About a year and a half ago, the United Methodist Men at Our Saviour’s United Methodist Church in Schaumburg launched a program to distribute $25 Wal-Mart gift cards to people in the area in need. The pilot program was able to distribute $500 in cards, covered by funds the UMM raised from their annual golf tournament.
Saviour’s United Methodist Church is a part of the Northern-Illinois Annual Conference.
In December 2024, the UMM invited the entire congregation to join them. In addition to the UMM’s gift of $1,000 from their 2024 golf event fundraiser and the United Women of Faith’s $1,000 gift, the church raised $7,730 for a total of $9,730 for the project.
The UMM purchased $25 and $50 gift cards (most were $50). The few cards left will be distributed as needs arise. We learned that many card recipients were so happily surprised that tears of joy filled their eyes.
The cards were distributed in a wide variety of towns. Some took cards with them to distribute in downtown Chicago; others took them as far west as Huntley and Pingree Grove. We also gave cards to food distribution programs to supplement the baskets given to families, the Elgin Community Crisis Center, and for supplemental food items served at a soup kitchen in Elgin that members of OSUMC work at monthly.
We plan to continue this project on an annual basis. The UMM are thankful for the congregation for their donations and also for helping to find people and distribute the cards to folks in need. We also want to thank Pastor David Lagos-Fonseca for championing the project with related sermons, stories, Bible verses, and encouragement.
In addition to the gift card program, Our Saviour’s has been collecting monthly donations from the congregation for over 35 years for the Schaumburg Township Food Pantry. The Fourth Sunday Food Drive has collected and spent over $18,000 this year alone for the program.
Members of the congregation work with the food pantry to purchase supplies and deliver them monthly. In November and December, the Social Justice Committee held a separate collection for holiday food items such as gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and dessert items. Our Saviour’s and Our Redeemer’s UMCs in Schaumburg also supply volunteers each month to pack food bags at Feed Our Starving Children for worldwide distribution.
story by Tim Alexander, Our Saviour’s UMC, Director of Discipleship
This story represents how United Methodist local churches through their Annual Conferences are living as Vital Congregations. A vital congregation is the body of Christ making and engaging disciples for the transformation of the world. Vital congregations are shaped by and witnessed through four focus areas: calling and shaping principled Christian leaders; creating and sustaining new places for new people; ministries with poor people and communities; and abundant health for all.
