Orleans United Methodist Church
73 Main Street
Orleans, Massachusetts 02653
508-255-0622
Reverend Wesley Williams, Pastor
office@oumccapecod.net
Office Hours are Monday through Friday 9:00 AM to Noon
Pastor's Page
Directions to our Church
ORLEANS UNITED METHODIST CHURCH MISSION, OUTREACH AND ADVOCACY
Dear Church Family,
This page describes the mission and outreach activies in which members fo our church participate. Church members also participate in a wider mission effort by contributing to the church's annual operating budget. Part of this budget is for Mission Shares to be used by our Conference to fund a broad range of worthwhile activities regionally, throughout the United States and the world..
The Mission, Outreach and Advocacy Committee needs ongoing assistance from our congregation. Members ans newcomers are encouraged to volunteer for any of these ministries by adding your name to a sign up list, talking to a committe member or by calling the church office.
Click on Program Name to learn more about it
-LOCAL Lunch
LOCAL stands for LOwer CApe Lunch. This program provides a noon meal every Tuesday and an evening meal every Thursday for those in need of nourishment physically and emotionally. Fellowship can sometimes be as important as food, and LOCAL provides both.
The LOCAL Lunch is held at Saint Joan of Arc church located on Canal Road in Orleans. On the fourth (and at times the fifth) Tuesday of each month our church provides two volunteers to assist with the cooking, serving, and cleanup. The cooking shift runs from 9:45 AM to 11:50 AM; the serving and cleanup runs from 11:40 AM to 1:30 PM. A sign up sheet is posted on our board in Fellowship Hall.
-Lower Cape Outreach Council / Cora's Cupboard
Cora's Cupboard was established in our church June 14, 1987 as a parting gift to Cora Mayo, a much loved member of the church upon her leaving the Cape for her home in Maine.
Prior to her leaving, our outreach had been connected to the Love Pantry in Eastham, a forerunner of Lower Cape Outreach Council (LCOC) and HEED, an organization dedicated to serving the needy sponsered by the Church of the Holy Spirit. At that time anyone needing assistance was required to go to Eastham for help since no "central" cupboard was available in Orleans.
Cora's Cupboard is a place where LCOC clients can come for food and household necessities, many donated by our congregation. Located in a room on the church's second level, irt contains two large storage cabinets and a freezer. It is staffed five days a week by volunteer church members and serves over 20 clients a month. Food vouchers for local markets are also given out.
-Rural Mission
Rural Mission is an ecumenical nonprofit organization that serves several of the sea islands outside of Charleston, South Carolina. Each year work teams from local congregations travel there to work on homes of families served by the Rural Mission. The families are of the lowest income levels and have few other resources. The team experience invbolves ten days; two days traveling to John's Island, one day touring, five days working and two days traveling home. Our rewards are many, and we invite anyone who is interested to join.
-The Overnights of Hospitality Program
The United Methodist Church is one of over thirty-five churches participating in the Salvation'Army's program to assist the overcrowded Noah Shelter in Hyannis. Every seventh Friday evening we pick up as many as seven homeless women from the Salvation Army and bring them back to our church for a dinner and safe shelter for the night. At least eight volunteers are needed weach time. After breakfast we drive them back to Hyannis. Through this gift of love and hospitality, "both guests and hosts are changed, transformed and blessed."
-Cape Cod AIDS Support Group
Several times throughout the year several of our church members prepare and serve a meal for 35 - 40 clients of the CCASG. CCASG has over 400 clients Cape-Wide. "Local Flavor" dinners hosted by churches, restaurants and individuals are held every Tuesday night in Provincetown.
-FISH
Nauset Region FISH arranges rides to medical appointments in the area (as far as Hyannis) for people living in Brewster, Orleans, Eastham and Wellfleet. Our church has several dedicated volunteer drivers and telephone schedulers who donate their time and energy to this twenty-five year old service.
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-The Interfaith Council for the Homeless
The Orleans Methodist Church participates in the supermarket gift card program to benfit the Interfaith Council for the Homeless. The gift cards, which can be purchased during the after-service coffee hour every Sunday, may be used at local Supermarkets that support the program. The Interfaith Council receives five percent (5%) of the sales. Purchasers pay nothing extra, do their grocery shopping with these convenient cards, and make a significant contribution to the work of the Council. In the past seven years, our church has sold $138,460 in gift cards resulting in a donation of $6,923. The Interfaith Council for the Homeless, which emphasizes preventing homelessness, has enabled many people on the Lower Cape to remain in their homes.
-Local Church Mission Shares
When the Orleans United Methodist congregation pays its apportionment to the Conference Budget, we enable ministry and fulfill our Vision and Mission. Our participation is our Mission Share. Apportionments have sometimes been associated with "dues" or "Taxes". In reality they enable the mission and ministry of local churches, our Conference and our Denomination, locally, regionally and throughout the world.
-Mission Share Giving
Mission Share Giving undergirds United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) so that disaster relief can be delivered, funds Health Clinics, sends out 1,812 missionaries around the world, supports Urban Ministries and Rural Ministries throughout New England, helps send Volunteers in Mission throughout the US and abroad, advocates for a living wage, helps women experiencing crises, opposes use of land minesm works to eradicate racism, feeds hungry children and families in our Conference and beyond, supports ministires to college students, advocates for our environment, opposes the death penalty, opposes legalized gambling, provides scholarships for students around the world, funds 225 retirement homes, 70 hospitals, 8 two-year colleges, 82 four-year colleges, 13 seminaries, and much, much more.
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