Brecksville United Methodist Church

When we join the United Methodist Church, we vow to support it with our prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness.  But sometimes, our good intentions get lost in the day-to-day hustle and bustle of life.  As a church, how are we doing with our promises?  Can you help fill in the blanks?  Here are some ways that you could be of service to others:  serve as an usher, become a church closer, teach or assist with a Sunday School Class or volunteer for the mowing team.  Contact the church office to volunteer! 440-526-8938 or office@brecksvilleumc.com

UMW continues to collect Box Tops for Education!  Clip and save the symbol from participating products and bring them to the bin in the first floor coat room.  These labels are sent to Henderson Settlement Mission in Frakes, KY and the proceeds are used to support their work.

Brookside Food Center disperses meals to local families in need. The success of their program depends on the kindness and generosity of people like you!

On the third Friday of each month, our United Methodist Women deliver our donations to Brookside.  Please help us fill the bin in the coat room with food like:

Canned fruits
Canned vegetables
Apple sauce
Dried Fruit
Grains
Peanut Butter
Bisquick
Pasta and pasta sauce
Canned soups
Tuna and other canned fish
Other healthy non-perishable foods!

Paper products, such as napkins and paper towels, are also greatly appreciated. 

Your contributions make a world of difference to families in need.

Spring cleaning? Don’t send your unwanted items to the dump! These organizations all offer FREE PICK UP! 

AMVETS 
866-388-0046
Clothing, household, toys,
books, etc.

City Mission (donatestuff.com)
216-662-4483
Clothing, household items

Cleveland Furniture Bank
216-459-2265 x 101
Furniture, household items

Gathering Place Warehouse
216-595-9546 (will pack up, too)
Furniture, household, antiques, china, crystal, silverware, art, rugs, lamps, mirrors, costume jewelry

Habitat for Humanity
216-429-3631
Furniture, appliances, building materials, household.

Salvation Army, 800-728-7825
Furniture, clothing, household

Have an old bike you've outgrown or no longer use? 
Donate it to Brecksville UMC's Bike Ministry!

"The education and spiritual formation of children, youth and adults is why the church exists. We're here to make and mature disciples of Christ for the transformation of the world." said Gary Jones, Director Spiritual Formation, East Ohio Conference United Methodist Church. "If we're not teaching, if we're not keeping those people we're charged to teach safe, there's really not a reason for us to be here."

At Brecksville UMC, we conduct background checks on all volunteers who work with children. Parents want to know that their children are safe in the care of others. Background checks protect children, protect volunteers, and protect the assets of the church!

Read our church's child protection policy    here.
   

If you are interested in working with children, please contact Jenny Gee, Director of Christian Education, to learn more about background checks.

With your help, we hope to host an Alex’s Lemonade Stand at church every Sunday this summer, June 2 through September 1  - to raise money to fund research that brings better treatments and cures to children with cancer.   Can we reach our goal of $2000?

Sign up for a Sunday, make some lemonade, man the booth and collect donations.  We’ll provide the cups, ice and pastries and your efforts will give hope to children with cancer!  Sign up for a Sunday in the church Lobby—or call the office!

Sometimes it’s hard to get to church.  Maybe your car’s in the shop, you’re not comfortable driving, or you just don’t want to go to church alone.  Sign up for BUMC Rideshare! If you need a ride or can give a ride sign up in the lobby!

Drivers, we have some super cool car magnets to help identify you as a person who's offering rides.  Pick one up in the office!

Thank you to everyone who brought in pull tabs for the Nordonia Schools' Knights Caring for Knights! The money raised was used to send bags of food home with kids who might not otherwise have food to eat over the weekend.

Zach's hallway at Nordonia Middle School won the competition, and that is largely due to BUMC folks who brought in lots of tabs! He intends to continue collecting the pull tabs over the summer to get a head start for next year, so if you could please continue to bring them in, that would be great.

Bridges Out of Poverty Training on Saturday, August 24 at Lakewood United Methodist Church [15700 Detroit Road] -

This workshop provides a comprehensive approach to understanding poverty using the lens of economic class and providing concrete tools and strategies for a community to alleviate poverty. Participants will review poverty research, examine a theory of change, and analyze poverty through the prism of the hidden rules of class, resources, family structure, and language. This training normally costs $99 but is being offered free of charge in the North Coast District to the first 50 participants.

The training will run from 9 am - 4 pm with an hour break for lunch. Lunch is available at Lakewood UMC for a donation, or participants can visit area restaurants. Register and hold your space by emailing Joy Parker: jparker@northcoastdistrict.com.

Upon completion participants will receive a certificate that they have been trained in the Bridges philosophy.

For the Entire Law is summed up in a single command: love your neighbor as yourself.  - Galatians 5:14

The Transformation of Roehl Avenue

With our help, two once abandoned houses, built in 1900, are being converted from two family rentals into single family homes - owned by our Habitat families!

Ebony, who works in nursing homes, is studying to become an RN.  She has three boys, ages 15, 8 and 1.  Phillina works in medical billing and coding and has  three boys still at home.  Both families have been through financial literacy training, are investing their own sweat equity into the homes, and will receive zero interest loans from Habitat for Humanity to purchase the homes. Learn more at    www.clevelandhabitat.org


Brecksville United Methodist church is one of twenty area churches (including Solon, Strongsville and Chagrin Falls UMCs) committed to this year’s Faith Build, sponsored by Thrivent.  Join our work team on Saturday, August 10 from 9 am—3 pm.  Contact the office or sign up on Sunday! 

Bike Repair Days
Saturdays
August 3 and September 14
9 – 11 am

Bikes! Bikes! And more bikes! Donations have been pouring in and we are blessed with bikes to repair for people in need.  If we all come together, we can get those bikes out to folks who need them ASAP.  If you know basic bike repair, great – but we can also teach you, and we need help cleaning and organizing the bikes, too. It’s all hands on deck! If you have a friend who would like to help, please bring them along! 

On warm summer days, it’s sometimes hard to remember that some of our neighbors will be cold this winter.

The Missions & Outreach is launching a new project to help keep our neighbors warm this winter: Make a Blanket/ Donate a Gently Used Blanket.

On Sunday, September 15, 2019 we’ll have an all church event between services. Our goal? Create 100 no-sew fleece blankets by tying the fringe on all four sides. These blankets will be donated to City Mission in Cleveland.  This is a mission activity suitable for all ages.

To accomplish this goal, we need to pre-cut the fleece to size and fringe cut.  Can you help? This is an activity for teens and adults.  Bring your sharp scissors and drop in to Fellowship Hall:

August 16 from 3 pm—5 pm
August 18 from  9:30 am—11:30 am
August 21 from 11 am—1 pm
August 25 from 9:30 - 11 am
August 28 from 6 pm—8 pm
September 3 fromj 7-8:30 pm
September 5 from  10 am - 12 pm

The no-sew blankets will be donated to The City Mission.  Starting September 8, we will be collecting gently used blankets of any kind (afghans, lap blankets, comforters, baby blankets, etc. ) These donations will help those served by Nehemiah Mission, a United Methodist Mission in Cleveland.  

Volunteer with the Greater Cleveland Food Bank
Saturday, September 14

Throughout Northeast Ohio, one in six people is food insecure – meaning they may not know where their next meal will come from.  The Greater Cleveland Food Bank is the largest hunger relief organization in Northeast Ohio having provided more than 57 million meals in 2018 to hungry people in Cuyahoga, Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake, Ashland and Richland counties.

The Food Bank operates a community food distribution center, providing food and other critical grocery products annually to nearly 1,000 local food pantries, hot meal programs, shelters, mobile pantries, programs for the elderly and other nonprofit agencies.

We can help!  Sign up on Sunday or contact the church office for details!

This month, we’re collecting deodorant, lotion, shaving cream and razors for those served by Brookside Center in Cleveland.  These are all essential items which cannot be purchased with SNAP benefits.  Bring donations to the first floor bin by September 19