I invite you to read a letter from Dr. Eddie Fox, the World Director of World Methodist Evangelism giving us an update on our Connecting Congregation in Meru, Kenya. Isle of Hope has provided financial and prayer support of the St. Peter’s Mangaya United Methodist Church in Meru since 2000.

Dear Julie and  Friends of  Isle of Hope,

Greetings to you in the precious name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  More than ever I know the deep meaning of your church, Isle of Hope. For you and your people in your congregation,  you are truly an Isle of Hope to your Connecting Congregation in Kenya.  You are so faithful with your prayers and support and YOU ARE MAKING A TREMENDOUS DIFFERENCE.  Because of your faithfulness, a dream is becoming a reality.  This past year it was our privilege to be with our Evangelists in Kenya for a training Seminar in Evangelism.  While Mary Nell and I were in Meru, we had the great joy of visiting your Connection.  I am attaching some photos for you to see the
reality of the dream.  The Congregation is so grateful to you and for you.

The photos are as follows:

# 1 photo of the construction of their church.  It is being built strong.  Like in Appalachia they are able to build as long as they have money.   You can see the building growing right in the banana grove. They are so very happy.

 

#2. Photo of Bishop Lawi Imathiu, Pastor  and myself in front of the building

 

 

 

 

 

# 5 Members in the church

 

 

 

 

 

#6 The rising dream of the Sanctuary

 

 

 

 

 

#14 Precious children in the Church

 

 

 

 

 

We are seeking to see if you can communicate through email with the pastor.  Rev Florence was the pastor when we visited the church.  We have requested an update on the pastor and the ministry from Bishop Muriuki.

Again please know how grateful we are for your faithful support and the people in Connection praise the Lord and Thank him for the Isle of Hope Congregation.

We look forward to strengthening the communication. In the meantime know that your prayers are heard and the people are so very happy.

The Lord bless you and keep you.  Pray for us.

In Christ,

Eddie Fox

World Methodist Evangelism

 

Begun by missionaries Bill and Melody Dearmon, the center is home to babies orphaned by AIDS, civil war and disease in Kenya.

ASP focuses on providing shelter for impoverished rural Appalachia. Work is done by high school volunteers and adult leaders at one of fourteen centers in Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.

Addresses the needs of young men who are failing educationally, socially, and emotionally to progress toward a life of self-sufficiency and productive citizenship.

  • Counseling Associates

This ministry provides pastoral counseling to individuals, couples and families. Many people are unable to afford services through the Center and our support assists those who cannot.

Mission is to recruit concerned, competent people to advocate for a disabled person who is being abused, neglected, or expected to endure segregation.

  • The Christ Child’s Nest

This is an orphanage in Guatemala run by two nuns who provide love and excellent care for these children. Currently home to 56 children, our church is a primary source of funds (through our sponsorship program and the missions budget) for their daily living expenses.

  • Coastal Jail Ministries of Georgia

The Chatham County Detention Center houses Coastal Jail Ministries of Georgia. Prisoners are free to be enrolled in a Christ-centered ministry that has a profound impact in reducing the number of persons who are released and then convicted of another crime. The reconviction rate without the program nationally is 85%, whereas in Chatham County the reconviction rate is only 7%. www.cjmga.org

Through World Evangelism, World Methodist Council, our church has been paired with St. Peter’s Mangaya UMC in Meru, Kenya. In doing so, we have agreed to spiritually and financially support this church. Our spiritual support consists of prayers and sharing of faith through correspondence with church staff and congregation.

Our United Methodist retreat center at St. Simon’s Island, Georgia, that provides many opportunities for spiritual growth formation for people of all ages.

This is a community of volunteers who work to improve the physical, spiritual and economic conditions of the poor in Guatamala. Healthcare teams are made up of doctors, nurses, dentists, dental hygienists, physical therapists, and other medical support personnel. Each team provides surgeries, medical and dental care that otherwise would be unavailable to the people.

An interdenominational, international Christian broadcast ministry formed in 1945 after WWII. FEBC broadcasts the gospel via radio in more than 150 languages to areas where 2/3 of the world’s population lives.

The foundation challenges United Methodist Churches to expand its evangelism ministry, and helps give churches resources to more effectively evangelize. It focuses on education of both clergy and laity and new evangelism projects via grants.

Our monies are used to help grow a new church in the Pooler area under the direction of Rev. Matt Hearn.

Founded in 1972 as the International Nursing Association. It is a private, community-based, nonprofit organization headquartered in Atlanta. Its focus is health care training and education programs. Two branch offices are located in Darbonne, Haiti and Bangalore, India. GHA provides preventive health education and basic healthcare for hundreds of thousands of families. The Haitian Goat Project enables hundreds of families to have a continuous source of food and nutrition as well as a means to obtain education for their children.

An emergency shelter and long-term residential care facility for at risk children in the Savannah area.

A nonprofit, self-help, ecumenical Christian housing ministry designed to make home ownership possible for low-income families. Through volunteer labor and contributions, Habitat builds or rehabilitates simple houses. Each homeowner family makes a 1% down payment and invests 350 hours of sweat equity in their home.

The mission of His Love Ministries is to spread the gospel throughout prisons, jails, correctional transition centers, nursing homes and the local community. This is done by providing worship services, bible studies and substance abuse programs.

  • Inner City Night Shelter

A non-profit institution organized to provide shelter, food, clothing and a bed at night, to homeless, needy persons. The Soup Kitchen is open every day of the year and the only facility available to the needy on Sundays.

This is a non-profit organization that works to alleviate homelessness by providing shelter, meals and assistance for homeless families. The network, made up of 8-15 host churches, provides overnight accommodations and meals for the families for one week at a time. We are now a host congregation.

Kairos is a Christian, lay-led, ecumenical, international volunteer prison ministry in which men and women volunteers bring Christ’s love and forgiveness to incarcerated individuals and their families. This ministry currently operates in 270 prisons in 33 states and 19 countries and has touched the lives of more than 170,000 men and women. Our financial support helps the Kairos Ministry at Rogers State Prison in Reidsville, Georgia.   

Light for the Nations Ministries is an evangelism and missions ministry, directed by Mike and Cindy Ricker, whose primary purpose is to assist local churches and pastors throughout the world in fulfilling the Great Commission. It does so through training church leaders for evangelism and missions.

A Christian maternity home in Savannah called to minister to women in crisis pregnancies. They provide food, shelter, Christian counseling, etc.

There are four campuses in our South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church: Americus, Macon, Moultrie, and Richmond Hill that minister to the aging. Our financial gifts go to the League of the Good Samaritan to help those who cannot afford to be residents of our Magnolia Manor facilities on their own.

Located in Americus and Macon, Georgia, the Children’s Home is an agency of the United Methodist Church and has, since 1872, provided residential services for children who are dependent, neglected and abused.

Isle of Hope UMC volunteers are responsible for delivering Meals on Wheels midday in the Southside area Mondays – Fridays.

A ministry based out of Springfield, Georgia that supports missionaries and mission programs in Honduras, Mexico and Kenya. Some of the established ministries include feeding programs, medical facilities, new churches, and 3 Children’s homes in Tapachula, Mexico. These children’s homes provide a safe and loving environment and a chance for these boys and girls to avoid living in prison with their father. www.missiononthemove@windstream.net

OFCB Ministries seeks to meet the needs of both body and soul. Located on the North side of Haiti in a place called Bayonnais, one of the poorest areas in Haiti, OFCBs purpose is to preach the Gospel spiritually and socially by caring for the body and soul. To take care of that body means they have to eat, get an education and have proper medical care. Our own Peter Daniel has lived among the people of Bayonnais teaching art, computer skills, English lessons and has developed the Peanut Butter Project which provides necessary protein to those within the community.

A Savannah-based gospel rescue mission dedicated to serving the poor and homeless. They provide an emergency shelter, food distribution and a residential relational rehabilitation program.

A developing partnership between the South Georgia Conference and the UMC in East Africa. Past involvement has included funding for the construction of Humble Place United Methodist School in Uganda. The Open Hands Partnership includes financial support, spiritual communion and personal interaction between churches in South GA and East Africa. Currently, our church sponsors three children at Humble Place United Methodist School.

Provides a safe environment and counseling to young people with problems in their homes and families.

A ministry of the United Methodist Church that supports churches, pastors and programs in the Eurasia area. IOHUMC is a supportive congregation for Christ the Savior UMC in St. Petersburg, Russia. We support this church financially as well as spiritually through correspondence and prayers.

Provides a temporary safe haven for battered and abused women and their children.

This center is an agency of St. Joseph’s-Candler that is working towards revitalizing the Cuyler-Brownsville area of Savannah. The Community Center provides food, clothing, emergency assistance, home repairs, continuing education classes and health screening and education for the residents of the area..

A program to feed the hungry of our community and eliminate food waste by soliciting and distributing food to the elderly, ill and needy children and adults. Ten “Kid’s Cafes” provide year-round nutritious afternoon meals to children of low-income families.

  • Social Apostolate of Savannah

Provides meals, clothes, hygienic needs, groceries, transportation, and other necessities to the homeless and at-risk individuals and families.

Provides rehabilitation, educational and vocational training for disabled persons in Guatemala. They also provide adaptive equipment (wheelchairs, orthotics/prosthetics) to the handicapped.

A United Methodist emergency response agency that allows Christians to respond to disasters on a global, national, or local basis.

A lay-Methodist, part-time service movement of the United Methodist Church for “hands on” projects. The common characteristic of volunteers is a willingness to serve and share the gospel as part of construction, teaching, medical or other teams, or as individuals.

A project established after Hurricane Hugo in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina that provides housing rehab to low-income persons and Elderly Transportable Housing to senior citizens at no cost.

Provides housing and supportive services for homeless people in a setting that encourages responsibility, offers the opportunity for independence and self-sufficiency, works to educate the community, and advocates against systemic barriers that cause homelessness.

A non-profit agency in Guatemala directed by Nina Jorgensen that provides assistance to the poorest of the poor. Vamos Adelante provides programs that teach hygiene, good nutrition, proper food preparation and supports education for all people.

An agency of the United Methodist Church, Vashti is an intermediate treatment center for children with severe emotional problems. Vashti, located in Thomasville, Georgia, is often the last step before going to a youth detention center for many children and youth. The center offers a safe environment, individual instruction, chapel services and a Christian education.

  • We Care Meals

Our church pays for and serves a hot lunch for families of patients once a month in the Intensive Care units at Memorial Health University Center.

A United Methodist Missions Institution that works to meet the needs of women, children and youth.  Some of their programs include a Child Care and Development Center, crisis intervention services, family advocacy services, adult literacy, Youth Arts Project, and Sister Works Project (provides support groups and counseling for those who have experienced domestic violence). The Wesley Women’s Center helps women overcome social, economic, educational and racial barriers, which isolate them and hinder their growth.

  • Wesley Foundation

This is our United Methodist presence on our state college campuses.  Our gifts provide programming, leadership and facilities to enable students to be nurtured in their spiritual development.

Provides group homes with a Christian atmosphere for mentally disabled adults who can care for themselves with supported living. Currently, there are homes in Byron, Lyons, Jesup, Macon and St. Mary’s.

Responsible for “Connecting Congregations” in 16 countries. Also runs conferences throughout the world and helps to train young leaders in the UMC for evangelism.

IOHUMC provides support to three families in the Wycliffe ministry of translating the Bible; Michael and Alanna Boutin in Texas, Phil and Cathy Davison in Burkina Faso, and John and Rosalie Rentz in New Zealand.

A mission community of young adults committed to reaching adolescent youth with the gospel by building personal relationships with the youth. Young Life meetings (for High School students) and Wyldlife (for Junior High Youth) are held weekly. There are also opportunities for Bible study and camps.

For more information on any of these organizations we support or to find out how you can help, contact Julie Vann at 912.355.8527 or at  jvann@iohumc.com