A major earthquake hit Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Jan. 12, causing widespread destruction. Millions of people are affected and thousands are feared dead. Our mission leaders have heard from our volunteer and mission teams and the United Methodist Committee On Relief is assessing the needs and responding. Some materials have been stockpiled and are already on their way.  You can help by making a financial donation.  You can make you donation to the church, MLUMC and marking the message or envelope UMCOR.  If you would like to make a more immediate response you can go online to the UMCOR website and donate directly: .www.umcorhaiti.org Please pray for all who are affected by the disaster.

All-Church Soup and Salad Luncheon
Hosted by the United Methodist Women
Sunday, February 14 at noon
All members of the congregation are welcome to attend.
Soup, salad, bread and beverages will be provided.

Bon ton roulet! Terrific Tuesdays! celebrates Mardi Gras on Feb 16. Come sample our NOLA-inspired pancakes & more. This family event offers dinner plus activities for all ages. Join us each week from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in Asbury Center.

Bishop George Bashore’s Lenten Bible study will begin on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 17, and continue through March 24 at 9:30 a.m. in Wesley Hall.

This six-week study will use as a basis Adam Hamilton's book, "24 Hours That Changed the World." We will study the last 24 hours of Jesus' life to see the theological significance of Christ's suffering and death and to reflect upon the meaning of those events for our lives.

Please notify the church office, if you plan to attend, so that we may order the books. The cost of the book is $18. (If this amount is prohibitive, please notify Bishop George so that each person may have a book.)

We will begin Ash Wednesday with communion at
6 a.m. in the sanctuary. Communion will be offered in silence until 10 a.m. During that time you are invited to enter the sanctuary and kneel at the communion rail: one of our pastors will serve you. Feel free to pray and reflect as long as you like.

Our Ash Wednesday evening service will be at
7:30 p.m. in Sanner Chapel and will include the imposition of ashes.

Senior high students meet from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Sundays in Asbury Center. Dinner is provided. Contact JJ Knabb for information.

Middle School/Junior High Youth Group meet from 6 to 8 p.m. Sundays in Epworth Chapel. Come on over and check it out!  Linh Quach and Dave Langenbacher are teh adult coordinators.

Parents! Do you drop your children off  for Sunday school, then look for  a cup of coffee?  If so, stop in the MLUMC Coffee Cafe in Room 204  (2nd floor, Education Building) for coffee and conversation 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.

A women's Bible study led by Rev. KImberly Greway meets from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Fridays in Brookline Parlor, adjacent to our sanctuary. All are welcome!

MLUMCoffers free blood pressure screenings the first Sunday of each month. The screenings will take place in Brookline Parlor, adjacent to the sanctuary, after the 10:45 worship service. A few facts:
>> One in seven people have high blood pressure (HBP).
>> Over half of those with HBP don’t know they have it because they have no symptoms.
>> HBP can be controlled; once it is under control, life can be healthy and happy
>> The only way to find out if you have HBP is to have your pressure checked

"What if church wasn't just a building, but thousands of doors? Each of them opening up to a different concept or experience of church - and a journey that could change our world. Would you come?"

This intriguing question is the basis of a new United Methodist website, 10thousanddoors.org. 10000doors offers a streamlined, "clearinghouse" format that aims to collect tons of relevant information about religion -- headlines, videos, chat, music, Q&A -- in one place. Visit 10000doors now, by clicking on the link above or on the logo at the bottom of our home page.

If you love to sew and want to use your talents to help others, here's a great opportunity! Hands and Hearts in Mission makes items to donate to a variety of projects.  We make quilts, blankets, school bags, wheelchair bags, dolls, kids’ clothes, cloth diapers, and other items for the needy. 

We meet each first and fourth Thursday from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. in Epworth Chapel … but wait!  You don’t even have to come to the meetings!  You can make things and turn them in without ever attending a meeting … though we ARE a lot of fun! 

We make items for UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) , Asbury Heights, Nyadire, the Zimbabwe Hospital, the Home of Hope Orphanage, and several other organizations.  Items are tagged with the maker’s name, the place they want it to go, and the church address. 
We learn from each other, share patterns, discover new tools, meet new friends and generally have a great time as we do God’s work.  Come and let you hands and hearts bless others!

If you'd like to stay up to date on MLUMC happenings via e-mail, sign up for the E-Compass, our twice-monthly electronic newsletter, by clicking here.

Every 30 seconds, an innocent child in Africa dies of malaria.  This disease causes immeasurable suffering across the African continent.  Left untreated, malaria's flu-like symptoms - fever, chills, vomiting, headache - lead to convulsions, organ failure and unnecessary deaths.  All caused by a parasite called Plasmodium, transmitted through the bite of a tiny mosquito.

Imagine No Malaria is an extraordinary effort of The people of The United Methodist Church to eliminate death and suffering from malaria in Africa by 2015. Just as the cross is a sign to us of God’s love, we are called to be a sign of God’s love and commitment to the world.

A sustainable victory.

The key to overcoming malaria’s burden is achieving sustainability, which we will accomplish through:

Prevention: Distributing insecticide-treated bed nets (Nothing But Nets), and working to drain standing water where mosquitoes breed.

Education: Teaching people in rural areas how to protect themselves from mosquitoes and how to identify early symptoms of malaria…before it’s too late.

Communication: Using radio and cell phones to deliver lifesaving information about malaria.

Treatment: Improving existing hospitals and clinics, training community health workers and providing life-saving medicines to those in need.

Get all the latest news and updates.

To subscribe to Mosquito Bytes, the official e-newsletter of Imagine No Malaria, click here.

Still have questions? Click here for an FAQ about Imagine No Malaria