Church on the Cape - United Methodist
A community church in Cape Porpoise, Maine
Outreach Vision Statement
The Outreach Committee leads the congregation in serving, supporting, and establishing programs that fulfill the Christian-given objectives of aiding the oppressed, promoting peace, and fostering Christian principles locally, nationally, and worldwide.
Our work includes education, advocacy, charitable financial drives, and organizing service opportunities within our congregation and the local community.
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Church on the Cape has three areas of passionate outreach:
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Ministry of Caring: Supporting our local members and friends. We deliver healthy meals when requested to our congregants in need. Poinsettias are distributed to our homebound members and friends.
Our prayer coordinator, Julie Chase, heads the Prayer Ministry, and birthday cards are sent throughout the year.
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Evangelism Outreach: Within are our small community, we have a big heart and we reach out to our neighbors. We invite everyone to our "Get to Know Your Neighbors Potluck" every four months. Please join our mailing list and watch this website for upcoming local events.
A major component of the Mission Outreach is our annual "Christmas Fair Alternative Gifting"
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National and International Outreach: Through the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), Church on the Cape gives to national and international projects.
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In 2023 alone, the church gave over $58,000 through about two dozen organizations.
Alternative Christmas Fair
The Alternative Christmas Fair is held each year on several Sundays in December following the worship service. “Shoppers” have an opportunity to make donations to a variety of community ministries, receiving special Christmas cards to send to those persons on whose behalf the donations were made. This event is a way to present members and friends with an alternative to material gift-giving by supporting these much-needed programs.
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Domestic outreach
Bon Appetit
Bon Appetit is a weekly dinner program in Biddeford. Clients arrive for a free nutritional dinner and companionship. During the summer, between 40-50 people are served daily, with the numbers increasing during winter months. The program has seen a dramatic rise in the numbers of children coming in family units. Additional funding is always needed to supplement the work of Bon Appetit. The Church on the Cape faith family regularly volunteers to serve the meal on the third Wednesday of the month.
Cargo Shop
Our Cargo Shop is managed by a devoted committee of volunteers. It offers clothing, shoes, housewares, books, and knick-knacks of all types. Proceeds from the sale of items supports our ministry of helping others. The shop also serves as a community resource to those in need after a personal hardship or emergency.
Regular hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2p-4p. During the summer, the shop is also open on Saturdays from 10-12 noon. We accept gently used donations of good quality. Those who wish to donate items can leave them outside the church office. Many thanks to the community for their continued support.
Caring Unlimited
Domestic violence is the most recurrent incident reported to the police in Kennebunkport, according to local police. Caring Unlimited is our answer to violence in the community. This organization offers hope to families in danger through 24-hour hotline aid, legal advisors, support groups staffed by kid-workers, a donation center, temporary and transitional housing.
Community Outreach Service
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Our mission is to extend a helping hand to our neighbors who face challenges with food, fuel, or specific needs. As a 501c3, non-profit organization, we serve the individuals and families in the towns of Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, and Arundel.
Grace Street Ministry
This outreach ministry offers a consistent, compassionate, pastoral presence to the homeless and marginalized in downtown Portland, Maine. They work to relieve suffering, to address the spiritual needs in this ever-shifting community, and to decrease the prejudice between the housed and the homeless through preaching, education, and experience. Our faith family collects socks annually for Grace Street Ministry.
Habitat for Humanity
For over 20 years, Habitat for Humanity in York County has been helping low-income families obtain affordable housing. The three legs of support for this program are land, volunteers and funds. The Church on the Cape has been an ever-increasing and vital part of this Christian outreach through our gifts, our prayers, and our participation. Gifts made to Habitat will help meet the objective of increasing the number of much needed homes built each year from a historical average of one per year to a targeted 2 to 3 homes per year.
Kennebunkport Public Health Emergency Fuel Assistance
This program provides for fuel need requests during the winter. The fuel needs were funded solely by donations and no one is denied assistance. The Public Health Department meets every emergency request immediately. We are expecting a drastic increase in the number of families who will need assistance this winter. The rising costs for fuel, food and housing will greatly strain the very tight budgets of our seniors and working low-income families.
York County Shelter Programs
This program is committed to end homelessness and assist people to reach their fullest potential by providing access to various levels of housing, personal growth opportunities, and community resources. They operate a live-in shelter in Alfred, as well as assistance to complete GED’s or job training. In addition, an extremely active food pantry supplies thousands of boxes to those in need, including holiday baskets at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Seeds of Hope
Seeds of Hope Neighborhood Center in Biddeford, Maine is a drop-in center open Tuesday through Friday that offers hospitality to all who pass through their door. The collection of our efforts strives to support those who are struggling, care for those in need, advocacy for those who have been silenced, companionship for those who are alone and compassionate love for all. They serve an expanded continental breakfast/lunch four days a week serving 70-90 per day; offer free new/gently used clothing and operate a Career Resource Center assisting in job search.
Pastor Ruth Merriam Missions Fund
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(Past Alternative Christmas Giving, still a good cause. )
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"Go, be the hands, feet, and heart of Christ!" Through ‘Partners in Development’ (see below) and other organizations, we now have channels through which we can effectively serve the poor. We can help at their medical clinics, we can work at construction sites, we teach English to the village children, we can help install water filters. And who is better equipped to offer their physical strength and energy than members of our community. What do they, in turn, gain from the experience?
Said one teen: "I have kept the feeling that I am not ENTITLED to anything…even seemingly small things – like wearing shoes or having running water.…I want to make my advantages worthwhile, and to use them for something outside of my own self-interest." In the spirit of Pastor Ruth’s lifetime of service, this fund will help sponsor those who wish to serve on life-changing mission trips.
Additional funding
In addition to the Christmas Alternative Fair and other fund-raising efforts, the church allocates a specific amount of our annual operating budget to outreach setting aside a percentage of its financial surplus for use by the Outreach Committee.
Please join our faith family in supporting our ministry and support efforts. Give today!