Ongoing Opportunities for Participation and Service

Asbury's mission is to be a place for all people to become disciples of Jesus Christ. Becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ requires a commitment of our lives, our talents, and our resources to the work of the church. All members are ministers of the church and it is the task of the pastor, staff, and VisionTeam to equip and send out the members to do ministry. We believe that everyone has unique spiritual gifts which are given by the Spirit, and that rich meaning is found in our lives when these gifts are used in Christ's name. There are many opportunities at Asbury for such involvement in ministry.

Christian Ed. and Formation for Children & Youth

CHILDCARE

Professional childcare is available in the nursery on Sunday mornings during worship and Christian Enrichment.

9:30 A.M. SUNDAY MORNING CHRISTIAN ENRICHMENT

During the 2010/2011 school year children of all ages will be using "The Joyful Path" curriculum recently produced by The Center for Progressive Christianity.

Younger Children This class incorporates a variety of hands-on learning experiences designed to help young children grow in awareness of the transforming love of Jesus Christ in their lives.

Christian Enrichment for Youth Through Bible study and issue studies, this class incorporates discussion, service, and creative expression to help us in our journey of relating faith to daily life.

WORSHIP

Children and youth are always welcome in worship at Asbury! Most children attend the 9:30 a.m. worship celebration with an adult and stay thru Kid's moments, when children 8 & under are dismissed for Sunday School.

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

Each year Asbury hosts a Vacation Bible School program at no cost for children in our church and the wider community. All are welcome!

SPECIAL EVENTS

Asbury's Birthday Celebration Each November Asbury celebrates its birthday with a meal and activities for all ages.

Easter Egg Hunt and Brunch On Easter Sunday Asbury hosts an Easter Egg Hunt and Brunch. An egg hunt for children-- and food, fellowship, and fun for all!

Ongoing Opportunities for Participation and Service

  • Family Promise (formerly Greater Phoenix Interfaith Hospitality Network) Temporary safe haven for homeless families with small children. A charter member church of Family Promise, Asbury is one of 13 churches in the Phoenix area which rotate on a quarterly basis, each church providing shelter and meals for homeless families one week at a time. During the day, guest families are taken to the day center, staffed by a full-time social worker. Asbury has volunteered its 15-passenger van for daily use since the program's inception.
  • Habitat for Humanity Constructing affordable homes for low-income families, Asbury has been affiliated with Habitat for Humanity since 1996, and has helped build two houses through the "Mighty Methodist Coalition."
  • Joshua Tree Asbury hosts The Joshua Tree, a weekly lunch program and food pantry which serves 80 - 100 persons living with HIV and AIDS every Tuesday. The current President of the Joshua Tree Board is an Asbury member, and the lunch is staffed by many Asbury volunteers.
  • Gospel Choir rehearses 7 p.m. Wednesdays early fall through spring.
  • Jerry's Lunches Non-perishable sack lunches to hand to the homeless and others in need. For three years, Asbury has offered Jerry's Sack-lunch Ministry, whereby someone can pick up a sack lunch after church on Sundays ($1 suggested donation) to have on hand (or in their glove box) to offer when encountering someone on the street who is hungry.
  • Living the Questions A small group video introduction to progressive Christianity is offered several times a year. For more info visit www.livingthequestions.com
  • Recovery Groups Asbury has had a long history of making its facilities available to recovery groups: presently 15 different 12-step groups meet on Asbury's campus each week.
  • Bereavement Support During the past 18 months Asbury has sponsored two on-going bereavement groups, one for adolescents. Both were staffed by social workers.
  • Vacation Bible School Offered at no cost to participants every June.
  • Childrens Sunday School See above.
  • Sunday Morning Youth Study See above.
  • Adult Christian Enrichment Sundays at 11:00 a.m. in fellowship hall.
  • Adult Short-term studies Weeknights, as announced.
  • DISCIPLE Bible Study Offered each September. An intensive, 34-week program lead by trained facilitators, meeting weekly for two hours.
  • Volunteer Services Ushering, office assistance, child care, transportation ministry, multimedia, property maintenance, and more.
  • FaithLink Asbury UMC’s internet network is a great way to share prayer requests, receive prayer requests, get the news about the church, let people know about your celebrations, etc. All you need to do is notify the church or Jane Suddarth (jane_tom@cox.net).
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