March and August are the two months that WSUMC is responsible for helping fill the food pantry of A.L.I.V.E.! (although we send food and household items at other times of the year, too.) Items that are especially needed are: peanut butter, canned meat, canned tuna, dried beans, rice, pasta, fruit juice, canned fruit, cereal, sugar (unopened), flour, canned or instant milk. Bring items to the Education Building of WSUMC.
Walk for a Good Cause..............Annual Walkathon in early May to benefit the ALIVE! Child Development Center (CDC). Step Alive! walkers gather at the First Christian Church, 2723 King Street, at 1:30 p.m. for a five mile walk through Old Town followed by a picnic. There are registration fees for adults and for seniors and youth. (There is no fee for children under 12.) Walkers are encouraged to raise additional funds through pledges of support from friends, family and associates. Pledge forms and additional information about the event are available on-line at www.alive-inc.org or by phone at 703-837-9300.
Last Saturday in the Month A.L.I.V.E.! Food Distribution at the Cora Kelly School Recreation Center (Commonwealth & Reed Avenues) to distribute food from the National Capital Area Food Bank and the USDA Food Program. Starts at 9:00 a.m. with a time commitment of 2-4 hours. This event does not occur in November and in December on regularly scheduled last Saturdays.
Turkey Trot, Thanksgiving Day. Race starts at 10:00 a.m. sharp at Cora Kelly Recreation Center (Commonwealth Reed Avenues). Please donate two nonperishable food items (cans, boxes) on race day. http://www.visitdelray.com/turkeytrot
Carpenter’s Shelter -- On the 3rd Saturday of each month, we work with the Carpenter's Shelter, a local homeless shelter at the corner of Henry and First Streets in Alexandria. Meal volunteers are responsible for providing, preparing, serving and cleaning up meals for approximately 75 people. The time commitment is usually 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Join in this meaningful outreach. Marcia Madison can tell you more.
Christ Church's Lazarus Ministry -- We have collected food for a Thanksgiving food pantry, send monetary donations from our Pastor's Discretionary Fund, and regularly refer those who come to our doors in need to this ministry.
Meals on Wheels -- WSUMC began providing volunteers for the M-O-W program soon after the program began in 1965. The program was initiated by the Alexandria Council of United Church Women in cooperation with the Alexandria Health Department. The program provides meals for ill, convalescent, handicapped, or elderly people who are unable to provide well-balanced meals for themselves. Clients pay a small weekly fee for the service. The program is under the Senior Services of Alexandria; meals are delivered by volunteers.
Our church provides the volunteer services the third Monday of each month. On our assigned day, teams for the six delivery routes arrive at the designated pickup point at 10:20 a.m. to pick-up the meals and start deliveries. Easy to follow directions are provided for each route. Route deliveries take approximately one and one-half hours. Empty containers are returned to the pickup point.
Although we have several dedicated, reliable, volunteers, we need more. In addition to “regulars,” we need several substitute volunteers. You may volunteer for a specific job or for “Anywhere needed” duty. Contact Jack Arthur if you are interested in helping with this program.
Missionary -- WSUMC is now in a covenant relationship with Claudia Maia, a missionary in Mozambique,. Claudia is a missionary with the Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church along with her husband Dr. Eduardo Maia, also a GBGM missionary and general surgeon serving at Chicuque Hospital. She is serving through the Global Health program in Chicuque, Mozambique, as a community worker in public health.
Active in her church from childhood, Claudia taught youth in Sunday school, hosted a Bible study in her home and enjoyed attending mission focused events at her church in Brazil. She also had the opportunity to serve with Youth With a Mission (YWAM) for two years before beginning her university studies. Attending the Federal University of Minas Gerais in her home country of Brazil, Claudia studied biological science and earned her Bachelor of Zoology. She worked as a laboratory technician while attending university.
"I understand that the nature of the mission of the Church is local, regional and global," Claudia shares. "And the message of the Gospel has to be spread all over the world but it has to be followed by acts of justice and love - acts that may show the character of Christ."
Nation Children -- Our 18 big bags of new and used shoes joined with donations from other churches in Northern Virginia to be trucked from the churches to their warehouse and then on to Haiti in early February 2010.
Operation Christmas Child -- brings joy and hope to children in desperate situations worldwide through simple, gift-filled shoe boxes and the Good News of God's love. For two years now the Washington Street church congregation and Preschool families have packed shoe boxes and prayed for children around the world.
Rising Hope United Methodist Mission Church is our United Methodist mission church serving primarily the poor who live and work along the Route 1 corridor south of Alexandria. Over the years Washington Street Church has strongly supported Rising Hope’s ministries with the poor collecting
• angel tree gifts to fulfill Christmas wishes for children and parents
• staple food goods and warm clothing and blankets
Our members are also “delivery angels” transporting these donations from our church to Rising Hope. The WSUMC bins fill up quickly with your generous donations.
UMCOR (The United Methodist Commitee on Relief) -- UMCOR is the humanitarian relief and development agency of the United Methodist Church, a worldwide denomination. Compelled by Christ, UMCOR responds to natural or human made disasters—those interruptions of such magnitude that they overwhelm a community's ability to recover on its own.
