Posted by: Amy @ 11:23 am
Each year the children living in our group homes are awarded for their progress or accomplishments in the past year at a special event. The 22nd Annual Awards Day Ceremony was held at Frazer Memorial UMC in Montgomery,
It began with an invocation by Rev. LuAnne Houser, as her last act as UMCH Chaplain. UMCH Chief Operating Officer Debbie Dobbins presented Rev. Houser with a plaque of appreciation for her seven years of service. Rev. Houser began her new appointment as pastor of St. Luke’s UMC in
Mr. Milton Burke was the guest speaker, and all of the children in attendance competed in a game of Bible trivia. After all of the awards were announced, everyone enjoyed a much-appreciated pizza lunch provided by St. James UMC of
All eight of the UMCH residential group homes had individual award-winning residents, who were presented with certificates as well as U.S. Savings Bonds. The Tuscaloosa Group Home received the UMCH Group Home Award because eight of their boys received a total of ten awards.
Posted by: Amy @ 3:33 pm
The United Methodist Children’s Home is asking for your assistance in possible job opportunities for our youth in northeast and northwest Alabama.
Florence Group Home is a residential home serving young men between the ages of 14 and 18. The staff of UMCH will transport the youth to the job, so we are asking for the position(s) to be around the Muscle Shoals,
Scottsboro Group Home is also a residential home serving young women between the ages of 14 and 18. We are looking for positions in the Scottsboro area for our residents as local work would be quite helpful due to transportation issues.
If you or someone you know has work available, please contact the specific group home in your area. Contact names and numbers are below for your convenience.
Florence Group Home, Laura Manning, 256-766-7002
Scottsboro Group Home, Melissa Bynum, 256-259-4776
Posted by: Amy @ 3:55 pm
Rev. Lonna Lynn Higgs has been appointed by Bishop Will Willimon to be the new Chaplain of the United Methodist Children’s Home starting in June, 2010. She is a fifth-generation United Methodist pastor and is currently serving as Pastor of Hoover First United Methodist Church in Hoover,
United Methodist Children’s Home President and CEO Steven R. Hubbard says, “We welcome Rev. Higgs to this extension ministry. As our Chaplain, she will serve as a member of our Leadership Team and be responsible for all areas of spiritual growth as it relates to the children and families we serve as well as our staff.”
Rev. Higgs says, “What a privilege to join the Children’s Home Leadership Team as a new era of ministry begins! I look forward to ministry as Chaplain for a diverse and widespread community of children, youth, and staff.”
Rev. Higgs is a graduate of
Rev. Higgs says, “In addition to my first love - ministry with children, I enjoy shaping worship experiences that blend contemporary and traditional elements, interactive teaching, and helping persons of all ages become aware of the connections between mental, physical, and spiritual health.”
Rev. Higgs’ husband, Rev. Lawton Higgs, Jr., is the pastor at
Please join us in welcoming Rev. Higgs to our United Methodist Children’s Home family.
Posted by: Amy @ 2:53 pm
Positive mental health is essential to a child’s healthy development from birth. On Thursday, May 6th, National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day will mark its fifth anniversary, as well as a first-time focus on the topic of early childhood. This is a day for everyone to promote the positive development, resilience, recovery, and health needs of youth and their families.
Communities across the country will observe the day with events, youth demonstrations, and social networking campaigns to raise awareness about the importance of mental health and increase understanding of the mental health needs of children and their families. The United Methodist Children’s Home activities for Awareness Day will include our children drawing pictures featuring the theme “My Feelings Are a Work of Art.” Some of this artwork will be shown in the 2011 UMCH calendar.
Awareness Day efforts nationwide will encourage the following: integrating mental health into every environment that impacts child development from birth; nurturing the social and emotional well-being of children from birth; and looking for and discussing milestones of a child’s social and emotional development from birth. This special day demonstrates how children’s mental health initiatives promote positive youth development, recovery and resilience. Awareness Day also shows how children with mental health needs thrive in their communities and raises awareness of effective programs for children’s mental health needs.
Posted by: Amy @ 1:47 pm
The Local Church Representative or LCR program is getting a new name. In order to better identify the volunteer as the connectional liaison with our ministry, this position will now be known as the Children’s Home Advocate.
The Children’s Home Advocate is one of our most important volunteer positions. There are 1,500 churches in the two conferences we serve. A proactive and responsive volunteer at the local level is vital to our efforts to get the word out. Your church can appoint someone to be the Children’s Home Advocate who will coordinate events and help tell our stories.
Children’s Home Advocates help us promote mission and giving opportunities, upcoming events and anything related to the work of taking care of children and families in all of our facilities.
The Children’s Home Advocate…
…announces events or mission opportunities
…arranges for visiting speakers
…distributes informational materials
…tells the stories of the children and families we serve
…coordinates special offerings and local fundraising events
…collaborates with other Children’s Home Advocates at nearby churches
Ted Sullivan was a terrific example of the type of energy and dedication this position needs to be successful. Ted was passionate about his work as Children’s Home Advocate for Holly Pond UMC. He had also served in the same position for over 20 years at First UMC of Deltona, Florida, before moving to Holly Pond with his wife Nancy about three years ago.
Being a methodical engineer, Ted created a plan and schedule for White Christmas events at Holly Pond UMC. He showed the UMCH video, put information in the Sunday bulletins, and visited Sunday school classes and UMW groups. On more than one Sunday morning, he stood before the congregation, made a heartfelt appeal and challenged them to pass the previous year’s giving.
When Ted was admitted to the hospital in the middle of the White Christmas schedule this past winter, he inquired daily of visiting family and Pastor Rich Patsios how the White Christmas giving was going. It was a priority to him, so when they passed the previous year’s total, his daughter Karen Iseman said, “He was relieved to know it was done, because it was at the top of his list.”
Before Ted passed away in early January at the age of 82, Holly Pond UMC had given more to White Christmas this year than they had ever given before. Karen said, “It was a wonderful legacy he left.”
To become a Children’s Home Advocate, call our Public Relations and Development Office or check with your minister or missions director to see if your church has appointed a Children’s Home Advocate. If not, volunteer! We’ll get you all the information you need to get started.
If you are appointing a new Children’s Home Advocate for your church, contact the Public Relations and Development Office to let us know who you have assigned to this position. In most cases, the best person for the job is a lay person who can focus his or her outreach efforts on keeping the mission of this ministry on the minds and in the hearts of the congregation.
Ted Sullivan
Posted by: Amy @ 10:02 am
Carrying on the UMCH tradition started by their friend C. A. “Buzz” Carter during the 1920’s or 1930’s, Clyde and Brenda Cork organized their thirty-sixth Annual Buzz Carter Easter Egg Hunt held on Easter weekend. Every UMCH group home from all over Alabama and West Florida came to participate in the festivities at Camp Sumatanga in Gallant, Alabama, making it the biggest hunt yet. Alabaster First UMC (Alabaster, AL), Christ Harbor UMC (Northport, AL), The Beacon UMC (Kimberly, AL), Henryville UMC (Guntersville, AL), and Gardendale-Mt. Vernon UMC (Gardendale, AL) all contributed funds and prizes for the weekend’s events, and dozens of volunteers from these churches also came to help out with the event. A very special guest in attendance was Clyde Carter, son of the Easter Egg Hunt’s founder Buzz Carter, who came in from Florida for the event and spoke to the group. Buzz Carter was a UMCH-Selma alumnus who, as an adult, organized the Easter Egg Hunt at the UMCH Selma Campus for over sixty years and volunteered at
The festivities kicked off Friday night with a lively performance by the Christ Harbor Praise Band.
Just Cooking, a tireless group of volunteers from Christ Harbor UMC, grilled up burgers and hotdogs for everyone, serving about 175 people in all. The sun came out as more games continued on Saturday afternoon with the youth from the attending churches and our group homes competing in events like the egg toss and three-leg relay. Winning UMCH players received pizza dinner gift certificates for their group homes, and all of our UMCH children took home new backpacks filled with toiletries too. Even the Babies First babies received backpacks filled with baby-appropriate toiletries and a stuffed bear toy. It was a fun-filled weekend, and many attendees felt this year’s event was the best one ever. Thanks to all of those who donated their time, money, and energy! Because of you this event was a huge success, and UMCH really appreciates everyone who made it happen!
We are so proud of our three Florence Group Home boys who participated in a JAG competition for
When asked what JAG is, the boys replied that it is “a program for kids at risk of dropping out of school to encourage them to be excellent.”
Jobs for America’s Graduates, Inc. (JAG) is a national non-profit corporation established in 1980 for the purpose of assisting state affiliates in building a statewide organization to test one or more of the three program applications of the JAG Model: School-to-Career Program (Seniors Only), Multi-Year Program (Grades 9-12), and Out-of-School Program.
The ultimate objective of JAG Model programs is to provide participants (in-school or out-of-school) with classroom and work-based learning experiences that result in a quality job leading to a career after graduation or completion of a GED.
Posted by: Amy @ 4:37 pm
Our 2009 Satisfaction Surveys came back with excellent results!
The 2009 Resident Satisfaction Survey showed 93% of children placed with UMCH said that UMCH has helped them, and 85% said they would recommend UMCH to another child who could not live at home.
The 2009 Foster Parent Satisfaction Survey showed 100% of foster parents said they are satisfied with the level of support they received from the UMCH staff. 100% also said a UMCH staff member responds quickly when a foster parent has a problem or need, and 100% said they are satisfied with the training they received prior to the placement of a child in their home.
The 2009 Referring Worker Satisfaction Survey showed 98% of workers who referred a child or family to UMCH said they are satisfied with the services provided to that child or family, and 100% of referring workers are satisfied with the competence shown by UMCH staff.
Posted by: Jill @ 8:53 am
We have just been inundated with reports of the swine flu – where to get the shots, how many people have it, what to do to prevent it. It is highly contagious and can be very serious, if not deadly.
However, there is one church in the Northwest District of the North Alabama Conference that also has something contagious. It is absolutely spreading like wild fire and can grab you in an instant. When you enter Brandon New Vision, get ready because you will probably catch it.
“The contagious thing here is love,” said Senior Pastor Greg Reynolds.
This new congregation is the church home for the boys at the Florence Group Home and they have certainly taken the boys under their wings. One of the boys was just recently baptized.
“The boys wanted to become members of our church so they all took church membership classes,” said Pastor Reynolds. “The boys are all active and some are involved in the Christmas play.”
Brandon New Vision has opened their doors as well as their hearts to this group of young men. The church is also raising money for the boys’ Christmas and treat each one like a member of the family.
As we enter this Christmas season with joyful and blessed hearts, let us remember how truly contagious love really is. This is one “bug’ that I hope we all catch!
“This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”
– John 15:12
Posted by: Ashley @ 11:11 am
Each Monday morning the phone rings. The voice on the line asks what you need for the week. That phone call comes each week from “our angel” in Florence, Alabama.
This anonymous angel never gives his name, but calls the Florence Group Home every Monday morning asking what they need for the week. He then shows up with bags of groceries for the boys at the home.
We thank our anonymous angel for his support and love of the home. We also thank all the anonymous angels who have contributed in some way to the United Methodist Children’s Home.
Posted by: Ashley @ 2:56 pm
Odenville, AL - Low Gap UMC enjoyed a beautiful day at their annual yard sale to benefit the United Methodist Children’s Home.
It is the time of year for spring flowers, blooming trees and yard sales!
Members of Low Gap UMC began setting up early Saturday morning for their annual yard sale to benefit the United Methodist Children’s Home.
Peggy Vann, a member of Low Gap UMC, said although they are a small church, “in the past, we have made approximately $2,500 at this yard sale.”
It is a blessing to know how our local churches are helping to support the children year-round. Thank you to the members of Low Gap UMC!
Posted by: Ashley @ 10:54 am
Christmas in September - Joey Shelton, manager of the KB Toys store at The Galleria, displays the PlayStation and toys recently donated by the retail store and its customers.
“Wow!”
“Sweet!”
“Awesome!”
These are just a few of the responses from the boys at the Florence Group Home after receiving a donated PlayStation with games from KB Toys.
“The boys could not wait to hook it up and get started on it,” said Laura Manning, the home’s supervisor. “Everyone wanted to be the first.”
KB Toys contacted the United Methodist Children’s Home’s Public Relations and Development office in early May of this year to offer a donation of toys. This donation has been an ongoing effort from the retail toy store at The Galleria in Hoover, Alabama.
“We love the opportunity to help and share the generosity through different children’s programs,” said Cyndi Eaton, KB Toys district manager. “Customers of KB Toys have also played a key role in donating dollars to the store which are then added to gift cards.”
The gift cards then purchase toys and learning games for all ages of children served by the UMCH. From Barbie dolls to puzzles, all of the UMCH programs have been able to benefit from this outpouring of support.
“Birmingham Babies First is so thankful for KB Toys,” said Elise Smith, group home supervisor for the home. “They have provided our babies with so many items that keep them busy and entertained!”
We thank KB Toys and its customers for all the support and encouragement of the United Methodist Children’s Home!