Missions

They will know we are Christians by our

For just are the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead. James 2:26

Venice-Nokomis United Methodist Church is committed to helping our neighbors and caring for our world. We want to help improve the quality of life for people in need and to bring the good news of God’s hope and healing to them. We honor our commitment by sharing God’s love daily through different local, national, and international mission opportunities.

~ John Wesley ~ Do all the good you can, by all the means your can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you can.

Faith-Promise Offering Our Faith-Promise Offering is a PROMISE we make at the beginning of each year as a congregation to support different mission projects based on FAITH that the funds will be provided through our loose coin offering. Each week, all loose coins in the Sunday offering plate are put into the Faith-Promise Mission Fund. This fund has supported the following missions: UMCOR, The Upper Room, Society of St. Andrew, African Children with Aids Virus, Tampa United Methodist Centers, The United Methodist Children’s Home, Venice Area Ministerial Association Venice Chapter of Habitat for Humanity Homeless and Orphan Outreach Center (HOOI), Key West United Methodist Community Center, Christmas in the Park by Gifts from God Ministries, Myakka City United Methodist Church, WSEB Christian Radio, Salvation Army, Four Corners Native American Ministry, St. Mark Community Center in New Orleans, Hope for the Hopeless (Ethiopia) Alaska camps for youth, children services, and community centers.

South County Food Pantry On a weekly basis, we collect non-perishable, unopened items for the South County Food Pantry. Donation containers are located in the Narthex and Fellowship Hall for the congregation to place their items. You may also drop off any items during the week at the Church Office.

Crop Walk Since the early 1980's our Church has annunally participated in the National "Crop Walk" Campaign with other churches in the community to raise money to fight against hunger and starvation. Walkers are asked to get pledges for each mile walked. the word "crop" is the name given to community wide hunger education and fundraising events sponsored by Church World Service.

CROPWALKERS WALK to help families receive food and shelter as they rebuild their homes and lives, to help communities have wells that provide safe, clean drinking water close to home, to provide food for local emergency food programs throughout the United States, and because millions of people around the world walk everyday for food, shelter, water and survival. Our community receives 25% of the funds raised at the Venice Crop Walk to support the outreach feeding programs of the Salvation Army, South County Food Pantry, Meals of Wheels, and the Venice Area Ministerial Association. For more information about the Crop Walk Organization, please call visit their official web site at: http://www.cropwalk.org or call 1-800-456-1310. .

Heifer Project International Since 2001, VNUMC has been involved with a special and highly successful mission project with Heifer Project International (HPI) which is a non-profit organization that works to alleviate hunger, poverty, and environmental degradation.

HPI helps impoverished families become self-reliant by providing food and income-producing animals and training in the care of those animals. Over 4 million families in 118 countries have been helped by HPI. A unique aspect of this project is each family that receives an animal must give one or more of their animal’s offspring to another family in need.

Most people give an individual animal or a flock of a particular animal. Individuals, or an organization may also purchase a Gift Ark. Each Ark gives 30 hungry families a new beginning - a life with the promise to eat - a life of self-reliance. Prices for the different animals range from $10 to $1000.

Venice-Nokomis United Methodist Church has given over two Gift Ark’s that included chicks, sheep, rabbits, beehives, llamas, goats, ducks, donkeys, pigs, geese, camels, oxen, water buffalo and cows. This painting was a Gift Ark Award given to our Church by HPI for fighting hunger two-by-two. For more information about Heifer Project International, please call 1-800-422-0474 or visit their official web site at: www.heifer.org.

Refugee Sponsors One of our most rewarding outreach programs was the decision to sponsor a refugee Vietnamese family in 1975. In return, the head of this family accepted our offer of a job as custodian of the church property and he still holds this position today.

Missionaries Since 1991, VNUMC has contributed annually towards the salary for Dale and Lee Williams who are missionaries in Tanzania. We also support the Campus Crusades for the Stiff family, who are missionaries in Russia, James & Sejia Terry missionaries in Central Asia, and a nurse tutor in Zimbawbe.

Disaster Relief Efforts We regularly collect “Flood Buckets” which are distributed to recent hurricane, flood, and other natural disaster victims to help restore their property, homes and livelihood. In the summer of 2004, many communities close to us were devastated by four major hurricanes. VNUMC became a distribution center for donations to help the victims rebuild their lives. We are helping financially to help the hurricane victims to rebuild their damaged roofs. We participate in Blanket Sunday, which helps to purchase blankets for refugees worldwide. A special offering is collected on World Communion Sunday to provide ethnic minority scholarships. We also respond to special appeals and actively participate in several Florida United Methodist outreach projects.

Mission Trips In July of 2006 and 2007, members of our congregation and Youth Group drove to Dulac, Louisiana, to offer Vacation Bible School to those in the community who suffered loss during Hurricane Katrina.

Soup Labels & Box Tops Educational Program VNUMC is an active supporter of the Campbell’s Soup labels and General Mills Box Tops programs. Our efforts have enabled our Child Care Center to buy new playground equipment and help the Tampa United Methodist Center to purchase a special computer used to teach math to students with learning disabilities.

Bible Verses Matthew 25:35-36 (NKJV) Back to Top