From church to church, amen!

AMEN to First UMC, Alice, for continuing its coffee house as a safe, positive and encouraging place for community youths to hang out on Wednesday evenings. The ecumenical group participated in an Advent activity, St. Nicholas Fare, at the Episcopal Church.
AMEN to First UMC, Port Isabel, for continuing to contribute to its building endowment fund, begun last year. Church members want to bless future generations.
AMEN to First UMC, La Feria, for conducting “cottage meetings,” and First UMC, Alice, for conducting “Ponder with the Pastor” meetings. These gatherings were for sharing and dreaming about building God’s kingdom and improving the life of those in each community.
AMEN to members of First UMC, San Benito, for being present in front of the church as the San Benito Christmas Parade went by. Church members distributed free hot chocolate and candy canes with an attached invitation to the Christmas Eve services.
AMEN to St. Mark UMC, McAllen, for planning a mission trip to a United Methodist Navajo Mission. Youths are to help with farming, painting and other odd jobs. While there, the young people are to learn about the Navajo culture and about growing pumpkins on an organic bio-intensive farm.
AMEN to First UMC, Laredo, for the Christmas “gift” idea of providing backpacks filled with nonperishable foods, light fleece blankets and personal items to the homeless. Church members also raised money to give a Magruder Scooter to their missionary family in Cameroon.
AMEN to First UMC, Brownsville, for helping with several mission projects. Those included making decorations for Vacation Bible School, washing ducks for the Infant Nutrition Duck Race and serving at La Posada.
AMEN to Pharr UMC and Pharr Community Outreach Program for providing classes in citizenship, cake decorating, sewing, basic English as a second language, Level II English as a second language, hair cutting, Parents Helping Parents, adult reading and adult writing.
AMEN to First UMC, Hebbron-ville, for providing a fall festival for the community. Proceeds are to send youths and children to winter and summer camps.
AMEN to Los Fresnos UMC for providing English as a second language classes and space for “Weight Watchers” meetings for the community.
AMEN to Los Fresnos UMC youths. They put together Thanksgiving baskets containing not only food but laundry, household and personal hygiene products.
AMEN to First UMC, Mission, for sponsoring the ALPHA course. No question about the Christian faith is too simple or too challenging for that course. ALPHA informs seekers and renews members.
AMEN to the United Methodist Women at First UMC, Kingsville, for sponsoring a brunch auction to raise money for children. Proceeds went to Methodist Child Development Center, Boys and Girls Club and J.E. Conner Museum Children’s Summer Programs.
AMEN to the Wesley Nurses who challenge us to be good stewards of our holistic health by taking charge of our exercise, food and Christian connections.
Do you have an AMEN to share for next month’s edition? If so, contact Mary Howard at (956) 421-3630 or yard23@aol.com.