New Church in Nicaragua

Alcance Nicaragua is pleased to announce the dedication of Mision Evangelica Methodisa in Ruben Dario, Nicaragua! Dr. Jim Lowry, board members of Alcance Nicaragua and a short-term mission from Norcross First United Methodist Church (GA) were present for the ribbon cutting dedication on September 19, 2006. The dedication was a part of a week-long celebration at the new church.


Alcance Nicaragua remains committed to planting churches in Nicaragua to bring together people so they may develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.


The church building is quickly becoming an important gathering place within the community. Alcance Nicaragua supports a feeding program for 160 pre-school children five days a week. At this breakfast meal the children receive a meal and a vitamin approved by a local physician. Breakfast time at the church is a lively time of fellowship, nutrition and opportunity for prayer as food is prepared for the children

An additional program at the church is the preparation of food for elementary thru high school students in the neighborhood. Food will be provided by the government and will be prepared by church members and school parents at the church. Approximately 1100 kids are fed daily, five days a week. This program will begin in late January 2007.

Alcance Nicaragua continues to seek partners for continuation of the work in Ruben Dario. During the next year, we will focus on building the support for Mision Evangelica Methodisa and developing additional outreach activities in the community. Your prayers, service and financial support are all necessary for these programs to grow and reach more people for Jesus Christ.


Further information about Alcance Nicaragua can be obtained at the website www.nicaoutreach.org or by telephone at (770) 448-4142, Extension 103.

Giving Thanks in Belize

by Cally Curtis, UMVIM Individual Volunteer posted to Belize

October 30, 2006
Buttonwood Bay
Belize City, Belize


Dear Friends and Family,

I hope this finds you well and your hearts full of praise in this season of Thanksgiving. In October, throughout the world, I think, the sunlight must be as gold, the clouds as huge and white, and the skies as blue and beautiful everywhere. Here, it is quite a magnificent show, for sure.

Every day in Belize City I pass stalls or bicycle carts full of produce - bananas, papaya, pineapple, sugarcane and other exotic fruits I'm only now discovering. The Mayan family at the fruit and vegetable stand at the corner of my street are up before dawn and there after dark. I saw them already working at 4:30 am last Saturday morning when I was up to catch the bus for a school trip to Chetumal.

October is the time of celebrating the harvest here. I've never seen services more moving or humbling. At every church, one "Lord's Day" (or Sunday) is set aside for giving thanks for the harvest. The first of the three services is for the boys, the second for the girls, and the last for the youth, choir, men's and women's groups and other organizations within the church.

"read the rest of this wonderful and inspiring story - click 'comment' below:

HONDURAS INITIATIVE GATHERING

United Methodist Mission Church in Honduras

When: Oct. 19-21, 2006

Where: Tarrytown UMC, Austin, TX

Purpose: To fellowship and network with representatives of the young Honduran church and other interested volunteers and friends of this mission, and to explore opportunities for mission team service with the people of Honduras. VIM Coordinator, Ron Davidson and Hondurans DS, Roberto Peña Nazario and experienced volunteers to Honduras will be in attendance. Come learn and share what God is doing in Honduras.

More information and registration information is available at the Honduras Initiative web site - http://www.gbgm-umc.org/hondurasini/

and from:
Jim Burris – jebky@msn.com
Sean Rutter – sean.rutter@ey.com
Sally Willson – sallyjwillson@aol.com

Spanish Immersion Team to Guatemala - Nov. 11-26, 2006

The annual UMVIM Spanish Language Immersion team will be returning to Guatemala Nov. 11-26. The team will be studying Spanish in Xela at the Sakribal language school, staying in a Guatemalan home, and using the new language skills in interaction with the local church and community. The team will be led by long time UMVIM team leader and student of Spanish, John Benson. To learn more, click here.

Nicaragua & El Ayudante

A quick update on El Ayudante:
We now have 2 team houses on the property in Leon. The medical clinic is completed on the property and medical teams are needed! There are currently 20 precious children in the orphanage, with more expected any day. We have 45 teams scheduled for 2006 and are scheduling for 2007 now. (There are still some weeks available this year in the fall.) We are concentrating our efforts in the communities surrounding Leon, especially helping the schools with construction and school supplies. We continue to work closely with local pastors in helping to equip their churches. We are providing assistance in the areas of well drilling, water purification, medical care, ministry in the dump, and the list goes on and on. Our staff in Leon just keeps getting better and better. Our Methodist missioner, Juan Carlos, is just having a tremendous response in Ruben Dario. A lot of our UMVIM teams are working with him. He's having 3 worship services each week, with sometimes over 100 in attendance. It's exciting!
We are expanding to Matagalpa, about an hour north east of Leon, and 1 1/2 hours from Matagalpa. We have been given some land on a beautiful mountain on a coffee plantation and are planning to build a team house there. This area is completely untouched as far as outside help is concerned and the needs are tremendous.
We have a few teams going to Matagalpa in 2006 to help get things going, working with some wonderful people there and staying in a hotel. We will build the team house as God provides the funds.
Our web site continues to be a wonderful source of information for folks: http://www.nicamissions.com/.
Thank you for all your office has done to help this ministry! It's amazing to see what God has done for the people of Nicaragua through so many volunteers!

Daphne MosesPastor of Caring MinistriesNorthside UMC2571 N. Highland, Jackson, Tn 38305731-668-0617

Georgia volunteers in Nicaragua

Anyone who has participated in a short-term mission team knows the way God can unify diverse personalities and gifts in pursuit of his purposes. This usually is more dramatic when the mission is to a remote location complicated by language and cultural barriers. The team of Middle Georgia Methodist missionaries who spent January 28th through February 4th in Leon, Nicaragua came together in service and song.
Twenty members from nine different Middle Georgia United Methodist churches made up the team that served people of poverty-stricken Leon, Nicaragua. The Rev. Bill Huddle, pastor of the Dixon UMC, and his wife Terry, assisted by the Rev. Whit Kirkland, pastor of the Jeffersonville UMC, led the team. The Rev. Sam Lamback, pastor of Park Memorial UMC was the third clergy member.

for more about this awesome trip, click 'comment' below.

North Alabama Conference in Mission

from Bishop WIll Willimon

Patsy and I have just returned from a great Volunteers in Mission (VIM) trip to work with our missionary in Panama, Rhett Thompson. For more than 20 years Rhett has connected the United Methodists of North Alabama with the people of Panama. I’m proud of Rhett and I am proud of the scores of Alabamians who support Rhett’s work

to read more, click "comments" below