As a noun, Merriam-Webster defines mission as a calling or vocation, or a ministry commissioned by a religious organization to propagate its faith or carry-on humanitarian work. It goes on to define missions as a plural as organized missionary work. At Epworth Villa it is defined as caring for others – even those we may never meet or know. To celebrate May Mission Month, Epworth Villa’s Religious Life Committee and newly appointed Chaplain, Laura Glover, have teamed with Epworth community volunteers including Delphine Jewell, Jimette McLean, and Cathy Nichols.
The group sought out speakers to share their stories of missions throughout the month and led the community in two large projects. The first mission project was a clothing drive to benefit Skyline Urban Ministry. The community gathered 881 pounds of new and gently used spring and summer clothing. This broke their previous record of 550 pounds. The flood buckets were the final project of Epworth Villa’s Mission Month. On March 28th, residents, employees, board members, and special guests met to celebrate all the current and former missionaries in the community and assemble the flood buckets. The group had a goal of completing 10 buckets at a cost of $60-75 per bucket.
Flood buckets contain the essentials needed to enable those affected by floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes — locally and globally — to begin the overwhelming job of cleaning up. A specific list of supplies for the flood buckets is provided by UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief). They are a global relief agency that helps with relief efforts both here in Oklahoma and around the world.
Glover said in her short tenure at Epworth Villa, she has been so delighted at how busy and involved the residents of Epworth Villa are in their community. “We have so many residents who have given of their time and talents in missions throughout their lifetime – and there is no stopping them now!”
