Welcome to the year's first edition of the Mission Memo -- our Spring edition. Our committee is excited about 2024. In the coming year, we are looking forward to investigating and pursuing new mission opportunities, such as Colorado Kids Belong. But first, let's look at how your generosity has impacted lives over the past holiday season.

A total of 40 children in 21 families received gifts on Christmas morning thanks to you who chose a name of a child from the Angel Tree, purchased gifts and returned them to the church for distribution on behalf of their incarcerated parent. The Prison Fellowship organization provided 52 names, but unfortunately not all could be contacted. This has been an ongoing issue, but we persist. A debt of gratitude is owed to Pam Erikson and Terry Gindlesparger for their efforts to coordinate with the organization and families year in and year out to brighten these children's lives at Christmastime.

Once again, our church sent Christmas baskets to some residents of Harvest Pointe. We received 53 requests for baskets from Harvest Pointe. There were 2 additional church families identified to receive baskets. Each recipient received a bag containing 3 Christmas trees made from plaid fabric and a gift card for $100. Of the 53 recipients, 2 left Harvest Pointe before distribution, so those bags were turned over to Pastor Lee to be distributed at her discretion. Many residents showed their appreciation by sending thank you notes to the church.

Wow! The Christmas Offering raised $9774. That's more than what we have normally seen in the past. That money will be put to good use as it is split equally between the Loveland Salvation Army, Homeward Alliance's Laundry Truck, and UMCOR's relief efforts in the Middle East. Thanks so much for your generosity.

Families, teachers and friends of Truscott School gathered in Coy Hall on Thursday, Dec 14th to enjoy a pozole dinner, watch Truscott students perform a dance and bid on items in the silent auction. This was a fundraiser for Truscott organized by the parents group. The kitchen was open on the 13th to mothers of Truscott students so pozole soup could be prepared for the following night. By all accounts, the evening was a success despite a minor confusion regarding the schedule. Lessons learned from the previous year provided for a less chaotic experience thanks to the FUMC volunteers dedicated to making this a reality for Truscott.

What does becoming a Foster Friendly community entail? That is what the committee, and we hope you as well, would like to find out. Barry has invited Tracee Rudd, executive director of Colorado Kids Belong, to attend our next Missions Committee meeting on Tuesday, March 5th at 6:30pm in Coy Hall to describe the program and how we, as a church and as individuals, could help the foster families in our community. The meeting is open to all, so mark your calendars and come out to learn more.

FUMC Loveland has a long standing relationship with the Laundry Truck. The truck has provided free, mobile laundry services to low-income families and the unhoused in Larimer County for several years. Volunteers from FUMC have helped out regularly on Thursday and Fridays when the truck visits the Loveland Public Library. In addition, you may remember Woody Carlson, the founder of the program, as that guy that dressed up as a washing machine for our Missions Fair. The program was a recipient of the Christmas Offering, as they've been raising funds to replace the aging appliances.

The program continues without the use of the truck. Volunteers now take laundry that is dropped off at their regular sites to a nearby laundromat. That model has proven expensive at about $130 for upwards of 45 loads per day. You can help by going to the Homeward Alliance website to donate to sustain operations and to repair/replace the truck and its appliances at the following link: https://www.homewardalliance.org/hwa/mobile-laundry/.

In February, a small contingent from FUMC traveled to Guatemala for our annual construction trip with Pura Vida. Rounding out the team were the virtual members who paid $250 to receive daily updates on the progress of the travelers. Both were essential to completing construction on the second half of the home for the Tulujan family .. those present in Guatemala to lay the cinder blocks and those virtual members to cover material expenses. Thanks to them and others who contributed to the effort, our church will be making a big impact on the lives of this family of seven as they move into their new home.

The following is a recap of the trip that Charlie Bouchard provided Pura Vida:

“The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit”. Reshma Patel

Often on these trips, it is easy to get overwhelmed by the need and wonder if we are making a difference - hence the opening quote. On this trip, our old friend Raul joined us on his own time (a four hour round trip from his town), to work for a day with us. I took advantage of the opportunity to ask him the question - “Are we making a difference?”.

Raul commenced to tell me that in 2001 he was an 18 year old unqualified interpreter. In his town, the school had over 100 students with two teachers and two rooms. Each teacher taught two grades in the same room, with half the class facing one way, while the other faced the other way. Today, there are over 1000 students in the school with a teacher for each class. He emphasized that the government does nothing to help, and the improvements have everything to do with volunteers working hard in his community.

What Pura Vida is doing in the Lemoa area is similar, as all those who visited the John Wesley School can attest to. It is like a water drop falling into a pond - the ripples continue for a long way. We are helping house and educate tomorrow’s leaders and that is a long term game. We may never sit under the shade of the trees we plant, but be encouraged that profound differences are being made in lives in Guatemala as a result of the work being done.

Many thanks to all who participated and the great leadership we had on our teams.

On another note. We took our 5th grade students to Cal-Wood for eco week, thanks to the church’s donation from a few years ago. The students had a blast. Typically this is not something our students can afford. Thank you all so much for your continued support and generosity.

Cal-Wood Education Center, located in the foothills southwest of Lyons, provides environmental education to thousands of youth each year. From their website:

Through our school program, K-12 students engage in environmental and science education ... All of our programs are customized to meet the academic and social needs of each school, and in all programs, our expert staff lead students through hands-on exploration of fire ecology, snow science, weather, forestry, geology, and pond ecosystems.

Rev Lee asked the committee at our last meeting to consider whether we could support Loveland SafeLot Parking (LSP). The program provides safe, legal overnight parking for unhoused individuals and families. Guests need to be approved through an application process and Colorado criminal background check. They must agree to follow a code of conduct including observing quiet hours and abstaining from drugs or alcohol. Because the lots are monitored, it has been shown that the area is safer for the guests and the neighborhood.

Zion Lutheran and a couple other churches are already involved in the program. Lee is not proposing that we offer up our parking lot to the program. They aren't looking for more space at this time. Instead, she hopes to generate interest in volunteering for LSP. There is a need for evening hosts and morning hosts. The evening host is simply a point of contact for the guests who may be called on, for example, if someone other than the registered guests shows up and a decision whether to call authorities has to be made. The morning host helps to make sure the parking area is clean.

There was nothing resolved to move this forward. To learn more about the program, visit http://www.lovelandsafelotparking.org/.

Look for announcements in The Window regarding upcoming FUMC build days with Habitat for Humanity.