The New Life Church Clothing Room for the Poor is in great need of men’s pants. Many of their members are homeless and live on the streets. Place your donation in the designated box in the lobby. Thank you for your help!

 

Blood Pressure screenings are TODAY in the conference room for 20 minutes following each service.  We hope to see you there!

 

To celebrate Jesus’ birth, Hannah Circle is sponsoring a diaper drive during the month of February. All sizes are appreciated. Free Store even takes partial boxes.

 

It is not too late!  Join in our Columbus Bicentennial Celebration planned for Saturday, March 3.  The event spotlights a local history fair by area youth, a photo expo for all ages, a time capsule, and much more. Entries are still being accepted and prizes will be given for ALL accepted entries! Check out the details at www.maplegroveumc.org. Funded by a generous grant from 200Columbus Bicentennial, Chase, and the Greater Columbus Arts Council.

 

Maple Grove is again sending volunteers on a mission trip this year. The location chosen is Joplin, MO, which is still recovering from last year’s devastating tornado. Those of us who traveled to New Orleans last year saw in Tuscaloosa, AL just how terrible tornado damage can be. The Joplin storm was much more intense than Tuscaloosa, and so we made contact with Joplin Habitat for Humanity and the Missouri Conference of the United Methodist Church and arranged for our team to go the week of May 13 to spend a few days helping with the recovery.

The plan is to leave Maple Grove on Sunday, May 13, and spend Monday getting settled in, then working Tuesday through Friday morning and hitting the road back around noon. The stopover city will be in the St. Louis area. There are some opportunities to help in areas beyond construction, such as food pantry, housekeeping, and administrative duties. We will have more information as plans develop. So mark your calendar and talk to your friends. We have established a fine tradition of helping in recovery from disasters while at the same time developing closer friendships within the Maple Grove Community. Please check your calendar and try to find a way to come along and help with this year’s Adult Mission Project. For information, contact Dan McDowell at torrencelodge@aol.com or 268-0480.

We will also be providing the Easter Breakfast as a way of raising funds to support this project, so forget breakfast at Bob Evans, or brunch at the club. Instead, join us for a good meal and great fellowship at a lower price (or possibly more if you feel generous).