News

Guest Speaker for 2012 ACS Is Featured in Latest Edition of Interpreter

The guest speaker for the 2012 California-Nevada Annual Conference Session will be the Rev. Rudy Rasmus – who is featured in the November/December 2011 issue of Interpreter, the official ministry magazine of The United Methodist Church. The article, "A Season of Hope; Will We Sing with Mary," examines the concept of finding hope in tragedy, in hunger, and in homelessness during Advent.  "I am often trying to offer a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. Don't...

Third Annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner Planned at Valley Faith UMC, Sunnyvale

For the third straight year, Valley Faith United Methodist Church and San Jose Tongan Fellowship, both in Sunnyvale, have teamed up to provide a free Thanksgiving dinner for the community – complete with music, food, and fellowship. This year's dinner will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 23 from 3 to 9 p.m. The churches make a practice of reaching out to groups in the community – the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON) of Northern California, the Filipino Workers...

'Searching for Safeground' Film Festival in October in Sacramento

Each winter, First United Methodist Church of Sacramento hosts homeless guests on campus for overnight stays. During the cold, wet months, this is a life-saving mission (called Safeground) in which many faith communities participate.  This year, churches have been told that there will be no public homeless shelter in Sacramento, which will make Safeground more important than ever.   Costa Mantis, a filmmaker and formerly homeless individual, has produced a compelling film...

UMAC Keynote Speaker Is Featured in Powerful UMNS Story

The keynote speaker at the 2011 annual meeting of the United Methodist Association of Communicators (UMAC) will be the Rev. Lorenza Andrade-Smith, a UM pastor who has taken a vow of poverty in order to live among the homeless for three years. When her bishop appointed her to lead a ministry to the poor and marginalized, Andrade-Smith took a leave of absence from her church and Conference duties and renounced her salary and all her possessions, including her home and car.   In a...

Last Chance to Sign up for 'Stations of the Poor: A Prayer Pilgrimage'

Don't miss this special Easter weekend opportunity "Stations of the Poor – A Prayer Pilgrimage" is a rare reflective opportunity for Easter Weekend, being offered in downtown Sacramento by Side-By-Side Ministries With the Homeless.   Modeled on the traditional Stations of the Cross service, which takes participants on a symbolic journey with Jesus through His final hours, Stations of the Poor is a physical journey, taking its pilgrims from place to place in the Loaves...

Engage in Ministry With the Poor for Lent

Registration deadline is March 19 for "'Word on the Street': Radical Hospitality with the Homeless" workshop. In his new article, "Lent Is 'a Very Good Place to Be,'" Bishop Warner H. Brown, Jr. recommends an upcoming workshop as an "excellent" activity for Lent, for those in the Sacramento area.   "'Word on the Street': Radical Hospitality with the Homeless" will take place on Thursday, March 24, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at Sacramento's First United...

'Stations of the Poor A Prayer Pilgrimage': A Special Easter Weekend Event

A rare reflective opportunity for Easter Weekend is being offered in downtown Sacramento, by Side-By-Side Ministries With the Homeless. "Stations of the Poor – A Prayer Pilgrimage" is modeled on the traditional Stations of the Cross service, which takes participants on a symbolic journey with Jesus through His final hours. Stations of the Poor is a real journey, going from place to place in the Loaves & Fishes area where homeless persons find services.   It is a...

Side-By-Side's Linda Kelly-Baker Blogs on Conference Website

The Rev. Linda Kelly-Baker, founder and director of Side-By-Side Ministries With the Homeless, has accepted an invitation to blog on the California-Nevada Annual Conference website at cnumc.org. Readers of the Conference's monthly magazine Connection will remember Kelly-Baker as a popular columnist. Since Connection ceased publication in 2007 we have missed her gritty, often poignant, and always beautifully written and uplifting portraits of life on the street. We are delighted to have her...

Will You Be Counted? Register to Change the World, May 14-15

There truly is power in numbers. Doing one, two, or 20 things for the Change the World event, May 14-15, makes it possible for any church – urban or rural, large or small – to make a difference in the local community or the world. Last year more than 100,000 people from 1,000-plus churches united with a common purpose over a 48-hour period: to make a world of difference in ways both large and small, locally and globally. From California to Washington, Alabama to Mozambique, United...

'Word on the Street': Radical Hospitality with the Homeless Workshop

"Uh, oh! There's a homeless person. He's dirty and he scares me. What do I do?" What can you do? Start by gaining a deeper and broader understanding of chronic homelessness and the challenges it brings by joining the Rev. Linda Kelly-Baker and Side-By-Side Ministries for the "Word on the Street": Radical Hospitality with the Homeless workshop on Thursday, March 24, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at the First United Methodist Church, 2100 J Street, Sacramento, CA.   Explore how...

An Ordinary Meal

By Kat Teraji Gilroy UMC "In the way of God, thoughts count for little, love does everything. And it is not necessary," he continued, "to have great things to do. I turn my little omelette in the pan for the love of God; when it is finished, if I have nothing to do, I prostrate myself on the ground and adore my God, Who gave me the grace to make it, after which I arise, more content than a king. When I cannot do anything else, it is enough for me to have lifted a...

'Drive-by Giving to the Homeless': A New Ministry in Action Story

"Miracles happen all the time. I had the privilege of witnessing a couple of them myself this holiday season," writes Kat Teraji of Gilroy United Methodist Church, as she begins a Ministry in Action story just posted to the California-Nevada Annual Conference website. Teraji tells an inspiring story of the impact everyday people can have, through taking simple steps in faith. Read Drive-by Giving to the Homeless.   Highlights of all Ministry in Action stories are viewable in...

Sign up Now for October 2 Side-By-Side Workshop at FUMC Sacramento

Do you wish you had something more to offer someone suffering from homelessness or mental illness? Give a morning of your time.   Register now for a Side-By-Side Ministries workshop, "Where the Church Meets the Street: Companioning Our Homeless Neighbors," October 2 from 9 a.m. to noon at First United Methodist Church of Sacramento. The Rev. Linda Kelly-Baker, founder of Side-By-Side, a listening ministry with the homeless, will guide attendees in exploring their natural sense...

Attend Free Screening of Powerful, Award-Winning Film

Side-By-Side Ministries invites you to attend a free showing of an award-winning film, Lost in Woonsocket, on Tuesday, September 7 in Sacramento. There will be two showings, with an opportunity after each to meet a key figure in the film. Lost in Woonsocket introduces viewers to Normand Cartier. Living in a tent in the woods, suffering from addiction and estranged from his family for more than 13 years, Cartier had all but given up hope of recovery. The film crew from the award winning A&E...

'Companionship With Our Homeless Neighbors' Workshop Is June 26

Do you wish you had more to offer someone who is suffering from homelessness or mental illness? Side-By-Side Ministries is offering a workshop, "Companionship With Our Homeless Neighbors," on Saturday, June 26, 9 a.m.–12 noon at First United Methodist Church of Sacramento. The church is located at 2100 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95816.   The Rev. Linda Kelly-Baker, founder of Side-By-Side Ministries, will teach ways to appropriately support and respond to homeless and...

'Harvest of Hope' Mission Program Celebrates 25 Years

Program teaches youth about the problem of hunger and how to be part of the solution The Society of St. Andrew, a Virginia-based national hunger relief organization and Advance #801600, has been gleaning America's fields and feeding America's hungry for over 30 years. This year, they celebrate the 25th anniversary of their Harvest of Hope program.   Harvest of Hope (HOH) is a mission retreat program that focuses on hunger issues and the Christian response. This life-changing...

Complete Haiti News and Resources

Visit www.umc.org/haiti for all of the most up-to-date national and conference-wide news, blogs, and video and audio stories from within the United Methodist Church. In addition, customizable print ads, web graphics, and other resources are available there for downloading. Access GBOD's Current but Still Growing List of Worship and Music Resources for Haiti Earthquake at http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?loc_id=739,1112,1198&act=nav_loc   Read These UMNS Stories:   We...

Church Launches Advent Ad Campaign

Nov. 24, 2009 | NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) What if you went shopping for hope instead of giving in to hype this Christmas?   How much difference could you make in the world?   The United Methodist Church encouraged people to think "outside the gift box" to make Christmas more about substance and less about stuff as it launched its Advent advertising campaign airing on CNN Headline News Nov. 24-Dec. 27.   The Rethink Church commercial features a homeless woman...

Watch UMTV Story: Food Bank for Vets

More than 23-million veterans live in the U.S., and according to the Census Bureau, six out of every 100 live in poverty. As we prepare to honor veterans with special ceremonies next week (Veterans' Day is Wednesday, November 11), one United Methodist church is reaching out with something much more practical than parades. Watch Kim Riemland's UMTV report, Food Bank for Vets, here....

Souper Bowl of Caring Is in February - Spread the Word!

What would happen if every American who watches the Super Bowl donated one can of food or $1 to fight hunger and poverty in their local community? The result would be an astounding $90 million in cash and cans to help feed the hungry and provide shelter to the homeless. Join the Souper Bowl of Caring and help make this vision a reality! For more than 20 years, congregations have joined forces across America to demonstrate the power of caring, while sharing God's love with our neighbors in...