Outreach and Mission at Faith
Faith Outreach Goals
At Faith, we believe that outreach, or outward service to others, is an essential part of following Jesus. We understand that to follow Christ, we must know and love our neighbors. Further, we believe that in loving our neighbors, we are loving and worshipping God. Therefore, our outreach is an act of worship, and it is no less important than our gatherings on Sunday mornings. As such, it is our hope that everyone at Faith will be somehow involved in outreach in their community, their neighborhood, and/or their workplace.
In addition to desiring people to be living out their faith in the contexts they live, Faith Church also has an Outreach Committee. This team’s role is to provide information about local, regional, and international opportunities to the congregation and to take the lead on dreaming about future possibilities for service. In this, we encourage financial and hands-on volunteer work at various organizations and agencies.
How to Get Involved
It is our hope that all people who follow Christ will have outreach as a part of their lives in some way. Obviously, this can take a lot of forms—including through your vocation, as part of your lifestyle, through your giving, and through volunteering at local organizations.
Faith has a spoken value of being engaged in our local community. As one part of that, you will find ways to be involved throughout this brochure. However, there is always more going on, and there is more to do.
In addition to being involved in hands-on work, individuals may make contributions at any time to the projects in this booklet. They will be sent in total to the project. Make checks out to Faith UMC, and indicate in the memo line the mission that you wish to support.
Further, the Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas offerings are used in full toward the Outreach budget.
For more questions or to get involved, contact Pastor Cory Blackwell at cory@champaignfaith.org or 217-359-3631.
Local Mission Projects
We are grateful for the good work of many in our community. Faith supports and seeks to partner in the work of these local organizations:
Courage Connection—Providing housing for women and children affected by homelessness and/or domestic violence. See www.courageconnection.org.
C-U at Home—Providing shelter to neighbors experiencing homelessness people from the community. Visit cuathome.us.
Cunningham Children’s Home—A treatment center for children and youth that provides residential living, counseling, school and spiritual support. See www.cunninghamhome.org.
Daily Bread Soup Kitchen—A nonprofit, volunteer run program to provide hot meals and sack meals to the neighbors struggling with poverty and homelessness. Providing food to around 200 guests each day. Visit dailybreadsoupkitchen.com.
D.R.E.A.A.M.—Reaching, teaching, and empowering Black youth, DREAAM has an array of programming for youth aged 5-24. Faith hosts educational readiness program in its space in partnership with DREAAM. See: www.dreaam.org.
Feeding Our Kids—Providing nourishing food to children who are food insecure on wheekends and holidays. For info, see www.feedingourkids.org.
Salt and Light—Salt and Light shares the love of God by fighting poverty with dignity. They do this through opportunities that engage, empower, and equip for lasting change. They connect families in need with resources such as clothing, food, and household items. To connect or get more info, visit saltandlightministry.org.
Sola Gratia Farm—Dedicated to growing high-quality produce, especially for those with limited food resources. Visit www.solagratiacsa.com
Faith Initiatives
Faith Food Pantry—Starting small in 1981, our food pantry now has grown to distributing food to around 100 families/400 individuals a month. Our pantry distributes prepacked bags of groceries to people who come to the church on Mondays from 12 - 2, Tuesdays from 12 - 2, and Wednesdays from 10 - 2. We are a partner agency with the Eastern Illinois Foodbank and our volunteers also shop at local grocery stores. Our pantry welcomes donations of canned goods, financial contributions, and helpers. If you have questions or wish to volunteer, please call the church office at 217-359-3631.
Neighbors Helping Neighbors Home Repair—A new ministry in 2019, we help homeowners who have a physical and/or financial obstacle in keeping their home warmer, safer, and drier. For more info, contact Pastor Cory at 217-359-3631 or cory@champaignfaith.org.
National Mission Projects
Appalachia Service Project—ASP is a Christian ministry open to all people. It addresses the housing needs of our economically distressed neighbors in Central Appalachia. This home-repair and relationship-building ministry focuses on making homes warmer, safer, and drier for those who are unable to complete these repairs themselves. Faith senior high students have participated in one-week mission trips with ASP for over 35 years. Most volunteers are unskilled or semi-skilled in repair work, but the results are miraculous. Volunteer opportunities are available for high school youth and adults. Contact Mieke Blackwell at mieke@champaignfaith.org or visit www.asphome.org.
Adult Appalachia Service Project Trip
Much like our youth, Faith's adults have been taking a fall service trip to Janesville, VA to engage in critical home repair in Appalachia. For info on this year's trip, contact Pastor Cory at 217-359-3631/cory@champaignfaith.org.
Midwest Mission—Chatham, IL. A UMC hands-on mission project that assembles health, sewing, layette kits, school bags, flood buckets, and much more. These items are sent in around the world in response to natural disasters and other emergencies. For more information, see midwestmissiondc.org.
Young Adult Mission Trip—Over the college winter break, young adults and college-aged students go on a mission trip centered around disaster relief. For the last four years, our group has gone to the Gulf Coast to help rebuild from recent hurricane destruction.
International Mission Projects
Heifer International—In 2022, Faith began an annual partnership with Heifer International in order to invest in clean water projects in develping countries. Each year, we hope to send funds to build six solar-powered wells and irrigation systems. To learn more, see www.heifer.org.