East Fort Bend Human Needs

FUMC is one of the founding partners in East Fort Bend. EFBHN provides limited financial assistance for rent, utilities and medicines, and offers a food pantry that provides nutritious perishable and non-perishable groceries, household items and toiletries. Proceeds from the Resale Shop located in the building help to support the Food Pantry. FUMCMC provides support for EFBHNM through donations of time from volunteers, Board Members, on-going food collections, special food drives, donations of clothing, and household items and financial support throughout the year.

East Fort Bend Human Needs Ministry (EFBHNM) is located at 425 Stafford Run Rd., Stafford, TX 77477 Phone number: 281.261.1006.

HOURS OF OPERATION:

Tri-City Churches

Resale Shop – La Boutique

10 am – 4 pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday

10:00 am – 6:00 pm Wednesday

Closed on Sundays

Food Pantry

10 am – 1:30 pm Tues., Thurs., Fri.

6 – 8 pm on Wed.

Closed Sat.- Mon.

Armstrong Elementary

Armstrong Elementary is a Title I, bilingual school located less than one mile from FUMCMC. Opened in 2008, it had no Parent-Teacher Organization and very little parental volunteer support. Our church adopted Armstrong as a community outreach endeavor. During our time at Armstrong, we have provided teacher appreciation breakfasts and lunches, volunteer assistance in the classroom, established a reading buddy program to mentor students, held book drives, provided a male presence at the school to encourage fathers to participate and formed a prayer partner group to pair a church member with a teacher or support staff member. One of our younger church members asked his friends not bring him gifts for his birthday. Rather, he asked that they bring sporting equipment to outfit the school.

Neighborhood Outreach

Several times during the year our Missions Volunteers respond to our neighbors and members need for help in repairing their homes. We go out to fix their leaky faucets, broken ceiling fans and lights, paint their home, replace broken windows, and repair their drywall, etc.

Prison Ministry

The InnerChange Freedom Initiative is a revolutionary, Christ-centered, values-based, pre-and post-release prison program supporting prison inmates and parolees through their spiritual and moral transformation into a new life in Christ.

This program is a U.S. pilot program, which began in April 1997 at a minimum-security prison (the Carol S. Vance Unit in Sugar Land, Texas), and is a joint effort between the Prison Fellowship Ministries, Houston-based churches, and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

The program begins 12-18 months prior to an inmate’s release and continues for an additional 6-12 months of aftercare once the prisoner has been returned to the community. Inmates volunteer for the program and must meet several criteria before they are accepted.  Statistics consistently show that a much lower recidivism rate versus those inmates that don’t participate in IFI.

Volunteers can serve as tutors, lead a Bible study or prayer group, or mentor an inmate pre-and post-release.

FUMCMC additionally supports the aftercare program with quarterly financial donations to facilitate the transition from prison to a new faith-based community. At present, FUMCMC has volunteers who volunteer in this area of mission ministry.

Weekly and Monthly Mission

Five times each year on Sunday mornings, the Missions Ministry get up bright and early to cook and sell fresh breakfast tacos before, during and after all church services. The cost for each warm, homemade taco is only $2. All proceeds of the sales go to help fund various outreach projects.

Family Promise

FUMCMC is a part of the Fort Bend Family Promise network, which was created to provide shelter, meals, and comprehensive support to local families in need.   Our aim is simple: to help families stay together and help them get back on their feet financially thru work and find new housing. Our Church volunteers provide beds and bedding at the various Churches as well as meals and transportation.

H.O.M.E. Project

Each year, our church does a one-day mission project with other United Methodist churches in the area. H.O.M.E. means Helping Others, A Methodist Experience. This mission was organized by members of Methodist churches in Ft. Bend County as a way to serve the community. Each spring, volunteers donate their time, skills and money to repair the homes of our neighbors. When we have an event, we are looking for lots of volunteers from our church (and others) to work on homes in and around Ft. Bend County. 

CanCare: Sponsoring Member

CanCare Inc. of Houston, a ministry of our congregation, has the mission to improve the quality of life for cancer survivors and their families. CanCare recognizes that cancer is a family disease. Family members are matched to trained caregivers for support, to learn how they can cope and become a member of the “healing team.” Cancer survivors and family members can now apply their cancer experience to help others

Methodist Children’s Home:

Support is provided through quarterly donations and a special offering through the year. More than 200 children reside in the residential programs on the Waco campus, including 66 boys at the Boys’ Ranch. Outreach offices located in Dallas, Houston, and Lubbock provides foster care for another 110 children. Visit www.methodistchildrenshome.org for more information

Dress-A-Girl

Our group imagines a world where every little girl owns at least one dress. We have made over 1,800 dresses at our Church. and sent them with missionaries to Cuba, Haiti, Guatemala, Kenya, Nicaragua, and Cambodia. We joined with other Dress a Girl groups in the U.S. and sent 10,000 dresses to Cambodia through the sponsorship of Hope 4 Women International. There is a never-ending need so we meet weekly to cut, match cute trim and sew these dresses for impoverished girls. Then, we arrange to have them delivered.

Not to leave the boys out, we also make pants from t-shirts! Girls in cooler climates can also have t-shirt dresses with a gathered skirt.

Can’t sew? No problem! We also need people to cut, iron, match trim and pockets to dresses as well as donating material, pillow cases, lace, wide bias, buttons, etc. There is a drop box outside the church office.

For more information on this program, contact Judy Belt at 281-650-3683 or judybelt@sbcglobal.net or visit Dress A Girl Around the World at http://www.dressagirlaroundtheworld.com/

Blood Drives

FUMC has joined with the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center in saving lives through their Commit for Life program. Gulf Coast needs 1,000 units of blood per day to fulfill the needs for the 26 counties they cover.

We would like to invite you to come donate and be a part of our program. Our drives are held in the comfort of our church on Sunday mornings from 8 AM to12:30 PM. Sign-ups for donations are held in advance but walk-ins are welcome as well.

Seafarer Box Collection

FUMCMC provides gift boxes for crew members on vessels visiting the Port of Houston during the Christmas season. Items in the boxes include: pencils, paper, personal grooming items, socks, ball caps, scarves, treats, etc. Help make the holiday season a little brighter!  Each box and contents costs $15/each. Donations can be made thru the collection plate marked Seafarers. Interesting in helping out? Contact Judy Belt at 281-650-3683 or judybelt@sbcglobal.net

UMCOR

The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is dedicated to alleviating human suffering around the globe. UMCOR’s work reaches people in more than 80 countries, including the United States. We provide humanitarian relief when war, conflict, or natural disaster disrupt life to such an extent that communities are unable to recover on their own.  Partnering with other local organizations to help victims of natural disasters recover and rebuild their homes and lives so that they “own their recovery”.

UMCOR is a ministry of The United Methodist Church, and our goal is to assist the most vulnerable persons affected by crisis or chronic need without regard to their race or religion. We believe all people have God-given worth and dignity.

While UMCOR cooperates with other aid organizations to extend our reach, our most important partners are the people we serve. We are confident that successful solutions to emergency or chronic conditions begin with the affected population. UMCOR provides these survivors not only temporary relief but long-term education, training, and support.

UMCOR spends 100 percent of designated donations on the projects our donors specify. When UMCOR donors give their time, money, and supplies, they join UMCOR as the hands and feet of Christ.

To learn more about UMCOR, visit the UMCOR website at: https://www.umcor.org