A Message From Mission Director, Nancy Dougherty

Due to your generous support, Joining Hands Community Mission provided Thanksgiving meals for 277 families in our community!

I would like to thank all of our volunteers who have given so selflessly over the past few weeks to aid in our Thanksgiving Holiday food distribution. Monday, Nov. 23, was our largest distribution day and we’ve continued to provide dinners for needy families since that day. As many of you are aware, this is the first year that Joining Hands conducted Thanksgiving assistance, and we were painfully short of food about a week prior to our give-away. Miracles occur, however! Individuals, businesses, houses of worship, schools, and other service agencies supported this outreach, and we were able to serve everyone who pre-registered for assistance – down to the last 23 cans of yams that we needed!

Thank you so much for your continued support of Joining Hands Mission, and I wish you and yours a joyous holiday season.

An Easier Way To Volunteer

Joining Hands Community Mission has partnered with Meet the Need to provide a way for potential volunteers to search and sign up for opportunities to give of their time. The available dates and time slots for the Holiday Center are currently listed. Click the big red button to take a look and register to help!

Official Mission Launch

A ribbon was cut. Lives will be changed.

The official launch of Joining Hands Community Mission was held on Wednesday, October 7, 2009, with a ribbon cutting and opening ceremony. Our RedX praise band started playing at 8:00 am, followed by a ceremony and blessing attended by many of our volunteers as well as city and county leaders and members of the faith community. Speakers included Tim Marks and Rev. Morris Hintzmann from Metropolitan Ministries, Port Richey Mayor Richard Rober, Pasco County Commissioner Pat Mulieri, and our CEO and Pastor, Rev. Dan Campbell. Metropolitan Ministries simultaneously launched their Compassion in Action initiative by bringing a truck filled with 100 food boxes to be distributed to registered families with children that morning. Read the St. Petersburg Times article about the Joining Hands grand opening HERE.

Above: Rev. Dan Campbell addresses the gathering.

Above: Distributing food to clients.

Do You Enjoy Poetry?

Come To Me, a book of Holy Spirit inspired poetry by Frances Costa is being offered for a $7.00 donation. Please complete an order form at the table in the narthex in the back of the sanctuary, and your book or CD will be delivered to the worship service that you attend. All proceeds will be donated to Joining Hands Community Mission, Inc.

Resource Center Expands

The Joining Hands Resource Center has expanded its hours and services.

It is open in Room 203:

• Mon - Thurs, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
• Fri & Sat, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Services consist of:

• ACCESS Site - Assistance in applying for food stamps/EBT, Medicaid enrollment, and temporary cash asssitance from the state
• Metro Market - Crisis food distribution with a personal shopper
  
• Clothing Closet - Clothes for infants, children, youth, and adult career clothing
• Personal Case-Working - Social worker is on-site 10 hours every week
• Mail Boxes - Providing mailing addresses for clients
  
• Pathways - HMIS (Homeless Management Information System) database
  

Joining Hands By The Numbers

Summer Statistics:

For the month of July, Joining Hands Community Mission served 130 clients and gave out 46 food boxes.

For the month of August, 233 clients were served, and 163 food boxes were distributed.

Our annual joining Hands Kids Camp hosted 107 campers with the assistance of over 150 youth and adult volunteers.

New Group Study to Begin Sept 14

"Building a Strong Faith on a Solid Foundation"

This 6-week study covers foundation-of-Christianity topics, upon which strong faith is built. Topics include:

• The Bible
• Jesus
• Prayer
• Faith and Grace
• The Holy Spirit
• Service to God

This study is appropriate for first-time and ongoing attendees, and is offered at two different times:

• Sundays at 10:45 am in the Fellowship Hall
• Mondays at 10:00 am in the Chapel
  

Visit the Thrift Shop

Find bargains galore and discover some treasures at our Thrift Shop. It is open every Tuesday and Saturday from 9:00 am until noon.

Training Opportunities For Volunteers

We have several sessions available each month to train volunteers for service at Joining Hands Community Mission. Please note that training is mandatory for all volunteers.

Volunteer Orientation for new volunteers will be held on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month at 10:00 am in the Administration Conference Room.

Volunteer Orientation lasts about 90 minutes and is an opportunity to learn about:

1. All of the changes that have taken place as we’ve transitioned from a Church to a Mission
2. Ethics and boundaries for those who volunteer
3. An overview of the services that we provide at the Mission
4. The layout of our campus and where outreach services are located

More volunteer training opportunities at different times and days will be scheduled in the near future. Please call the Mission office for further information at (727) 937-3268. We hope to see you there, and thank you for your help!

SHARE a Holiday Meal This Year

SHARE Food Program is taking donations for Thanksgiving and Christmas meal packages. Please see Betty in the sanctuary narthex on Sunday mornings at the back table to give. Any amount by cash or check is appreciated.

If you know a family who could use a holiday meal gift from SHARE, give the name and phone number to Betty.

Give holiday blessings thru SHARE.

Worship Team Meeting Minutes

The Joining Hands Community Mission Worship Team met on August 10, 2009.

The minutes of the meeting are published HERE.

Do You Have Some Free Time In The Morning?

Front office volunteers are needed to answer the phone at Joining Hands Community Mission while the Resource Center is open. We are seeking recurring volunteers who will be trained for this position.

Joining Hands Mission Covered in St. Petersburg Times

The front page of the Pasco Times on Sunday, August 16, featured an article about all that we are doing at Joining Hands Community Mission. Click HERE to read the article.

Joining Hands Kids Camp on Bay News 9

The Bay News 9 website has published a story and posted the video about our Joining Hands Kids Camp.

Click HERE to read the story.... OR ....

Click HERE to watch the news story that ran on television. (There will be an advertisement at the beginning.)

Joining Hands Profiled by United Methodist News

The Florida United Methodist News Service has published a story in its e-Review about Joining Hands Community Mission and the formation of our cooperative parish with Asbury UMC and First UMC of New Port Richey. Click HERE to read the full story.

A Big Thank You!

We have completed a phenomenal week hosting the 3rd Annual Joining Hands Kids Camp. Thank you so much to all of the volunteers and donors who made this year's camp a successful and memorable week for all of the kids!

One Door Closes While Another Opens

On June 21, 2009, the congregation of Community United Methodist Church participated in two very meaningful worship services to bring to completion the life of this church. Together we recited a special liturgy and sang as we gathered together in the back of the church as the cross was carried out of the sanctuary.


Join us on Sunday, June 28, as we carry the cross back into the sanctuary and celebrate the birth of Joining Hands Community Mission in another very special worship service at 9:30 and 11:00 am.

Learn More About Healing

Dr. Tin Chow, a longtime member of Community United Methodist Church and Joining Hands Mission, has just published his book Everything You Want to Know About Chinese Medicine. This book contains information about how the body functions, acupuncture, and alternative medicine. Copies are available for sale in the administration office (Mon-Thurs from 9:00am-12:00pm) for $39.00. Please bring exact change or a check payable to Joining Hands Community Mission. Dr. Chow is generously donating all of the profit from the sale of the book to the Mission.

Fathers Day Video

Due to technical difficulties, we were unable to watch a short Fathers Day video in church. Here is a link to view that video.

JHCM On Local TV News

On June 12, WTSP 10 Connects News aired a story about the transition of Community United Methodist Church to Joining Hands Community Mission.

Click here to view it.

Crisis Food Box Distribution

With grant funding from the United Way, and collaborating with Metropolitan Ministries, Joining Hands Community Mission will distribute 40 food boxes per week, with additional 30 boxes distributed from a northwest Pasco site. Each food box provides enough provisions to feed a family of four for three days. Volunteers will serve as “personal shoppers” with recipients during distribution hours of Monday through Thursday, 11:00 am to 1:00 pm.

Free Lunches For Kids This Summer

From June 8 to August 21, Monday through Friday, free summer lunches are available to all kids age 18 and younger in the New Port Richey / Holiday area. Lunch will be served from 11:30 am until 12:30 pm. No registration is required.

During the school year, nutritious meals are available for children through the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs. But those programs end when school ends for the summer. Children in our community do not need to go hungry this summer. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Summer Food Service Program helps fill the hunger gap.

More volunteers are still needed for this vital service to the children of our community. Please contact Nancy at 947-3268 to sign up for days that are convenient for you.