Opportunities for Service
LUMA Projection Arts Festival
Friday & Saturday, September 7–8
Can you help us welcome LUMA to our building?
We need 20 volunteers Friday and Saturday September 7 & 8 for the whole shift from 7:00pm to 12:00am each night to help make the LUMA “Transfiguracio” light show a success.
Anyone who would like to volunteer can register using LUMA’s Google Form, and write “Church" in the comment box. Or, contact the church office with your name, contact info, and which night you are interested in. Please note that volunteers may not get to see the show while volunteering.
Volunteers will have to attend a training session on either Monday September 3, Wednesday September 5, or Thursday September 6 from 6pm to 8pm at the Incubator at 120 Hawley Street in Binghamton.
Anyone who would like to volunteer but cannot do the whole shift from 7:00pm to midnight can call or email the church office and leave your name and what times you can volunteer. There are some other jobs available for volunteers that are shorter time frames.
Community Meal
Every Tuesday, 5:00–5:45pm
Our Community Meal is a free meal that is open to anybody in the community. The meal is served every Tuesday, 5:00–5:45pm, to approximately 125–150 people.
We’re looking for volunteers to help with food preparation, plating, and serving dinners. We especially need help on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Tuesdays. Meal preparation begins around noon; those who do plating and serving are needed at 4:30pm.
We invite you to donate your time, energy, and experience. Our volunteers say they feel rewarded many times over for the help they provide in making a difference in the lives of others.
If you’d like to be a part of this vital and much-needed ministry, whether just for one week or on an ongoing basis, please contact Community Meal Coordinator Katie Kukol at 607-722-4219 or meal@upcbgm.org. Thanks!
Some of the many volunteers who help us make the Community Meal happen each week.
Sewing Group
Wednesdays, 9am–12pm
The Sewing Group made fidget quilts and donated them to the Good Shepherd Village’s memory unit. These quilts provide sensory stimulation for the restless hands of patients with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia.
The Sewing Group meets every week in the Upper Lounge on the 2nd floor, working to create crib-size or lap quilts, decorative pillows, and walker “carry bags,” as well as knitted hats, sweaters, mittens, scarves, and baby items. Our donations are given to:
Charities including Mom’s House, the YWCA, Rescue Mission, Birthright, Meals on Wheels, and Camp Sunshine (for children with terminal cancer);
Care facilities including Willow Point, Fairview Good Shepherd, United Methodist Homes (Elizabeth Church & St. Louise Manor), Hilltop, Bridgewater, and Absolute Care;
as well as our homebound members and our UPC lobby. Any newborns in our congregation receive a quilt gift.
Anyone interested is encouraged to join them on Wednesday mornings starting at 9am. Bring a sandwich to enjoy lunch during fellowship at 12 noon. No special sewing skills are needed for cutting squares, design layout, pinning, tying, setting the table for lunch, or heating water for tea. Sewing machine and hand hemming skills are a plus.
Care & Share Distribution Project
2nd Wednesday of every month, 9:30am–12:30pm
This program provides personal care products to individuals and families who hold Broome County, New York State Benefit Identification cards and receive SNAP benefits. The purpose of the Care & Share Project is to help each household supplement products that cannot be purchased with SNAP benefits. We continue the effort to encourage recipients of the Care & Share program to supply their own bags to take items home.
WHERE: Library Lounge
TIME: 9:30am (place orders); 10:30am (distribution starts)
All hands welcome!
Thank you to all those who continue to support this program. Please help by purchasing products, or donating funds to support the project.
We need: bars of soap, shampoo, deodorant, razors, laundry and dishwashing detergents, and sanitary napkins/tampons. These items can be dropped off at the office.
For more information, or to volunteer, contact the office (office@upcbgm.org).