Adult Ministries

ADULT MINISTRIES

BY SAM LOBELLO

MEN’S MINISTRY

It’s hard to believe I have been on Staff at LOUMC for seven years. I can remember when I first arrived wondering what percent of our congregation was composed of men. The reason I was curious was because the congregations I had served the Lord through for 32 years before coming here were clearly lopsided with males comprising far less of the congregation than females.

Why did this concern me? Because the Bible clearly designates the man as the spiritual leader of the family. My concern was for Christian families...for men to be true to God’s call to our lives to be faithful to Him, to worship Him, to grow in Christlikeness and to honor Him in our homes and in His world. Almost seven years ago I stood in the Audio/Visual Booth and looked out at our congregation during a full 10 o’clock Worship Service here at LOUMC. My spirit was lifted as I scanned the congregation and took note of the large number of men present. Our congregation was easily 50 percent men. God put it on my heart that day of the need to strengthen our Men’s Ministry.

If you haven’t already, I encourage you to join us in our journey toward Christlikeness as we study, worship and fellowship together in Men’s Ministry. Some of my greatest joys in ministry have been seeing men surrender their lives to Christ. I have seen men who came to embrace Jesus as their Savior and desire to live under His Lordship. They begin to grow and mature into Godly husbands and parents, as well as faithful men who bless many others. In this God is glorified and His Kingdom in served!

REFUGE

Been wrestling chemical dependency issues? Do you want to stop? Would you like some help in staying clean? Come join us on Thursdays at 7:00 PM in Room #2 for REFUGE! Our REFUGE Group is a Christ Centered Support Group helping people who struggle with addiction. REFUGE is a unique blend of instruction, support encouragement and accountability. The teaching and sharing that takes place within our group is very helpful and what we teach is often life changing! If you wrestle with addiction issues we are here to assist you on your journey to life recovery!

GLOVES MINISTRY

After building several sets of steps, rails and ramps in our Watson community our Gloves Ministry has turned its attention to our Church Campus. Recently they fixed a water leak and repaired the floor in our Thrift Store. As this article is being written our Gloves Ministry Team is preparing to build shelves in the new location for our Church Library.

Most of our Gloves Ministry Team members are retired. They, along with others have served our Watson community tirelessly for years. Our Gloves Ministry Director is Greg Hooper. Potential projects are to come to me, Bro. Sam, as the Staff Member assigned oversight of Special Ministries. You can reach me by calling the Church Office at 664-4801 or emailing me at sam@loumc.org. If you are interested in serving on our Gloves Ministry Team please contact me. Our Gloves Team can sure use your helping hands!

THE THRIFT STORE

Our Thrift Store has a variety of clothing and household items available for our Watson community. It is a non-profit organization which ministers aid to those in need. Most come to shop, but some come to socialize with friends. We invite you to come shop and visit with us!

Currently we are in need of volunteers. If you can help out on one of the three days we are open each week that would be a tremendous help to us! We are open Monday and Friday, 11:00 AM- 2:00 PM; and Wednesday 8:00 AM – 11:00 AM. We are grateful for our hard working Thrift Store Volunteer Team. Without them this ministry would not be possible. If you would like to join our Volunteer Team call our Thrift Store Director, Peggy Langois at 665-1314 or call the Church Office at 664-4801. We would love to have you on our Thrift Store team!

FOOD PANTRY

Our Food Pantry provides food assistance for families who are in need. This year our pantry has assisted 316 families with necessary food assistance compared to 257 families last year at the same time. This ministry is carried out by volunteers. We are so grateful for their dedication and hard work We are funded by designated offerings to LOUMC, donations to our Food Pantry Fund and supported by local businesses and schools.

Our Food Pantry is open on Mondays from 11:00 AM-1:00 PM and Wednesdays from 8:00 AM-11:00 AM. We are glad to join God in ministering to families in our Watson community throughout the year. If you have questions concerning our Food Pantry or would like to volunteer or give to our Food Pantry please contact Dale Clark, our Food Pantry Director at 243-5678. Thank you for supporting our Food Pantry Ministry with your time, offerings and prayers!

Sam Lobello

Director of Adult Ministries

email: sam@loumc.org