An upcoming UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) project will be taking place in Philadelphia on January 13 and January 27. For more information, please contact Jerry Schuler, Volunteer in Mission Coordinator, using the form below.
About Project Restoration
An initiative of the Eastern PA Conference of the United Methodist Church (EPAUMC), Project Restoration is working to help residents recover from the severe damages – physical, financial and emotional – wreaked by floods caused by recent severe weather events in our region. People of all skill levels needed for them to be successful in their initiatives – a project manager will equip you with the tools and skills needed to help! Learn more on the EPAUMC website | Submit your volunteer information | (after submitting your information). After you’ve submitted your information, a representative from Project Restoration will reach out to you.
In early November, Pastor Eric challenged every Asbury attendee to serve for one hour at some point during the month – either in the community or at Asbury – with a goal of collectively serving 800 hours. On December 10, Pastor Eric announced that goal was more than doubled, with a total of of 2582 hours served! Thank you for your heart for service! The video below is a brief celebration sharing some the ways people served.
Ramos Trunk or Treat was a huge success on a beautiful afternoon! Well over 1,000 attended—the turnout was much greater than any previous year. Thanks to all Asbury members who supported the event with candy donations; and giving the opportunity for so many families to come together!
About Ramos Elementary:
Luis A. Ramos Elementary School at 15th and Allen is a long-time Asbury mission partner.
The student population at Ramos ranges from 700-900 depending on the year; and over 90% of Ramos families live below the poverty level.
Over the years Asbury members have been actively involved in the support of Ramos teachers, staff, students and their families.
• Obtaining Books for the Library (Christmas Eve Offering)
• Concert to raise money for musical instruments
• Donation of used musical instruments
• Annual work day to mulch playground and beautify grounds
• Key supporters of the construction of a new playground at Ramos
• A dozen or so Asbury members volunteering in classrooms (prior to the pandemic)
• Backpack drives in the fall
• School supply drives
• Coat, hat and mitten drives
• Adopting Ramos families at Christmas
• Packing holiday gift bags before Christmas
• Gathering cleaning supplies to help teachers keep their classrooms safe
The “Thanks for Giving” Food and Supply Drive to benefit the Allentown Rescue Mission will be held November 5-19. Drop off your donations in the bin outside at the upper entrance 24/7 or inside the lower level doors during times the building is open. The most urgently needed items at this time are:
Help hydrate racers while representing Asbury in the community! Volunteers are needed to staff a water station at St. Luke’s D&L RaceFest on November 12 from 7:15 AM – 10 AM. Registration is required – select the Asbury Church volunteer site (Water Station #1) when registering at https://race.delawareandlehigh.org/race-info/volunteers/ (link leads offsite; an account will need to be created in order to register).
Responsibilities will in include filling water cups and handing them to runners/walkers while cheering them on!
Pastor Eric notes this is an easy service opportunity – don’t miss out!
Help give students at our partner school a sweet time at the end of this month! Ramos Elementary’s Trunk or Treat is on October 26; and you can be part of it by decorating your trunk or by donating candy! Snack-sized candy bars will be collected in marked bins at Asbury through October 22.
For those decorating a trunk for the event, setup at Ramos begins at 3:45 PM and the event runs from 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM.
If you’re willing to participate at the event by decorating your trunk, click here to contact Dick McCreight of Asbury in Mission.
About Ramos Elementary:
Luis A. Ramos Elementary School at 15th and Allen is a long-time Asbury mission partner.
The student population at Ramos ranges from 700-900 depending on the year; and over 90% of Ramos families live below the poverty level.
Over the years Asbury members have been actively involved in the support of Ramos teachers, staff, students and their families.
• Obtaining Books for the Library (Christmas Eve Offering)
• Concert to raise money for musical instruments
• Donation of used musical instruments
• Annual work day to mulch playground and beautify grounds
• Key supporters of the construction of a new playground at Ramos
• A dozen or so Asbury members volunteering in classrooms (prior to the pandemic)
• Backpack drives in the fall
• School supply drives
• Coat, hat and mitten drives
• Adopting Ramos families at Christmas
• Packing holiday gift bags before Christmas
• Gathering cleaning supplies to help teachers keep their classrooms safe
A special thank you to all of the Asbury members who made generous donations of items and financial gifts to help many in need at the Ripple Community Center. Your contributions will help those experiencing housing insecurity.
Three car trunks were filled with boxes of grooming items, tents, water wipes, coats, and more.
Thank you to our Health Ministry Team for organizing this collection!
September 23, 9:30 AM – 12 PM, at Asbury’s lower level entrance
Asbury’s Health Ministries Team is holding a collection for the Ripple Community Center on Saturday, September 23. Ripple Community is guided by a vision of Allentown as a community where everyone has a role to play, a diverse network of social support, and a connection to the place they call home. Their programs serve over 150 Allentown residents, including people experiencing homelessness or housing instability, people who are socially isolated, people living with significant histories of trauma and mental illness, and the working poor. For our neighbors living with challenges like these, RCI is a source of friendship, support, and community.
At this time they are in need of donations of the following items:
– Baby wipes (highly needed)
– Flashlights
– AA, AAA, D batteries
– Tarps
– Tents
– Toilet paper
– Blankets
– Toothbrushes
– Toothpaste
– Razors
– Hair combs
– Hairbrushes
– Bookbags
– Reusable totes
– Portable chargers for cell phones
– Deodorant
– Lotion
– Lip balm
– Socks
– Feminine products (pads, liners, and tampons)
– Shaving cream
– Reusable water bottles
– Protein/ meal replacement shakes
– Single served flavored packets for water
– Cases of water/ Gatorade
– Umbrellas/ ponchos
– LANTA Bus passes
The Asbury Health Ministry Team greatly appreciates your generosity!
It’s back-to-school time and time for Asbury’s annual school supplies drive for our partner school, Ramos Elementary. Over 90% of Ramos families live below the poverty level so students are in great need of school supplies in order to be successful. Place your donations in the tubs at the donation collections area across from the church office (on the lower level). Donations will be accepted through Sunday, August 20. Here’s what’s needed (no used items, please):
Pencils (try for quality products — unfortunately dollar store pencils don’t hold up)
Washable markers
Folders
Glue sticks
Erasers
Tablets
Composition books
Crayons (again, name brand is preferred)
Notebooks
Highlighters
Thanks for helping Ramos students with the tools they need this school year!
About Ramos Elementary:
Luis A. Ramos Elementary School at 15th and Allen is a long-time Asbury mission partner.
The student population at Ramos ranges from 700-900 depending on the year; and over 90% of Ramos families live below the poverty level.
Over the years Asbury members have been actively involved in the support of Ramos teachers, staff, students and their families.
• Obtaining Books for the Library (Christmas Eve Offering)
• Concert to raise money for musical instruments
• Donation of used musical instruments
• Annual work day to mulch playground and beautify grounds
• Key supporters of the construction of a new playground at Ramos
• A dozen or so Asbury members volunteering in classrooms (prior to the pandemic)
• Backpack drives in the fall
• School supply drives
• Coat, hat and mitten drives
• Adopting Ramos families at Christmas
• Packing holiday gift bags before Christmas
• Gathering cleaning supplies to help teachers keep their classrooms safe
The Annual Ramos Elementary School Work Day will be held on Saturday, August 19 from 9 AM until 12 PM. Projects will include mulching the playground and parking lot islands, trimming trees, weeding, and cleaning up the campus so the grounds will look great when students return to school after Labor Day.
Luis A. Ramos Elementary School at 15th and Allen is a long-time Asbury mission partner.
The student population at Ramos ranges from 700-900 depending on the year; and over 90% of Ramos families live below the poverty level.
Over the years Asbury members have been actively involved in the support of Ramos teachers, staff, students and their families.
• Obtaining Books for the Library (Christmas Eve Offering)
• Concert to raise money for musical instruments
• Donation of used musical instruments
• Annual work day to mulch playground and beautify grounds
• Key supporters of the construction of a new playground at Ramos
• A dozen or so Asbury members volunteering in classrooms (prior to the pandemic)
• Backpack drives in the fall
• School supply drives
• Coat, hat and mitten drives
• Adopting Ramos families at Christmas
• Packing holiday gift bags before Christmas
• Gathering cleaning supplies to help teachers keep their classrooms safe
Please join the Asbury in Mission (AIM) Committee as it hosts Denise Shelton (Disaster Recovery Director) and others from the Eastern PA Conference’sDisaster Response Team as they share information on what they do. Their work is funded mostly by a $417,000 grant received from UMCOR in December, along with generous donations by individuals and churches. But while additional funds are needed, the more urgent need now is volunteers, with various skills or even unskilled, who can devote time during the week and on weekends, starting this spring and throughout the year. Come see how you can help!
Asbury in Mission (AIM) strives to be “in mission” by partnering with mission partners throughout the world through regular communication to learn of their needs, to pray for them, to work on one-time mission projects, to go on one or two week mission trips, celebrate mission, and provide financial support.
FEBRUARY 1, 2022 UPDATE: Bags are no longer being collected at this time. Thank you for your contributions!
The Sleeping Mat Ministry is collecting plastic grocery bags again to be used to create sleeping mats out of “PLARN” for the homeless. Bags can be dropped off in the marked receptacle outside of the upper entrance of Asbury. Learn more at asburylv.org/PLARN.
The sleeping mat ministry is continuing to create and provide plastic sleeping mats for the homeless. Learn more about this ministry, the materials needed, the creation process, and how you can help at at asburylv.org/sleepingmatministry.
The Sleeping Mat Ministry creates plastic sleeping mats for the homeless. These mats help keep their bedding dry and also add a cushioning layer. The mats are created from used plastic shopping bags, therefore helping the environment while helping our neighbors in need.
PLEASE NOTE: Plastic bags are not being collected for this project at this time.
Fun Fact: The “yarn” created from the plastic bags is called “plarn”!
This ministry began in mid-March of 2020. At this point the team has created 89 sleeping mats. These mats are distributed in the Lehigh Valley by the Street Medicine Team of the Lehigh Valley Health Network. When extra mats are available, LVHN sends them to the Reading Hospital where they are distributed through their own Street Medicine team.
Images of some mats our team has created:
Each mat takes an estimated 500-700 grocery bags (a large trash bag stuffed tightly full), so it takes a lot of time to make a single sleeping mat. Every bag must be flattened out, folded, cut, strung together and crocheted. Carrying straps and ties must be created, then the mat must be measured, rolled, tied, and given a strap. None of the steps are difficult, but they do take time. Some team members specialize in one or more areas; others do it all. If you think you would like to help create mats, please contact the church office today!
Follow the link below for a slideshow of how the mats are assembled:
Soft (like a grocery bag) plastic bags that are grocery-sized or larger.
Small holes are OK, but shredded or torn bags are not usable. The team needs to be able to make a loop with the bag.
Please give your bags a quick sniff test. Bags that smell of mildew or other bad smells cannot be used.
For carrying straps, long, thick plastic newspaper bags (16 inches long and 7 inches wide or larger) can be used; but not the see-through or smaller ones.
Please check that your bags are clean and empty. Removing receipts is time-consuming when you need to process hundreds of bags.
The Sleeping Mat Ministry Team would like to thank everyone for their donations of clean, used plastic grocery bags. Due to the large amount of storage space the bags take, bags will be collected only until the storage space is full. The Sleeping Mat Ministry appreciates your support!
As part of our merger with Salem UMC, we are part of ensuring the continued success of the vital center-city ministry they began to provide a food pantry for those in need. But your help is needed!
The Salem Food Pantry is an Allentown food ministry providing fresh locally grown foods for people in need! Volunteers assist at the pantry on the first and third Fridays and Saturdays of each month. Fridays are preparation days, when food is unloaded, bagged, and readied; and Saturdays are when the pantry is open for foods to be picked up. The pantry needs 4-5 volunteers for each day. Able to help? Contact the church office at 610-398-2577.
A note from Wendy Arbushites, coordinator of the Sleeping Mat Ministry.
The Sleeping Mat Ministry team would like to thank everyone for their donations of clean, used plastic grocery bags! An extra thank you to the people who flatten out their bags, to the people who sort theirs by color, and the people who do the folding as per the slideshow! These steps all save us time, so thank you to those of you who take those extra steps for us.
Since early March, we have created 22 sleeping mats for the homeless in the Lehigh Valley. With winter coming, we could use more help to create mats. We would love all of our neighbors in need to have a sleeping mat for the winter.
Each mat takes an estimated 500-700 grocery bags (an average trash bag stuffed tightly full), so it takes a lot of time to make a single sleeping mat. Every bag must be flattened out, folded, cut, strung together and crocheted. Carrying straps and ties must be created, then the mat must be measured, rolled, tied, and given a strap. None of the steps are difficult, but they do take time. Some team members specialize in one or more areas; others do it all.
We would like to clarifywhat we need to produce sleeping mats.
We are looking for soft (like a grocery bag) plastic bags that are grocery-sized or larger. Smaller bags are not worth the time it takes to turn them into “plarn” (plastic yarn).
Small holes are OK, especially at the bottom, but shredded or torn bags are not usable. We need to be able to make a loop with the bag.
Please give your bags a quick sniff test. We are making bedding. We cannot use bags that smell of mildew or other bad smells.
For carrying straps, we can use long, thick plastic newspaper bags (16 inches long and 7 inches wide or larger), but not the see-through or smaller ones.
Please check that your bags are clean and empty. Even removing receipts is time-consuming when you need to process hundreds of bags.
If you can follow these guidelines, you will help us to cut down on sorting time and on trash disposal. We appreciate you helping this ministry to care for our neighbors!
If you think you might be interested in helping, please contact Wendy Arbushites, coordinator.