Each year, churches in the Minnesota Annual Conference take a Love Offering for missions. The offering is brought to annual conference session—a gathering of United Methodist clergy and laity from across the state.

The theme of the 2020 Annual Conference session—taking place June 10-12 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota—is “Be the Light—Live Hope!” The Love Offering provides the opportunity to be light and hope for those crying out for love, compassion, justice, and grace in their lives.

Bishop Bruce R. Ough invites congregations to begin praying about and preparing to participate in the Love Offering as a miraculous expression of the abundant life we have in Jesus.

The funds from this year’s offering will to go to four projects: Simpson Housing Services (40 percent), Emma Norton Services (40 percent), Joyce Uptown Food Shelf (10 percent), and Volunteers in Mission (VIM) Scholarships (10 percent).

Simpson Housing Services

Recipient of 40 percent of 2020 Love Offering

Simpson Housing Services’ mission is to house, support, and advocate for people experiencing homelessness. It began as an emergency overnight shelter in the basement of Simpson UMC in 1982. Simpson has since become a leading nonprofit providing assistance to people experiencing homelessness. In response to unmet community needs, its programs have grown to include emergency shelter, supportive housing, and developmental and educational services for children. It works across the Twin Cities metro area, partnering with landlords and developers to find affordable housing for all families and individuals. At any given time, Simpson provides supportive services to 100 individuals and 210 families.

The 2020 Love Offering will support the construction of a new, modern, and dignified shelter on the property of the old Simpson UMC building.

Learn more at www.simpsonhousing.org

Emma Norton Services

Recipient of 40 percent of 2020 Love Offering

Emma Norton was founded in 1917 in St. Paul through a gift that Mrs. Emma Norton from Winona, Minnesota gave to the United Methodist Women. Today, Emma Norton’s mission is to provide transformational housing for women and families on their journey of recovery. It serves homeless women, individuals, and families who have the additional challenges of mental health, chemical dependency, and/or a chronic health condition. Emma Norton provides safe, affordable housing with wrap-around services to facilitate stability, self-acceptance, empowerment, and wholeness for all.

Emma Norton helps nearly 300 individuals and children each year through its permanent housing facilities in St. Paul and Maplewood, a scattered-site housing program in the community, and its SOAR (Social Security Outreach, Access, and Recovery Technical Assistance) Program. It also serves nearly 80 children through home visits, after-school programming, social emotional learning, and tutoring.

In 2020, Emma Norton is undergoing a major renovation of its family townhome community in Maplewood and launching a capital campaign for a new building in St. Paul that will better serve its clients.

Learn more at www.emmanorton.org.

Joyce Uptown Foodshelf

Recipient of 10 percent of 2020 Love Offering

Joyce Uptown Foodshelf is committed to serving anyone experiencing food insecurity in a large area of South Minneapolis. Its mission is to distribute food to those in need with respect and dignity, as an expression of the love of God. The foodshelf, started 50 years ago by the former Joyce UMC, is now a ministry of Lake Harriet UMC and relies on its many partners who donate time, food, and money.

In 2019, Joyce Uptown Foodshelf served 12,684 individuals, 4,358 of whom were children, and distributed  239,556 pounds of food.

In 2020, the foodshelf is focused improving its physical space for its clients. Part of living out its mission of serving with respect and dignity is becoming a fully accessible space. An improved space will also provide participants the ability to choose their own food options, as they might at a grocery store. 

Learn more at www.joyceuptownfoodshelf.org

Volunteers in Mission Scholarships

Recipient of 10 percent of 2020 Love Offering

Mission trips change the lives of participants by giving them an opportunity to grow in faith and gain a new perspective of the world. Through the United Methodist Church’s Volunteers in Mission program, teams spend up to two weeks working on mission projects domestically or abroad.

Most teams from Minnesota are engaged in hands-on projects that build infrastructure to ensure that nutritional, medical, and educational programs in developing countries become sustainable and locally run. Team members pay their own way, and the Love Offering helps to offset the cost for first-time participants.

Love Offering Resources

In mid-March, all churches will receive a packet with materials to help them promote the Love Offering to their congregations. Please share this giving opportunity! Electronic copies of these resources are available here:

Letter from Bishop Ough
Bulletin insert in color / bulletin insert in grayscale
Poster
PowerPoint for congregations: 16:9 version / 4:3 version