MISSIONS

International Potluck Dinner. Our International Potluck Dinner was Saturday, April 25. The food was amazing! Thank you so much to everyone who came and to those who brought food, set up, decorated, and cleaned up. We collected $1011 toward Fatuma Katembo’s mission vehicle fund. She works as a missionary with the women of the Bomjesus community in West Angola. She sent us slides to show at the Potluck. I let her know about our collection via email and this was her reply:

I am so speechless and in all this what I see is God’s amazing hand.

I am so humbled and I appreciate all you and  your congregation have done for my community and I. This is the opening door towards acquiring my mission vehicle. I am so much happy and excited and honestly this has leveraged my faith. I am so grateful.

Please can you tell your congregation that they are blessed and loved, my prayer for you all is that God bless you beyond your expectations. May God shine bright his loving face upon you all and may He give you all peace in Jesus name.

Thank you so much and stay blessed,

Fatuma Katembo Nana

If you would like to give toward the purchase of a vehicle for Fatuma’s mission work in Angola, you may put money or a check in an envelope clearly labeled “Angola mission” on the outside and put in the offering plate or give to Katherine Perkins. If you write a check, make it out to Grace United Methodist Church and put “Angola Mission” in the memo line. Thank you!  If you missed the 2026 International Potluck, we hope you will join us next year! –Katherine Perkins

Diaper Drive in May. We had a diaper drive in the month of May. Thank you so much to everyone who donated diapers. The diapers were delivered to the Mary Brennan INN for families in need.

The Jean and Ken Larson Memorial Sunday was March 22nd.  The Emergency Food Program, sponsored by the Long Island Council of Churches (LICC), had its beginning here at Grace Church in 1976 under the direction of Jean and Ken Larson with two appeals made for food throughout the year.  In 1977, Jean and Ken Larson initiated a program of contributions to be made weekly, 52 times a year, and it continues until today.  The food you brought this year was delivered to local food pantries. Thank You!  Money is also welcome to support the work of LICC. Checks should be made out to Grace United Methodist Church, put in a separate envelope and marked for the Church Office.  Please continue to support this worthwhile tradition which has been going on for 50 years.

Super Bowl Food Drive- –Thank you so much for the generous donations of boxed and canned foods.  In addition to the food items already given, donations totaling $287.66 will be used to shop for additional food and given to the Interfaith Nutrition Network, to aid them in serving those in need.  May we continue to be a generous and caring church!  Janet Stone

You can give to Missions at any time.  You may put your money in an envelope marked “Missions” or write “Missions” in the memo line of your check or Zelle.  Your giving through Missions goes to Far Rockaway Mission, Anchor House, Methodist City Society, Brooklyn United Methodist Church Home, and El Porvenir (clean drinking water projects in Nicaragua). 

Far Rockaway Mission (also called United Methodist Center in Far Rockaway), which operates a food pantry on Tuesdays and Thursdays and provides hot meals Monday through Friday, is one group that we support with our Missions money.  On November 19, 2025 we delivered canned cranberry sauce to Far Rockaway Mission for their Thanksgiving meal. Thank you!

We delivered a trunk-full of food to Long Island Cares on November 19, 2025 and over 550 pounds of food to the INN in Hempstead for their Thanksgiving food drive. Thank you!!                   

Give to Disaster Relief through the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR).  We encourage you to give to UMCOR for Disaster Relief. The link to the UMCOR giving page for disaster relief is https://advance.umcmission.org/p-620-umcor-us-disaster-response-and-recovery.aspx.  That link takes you right to giving for Advance #901670.  When you type in your information, you will be able to choose Grace Valley Stream as your local church.

Meet missionaries on Zoom.  The link to Register to meet missionaries on the Still In Mission monthly Zoom is https://umcmission.org/work/missionaries/still-in-mission .