-based activities with people without disabilities. CDS provides the social supports necessary to foster lasting relationships and a path to discover each individual’s niche for employment opportunities within the community. With encouragement and support, young adults identify their skills, interests, and needs, and work toward improving their ability to self-advocate. This journey of self-education is an ongoing process, as individual needs change over time.
 
We are also approved to provide Employment Services, including a variety of supports to help Karina’s participants identify career and employment interests, as well as to find a niche for self-employment.
 
For enrollment information, please contact office@karinaassociation.org.
 
 
 
The Committee on Native American Ministry supports Native American ministry and outreach, promotes awareness of the Native American community residing within the bounds of our conference and develops leadership among the Native community.
There are more than 20,000 Native Americans within the denomination. We are encouraged to partner in repairing past harm and to move forward with awareness and respect, celebrating and embracing the contributions of First Americans.
 
Ways to help –
 
1. Gain knowledge of the history and contributions made by Native Americans. Learn more about the present-day struggles and inequities they face.
 
May 13th- The BWC Committee on Native American Ministries (CONAM) is hosting a conversation with Dr. Casey Church about the COVID-19 pandemic and Raggatha Rain Calentine about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) and their impacts on Native American Communities. This webinar will provide resources for individuals and/or congregations who desire to raise awareness and be of support. In 2019 almost 6000 young Native American women disappeared or were murdered. Yet only 116 of these cases were on the Dept of Justice national database. It is suspected that many of these missing women have been trafficked. 
 
2. Support Native American small business. Links on BWCUMC website.  
 
3. Make a monetary donation with CONAM in the memo line.
25% of every donation to CONAM provides seminary scholarships for Native Americans attending United Methodist schools of theology. This fund is distributed by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministries.
 
4. You can also designate a donation to a specific project through global ministries. Projects can be found on advance.umcmission.org. 100% of your donation goes to the project