Beyond Bethlehem: Join Ginghamsburg UMC and UMCOR to Address Refugee Crisis

If you think about it, Jesus’ earliest travels weren’t about ministry. Mary and Joseph fled Bethlehem for Egypt; it would be years—and a number of moves—before they returned to Nazareth with their young son Jesus.

Their migration had little to do with ministry . . . and everything to do with survival.

When you consider our Lord was himself a refugee, how can we look away from the global refugee and migration crisis in our world today? Wars, conflict, and persecution around the world have forced more people to flee and seek refuge than at any other time in recorded migration history. Earlier this year, the United Nations reported that nearly sixty million people worldwide had been forcibly displaced . . . that’s one in every 122 human beings now considered a refugee, internally displaced, or seeking asylum.

In response, Ginghamsburg UMC (Tipp City, Ohio) and United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) have teamed up to assist displaced peoples in crisis. This initiative, known as Beyond Bethlehem, will:

• Help people transform where they live, their place of origin
• Provide safe passage along the way for those who move
• Welcome and assist with integration and belonging when refugees reach a destination
• Support those who return home either voluntarily or because of forced deportation

Beyond Bethlehem launched in advance of the Advent season, to remind everyone whose birth we celebrate . . . and who spent his earliest years as a refugee.

How You Can Help
• Use Advance # 3022144
• Download free assets to promote in your church bulletins during Advent and beyond
• Consider different ways your church, your family, and you yourself might give financial resources

And remember, 100% of all financial gifts go directly to help the displaced—not one penny is spent on administrative costs!

When we serve them, we serve him. Learn more here.

 

What Your Coffee Hour Reveals About Your Church

Small things can say a lot about our Christian Hospitality. Can you spot any of these Coffee Hour “tells” at your church?

Starbucks in hand

If people at your Coffee Hour are carrying around Starbucks cups, it says two things:

1. there’s a Starbucks located near your church (an almost redundant statement)
2. your coffee is bad

Your visitors will know both of these things before they take a single sip of what you’re serving.

Who serves bad coffee at home? Why serve bad coffee to guests at church? Coffee Hour is, after all, a reflection of your Hospitality Ministry.

If you aren’t serving coffee that’s at least restaurant quality—or if your coffee maker looks like something from a Joe DiMaggio commercial—it’s time for an upgrade.

Coffee that does good

While we’re talking about good coffee, let’s talk about coffee that does good…Fair Trade coffee.

In the simplest of terms, when you buy Fair Trade coffee more of your money goes directly to the coffee farmers who work modest plots of land in developing countries.

As an example, when you buy a pound of Hope’s Blend, ground coffee branded by United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), fifteen cents is donated to its Sustainable Agriculture and Development Program which helps farmers to build stronger communities.

Serving Fair Trade coffee shows your church is serious about social justice—and that alone might be a deciding factor in whether or not a visitor worships with you a second time.

Styrofoam cups

They’re easy. And cheap. But a trash can overflowing with Styrofoam cups screams “landfill”! These days, people notice.

At some churches, people bring their own cups and have a supply on hand for guests. If that’s not practical for your church, check with your paper goods supplier to see what Earth-friendly options are available.

Ask other churches in your neighborhood if they’d join with you on a bulk order of recyclable cups so you can both get a price break.

Put together a committee of young adults—who may be more passionate about the topic—to research alternatives and present them to the congregation.

What little changes—with big results—have you made in your Coffee Hour? Comment below to share them with us.