Outreach and Mission

Food Pantry Ministry (April 7 is Food Pantry Sunday)

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat..." Matthew 25:35

Asbury UMC is a partner with the New Beginnings Food Pantry located in the Amherst Baptist Church in the Willow Ridge neighborhood. There is a growing need for food, as more and more families have limited resources, even in the town of Amherst. The families who are clients of the food pantry receive the blessings of food and household necessities that God has so graciously allowed us to donate for their use. Our director at the food pantry was very thankful for the food donations we gave for March. She could not believe it when I handed her 7- $10 TOPS cards in addition to the food donations. The volunteers said how thankful they are for the giving spirit of our congregation. They cannot believe the support that we give to them all year long. Thank you for all that you do. You are remembering the least, the last, and the lost every time you give a donation of food or TOPS cards to the food pantry.

Special needs for April include canned fruits, peanut butter, and jelly. We all know how far peanut butter will go!

Gift cards to Tops in any amount are always wonderful too ($10 is good). By buying Tops cards, the director of the Pantry can purchase what is needed most for the month and can also give the Tops cards to the families in need. (Buy cards from Asbury and the church gets 5%, so it helps Asbury too.)

A huge thanks to all who contribute to this valuable cause. This is a way we reach out to those in need in our community. We have a reputation at the food pantry as being a very giving and caring church that looks beyond our walls to help others. What a great reputation to have! May we continue to bless others as God has blessed us.

Thanks again for being such a loving and caring congegation.

Nancy Moore

Adopt-a-Highway

"The earth is the Lord's and everything in it..." Psalm 24:1

We are called to be stewards of God's creation. Asbury UMC is privileged to participate in the Adopt-a-Highway program, maintaining two miles of roadway along Millersport Highway in Amherst north of our church.

This annual service starts again on Saturday, April 27. Additional clean-up dates for this year are July 27 and October 5.

All hands needed! Come make a difference in our community by caring for God's creation!

Needed: Used Eyeglasses

"Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God."

Luke 18:43

Needed: Sunglasses, reading glasses, any eye glasses and cases to be used for people in need in Nicaragua. An optometrist will be going to Nicaragua early next year, to help train people there to fit glasses for the people who need them. Many people have problems with their eyes due to the harsh sun. Please place your old glasses in the Nicaragua box located in the Fellowship Hall. The glasses will be sent out in September.

Central City Cafe

"...serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Galatians 5: 13b-14

It is time to make a schedule of volunteers for our commitment for the upcoming months for serving lunch at Central City Café (a soup kitchen serving lunch Monday – Friday); the soup kitchen is located at Durham Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church, 174 Eagle Street, Buffalo. Two volunteer workers from Asbury UMC serve lunch the first Tuesday of July – December, excluding August when the kitchen is closed. The work we do is easy, arriving at 9:30 AM and leaving at 1 PM. We help the staff and other volunteers prepare the meal by slicing/dicing/peeling vegetables or meat, toss a salad, open cans of vegetables or fruit, wrap a spoon or fork in a paper napkin, then dish up and serve the food to about 110 people. The number of people in the dining room can be 250 or more on days toward the end of the month when food stamps and welfare checks run low.

Central City Café offers lunch to hungry folks, from homeless people to working poor, five days a week. They don’t just serve food; information and services, ranging from visits by Legal Aid, the Veterans Administration and other agencies are available also.

There is also a great need by the clients for sweatshirts, new or gently used.

Please prayerfully consider helping with this program……they need our help.

The Knitting Circle

"She looks for wool and flax and works with her hands in delight." Proverbs 31: 13

The Knitting Circle meets at the church on Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for knitting or crocheting. The group is making prayer shawls, but participants are welcomed to work on their own projects if they prefer. Donations of yarn are always welcomed.