Welcome to the Outreach Committee's mini-newsletter page called "Outreach News." This page contains a small information piece about a featured Mission of the month and will contain information on fundraising events held by the many ministries that we support (through our time, talent and gifts). We have a separate Volunteer Opportunities page which will give you information on organizations that need your help.
Congo Ministry Participants
Our church will be sending a group of eleven church members and friends to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in July 2010 as part of a mission team to assist in the control and elinination of the disease Riverblindness. Plans for the trip are being made now. If you are interested in learning more about Riverblindness, please visit the United Front Against Riverblindness website or contact Tom Lank tom(at)princetonumc.org.
Information on the many fundraisers for this trip are found on the Congo Ministry Trip Fundraising page and you may sign up for the 5K race on May 1st online using the button on the upper right of this page or on the left on the home page.
More than 30 bikes donated at Bike Drive in May
Thanks to all who made the first annual PUMC bike drive a success. We collected close to three dozen bikes from families within our congregation as well as members of the broader Princeton-area community. These bikes will be refurbished by the Boys and Girls Club Bike Exchange and resold at their Ewing shop, raising hundreds of dollars for the Boys & Girls Club of Trenton & Greater Mercer County (www.bikeexchangenj.org).
Volunteers Needed for the Crisis Ministry
The Crisis Ministry in Trenton has Volunteer Openings in their Food Store on Thursday and Friday mornings to help with client intake in their newly expanded facility. They could also use two new financial assistants to work with clients in their Homelessness Prevention Program on Mondays and Wednesdays in the morning or Wednesday in the afternoon. The first step toward a rewarding volunteer opportunity is to email their Volunteer Coordinator Elizabeth Ferguson at cmvolunteer(at)gmail.com
Trenton Soup Kitchen Volunteering
Members of our church will help out at the Soup Kitchen each month. Specific dates and times can be found in the News Section of this website. We leave the church at 9:30 a.m. and return around 1:30 p.m. Activities include food preparation and serving from behind a cafeteria-style counter. There is a sign-up sheet in the Sanford-Davis Room (it includes the schedule for months to come) or you can contact the Church Office (see the Contact Us Page). To learn more about the work of this organization, please visit their website.
Magazines needed for Trenton Area Soup Kitchen. Please donate any recent general interest magazines (Sports Illustrated, Reader’s Digest, etc.); drop off in the box outside the church office. Patrons at TASK are always in need of reading material.
The Isles Affordable Housing Project
Trenton is experiencing a housing crisis. One out of five of Trenton’s housing units are vacant, many of them dilapidated and abandoned. Nearly half of all renters – and 20% of homeowners – spend more than 35% of their income on housing.
Princeton United Methodist Church has launched a partnership with a Trenton-based not-for-profit to help refurbish affordable housing in the Old Trenton neighborhood and is looking for volunteers. The team spends one Saturday each month working on one of seven historic units being rehabilitated by Isles, an organization with more than 15 years of experience in developing affordable housing. Photos of our Church members at work in Trenton in April through the present can be found on this page. Information on dates, times and location of construction events can be foundin the news section of this website or by contacting the Outreach Chairperson at outreach(at)princetonumc.org We ask that you do this so that we can send you (via e-mail) the details about this trip and preparations you'll need to make. Thank you.
Happy Anniversary, Isles Team!
April 25th will mark the one-year anniversary of the launching of PUMC’s partnership with Isles. We invite you to join us in worship on May 16 to celebrate this milestone.
For the past year, teams of volunteer workers have worked one Saturday each month, renovating historic row houses in the Old Trenton neighborhood. These energy-efficient, high-quality homes are being sold to moderate-income families as part of Isles’ efforts to revitalize Trenton and help these families build financial stability. More than 40 members of the PUMC family have volunteered on the project, ranging in age from high school students to retirees. UMW and individual church members have supplied the group with edible treats and many others have provided encouragement and prayers.
To watch the progress the PUMC team has made, take a look at our photos online.
Teens and adults with all levels of skill are welcome to join the construction team. For more information, contact outreach@princetonumc.org. Our next scheduled workday is Saturday May 22nd.
