1.) Gulf Coast Partnership - Since Hurricane Katrina, FUMC has been in a partnership with Bethany UMC in New Orleans, committed to helping this vibrant and active congregation in the Upper Ninth Ward recover from the devastation of the hurricane and resume its ministries. By December, our 5th Work Team will have gone to help restore homes in New Orleans and the grounds and facilities at Bethany UMC. By our consistent phycial presence there, these trips also provide moral support. FUMC members have also sent contributions of Bibles - including completely restoring the original Altar Bible that made it through the flood, a crucifix to be used during worship, folding chairs, a baptismal font, communion ware, health equipment and supplies and stuffed animals. A small task group of FUMC medical personnel are working to help Bethany re-establish a community health ministry. Our whole congregation remembers Bethany in its prayers. Any contributions received through the Alternative Christmas program will go to further enable this Partnership ministry.

2.) Campus Crusade For Christ: Kyle and Wendy Menig are continuing their work with roughly 250,000 students on 17 campuses in San Diego County and Tijuana, Mexico. Though the numbers are large, their work remains the same: to bring the love of Christ to students who have no spiritual background, to build the faith of Christians who are learning what it means to live out their faith, and to send these young people into the world to share God’s love with the people around them.

3.) The Children, Youth and Family Collaborative (CYFC): Los Angeles has the highest population of foster youth in the state of California. The Children, Youth and Family Collaborative is committed to making a difference in the lives of those youth in the Los Angeles County foster care system. Children in foster care need your support because:

• 50% of youth in foster care do not graduate from high school
• 40-60% of foster youth become homeless within one year of leaving the foster care system at age 18

The goal of Children, Youth and Family Collaborative (CYFC) is to help these young people make a successful transition to independent living when they emancipate from the foster care system at age 18. CYFC has several ongoing projects that encourage and empower foster youth, providing role models, training and encouragement with a variety of services including tutoring, mentoring, life skills training, college and vocational counseling, and employment preparedness programs. CYFC partners with several organizations including the United Methodist Church to develop a network of community support for youth in foster care.

4.) Upward Bound House's Family Place: That homelessness is an enormous and ongoing problem in Southern California can come as a surprise to no one. What everyone may not realize, however, is that homelessness is often a temporary condition, brought on by various misfortunes. Prompt, effective intervention can mean the difference between personal tragedy and a future of hope. Family Place provides this sort of assistance. Family Place is Santa Monica’s only transitional housing program for children and their parents (most of whom are single women). It offers 22 apartments and a variety of supportive services, both on and offsite, including: case management, parenting and life skills classes, job training and placement, childcare and after-school activities, mental and physical health services, substance abuse counseling and domestic violence support groups.

5.) Epiphany: Epiphany is a national ecumenical Christian ministry designed to show Christ's love to incarcerated juveniles. Through talks, skits, music, prayer, food, celebrations and more, " the least of these" grow in faith and commit to or renew a commitment to live as Christians. The ministry has been active in the California Youth Authority since 1994 and currently serves both young men and women, providing three-day short courses in Christianity and on going monthy reunions. Donations go to provide Bibles and crosses for the "stars," as well as for other agape gifts such as snacks and crafts.

6.) Harvest Home: Harvest Home is a nonprofit, non-denominational, fully programmed residential home that is Christ centered and dedicated to meeting the needs of women in crisis pregnancies, regardless of race, religion or nationality. The purpose of Harvest Home is to provide love and care to each woman, offering a stable environment where her physical, emotional and spiritual needs can be met. The ultimate goal is that each woman will leave Harvest Home spiritually strong, with a newfound sense of self-worth and better prepared to support and care for herself and her child.

7.) Heifer Project International: Heifer Project International is a worldwide program to combat hunger and poverty with over 600 active projects, including 76 in the U.S. Heifer teaches people how to care for livestock appropriate to their region and then provides them with a “living gift.” This gift of a cow, goat, yak, camel, hive of bees or flock of baby chicks provides food, clothing, draft power and extra income for better housing, education and health care. As recipients promise to “pass on the gift” by sharing their animals’ offspring and knowledge with their neighbors in need, they become links in a network of hope, dignity and self-reliance that reaches around the globe.

8.) Central Asia Mission: One couple lives in Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia. They have done a variety of projects over the years that have helped the local people to live more productive lives. Their agricultural and medical projects in high moutain villages as well as writing books that present biblical narratives in culturally relevant ways has expanded the spiritual and nutritional diets of the mountain people.

The other couple lived in Kyrgyzstan for eight years. They helped start two Kyrgyz language Christian training schools. These schools are now run by the local Christians. Recently the missionaries moved over the border into western China. They are currently studying the local Uighur language and serving the 10 million Central Asian peoples of China.

9.) InnerChange: LA with Paul Smith develops inner-city leaders with the vision and commitment to transform their communities. InnerChange staff move into impoverished neighborhoods and start building relationships through outings, tutoring, helping people navigate the legal and medical systems, and just “handing out.” Community development projects flow naturally from these bonds of trust. Paul has lived and worked in an immigrant neighborhood near MacArthur Park since 1990, focusing on youth who are caught between cultures. At that time, few of the youth graduated from high school. Now, Paul is mentoring college students from the neighborhood who have become role models and tutors for the younger children.

10.) Iware District, Nigeria: For the past three years FUMC has been engaged in a partnership with the Iware District of the United Methodist Church in northeastern Nigeria. This past year has been one of great change in the Iware District. These changes include a new bishop in Nigeria as well as a new District Superintendent in Iware. Also new is the foundation of a school building that was made possible through our ongoing partnership. During this time of transition, communication with our partners has been difficult. In the coming months we expect a renewed relationship and more opportunities to partner with our fellow United Methodists in Nigeria through financial, moral, and spiritual support.

11.) Nothing But Nets: The entire process of purchasing and distributing insecticide-treated bed nets to children under the age of five, as well as providing education and follow-up surveying on their use, is accomplished at the cost of just $10 per bed net. Although $10 for a bed net may not sound like much, the cost makes them out of reach for most people at risk of malaria in Africa, where many people survive on less than $1 a day. Malaria has been brought under control and even eliminated in many parts of Asia, Europe and the Americas. Yet in Africa, malaria infections have actually increased over the last three decades. Malaria is a leading cause of death of children in Africa, killing nearly one million children each year. Every day 3,000 children die from the disease. Join us and Send a Net, Save a Life.

12.) OPCC: Established in 1963, OPCC (formerly Ocean Park Community Center) is a community-supported organization in which staff, volunteers, and clients work to overcome poverty, abuse, neglect, and discrimination. OPCC is the parent organization for a variety of projects that strive toward these goals. The Access Center helps homeless persons meet basic needs and offers a point of entry into the homeless services system; Campion provides quality mental health care to children, teens, and adults; Daybreak meets the immediate and long-term needs of mentally ill homeless women; K-9 Connection partners shelter dogs with at-risk youth who train the dogs in basic obedience enabling the dogs to become adoptable; Night Light provides emergency services, support, and resources to runaway, throwaway, and homeless youth; Safe Haven temporarily houses and serves chronically homeless persons with the goal of placement in permanent housing; SWASHLOCK gives homeless persons access to restrooms, showers, laundry facilities, and lockers to store belongings while looking for work and stable housing; Sojourn offers shelter, counseling, and legal services to battered women and their children; Turning Point shelters homeless men and women and provides job counseling, money management, and independent living skills.