Ministry in the World
The people of Dixboro United Methodist Church are committed to be in mission to God’s people everywhere – in Washtenaw County, across Michigan, and around the world. Contact Rev. Cathy Freeman at cathyfreeman27@gmail.com for more info. Here are just some of the ways we serve:
Shelter Meal Ministry
For over 25 years, Dixboro people have helped to prepare and serve meals for the homeless population in Washtenaw County. For many years, this involved preparing a meal in our kitchen, transporting it to the temporary shelter in downtown Ann Arbor and serving it.
We are proud to say that the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County, in collaboration with many citizens and organizations in Washtenaw County has built and manages a permanent shelter – The Robert Delonis Center – in downtown Ann Arbor.
Staff from Food Gathers manage the community kitchen there and volunteers from across the community provide labor. Dixboro people help on the second Sunday of every month.
You are invited to participate by becoming a regular volunteer on this second Sunday. Volunteers from 12:00 noon to 2:30 pm prepare the meal for about 130 people. Volunteers from 2:30 to 5:00 pm serve the meal and clean up. If you can’t be a regular volunteer, you can sign up to be a substitute and help out when one of the regular volunteers cannot participate.
House By the Side of the Road
House By the Side of the Road provides clothing and small household items free of charge to those in need, serving between 20 and 30 families per day. Dixboro Church is a congregational partner, and members serve on the board and provide donations. Volunteers are needed to sort donated items and to wait on clients. Call 734-971-2550 for more information. House By the Side of the Road is located at 824 Phoenix Dr. Ann Arbor 48108. Hours: Mon. and Friday - 10 to 4 and Tue. Wed. Thur. - 10 to 2.
Click here for House By the Side of the Road November 2013 Newsletter
Food Gatherers
The Food Gatherers website tells us: “We believe that in a land of plenty, no one should go hungry! As the food rescue and food bank program serving Washtenaw County, Food Gatherers exists to alleviate hunger and eliminate its causes in our community.”
Dixboro Church has been supporting Food Gatherers for years and you can help:
We collect non-perishable food items in a donation box in the hallway and someone from the Missions Committee delivers these to Food Gatherers every week. We emphasize this ministry on the third Sunday of every month.
Habitat for Humanity
United Methodist Churches in Washtenaw County collaborate on an annual project to renovate a house for Habitat for Humanity. People from Dixboro work on this project year round and a special effort is made to staff two complete work days each summer with Dixboro people.
Blavins Scholars
Dixboro Church supports up to 13 University of Michigan Blavins Scholars each year by providing birthday gifts. These students have been in Michigan’s foster care system and qualified for admission in to the University of Michigan. Even though they are technically adults, they are still without families and appreciate that someone remembers their birthdays.
Methodist Children’s Village
Dixboro Church has been providing Christmas gifts for residents of the Methodist Children’s Village for many years. Each year, we get a list of the residents’ gender, age and wish list. At least two gifts for each child/youth are provided by Dixboro.
Imagine No Malaria
Dixboro Church, in partnership with the world-wide United Methodist Church is using nearly 200 years experience in Africa to work against malaria. This comprehensive approach is divided into four main parts: Prevention, Treatment, Education and Communication. The Dixboro Youth are especially committed to this effort and regularly provide opportunities for education and participation.
John Dean Town Health Project
Dixboro Church, along with many other United Methodist congregations in the Ann Arbor area, are participating in the John Dean Town Health Project, which has the goal of bringing sustainable and lasting health improvements to 18 rural Liberia villages.
The components of this 3-year health program are:
Liberia
Along with all the United Methodist Churches in the Upper Peninsula and in the eastern half of the Lower Peninsula, Dixboro Church provides financial and prayer support to the United Methodist Church of Liberia. One major focus of support over the years has been the Bishop Judith Craig Children’s Village. This institution provides a safe and nurturing haven for children who have been orphaned by war, abandonment, death of parents due to HIV/AIDS, or extreme economic difficulties.We have entered a Covenant relationship with missionary, Princess Jusu. Princess serves the United Methodist Women's Training Center in Liberia. We will provide salary support and prayer support. Princess provides us with her newsletter.
Haiti
Dixboro Church participates in a national effort of all United Methodist Churches to provide on-going financial and prayer support to the people of Haiti. One form of support is the Hot Lunch program for students attending United Methodist schools across that county.
Strength for Service
The people of Dixboro Church have purchased copies of Strength for Service for people in the military. Strength for Service is a devotional that was brought back to life in 2002 by an Eagle Scout named Evan Hunsberger.
After discovering a worn copy of the volume that had belonged to his World War II Corpsman grandfather, Hunsberger devoted himself to the republishing of Strength for Service. The original book had been published in 1942 by Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, an imprint of the Methodist Publishing House. A popular devotional for armed forces personnel during World War II and the Korean conflict, one million copies of Strength for Service had been distributed before the book fell out of print in the 1950s. Updating its contents only slightly to reflect contemporary language and culture, the newly republished volume remains true to its original spirit while adding reflections and devotions from contemporary religious leaders. Strength for Service has found an audience in military personnel deployed throughout the world in a time of war; more than 300,000 copies have been distributed since Hunsberger’s original goal was achieved.
Shelter Meal Ministry
For over 25 years, Dixboro people have helped to prepare and serve meals for the homeless population in Washtenaw County. For many years, this involved preparing a meal in our kitchen, transporting it to the temporary shelter in downtown Ann Arbor and serving it.
We are proud to say that the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County, in collaboration with many citizens and organizations in Washtenaw County has built and manages a permanent shelter – The Robert Delonis Center – in downtown Ann Arbor.
Staff from Food Gathers manage the community kitchen there and volunteers from across the community provide labor. Dixboro people help on the second Sunday of every month.
You are invited to participate by becoming a regular volunteer on this second Sunday. Volunteers from 12:00 noon to 2:30 pm prepare the meal for about 130 people. Volunteers from 2:30 to 5:00 pm serve the meal and clean up. If you can’t be a regular volunteer, you can sign up to be a substitute and help out when one of the regular volunteers cannot participate.
House By the Side of the Road
House By the Side of the Road provides clothing and small household items free of charge to those in need, serving between 20 and 30 families per day. Dixboro Church is a congregational partner, and members serve on the board and provide donations. Volunteers are needed to sort donated items and to wait on clients. Call 734-971-2550 for more information. House By the Side of the Road is located at 824 Phoenix Dr. Ann Arbor 48108. Hours: Mon. and Friday - 10 to 4 and Tue. Wed. Thur. - 10 to 2.
Click here for House By the Side of the Road November 2013 Newsletter
Food Gatherers
The Food Gatherers website tells us: “We believe that in a land of plenty, no one should go hungry! As the food rescue and food bank program serving Washtenaw County, Food Gatherers exists to alleviate hunger and eliminate its causes in our community.”
Dixboro Church has been supporting Food Gatherers for years and you can help:
We collect non-perishable food items in a donation box in the hallway and someone from the Missions Committee delivers these to Food Gatherers every week. We emphasize this ministry on the third Sunday of every month.
- The Youth of the church regularly do volunteer work at Food Gatherers – sorting food donations, packing boxes for distribution, etc.
- Volunteers prepare and serve meals on the second Sunday of each month in the Food Gatherers Community Kitchen at the Delonis Homeless Shelter.
- Many donate cash to Food Gatherers because we know that $1.00 can buy 4 pounds of food.
Habitat for Humanity
United Methodist Churches in Washtenaw County collaborate on an annual project to renovate a house for Habitat for Humanity. People from Dixboro work on this project year round and a special effort is made to staff two complete work days each summer with Dixboro people.
Blavins Scholars
Dixboro Church supports up to 13 University of Michigan Blavins Scholars each year by providing birthday gifts. These students have been in Michigan’s foster care system and qualified for admission in to the University of Michigan. Even though they are technically adults, they are still without families and appreciate that someone remembers their birthdays.
Methodist Children’s Village
Dixboro Church has been providing Christmas gifts for residents of the Methodist Children’s Village for many years. Each year, we get a list of the residents’ gender, age and wish list. At least two gifts for each child/youth are provided by Dixboro.
Imagine No Malaria
Dixboro Church, in partnership with the world-wide United Methodist Church is using nearly 200 years experience in Africa to work against malaria. This comprehensive approach is divided into four main parts: Prevention, Treatment, Education and Communication. The Dixboro Youth are especially committed to this effort and regularly provide opportunities for education and participation.
John Dean Town Health Project
Dixboro Church, along with many other United Methodist congregations in the Ann Arbor area, are participating in the John Dean Town Health Project, which has the goal of bringing sustainable and lasting health improvements to 18 rural Liberia villages.
The components of this 3-year health program are:
- One midwife, or Traditional Birth Attendant (TBA), from each of the 18 villages within walking distance of John Dean Town will receive intensive training from health practitioners at the local clinic.
- Villages are eligible to receive a new well to provide safe drinking water, but they must provide the sand and gravel for the concrete, and must do the digging. The program provides the cement, the pump, and the forms for making the concrete liners for the well.
- Villages also receive mosquito nets for general distribution.
Liberia
Along with all the United Methodist Churches in the Upper Peninsula and in the eastern half of the Lower Peninsula, Dixboro Church provides financial and prayer support to the United Methodist Church of Liberia. One major focus of support over the years has been the Bishop Judith Craig Children’s Village. This institution provides a safe and nurturing haven for children who have been orphaned by war, abandonment, death of parents due to HIV/AIDS, or extreme economic difficulties.We have entered a Covenant relationship with missionary, Princess Jusu. Princess serves the United Methodist Women's Training Center in Liberia. We will provide salary support and prayer support. Princess provides us with her newsletter.
Haiti
Dixboro Church participates in a national effort of all United Methodist Churches to provide on-going financial and prayer support to the people of Haiti. One form of support is the Hot Lunch program for students attending United Methodist schools across that county.
Strength for Service
The people of Dixboro Church have purchased copies of Strength for Service for people in the military. Strength for Service is a devotional that was brought back to life in 2002 by an Eagle Scout named Evan Hunsberger.
After discovering a worn copy of the volume that had belonged to his World War II Corpsman grandfather, Hunsberger devoted himself to the republishing of Strength for Service. The original book had been published in 1942 by Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, an imprint of the Methodist Publishing House. A popular devotional for armed forces personnel during World War II and the Korean conflict, one million copies of Strength for Service had been distributed before the book fell out of print in the 1950s. Updating its contents only slightly to reflect contemporary language and culture, the newly republished volume remains true to its original spirit while adding reflections and devotions from contemporary religious leaders. Strength for Service has found an audience in military personnel deployed throughout the world in a time of war; more than 300,000 copies have been distributed since Hunsberger’s original goal was achieved.
