Bear Creek United Methodist Church | God's Hands/Missions

God's Hands

Here at Bear Creek UMC we are always looking for new ways to reach out and share God's love with our neighbors and beyond. Our goal is to be the hands and feet of the God we have come to know in Jesus Christ. Here at Bear Creek we always have something going on where we are reaching out in mercy, love, and justice. Whether it's collecting non-perishable food items and diapers for the area food pantries, reaching out to families from Afghanistan who have recently immigrated to the US, or doing ministry abroad, we are hard at it doing the work of Christ in the world. If you would like to get involved in this ministry or have questions please contact our God's Hands chair: Karen Smith.

Mother's Day Baskets

for single moms

We are partnering with Friends of Youth to provide self-care baskets for young mothers on Mother’s Day! Four ways to help:

1) Pray for the recipients of these baskets and their families.

2) Take a basket from the lobby and fill it with items a mother would enjoy receiving. Specific requests were “home spa items”*.

3) Bring items from home that would be a nice addition to a basket.

4) Monetary donations will be gladly accepted online or by check.

Here are some ideas for gifts:

Spa face masks (sheet)*, Books, Sugar scrubs *, Journal, Lotions*, Scarf, Manicure kits*, Fun socks, Nail Polish, Sweet treats, Soaps, Coffee/tea, Satin scarf/bonnet/pillowcase (to protect hair)

**No candles, please!**

Please bring your filled basket to the church by Sunday, May 7th, or bring items to put into the baskets by Sunday, April 30th. Thank you for helping the young mothers housed by Friends of Youth!

Easter Offering

To support earthquake relief

On Easter Sunday, we raised $828 toward a special offering to support earthquake relief in Turkey and Syria, through UMCOR (United Methodist Committee On Relief).

Baked Goods Auction

God's Hands and our Kids raised $1140 for a student scholarship!

Our God's Hands team and our Learn Team partnered up to raise funds to support a student attending Georgetown University. This student is receiving a scholarship from Root of Our Youth, partially supported by our Baked Goods Auction. Our kids and their families baked goods and we auctioned them off on Sundays in March, raising $1,140. Way to go kids!

Ministry to Immigrant Families from Afghanistan
One of the unique ministries we have here at Bear Creek is our ministry to and with families from Afghanistan who have been forced to leave their country due to persecution. These families have such inspiring stories of overcoming incredible odds and heart-breaking situations, and yet they keep going! We started this ministry by trying to help teach these folks a little bit of English, and now we have expanded our ministry to help many of them get essential goods and services in order to transition to life in the U.S.

We have led in collecting winter coats, diapers and baby needs, and all sorts of furnishings needed when a family relocates without household items.

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Crop Walk for World Hunger
Every spring, Bear Creek UMC is a major participant in the annual Woodinville Crop Walk for World Hunger. This last year we hosted it at our site. Included in this event is a great community of walkers, learning activities about hunger and water issues in the world, and some great children's activities. We're not sure when this is coming up in 2022, but when we find out you will be the first to know!

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Souper Bowl of Caring
Each winter we try to take a big bite out of hunger by collecting 5,000 non-perishable food items and diapers for our area food pantries.

We have a fun competition to see which side of the church can bring the most - the WEST side vs. the EAST side. If you live to the West, put your food items and diapers into that box. If you live to the East, drop them in the one labeled EAST.

Our cut-off date is February 5. Bring all items to the sanctuary and place them in our collection boxes! Why not organize a drop off spot at your place of employment, or organize a neighborhood pickup, and bring the items collected to the church!
Bear Creek Children Fund New Kitchen in Kenyan Orphanage!
This year for our Generous Giving Campaign some of the children at Bear Creek auctioned off hand-made items. All the money was to go to a mission project! This year they raised $2395 for missions! As a result, they were able to fund a new kitchen for an orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya! Here at Bear Creek we want to get everyone involved in the joy of reaching out and sharing with others! Pictured here are Liam, Hannah, and Sophie auctioning off their bird houses!

Have you ever heard of the term "siloing"? This is the human tendency to hang with the same group. The same group that looks just like we do; that holds the exact values we do; that lives on the same income level as we do; that has the same colored skin that we do; that speaks the same language as we do: etc. At Bear Creek we want to challenge that concept by creating encounters with folks who are different than we are. That may mean that we sign up to help teach English as a Second Language to recent immigrants from Afghanistan. That might mean be going on a mission trip to Honduras. That migh mean joining in a frank dialogue with African American's in the area about the reality of racism in our own beloved town and community. That may be volunteering at a welcoming booth in the Pride Parade in downtown Seattle. That may mean serving a meal for Camp Unity Eastside and sitting across the table with a 53 year old artist whose been homeless for 15 years. Why do we do this? So that we can learn that Christ is not only in us, but in that neighbor we often drive right by.
Mission Trips
Every other year, Bear Creek takes a major mission trip to Honduras. In Honduras we work side by side with a community in need doing projects they have identified as needs, working with their children, and immersing ourselves in the culture of these wonderful people. This has been put on hold due to the pandemic, but plans are starting to surface! We are also open to a shorter mission trip for those who aren't able to navigate the time commitments of traveling to Honduras.

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