Get Involved

Make a difference today by giving of your time or resources to one of the ministries or events listed below. Please click on the links below to learn more...

Donations Needed for "Beyond the Walls" Ministries

Hait Relief Efforts
Medical Supplies Collection: St Monica's is collecting medical supplies for a mission in February. You may donate by dropping them off at St. Monica's church off of South Scales and Buford Hwy. They need Children’s vitamins, adult vitamins, Motrin, Tylenol, children’s Motrin and Tylenol, hand sanitizer, hydrogen peroxide, bandages, latex gloves, ace wraps, splints, crutches, infant formula and antibiotic ointment.

Canned Food Collections:
There is a bin in the Beyond the Walls Resource Room that is continually used as a drop off for canned food. Donations are either given to the North Gwinnett Coop or the food ministry at Redemption Community Church who has a Tuesday morning Bible study and food allocation program for the homeless and those in need.

Bead Amigas:
Click to view Wish List for Bead Amigas, a partnership ministry with women in Nicaruagua.

Serving On Saturday

Serving Saturday postponed until after the holidays.
Serving opportunities once a month on a Saturday!

8:30am til noon
Any age — all welcome young and old

· No skill required — come as you are
. No Signup — just show up
· Something for everyone — several serving opportunities each month from which to choose.

Come alone or bring a friend or neighbor!

For more information contact: Tami McLaughlin -Director of Beyond the Walls Tami@sugarloaf.org- 678-6004

Wellspring Living for women is in need donations. Please your items to thier store located at 2750 Buford Hwy, suite 4, Duluth, GA 30096. below is a list of items they need.

Cleaning Products Dishwashing Detergent Dishwashing Liquid Soap Disinfecting Wipes Glass and Kitchen Cleaner Sponges	Laundry Products Dryer Sheets Liquid Laundry Detergent Stain Remover
Cooking Products Aluminum Foil Plastic Wrap	Miscellaneous Products Blank Journal Gift Cards (Gas, Kroger) Highlighter Light Bulbs
Grocery Products Coffee and Coffee Filters Non-Dairy Coffee Creamer Sugar Tea Bags	Personal Hygiene Products Disposable Razors Liquid Antibacterial Hand Soap Shampoo and Conditioner Toothbrush

Sugarloaf UMC is partnering with a new ministry affiliated with Amigos for Christ called Bead Amigas. Bead Amigas is a voluntary initiative of Amigos for Christ that empowers Nicaraguan women to create a better future through art, education, and entrepreneurship. We will meet monthly to work on projects that will assist with the bead making the woman are doing in Nicaragua. We are also collecting supplies and donations. If you would like more information on Bead Amigas, please visit their website at www.beadamigas.org. If you would like to get involved with Bead Amigas, please contact Sharon Harrison at sharharrison@gmail.com or 404-831- 6089.

Donation Wish List

Bead Amigas (www.beadamigas.org) is a volunteer project of Amigos for Christ that empowers Nicaraguan women to create a better future through art, education, and entrepreneurship. SUMC has been invited to join a mission team to Nicaragua January 23 – 30, 2010 to work alongside the Nicaraguan women who are involved with Bead Amigas. The trip cost is approximately $600. Please contact Sharon Harrison for more information if you are interested in joining this team. sharonharrison@charter.net.

Family Promise of Gwinnett County is a non-profit, nondenominational organization for families in transition. This program brings shelter, meals, and support services to families without homes. The hosting of families rotates weekly among Host congregations in the network. In turn, each host congregation provides lodging, three meals a day, and caring hospitality for up to 4 families at a time.

It is All About the Children-
New Report Released: 1 in 50 Children in America are Homeless Each Year
Brent Bohanan, Executive Director
Have you ever wondered why family promise exists? In essence, we are here to address the problem of homelessness in our county and to assist families in becoming self-sufficient. Over the years, we have found that the core reason for our mission in Gwinnett is for our children. Currently, there are 6 children in our program, all under the age of 8. They are innocent victims of homelessness and poverty, and it is our goal to love and help provide them with a solid foundation for their futures. The National Center on Family Homelessness found that 1 in 50 children in America are homeless each year.
I want to thank you, Sugarloaf UMC, for helping us care for these children; we are not only making their lives better but also making the community better because of our investments in their futures.

In 2009, SUMC will continue our partnership with Family Promise by serving as a support congregation. We will partner with John Wesley UMC in Norcross and St. Mathew’s Episcopal Church in Snellville who will both host families overnight. We will assist in providing overnight volunteers as well as volunteers to assist with meals.

Please know that your gift of time and your warm smiles are deeply appreciated by the families in this program who are struggling to get back on their feet.

If you would like help with providing a dinner, the church has freezer meals to donate. Karen Taylor can coordinate getting some of the casseroles and such to you so you can warm them up to take.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Grace & peace,

Pat Pino & Karen Taylor
SUMC Co-Coordinator's for Family Promise

Barbara & Anthony withdrew from the program on June 12th. Her time was up and she was ready to go. She is currently living with relatives in town and starts a job next week. Anthony has been working his summer job for 2 weeks and doing great!

Miguel & Lovely graduated today as we moved them into our transitional housing unit on Oakland Drive in Lawrenceville. Miguel currently has two jobs and their stay at our unit will be 6 months.

Both families are doing well, but we could use a few more gift cards to assist them in this time of transition with gas, food, etc. Send donated Wal-Mart gift cards to us at: P.O, Box 1250, Snellville 30078 or drop them by the Day Center between 7:30am and 5:30pm Monday – Friday. Thanks for your support and for all you have done to help these families!

Thanks for supporting these families who are moving from transition to stability! For more information about Family Promise of Gwinnett, please visit their website at familypromisegwinnett.org.

If you are available a couple hours a month, we invite you to get involved in our Meals on Wheels Ministry. This is a program directed by Gwinnett County Health and Human Services who provides delivery to meals to seniors and shut-ins who are unable to prepare meals for themselves.

Drivers pick up frozen meals at SUMC at 10:00AM on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s and deliver them to homes. Routes usually can be completed in an hour to an hour and a half. Drivers can commit to once a month or more frequently if available. Drivers will be required to complete a background check. If interested, please contact Nancy Beckmann (678.417.7414).

SUMC is part of Gwinnett County's Habitat for Humanity Faith Build, which is a new home construction project funded by area churches. The eventual owner of the Habitat home must qualify by working a substantial number of volunteer hours for Habitat and then actually purchase the home from Habitat for Humanity through a zero interest mortgage. Habitat claims they are not providing charity, but a helping hand.

This year SUMC will help Gwinnett Habitat for Humanity build their 100th home. In addition Habitat's tithe program accounts for the building of more than 150 homes in counries throughout the world.

100th HOME DEDICATION
The time has come for the dedication of the Gwinnett Habitat for Humanity home that Sugarloaf worked on in September. The dedication will be on Dec 5th at 10:30 a.m. Since this is the 100th house, Habitat will be inviting past volunteers, sponsors and Board members who helped reach this momentous goal as well as the current sponsors for this home. It is very exciting that Sugarloaf UMC was able to be a part of this occasion! For directions click here.

Faith Build Report--On Saturday, September 19, fifteen SUMC volunteers assisted in building the

Haidari family a townhome (plus a Girl Scout troop providing lunch!) Eshaq and Sahila are a refugee couple from Afghanistan, with 4 children: Sadeq (13), Tariq (11), Shaima (6), and Ramesh (7 months). They fled Afghanistan due to the wars, living in Belarus for 5 years prior to immigrating to the United States 3 years ago. They currently reside in a small 2 bedroom apartment; Eshaq and Sahila sleep on the floor to allow their children to sleep in the beds. Their apartment complex experiences frequent crime, making it unsafe for the children to play outside. Additionally, the complex is not very well maintained and the apartment is infested with bugs.

Upon arriving in the United States, Eshaq initially worked at NTB as a General Service Tech. Then approximately a year ago, secured a better paying job as a Production Operator at Ceradyne, Inc. He is a diligent worker, and has earned the respect of his employer and co-workers. In the past, Sahila has worked with Marriott Hotel Services and Macy’s Department Stores, though currently she is staying home to care for the children.

This is a gracious and loving family that longs to establish a safe and stable home. They are very enthusiastic about this opportunity to partner with Habitat for Humanity, and are deeply committed to the partnership!

This home represents the 100th build for Gwinnett County Habitat for Humanity and SUMC is proud to be a partner

Our Beyond the Walls Ministry supports the North Gwinnett Cooperative with monthly financial support, food drives and volunteer assistance.

The North Gwinnett Cooperative is a faith based organization formed in 1991 as a ministry that provides food, clothing, financial assistance and spiritual support to those in need in the Buford, Suwanee, and Sugar Hill communities. The North Gwinnett Cooperative provides food and

financial assistance to 8,200 individuals, provides Thanksgiving and Christmas meals to over 1,100 individuals, helps provide toys for more than 1,000 children for Christmas, and provides winter coats for over 200 people. The North Gwinnett Cooperative also runs a thrift store that raises more than $6,000 a year that goes back into the community.

Anyone 13 years or older can volunteer and volunteers are permitted to bring children over the age of 5 to work with them. There are many opportunities to serve at the North Gwinnett Cooperative (bread pantry, bagging groceries, unloading and stocking food, and working in the thrift store). If you would like to volunteer just arrive 30 minutes prior to opening and the director will greet you. There are also opportunities to serve on a regular basis by becoming a client intake volunteer. This is a trained position in which you will greet clients and process their applications.

Just in time for the fall planting season (

Georgia

is blessed with two), you are invited to join in making a garden to feed both the body and soul of those in need. Not only will you be able to eat some of the fruits of your labor but most importantly you will be to help those within and beyond our walls. In today’s economy many need our help.

Join the “Sowers” who are already at work. Looking for Master Gardener to help with this project and others to join in. For More info: Search for Facebook Group “SUMC-God’s Garden” or contact
Joe Burns email: hoveringfish@charter.net.

Using God’s land given to the church body to bring all people together to sow, grow and share in the rich bounty of God's blessings--the fruits of His harvest. Building a natural garden "sanctuary" to provide a place for meditation, prayer, and praise.

Recently several seemingly unrelated events occurred in my life through which God was preparing me to see a vision. The first was a story, aired on local TV News, about an “Urban Farm” located in Phoenix, Az. The owner of the property founded a large garden which boasts a huge variety of vegetables and even fruit trees. He made a profound statement when interviewed by the reporter. When he was asked “What do you do with such a huge crop?”, He answered “Well, it pretty much grows for free so I give most of it away.”
The second event was my attendance of SUMC’s Men’s Retreat. There I spoke to men from our church, some whom you know. I heard statements such as “Right now I still have a job but I am not sure about next week.” Another said I have been jobless since October. “We can only make it a little longer, after that I don’t now how we will put a roof over our heads or food on the table.” Now those hurting in this troubled economy were not just people on the news. They had names and faces both of which I knew.
Sunday after the Men’s Retreat I was starting tomato and squash plants by planting seeds in small peat pots. It occurred to me that I would have more plants than room to plant them in my small home garden. Maybe I could just give some away. Someone would like to have them.
Then God gave me a vision. That’s probably overstating it; but in my mind, he let me see very clearly and vividly a garden; an urban farm. For several months the “Together We Can” team had talked about the athletic field we purchased along with the outstanding debt for the existing campus. Paying for both were obvious requirements for the continued growth of our church and to insure its impact on our community for God. Included in each presentation was a statement regarding the approximately 7 acres behind the campus which are unsuitable (economically difficult) to build on. One hand out described them as “Dead Acres”. If we can’t build on them then perhaps we can grow on them. In the vision I see a garden and the acres are anything but dead. It begins with the easy areas (flattest) first. And as the tiny mustard seed grows to the largest garden plant so does the garden. I see fresh vegetables instead of canned goods given to agencies like The Gwinnett Coop. Ripe melons, tomatoes, and straw berries. Pick them yourself. I see kids in “Blast” starting seedlings in the spring, planting them in the garden, and feeding people they don’t even know. I see families spending Saturday mornings playing in the dirt, sponsoring and helping another family less fortunate. We can’t all go on a mission trip but we are all called to be in mission. Feeding people in our own back yard is truly mission. I see seniors teaching our youth how to grow crops and how to grow their lives. I see people completing Community Service by working with us and in turn helping us as we help them. I see people outside of our walls, from the neighborhoods, getting a chance to participate in the garden and working in it along side us. I see our people growing along with the crops and maybe, just maybe someone they have never known before will ask them “Why did you do all of this?” and they can feed those people with more than vegetables. They can feed them the story of Christ, The eternal bread of life.
I have only covered some of the high points. God keeps bringing more and more to my mind. The vision keeps growing and it doesn’t go away. With all the vivid colors, ideas, and joy I have seen in my mind’s eye, God reminds me “He can grow something on these “Dead Acres” if he wants to . After all it’s his dirt”. The question for me is “Do I want to get dirty too?” and for you “Do you want to get dirty with me?”

Relay for Life is a 24 hour event that brings people together to Celebrate, Remember and Fight Back as support for the fight against cancer. The y Relay is at the Gwinnett County Fairgrounds. To register to be a part of the Sugarloaf UMC team or to make a donation to the team, please visit www.gwinnettrelayforlife.org and click on Sugarloaf UMC team. Contact our Sugarloaf Captain, LaNita Redner at redner212@charter.net if you have additional questions.

Also, drop off your used Cell Phones in the Beyond the Walls Resource Room and all proceeds from the phones go toward Relay for Life.

Thanks for participating in the world's largest Relay for Life! The Sugarloaf RFL team was privileged to honor many of our cancer survivors as they walked with 2000 other cancer survivors and their caregivers in the Survivor's Walk. We also walked to honor those who are continuing with their battled and paused to remember the many who have lost their courageous battle with cancer here on this earth. At this point, we have collected $7,996.70. Thanks again for your participation as we all work together to put an end to this horrible disease. If you would like to make a donation to the Sugarloaf team, please visit the website at www.gwinnettrelayforlife.org or contact LaNita Redner at redner212@charter.net. All donations for the 2009 RFL must be made before August 31.