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Become a 2021 EngageMI congregation

Posted on by DeMoss
West Bloomfield member supports EngageMI
Photographer Diana Brumfield relates to Northville and West Bloomfield UMCs, both EngageMI congregations. Brumfield went to Africa and took photos for a calendar. The calendars were sold to support clean water and education in Liberia, a covenant partner of The Michigan Conference. ~ photo courtesy Diana Brumfield

Michigan churches are in ministry with partners in their neighborhoods and around the world. Were you an EngageMI congregation in 2021? Reports are due January 10, 2022.

ALICE FLEMING TOWNLEY
Ministry Consultant — Courage, Compassion & Resiliency

Our United Methodist connection empowers us to partner with God and one another in making a difference for good. Through our Michigan Conference EngageMI program, we are in ministry together, across our districts, conference, nation, and the world. Together we respond to disaster; nurture young people through camps and campus ministry; offer food, water, and shelter; welcome immigrants; partner with leaders in Haiti and Liberia; support mission personnel; and so much more.

We seek to be in ministry ‘with’ in contrast to ministry ‘to.’ Ministry ‘with’ is grounded in Jesus’ practices and our Wesleyan heritage. We seek not only to meet immediate needs, but also to foster mutual relationships, engage in shared leadership, and develop long-term solutions. EngageMI encourages congregations to offer financial support and to also study systemic causes of inequity and ways to address these. It invites churches to get involved with transformative people and projects. We can all give, act, and learn in life-changing ways. 

Read about our EngageMI ministry partners online, or in the booklet. An EngageMI paper booklet was distributed last fall and a new one will be ready for Annual Conference in June of 2022.    

To become an EngageMI Congregation, please share how you gave, learned, and acted last year by submitting a report by January 10, 2022 to [email protected]. Please send all funds, except for District Projects, to the Conference Treasurer. Send funds for District Projects directly to the project.

Fighting hunger in Detroit
NOAH Project in Detroit is supported by many congregations in Michigan. During COVID, sandwiches for their Bag Lunch Program were made off-site and delivered to NOAH’s office at Central UMC in Detroit for distribution. Last June, the older elementary children of Royal Oak First made 200 sandwiches for NOAH Project during a Day of Service. ~ Facebook/Royal Oak First

In the ‘Give’ section of the report, share how your church has supported missions across the connection:

Step 1: 100% of Ministry Shares

Step 2: Michigan

    • At least one Conference Project or Conference Special Sunday
    • At least one District Project

Step 3: National

    • At least one USA General Advance Project
    • Red Bird Mission Project
    • One of the listed Special Sundays

Step 4: International

    • At least one International General Advance Project or Special Sunday
    • At least one Haiti General Advance Project
    • At least one Liberia General Advance Project

Step 5: Mission Personnel

Step 6: UMCOR

    • Give to at least one UMCOR General Advance Project or UMCOR Sunday

And don’t forget to include stories of what you learned and what you did in 2021.

Here are highlights from one of our 2020 EngageMI churches, West Bloomfield United Methodist Church. Reported by Mission Chair Jo Anna Risk. West Bloomfield is a church of 150 members, pastored by the Rev. Monica William.

2020 started out like other years with the Mission Committee meeting early and planning our year of learning, giving, and acting. We soon discovered with the onset of COVID-19 and the closure of our church in early March, that things would be different. But, at the same time, the missions committee was meeting by phone and zoom we decided to keep on track with our EngageMI plans. With God’s help, all planned mission programs were supported in 2020.

Liberia Clean Water EngageMI
In Liberia, 40% of the children die due to lack of clean water. A $40 filter will provide enough water for 6-7 people each day. Diana Brumfield of West Bloomfield UMC, created a calendar that was sold to support EngageMI projects providing clean water. ~ photo courtesy Diana Brumfield

Learning:

  1. Diana Brumfield, relating to West Bloomfield and Northville UMCs, has partnered with a UMC missionary in Liberia, Helen Robert-Evans, to develop a program to support the needs there. Diana is a photographer and created a calendar the church sold to raise money. The villagers decided how the funds are used, and in the past, the money has been used to provide safe drinking water for the villages, made repairs to an orphanage, and funded teacher salaries. She taped a video that was shown to the congregation at the beginning of worship. 

  2. When the racial unrest and protests occurred, our pastor, the Rev. Monica William, placed a supportive message on our church sign. She preached messages of love and justice and continues to do so. WBUMC participated with the community-wide effort to support justice and displayed signs with quotes from Martin Luther King, Jr. in front of the church as well as by the parsonage.

Act:

  1. We have supported the NOAH Project in Detroit for several years. Our church supports them financially and we also make sandwiches for their bag lunch program at least twice a year. The local scout troop has helped with this. Members of the congregation made masks for the clients and others helped with preparations in the health clinic. 

Thank you West Bloomfield UMC, for inspiring us with your report!

Thank you all for the ways you give, learn, and act. We look forward to reading how you all have been engaged in 2021.  

Last Updated on October 31, 2023

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The Michigan Conference