I Know Where Jesus' Bones Are!

This Sunday serves to recognize and support the  contributions of Native Americans to the church and society. Half of the offering is used to develop and strengthen Native American ministries within our Conference, and the other half is used to provide scholarships for Native Americans attending United Methodist and other approved schools of theology. Approximately 19,000 United Methodists identify themselves as Native American. About 225 United Methodist churches, fellowships, and ministries relate to this population. Please give generously.

Nooksack Indian United Methodist Church

History: The church was begun in about 1874 when Rev. Charles M. Tate began having periodic services for the Nooksacks. Rev. Tate was a Methodist Minister serving in British Columbia at the time. The church has remained active in the community ever since, providing a place of worship and gathering for all kinds of events. The church is still part of the United Methodist Connectional Ministry System.

Mission: To serve our surrounding community, in particular our Nooksack sisters and brothers by providing a place of worship and gathering with open doors, open hearts, and open minds. The fellowship hall is consistently used for family gatherings and celebrations, meetings, etc.

<Dolores Elliott - Pastor>

Bishop Janice Riggle Huie, president of the Council of Bishops, is asking United Methodists and others to skip lunch on Africa Malaria Day and use their lunch money to buy a lifesaving mosquito bed net. Wednesday, April 25, has been designated Africa Malaria Day. Malaria kills more than a million people a year -- one every 30 seconds, and 90% of those are African children. Insecticide-treated bed nets are the most cost-effective way to protect them against disease-carrying mosquitoes. You can help slam dunk malaria by supporting the global "Nothing But Nets" campaign through the United Methodist Church's second-mile giving program. Send your gift through the Conference Treasurer, earmarked for Advance #982015.

It is official! Hope For the Children of Africa (HFCA) is sending another container to the Democratic Republic of the Congo early this summer! We are still working out some of the details but we would like everyone to start thinking about how they might be involved.

Terrie & Mike Hobbs have agreed to coordinate this huge effort and will need lots of help.  We are looking for individuals to coordinate each of the specific classifications, which are: education/school supplies/office supplies, medical, clothing/sewing/knitting, furniture/furnishings/household goods, computers/tech (IT) and miscellaneous. 

We are asking that each church collect and bring the following items to Annual Conference: toothbrushes (in original packaging), toothpaste, band aids, children's vitamins, and OTC meds (including antibiotic ointments), school supplies (pencils, pens, paper). For items with an expiration date - it must be later than October 2008.

WANTED: HFCA is looking for a space to use as a staging area for the container we're preparing to send to D. R. Congo. This space needs to be about 1200 square feet, secure, dry and have a power source. Close access to bathroom facilities would be a plus. It also needs to be in the north Seattle/Everett area and available through July. Lastly, the space must be able to accommodate the container itself for several days during the fumigation/loading process. If you have such a space, or know of one, please contact Mike & Terrie Hobbs as soon as possible at H-360-675-0102 or cells-320-1323/320-1352 or email at skipjack@whidbey.net.

Just a year ago, four members of Kennewick First UMC joined eight other Tri-City area Methodists for a trip to Biloxi, MS to do hurricane reconstruction. That trip changed our lives and the life of our church. We found New York and North Carolina conferences had sent trailers full of tools and a trailer rigged with showers and washer/dryer to St. Paul UMC in downtown Biloxi, and regularly sent teams to work out of the church. They graciously shared their tools, and kindled a spark.

We returned to WA with a vision for a trailer and a full assortment of tools, and both quickly became a reality. Memorial donations honoring the life of young Gabe Solbrack, who had a passion for mission work, brought us a utility trailer. A tool campaign resulted in a full complement of donated tools to let us complete nearly every task we might encounter. The fully equipped trailer just returned from its maiden voyage back to Biloxi where two teams continued to renovate the homes of St. Paul parishioners. Our dream is to return to the Gulf next winter with many Northwest UMC teams using the tools and sharing the ministry of this vitally important mission work. Reconstruction will continue for years, and it is our hope that many more from the Northwest will share in helping our neighbors rebuild their lives. Interested in hearing more? Contact kfumcmissionteam@aol.com.

UMVIM Opportunities

NOMADS

NOMADS (Nomads On a Mission Active in Divine Service) have two ongoing projects to support Katrina recovery in Mississippi and Louisiana. There are over 70 projects scheduled for support of agencies and churches across the country this winter and spring.  If you are interested and have an RV, contact the NOMADS office to see what openings are still available. NOMADS are a growing and vital arm of the church Volunteers in Mission, in partners with the UMVIM teams.

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