Worship Ministries

It takes a lot of people to create and conduct meaningful worship services every Sunday. You can find many rewarding ministries within worship to be of service to God and the people.

Child Care

Child care is available during worship services and Sunday School hour. Care for infants through age 2 is available in the Quiet Room at the north side of the Sanctuary. Care for children ages 2 through 5 is available in the Fellowship Hall Nursery Room.

Music Ministries

Worship by playing and singing traditional and modern Christian music. Anyone who plays the  Guitar, bass, or Drums are welcome. Vocalists also are welcome. Rehearsals are Fridays at 6 pm.

Worship Planning Ministry

Details of all worship services are planned well in advance. The service planning teams meet once a month. We welcome your input to the worship planning team ether by message or your attendance.

Other Worship Support Ministries

Much other support is needed for worship services. Ushers, Sound Technicians, PowerPoint designers, Video projection operators, Camera operators, Greeters, Communion Stewards, Scripture Readers, and Worship Leaders are regularly needed for worship.

These are all are ministries to the church. Contact Pastor or the church office if you can minister in any of these ways.

Last updated: August 20, 2024 at 11:45 am

Hanging Out with Jesus

We have a building dedicated for our youth.

Youth ages 12 to 19

Meeting times may vary. For more information contact the church office at 299-4615

Last updated: August 20, 2024 at 11:45 am

Congregational Care

We care about your physical and mental health. From time to time, Memorial conducts Yoga classes, painting classes, quilting groups. Other similar classes and groups may pop up from time to time. If you have a special talent or interest and would like to form or lead a class or group or just attend, contact the office.

Prayer Chain

The prayer chain offers prayers for anyone in need. Those needs are promptly communicated via phone and emailed to the group members who pray for those in need. The more members of this group, the more powerful is the effect. Contact the church office if you would like to participate.

Prayer Cells

Meeting first Saturday of the month at 11 am in the Lose Library.

Pastor’s Prayer List

This is a list of church friends especially in need of our prayers and concerns, usually for an extended time. Call or email the Pastor or the church office if you know of anyone in need.

Special Friends

This is our own program for offering caring through visiting, telephoning and cards to members and friends in particular need. We also deliver gifts and cards made by our Sunday School children. We need people to join us. The Special Friends Team meets on the second Thursday at 2:00 in the Lose Library.

WWD Grief Group

Widows Widowers, Divorcees group for mutual support in times of loss of loved ones.  Meeting in the Fellowship Hall on Saturday’s at 10:00 am.

Last updated: August 20, 2024 at 11:45 am

Stewardship

Financial Support

Your heart is where your Treasure lies. Tithe. Try it and see what happens. Making a “pledge” helps us know how much resources can be applied to our program through the year.  Also you can donate now using credit card or paypal. Click here to donate now.

Turn your old gadgets (cell phones, iPods, cameras, camcorders, etc) into cash for the church. Click here for Gazelle.com

Donate your old clothing, kitchen ware, household items, etc to the Mission Thrift Store.  This helps people with low income to purchase needed items cheaply and the income is sent to the United Methodist church for missions. (Apportionment)

Service to the Church

Stewardship does not have to involve money.  Your time and talents can be a great service to the church.  Many ministries and programs are available at Memorial that will result in your spiritual growth. Follow your heartbursts, interests, and talents in service to the church. The church will support you.

Donations “in kind”

The church is like a big household. Desks, computers, monitors, TVs, DVD players, lamps, etc are often needed.  Think of the church before throwing anything of value out.

WORLD and LOCAL MISSIONS

Haiti Mission

Memorial sent a team of Members to Haiti in the spring of 2013 under UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief).  See more. 

Stephen Ministry:

Stephen Ministry is a specialized caring ministry in which lay people are given extensive training to walk along side people who are going through exceptionally challenging times in their lives. This ministry is different from the vital caring ministry provided through our “Special Friends” ministry.

Stephen Ministers receive approximately 50 hours of training to empower them to provide appropriate Christian care to others. They will become a companion on a journey toward spiritual healing. The ministry is a powerful experience for both those receiving and giving care. Through funding provided by the Conference United Methodist Women’s Beulah Fund, people have been trained as Stephen Leaders.

Stop Hunger Now!

On May 18, 2013, we packed 10,200 meals for the hungry. This was such a success and was so easy, we knew we can do more.  On October 20th, 2013, at Memorial, we packed 121,422 meals in a huge Stop Hunger Now meal packing event as part of Memorial’s 120th anniversary.

Note the Stop Hunger Now programs is called Rise Against Hunger.

This was a community wide event. Teams from people’s work, organizations, Boy Scouts participated.

Divine guidance must have been involved with this event because we had no idea that our meals would be desperately needed a couple of weeks later in the Philippines after the devastating typhoon. Click here to read a letter to Memorial from Stop Hunger Now.

Click here to see a video of the October, 121,422 meals packing.

Stop Hunger Now relies on donantions to pay for the food ingredients. Each meal bag costs about $1.80 and feeds about 6 people. Donations are also needed to cover transportaion costs. Please donate. ALL donations via the button below will be passed to Stop Hunger Now.  Memorial keeps none of it. 

This event is organized by Memorial and Stop Hunger Now which is an international hunger relief agency that has been fulfilling its commitment to end hunger for more than 15 years.

Other Missions

Various world missions are actively supported by Memorial through organizations such as the Church World Service, and Global Board of Ministries. For example, Memorial made blankets for the Church World Service TOOLS OF HOPE & BLANKET Program

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More Conference Missions

United Methodist Apportionments

We are a connectional church, connected through the world-wide United Methodist Church. We support the missions of the United Methodist Church as much as possible. Monetary support is provided through apportionments which the United Methodist Church requests from each local church. Memorial pays its apportionments from its general fund. Check out http://www.umcgiving.org for more info.

In 2012, Memorial paid it’s apportionments in full for the first time in 17 years. Click to see video of the celebration.

LOCAL MISSIONS

Memorial is active in the local community with local missions sponsored by Fresno Interdenominational Refugee Ministries, The Poverello House, Fresno Metro Ministries and any other local need that may arise.

Food Bank

Memorial UMC maintains a small storage of food for people in need. You can help to keep the pantry stocked by bringing non-perishable food to the church office.

Community Garden

Residents from a nearby Hmong community are using a portion of our property as a garden to grow vegetables for their families.  It is a beautiful addition to our property in two ways: The beauty of the fresh, green rows is a joy to see and it is also wonderful to behold how people can do so much for themselves when given a little help. We are reminded of that every time we drive into the parking lot.  The Hmong gardeners are the best. The garden is always neat and something is always growing.

In 1999, Memorial UMC established the garden for the neighborhood Hmong community on an unused portion of the property. It has continued to thrive to this day with continued support of Memorial UMC and Fresno Interdenominational Refugee Ministries (FIRM). The garden is also funded through grants from our Fresno District Mission Society.  Contact DianeZastovnik,

for more details about our garden.

See Clovis Independent newspaper article about the garden.

Hmong Community

Our Hmong neighbors and friends (who are refugees from Laos) join us for special events such as Vacation Bible School and celebrations of harvest, Halloween and Christmas. We reach out to the Hmong families and children through English classes, Christmas gifts and assistance to move from welfare to work.

MUMC Annual Boutique in November

The Boutique is held every November and proceeds go to missions. You can help by making items to sell or buy some of the beautiful items on sale.

The United Methodist Connections

Memorial is a connectional church which means it is a part of the world wide United Methodists. Some of Memorial’s financial apportionments go to the General Board of Global Ministries,
One of those missions is the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) which responds through its ecumenical partners to various needs and disasters in the world. Some disasters like Katrina, require a long time commitment.  Donations can be made direct to UMCOR.

UMCOR is exempt from tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of the United States and qualifies for the maximum charitable contribution deduction by donors. One hundred percent of your tax-deductible gifts go to the emergency response or Advance project that you designate.

Mission Thrift Shop

(Help needed NOW!  November 2024)

Memorial UMC operates a non-profit Thrift Shop on its campus as a support for missions of the church. All items for sale are donated. The store is open on the first Friday of the month and the next day (Saturday). The Thrift Store  has a four-fold purpose:

1. Proceeds go to the missions of the United Methodist Church. (apportionment levied on all UMC churches for missions.)
2. The store provides low cost goods to people in need.
3. Some of the merchandise is provided to FIRM and Love INC.
4. The store provides and educational experience and growth for all of the workers involved with it.

Volunteers are needed for all aspects of the store operation – sorting, pricing, sales, etc.  If you would like to help, contact the church office.  It is an educational experience as well as a service to the community and church.

Work Times: Tuesday and Friday mornings. Saturday afternoon.

Last updated: August 20, 2024 at 11:45 am