MISSION AND OUTREACH
The mission of Westminster UMC is to ‘Love God, Make Friends, and to Serve Others’ and we strive to exemplify this in everything we do, together or individually. As we look beyond our walls into the community, the region, the nation and the world we remember Jesus’ words that we are to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, care for the sick and visit those in prison. (Matthew 25:31-40) That might sound scary to you and we get that. Although we know that God is with us, it also helps when we are walking with a friend.
Currently, we have three ongoing local small group mission projects.
If you are single, a couple, a family or a group of friends, there is room for all of us on the journey with God. For more information please contact the church office at 713-782-7750.
Local Mission Team Chair:
Michael Perkins
International Mission Chair:
Cloy Monzingo
Matt Monzingo, Cloy's son, grew up in Westminster UMC and is now a missionary to Kazakhstan. We support Matt and his family with our prayers and gifts. Matt is with East/West Ministries International. For more information please go to www.eastwest.org.
Currently, we have three ongoing local small group mission projects.
- Houston Rebuild with the Restoration Team (monthly)
- Home reconstruction
- Neighborhood recovery assessment
- Partnership with Tanglewood Middle School (regularly during the school year)
- Teacher and staff lunches
- School Community Garden
- Hosting Middle School events
- Christian Community Service Center. (seasonally)
- Back to School Backpack Ministry
- Jingle Bell Express – Making Christmas Dreams a Reality
If you are single, a couple, a family or a group of friends, there is room for all of us on the journey with God. For more information please contact the church office at 713-782-7750.
Local Mission Team Chair:
Michael Perkins
International Mission Chair:
Cloy Monzingo
Matt Monzingo, Cloy's son, grew up in Westminster UMC and is now a missionary to Kazakhstan. We support Matt and his family with our prayers and gifts. Matt is with East/West Ministries International. For more information please go to www.eastwest.org.
HELP WITHIN OUR WALLS
We are always looking for selfless volunteers to help on any given Sunday or during events throughout the year. If you want to get connected to reach out more within the walls of Westminster, please let us know.
COMMUNITY
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Rebuild Houston
Westminster teamed up with The Restoration Team to help Rebuild Houston. The Restoration Team is a collaboration of Chapelwood United Methodist, St. Luke's United Methodist, Christ Evangelical Presbyterian, Westminster United Methodist and other West Houston area churches. They continue to help families recover from Harvey by sending out local and out-of-town teams every week to install insulation and dry wall in homes. Don’t worry about being a novice! Your team leader will train you. Thank you to all of our faithful and hard working volunteers for all of their time. We are so blessed to have this community. |
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CCSC - Christian Community Service Center
Christian Community Service Center provides caring and a valuable service to Houston's people on low and fixed income. Westminster supports CCSC through gifts and volunteers. Since 1986, Christian Community Service Center (CCSC) has prepared under-resourced students through its Back to School program. This year, 6,500 children (Pre K—12th grade) will receive grade appropriate school supplies and vouchers for uniforms/shoes. Helping is easy! |
Please help by donating money or volunteering by going to their website at Christian Community Service Center.
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Tanglewood Middle School Staff and Teacher Luncheons
Westminster is at work in the community. Serving lunch to 60 teachers and staff at Tanglewood Middle School. It's a blessing to be a blessing. Future dates and details to come. We are so grateful to the community restaurants who have helped make this happen. Food has been donated by: |
THE PAD PROJECT
"When adolescent girls start menstruating in these rural and impoverished areas they often have to miss about a week of school every month due to their lack of feminine sanitary products. This puts them hopelessly behind in school work and often makes them unable to pass the exam at the end of eight grade, the exam that determines if they will get to go to high school or not. For women in Kenya, especially young women, there are very few opportunities if you are uneducated. Many of these girls end up getting married at the age of 13 or 14 because it means someone else will take care of them, and the family receives a dowry for each daughter’s wedding.
What makes this situation even more alarming is that high school boys are buying disposable pads and giving them to the girls in exchange for sex. The sad situation that many of these young girls find themselves in is having to choose between dropping out of school or having to prostitute themselves in order to graduate. In Kenya, graduating from high school is often the difference between having a career and a bright future, or going hungry.
These cloth, reusable pads can literally change the life of a young girl. They last around 3-4 years if properly cared for. The pads will be brought to Maseno, Kenya approximately every 6 months, by volunteers who will hand out the pads directly to girls in local schools in Maseno and the surrounding area. The girls also receive education about feminine hygiene, safe sex, associated risks, and respecting their bodies. The Pad Project has since grown and expanded beyond our wildest dreams. After supplying pads to the initial school in Kenya, it soon became apparent that this problem that Kenyan girls face is much more widespread than we imagined. Girls all across the world living in areas of poverty experience the same problem, with menstruation limiting their chances in life simply because they don’t have access to sanitary supplies. As of 2019, Pad Project pad sets have gone to 25 different countries across the globe thanks to the faithful sewing groups that make our pads."
What makes this situation even more alarming is that high school boys are buying disposable pads and giving them to the girls in exchange for sex. The sad situation that many of these young girls find themselves in is having to choose between dropping out of school or having to prostitute themselves in order to graduate. In Kenya, graduating from high school is often the difference between having a career and a bright future, or going hungry.
These cloth, reusable pads can literally change the life of a young girl. They last around 3-4 years if properly cared for. The pads will be brought to Maseno, Kenya approximately every 6 months, by volunteers who will hand out the pads directly to girls in local schools in Maseno and the surrounding area. The girls also receive education about feminine hygiene, safe sex, associated risks, and respecting their bodies. The Pad Project has since grown and expanded beyond our wildest dreams. After supplying pads to the initial school in Kenya, it soon became apparent that this problem that Kenyan girls face is much more widespread than we imagined. Girls all across the world living in areas of poverty experience the same problem, with menstruation limiting their chances in life simply because they don’t have access to sanitary supplies. As of 2019, Pad Project pad sets have gone to 25 different countries across the globe thanks to the faithful sewing groups that make our pads."
To learn more go to: http://toolittlechildren.org/pad-project/
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OTHER WAYS TO HELP:
Donations of flannel, towels, Velcro and elastic. Almost every house has at least one of these items to spare!
Donate underwear (new please!). We’ve found that pads are difficult to use without undies, and not all girls have these basic, but necessary garments. We can use all sizes, but girls sizes 10-16 or women’s small/medium, are the most common sizes.
Donations of flannel, towels, Velcro and elastic. Almost every house has at least one of these items to spare!
Donate underwear (new please!). We’ve found that pads are difficult to use without undies, and not all girls have these basic, but necessary garments. We can use all sizes, but girls sizes 10-16 or women’s small/medium, are the most common sizes.
If you are interested in joining us, please email Kaisi Cunningham, or just come. Men and Women can serve in this ministry.
"Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”