Missions and Ministries
LUMC's outreach ministries are divided into two principal committees: Missions and Neighbor Ministries.
The Missions committee oversees all mission projects outside of our immediate area. They meet the fourth Tuesday evening of every other month, and are chaired by Jack Aulick. Information regarding specific mission projects is listed below, or you may contact Jack for more information about the committee and the work they do.
Covenant Missionary Relationships
Under the guidance of our Missions team, our congregation has a covenant relationship providing support (including finances, prayers and other resources) to extraordinary people all over the world. Missionaries with whom we currently work (and the areas they serve) include:
For more information regarding any of our missionaries, please contact Jack Aulick. Global Missions/Partners in Mission
The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) assists churches in direct ministry to persons in need in the areas of emergency response, hunger and poverty, and refugees and immigration. We are also associated with the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM), the worldwide United Methodist mission agency, and Partners In Mission, the volunteer mission agency under the supervision of the Texas Annual Conference. LUMC works with all of these organizations to bring the love of Christ to people all over the world. Mission service projects include opportunities to be in service in a number of ways; current plans for missions in 2010 include:
- Hurricane Relief, Coastal Texas: Spend a day or all week in Galveston or Port Arthur, helping with Hurricane Ike recovery. Our last trip was December 2009, but additional trips will be made thoughout this year; watch the weekly bulletin announcements for more details.. Team Coordinator - Jack Aulick
- Border Mission (in the Matamoros, Mexico, area): Short medical missions where we provide free medical and dental clinics. Our trip for 2010 is still in the planning stages. A medical background and/or working knowlege of Spanish is helpful but not mandatory. Team Coordinator - Scott Johnson
- Storm Mountain Methodist Retreat, South Dakota: This family-oriented work project provides support to the Methodist camp of the Dakotas in the shadow of Mount Rushmore. Our most recent trip was June 21-26, 2009. Team Coordinator - TBD.
- Kenya: Although we were unable to form a team for last year, contact Team Coordinators - Jim Robertson and Colin Wilkinson
to let them know of your interest in future trips; the date for 2010 is July 1-17 and organizational meetings for the team will begin shortly.
- Costa Rica: Lakewood will once again support the Texas Conference Mission project in Costa Rica in 2010 by sending a team. The team (to be made up of high school and college students and adults) will serve March 13-21 (during Spring Break) and will work on the construction of a Methodist church in Palmares. If you want to learn more about future mission trips, please contact Jack Aulick.
- Bolivia: Construction work in Cotani (near Cochabamba), at an altitude of approximately 10,000 feet (please be prepared to handle the physical challenges this presents). The trip dates for 2010 are yet to be determined. Team Coordinators - Maggie Dickson and Tom Smith
To see more detailed information regarding our missions (including pictures and blogs), click here. To sign up for a mission trip, please contact the designated Team Coordinator.
Neighbor Ministries
The Neighbor Ministries committee focuses on projects that serve our local community. They meet as needed. For more information regarding the Neighbor Ministries team, please contact Kim Eby, committee chair. The following ministries fall under the Neighbor Ministries umbrella, and you may contact the designated coordinators for specific information regarding these projects.
Boy Scouts of America
The purpose of the Boy Scouts of America, incorporated on February 8, 1910 and chartered by Congress in 1916, is to provide an educational program for boys and young adults to build character, to train in the responsibilities of participating citizenship, and to develop personal fitness. Contact Arthur Forbus, or feel free to visit the troop's website or the pack's website.
CanCare
CanCare is a non-profit organization in which the volunteers are all cancer survivors of at least one year. After a three-day training and orientation course, they work with other individuals who have been diagnosed with cancer (and their families), providing one-on-one support. For more information about CanCare, please click here; for more information on LUMC's participation in this program, contact coordinator Peggy Counryman.
Habitat for Humanity - Northwest Harris County
Mission: Habitat Northwest Harris County's mission is to give witness to the Christian gospel by partnering with God's people in need to create a decent habitat in which families may live and work. Habitat is based on the conviction that Christian discipleship must be lived in practical ways.
LUMC is helping to build a home in 2009, and groundbreaking in the Hamill Ranch subdivision was a great day (despite the rain)! For specific information about this exciting opportunity and how YOU can help with these ongoing efforts, please contact Rob Nixon or Bill Bryant. For general information, please go to www.habitat.org.
Life Center for the Homeless
The Life Center is a local shelter for individuals in transition who are in need of food and a place to stay. Run by Pastor Winston James, the center is an outreach ministry with which LUMC is in partnership. You can contact Beth Parnell for more information.
Mallalieu United Methodist Church
Mallalieu UMC is our sister church in the Texas Annual Conference, for whom we provide a regular evening youth program on the second Friday of each month. Coordinator: Karen Dominguez.
Meals on Wheels - "...you shall love your neighbor as yourself." - Leviticus 19:18
NAM's work in this particular ministry is accomplished by more than 555 volunteers driving their own cars, burning their own gas and spending their own time to see that the homebound and the disabled within our neighborhood get the necessary nutrition. MOW volunteers truly make a difference in someone's life - even if all it takes is the time to walk up, deliver a meal with a smile or a kind word, and return to the car. To volunteer once a month, get more information or enroll someone in this program, please contact coordinator Cheryl Green at 281-885-4623.
NAM "Neighbors Helping Neighbors"
Northwest Assistance Ministries (NAM) is a grassroots, non-profit, community-based, multi-program social service agency. Guided by a small staff, more than 2,000 volunteers work together to provide a variety of basic services to our neighbors in need in Northwest Harris County and throughout the greater Houston area. More than 50% of those helped by this effort are children. NAM is proud that almost 90 cents of every $1.00 donated directly helps our neighbors in the community. Trustees: Patsy Johnson and Kim Eby.
Interfaith Hospitality Network
The Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN) offers hope, care and personal attention to families in transition who are drug and alcohol free and mentally stable. The services offered by IHN include shelter and food provided by the 16 active IHN congregations on a rotating basis. Coordinators: Karen Dominguez and Lisa Kellner.
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