But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news! --Romans 10: 14-15; NRSV
At GMVUMC, we take to heart Jesus' statement to his disciples in Acts 1:8: "...you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, and to the end of the earth”. We believe that, like the first disciples, we are called be witnesses in our local community (Jerusalem,) our nation (Judea,) and internationally (the ends of the earth.) With that in mind, we have strategically chosen missionary partners who are faithful to God's call to service in each of these three areas: Local (Greater Birmingham Area,) National, and International missions.
Our partnership with our missionaries includes faithful prayer support and a financial commitment. If you would like to learn how you can join us in prayer for our missionaries, visit our Missions Prayer Wall. Our financial commitment is determined by our annual Faith Promise Budget. To learn more about Faith Promise for Missions or to contribute support, visit our GetInvolvedpage.
Below are the missionaries with whom we are partners.
Urban Ministry’s mission is to serve persons in Birmingham, Alabama with programs of Compassion and Wholeness. We recognize that people who are suffering need both. Our Compassion ministries are designed to put an immediate end to their suffering; while our Wholeness ministries seek to offer life sustaining educational opportunities.
A cooperative effort of the churches within the North Jefferson Ministry Association, The Caring Center, better known as the “Good Samaritan Fund,” assists those in need in Gardendale with bills, clothing and food.
Ruth G. Crosby is the Executive Director of First Light, Inc., a non-profit center for homeless women, located in her native Birmingham, Alabama. Upon earning a B.S. degree in Biology from Huntington College in Montgomery, she was employed for thirteen years by Southern Research Institute, where she conducted clinical research on such diseases as cancer and malaria.
First Light is A Center for Homeless Women and Children located in the heart of downtown Birmingham. It offers the only emergency shelter accepting homeless women and homeless women with children 24 hours a day in the area.
In addition to meeting the basic needs of our guests, we offer:
Individualized case management
A variety of activities, both fun and informational
Three permanent housing programs
Most of all, a place of acceptance where guests can begin to regain dignity, hope and independence
Since 1944 The Jimmie Hale Mission has been a shelter for the homeless, a rest stop for the weary, a feeding station for the hungry, and a sanctuary for the hurting. For many, the Mission has not been their last stop but the first step toward a changed life.
Our purpose is to minister to the spiritual and physical needs of the poor and hurting in Jesus’ name.
It all began with Jimmie Hale, who used to be known as the town drunk. After becoming a Christian and sober, his desire was to have a Mission. He wanted to have a place where homeless men could come and receive help and hope.
Jimmie fell in love with and married Miss Jessie, a school teacher from Moundville, and the two of them founded the Mission in March of 1944. The first location of the Mission was a storefront chapel and, ironically, was in the same building where Jimmie had sold his last drink as a bartender. Not only was it the birth of a dream, but they had just found out that they were expecting the birth of their child.
In November 1944, just eight months later, Jimmie died at the early age of 39 from damage his body had incurred from his years of drinking. Following his death, his 27-year-old, pregnant widow continued the work of faith.
Those following ten years were very difficult, yet Jessie remained faithful. In 1954, God sent Leo Shepura to assist Jessie, and for the next 36 years, Jessie and Leo were co-laborers in the ministry.
In 1990, Tony Cooper came to the Mission as Executive Director following in the steps of Jessie Hale Downs and Leo Shepura. Tony has often said, “There is no way I could ever replace them; I can only work hard to follow them.” He counts it a privilege to be a part of the Mission.
Over last two decades, the Jimmie Hale Mission has grown considerably. What started as a storefront chapel now includes:
Jessie’s Place, an intermediate shelter for women and children;
Royal Pines Center, a rural recovery program for men;
Mission Possible Bargain Centers, fundraising thrift stores;
Stewart Learning Centers for education remediation and employment readiness, which helps men and women return to the workforce; and
Shepura Men Center’s relocation to the renovated old Thomas School and its campus expansion including a chapel and dining hall.
Though Jimmie Hale did not live to see the fruit of his labor, thousands of hurting people have been helped and multitudes of lives transformed at the Mission named in his honor.
Rev. Al & Pashion (pronounced Passion) Lewis are a husband and wife team who has been co-laboring in ministry for over twenty-Nine years. AI is a native of Kildare, Texas and Pashion hails from Leeds, Alabama, they now reside in Birmingham, AL. Pashion is a graduate of Miles College with a BS Degree in Business Administration. Rev. Al attended Texas Southern University (Houston,
Texas) majoring in music. However, he received a BA Degree in Religion from Birmingham Southern College and a Master's of Divinity Degree from Candler School of Theology, Emory University (Atlanta, GA).
ABOUT THE MINISTRY Dream Garden is a ministry to children, youth and their families. It consists of tutoring, counseling, Bible study, recreation, field trips, arts and crafts and computer classes. Children who participate in the after-school and summer programs battle a tremendous number of social issues. Many have seen or been close to situations children should not have to face. Most do not have positive role models and would benefit greatly from the consistent presence and encouragement of loving, caring, Christian adults.
Music has played an important role in the growth and vitality of their ministries, which are always "Bible Based, Christ Centered, Mission-Minded, Culture-Conscious and Community Concerned." We are dedicated to reaching and empowering our community for the Kingdom of God!
Steve Freeman is the Executive Director of the Firehouse Shelter. The Firehouse Shelter was founded in 1983 as an outreach program of The Cooperative Downtown Ministries. On its first night, the Shelter housed 12 men. Today, more than 175 homeless men find a safe, welcoming bed at a Firehouse Shelter facility. For 25 years, the Shelter has worked to improve and expand its programs and services for Birmingham’s homeless. Its success is seen in the fact that 90% of Shelter clients leave Shelter programs for permanent or transitional housing, or for needed medical treatment.
To provide to homeless men in the Birmingham area a nurturing and caring environment while empowering each individual to reach his full potential.
Core Values:
·Treatment of guests with respect and dignity
·Accessible, safe, and clean shelter
·Nurturing and caring environment
·A philosophy of empowerment
·A recognition that our ministries are part of a larger community
·A recognition of the importance of providing a faith based community
WHY THE FIREHOUSE SHELTER IS UNIQUE
The Firehouse Shelter is the area’s only homeless men's emergency shelter that does not have a specific time limit on the length of the stay. This means two things: first, the clients served by The Firehouse Shelter are the more chronically homeless; and second, The Firehouse Shelter is able to establish a deeper involvement with clients. This involvement leads to a level of trust that allows us to help each client discover the problems that are the root of their homelessness. This in turn helps clients begin the process of overcoming their situation. We achieve success by placing specific expectations on each individual client, including:
·Meeting regularly with a case manager to determine what caused their homelessness. The Firehouse Shelter then networks with local service providers to bringing all available community resources to assist the individual in ending their homelessness.
·Following a life plan established with the case manager, that has as its ultimate goal to live as independent as possible.
·Working with The Firehouse Shelter to access community resources.
·Abiding by the Shelter’s rules and policies.
·Making to the Shelter each night on time.
Guests meet regularly with the case manager to determine their needs. From these meetings, an individualized plan is developed to meet those needs. The meetings are designed to assist them in discovering why they became homeless. Then they are used to guide them in a direction that will allow them to successfully overcome their situation. The Firehouse Shelter networks with area service providers, homeless and general, to bring all together available community resources to end their homeless episode.
Brian and wife Kerri are working at the University of Washington to foster an environment where they work to help deepen relationships with God, self, others, and nature. We are a community of people joined together not because of a cause or a philosophy, but because of a person: Jesus Christ.
A Brief History of The Navigators The Navigators ministry began in 1933, when lumberyard worker Dawson Trotman taught Les Spencer, a sailor, many Christian principles that he found beneficial in his own life, as well as how to pass that training on to others. Today, The Navigators minister to people in over 100 countries, including many college campus ministries around the United States. They have over 600 staff at different colleges and universities. The Navigators College Ministry is a dynamic place where college students from all walks of life can grow deeper in Christ, study and learn from the Bible, and communicate their faith to others. Through Bible study and personal mentoring and discipleship, they not only help students study and apply God’s Word, but we also build lasting relationships. The Navigators College Ministry also develops strong community through fun, life-changing events like weekly meetings, conferences, and summer training programs. Through all these they hope to help students become more like Christ and advance His Gospel through the world.
Who are The Navigators? The Navigators College Ministry has staff on 100 campuses across the United States. They also have a college volunteer ministry, NavFusion, serving on 62 campuses. The Navigators is a non-profit, interdenominational, missions organization, operating from donations to individual staff and to the ministry as a whole. All programs, conferences, and mission trips are supported through the generosity of others.
What does our campus ministry look like? Navigators love students and believe in investing in them, both in their walk with God and in their everyday lives. Students are welcome to meet with Navigator staff and with other students to study the Bible, pray, and talk about life issues. They have small group Bible studies, and they help them learn how to have personal devotional time with the Lord Jesus. They also train those they reach to help others as seen in 2 Timothy 2:2, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.” It is their hope that The Navigators can be a place for you to learn and grow in Christ. It is their mission to “know Christ and to make Him known.”
Pam Ansardi is the Director of the Royal Family Kids' Camp sponsored by Gardendale-Mt. Vernon United Methodist Church. Our camp is only one in a network of more than 150 camps operating throughout the country under the umbrella of the national RFKC organization.
The primary purpose of Royal Family Kids' Camps is to give children a week of positive memories in a Christian environment.
Camp is FUN
In addition to receiving the attention and encouragement of an adult camp counselor and his/her "buddy camper," each camper is also exposed to a variety of fun activities, designed for their success and to build self esteem.
Activity centers, games, sports, hiking - sometimes even swimming, fishing and horse-back riding - are all part of the program...
Camp is SAFE
A single compassionate church in a local area is responsible for each Royal Family Kids' Camp. These churches are well-established and respected in the community.
Additionally, several strict and important measures are taken to ensure the camps are safe for the children.
Camp administrators and counselors go through intensive training, including a study of the dynamics of child abuse and neglect, using recognized professionals in the field as faculty.
There is also an intensive screening process for counselors and staff.
Two children - and only two - are assigned to each camp counselor. In addition there is generally a "back-up" staff person for each counselor, so the actual staff-to-camper ratio is often one to one.
There are strict policies for behavior of campers, counselors and staff which assure that there is never an opportunity for an unsafe or questionable situation.
The camp site itself has been especially selected to provide a safe, fun place for the camp experience. The food is even great!
While serving on staff at the church, Paul and Kelly Wiegert received and answered the call to become missionaries with The Mission Society. They are currently training to work in Peru with a missionary family established there to assist with evangelism, church-planting, and teaching. Gardendale-Mt. Vernon is their home church, and we are proud to be sending them and supporting their work.
Paul and Kelly began their training in Huancaro, Peru after flying out on July 2. This is an initial training period, and they will be returning July 25 to wrap things up before moving to the field in Trujillo, Peru at the end of August. Keep them in your prayers.
You may send emails of support and encouragement to Paul and Kelly, or even to the kids through Paul or Kelly. Paul is prwiegert@yahoo.com, and Kelly is kellywiegert@gmail.com.
Check out their blog on their website for the latest updates about their work
Rev. Dr. Esaho Kipuke is a Nonresident Missionary of the United Methodist Church serving in West Africa/Francophone as the Director of Evangelism, Church Planting and Community Development.
Esaho organizes and trains pastors and their spouses, evangelists and lay preachers. He organizes and leads seminars for men, women, youth and children and provides counseling to church leaders. Esaho also works closely with mentally challenged, mentally emotional and handicapped children, orphans, and especially with people affected by the HIV virus and their families. Esaho is the founder of “CEFOPOL” Pya (Centre de Formation Polyvalente de Pya) with expansion in other towns and villages of Togo.
Life for Children Ministry is a ministry with a passion and a heart for offering hope and new life to orphans of HIV/AIDS and vulnerable children. This outreach provides food, housing, health care, education, and spiritual nourishment to the children with whom it works. Through Life for Children Ministry, orphans are reintegrated into loving homes with their extended families. The long-term goal is the spiritual and economic transformation of communities.
Mark & Robin Howard -- Spain
Mark and Robin have been living in Spain since 1984. They did church planting and evangelism for the first 14 years. After a two-year study leave in the US, they returned overseas with their three kids to continue serving the Lord. Mark writes and teaches Bible study courses, while serving as elder in a local church, and Robin helps women in several countries sharpen their ministry skills.
For security reasons, no more information is available online for the Howards or their ministry. If you have specific questions about their ministry or current welfare, email missions@gmvumc.org.
Florencio and Maria Guzman have been partners with GMV for a number of years. As associates with the Mission Society, the Guzmans work in ministry to children in Mexico in the area around Monterrey.
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