| Conference plans harvest for children
By Michael Wacht
LAKELAND — In the winter, Floridians harvest
citrus. In the summer, it’s sugar cane. At the 2002 Florida Annual
Conference Event, churches will harvest items for the state’s
children.
The “Children’s Harvest” is a mission
project of the Florida Conference that will culminate in a collection
of health and school kits, infant formula, paper and money that will
benefit the Florida Conference’s outreach ministries and the
Methodist Church of Haiti.
“The goal is twofold,” said the Rev. Larry
Rankin, director of the conference’s Missions Ministry office. “It’s
to support the children and families through the outreach ministries
of the Florida Conference and to raise awareness of these ministries
with families and children.”
Churches are being asked to collect health and
school kits, as specified by the United Methodist Committee on Relief
(UMCOR), according to Melba Whitaker, wife of Florida Bishop Timothy
W. Whitaker and one of the Harvest’s organizers. Infant formula and
money for disposable diapers and latex gloves are also needed.
The kits, formula and money will be distributed
to the conference’s outreach ministries: Action Ministries Plus in
Jacksonville, Christians Reaching Out to Society in West Palm Beach,
Halifax Urban Ministry in Daytona Beach, Indian River Regional
Outreach Ministry in Fort Pierce, Miami Urban Ministries in Miami,
Tampa United Methodist Centers in Tampa, United Methodist Cooperative
Ministries of Madison County in Tallahassee, United Methodist
Cooperative Ministry-Suncoast in St. Petersburg, and Wesley House
Community Center in Key West.
Health kits are used to teach literacy and
hygiene in an effort to improve the health of people with limited
resources. Each kit contains a towel, washcloth, toothbrush and comb
and toothpaste, nail clippers, soap and bandages.
School kits provide the basic needs of students
of all ages. Each kit includes scissors, a ruler, pencils, a pencil
sharpener, an eraser, crayons and both ruled and construction paper.
The supplies are packed into a 12" x 14" cloth bag with
handles and a fastener.
Whitaker said the infant formula should be
liquid or powder Enfamil with iron and liquid Goodstart.
The conference is also asking churches to
collect cases of 20# white paper, letter or legal size, for the
Methodist Church in Haiti.
“The Methodist Church of Haiti has stated a
need for paper to be used in Haiti for printing Christian education
and learning materials for children,” Rankin said. “The Methodist
Church there administers 120 schools, and paper is very expensive.”
Members of the Florida Conference Haitian
Ministry Team, Missions Ministry and United Methodist Volunteers in
Mission visited Haiti several times to meet with leaders of the
Haitian church to determine their needs and discuss ways of developing
a closer relationship with them.
Rankin said there is no numeric goal for the
Harvest. “It’s a faith-sharing experience. Whatever comes in will
be blessed. It’s not so much a fund-raiser as extending our ministry
with children.”
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