75 Ways to Celebrate 75 Years of UMCOR Being with Those in Need in Times of Crisis

The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is celebrating its diamond anniversary of serving the global community in times of crisis. Here are 75 suggestions of what you and/or your church might consider doing to help UMCOR celebrate its 75th birthday.

  1. Show how you are UMCOR and use #BeUMCOR when volunteering or donating.

  2. Help UMCOR reach 75,000 Facebook likes and “like” UMCOR’s Facebook page.

  3. Invite 75 friends to like UMCOR’s Facebook page.

  4. Pray daily for UMCOR by focusing on different areas of UMCOR’s work using the Lenten devotional.

  5. Create a community garden at your church to promote food sustainability.

  6. Use UMCOR’s children’s sermons to engage children in mission.

  7. Celebrate One Great Hour of Sharing on March 15, 2015, by donating in faith to UMCOR.

  8. Set up monthly giving to UMCOR.

  9. Share the UMCOR YouTube channel with friends and family.

  10. Download the UMCOR app by searching “UMCOR” in iTunes or the Android market.

  11. Ask friends and family to give to UMCOR in lieu of a birthday gift.

  12. Use the alternative giving catalog for UMCOR partner, SERRV when shopping for loved ones.

  13. Help by donating 75 for 75! Make a donation of $0.75 or $75. Any donation with a 7 and a 5 will make a difference.

  14. Remember to use #BeUMCOR in your tweets.

  15. Encourage your pastor to hold a 75th anniversary party at your church.

  16. Find out if your employer will match your donation to UMCOR.

  17. Highlight the work of UMCOR on a display board to be used at your church.

  18. Hold a Mission Celebration with a focus on UMCOR’s 75th anniversary.

  19. Sponsor a 7.5-mile relay with proceeds going to UMCOR.

  20. Encourage children to submit drawings to umcor@umcor.org for a chance to be featured on the 2015 UMCOR Christmas card.

  21. Invite your annual conference disaster response coordinator to speak at your church.

  22. Drink water and donate money saved from abstaining from coffee and soda to UMCOR.

  23. Commit to something that improves yourself and your community for 75 days.

  24. Serve Equal Exchange coffee at your church’s coffee minute.

  25. Hold a SERRV bazaar at your church.

  26. Order fair-trade palms in time for Palm Sunday from Eco-Palms.

  27. Add “UMCOR” to your Google Alerts.

  28. Buy fair-trade chocolate this Easter from Equal Exchange.

  29. When reverse trick-or-treating, make sure it is with fair-trade chocolate from Equal Exchange.

  30. Exchange your current coffee brand for Equal Exchange fair-trade coffees.

  31. Challenge your church and community to create 75 relief kits a month all year long!

  32. Work with your annual conference disaster response coordinator to create a disaster plan.

  33. Add UMCOR to your will.

  34. Give UMCOR the gift of stocks to celebrate 75 years.

  35. Plan a pancake fundraiser with the proceeds going to UMCOR.

  36. Hold a rock-a-thon with the proceeds going to UMCOR.

  37. Send us your photos and/or stories of what UMCOR means to you, and we will post them to UMCOR’s Tumblr page.

  38. Learn more about all that UMCOR does and sign up for the weekly Hotline.

  39. Create a birthday registry and ask friends to create relief kits as “gifts.”

  40. Use resources from the pastor’s toolkit during a worship service celebrating the 75th anniversary.

  41. Listen to UMCOR podcasts that address the importance of One Great Hour of Sharing.

  42. Encourage your pastor to use the pastor’s toolkit to promote One Great Hour of Sharing.

  43. Link to UMCOR infographics to promote One Great Hour of Sharing on social media.

  44. Download the One Great Hour of Sharing Lenten devotional e-book from Amazon.

  45. Perform 75 random acts of kindness to commemorate the 75th anniversary, and encourage others to do the same by sharing your good works on social media and using #BeUMCOR.

  46. Watch this video showing how congregations are UMCOR.

  47. Order fair-trade candles from Prosperity Candle to make a difference in the lives of women around the world.

  48. Visit the UMCOR Pinterest page today.

  49. Write, perform and video a song about what UMCOR means to you.

  50. Send a thank you note to disaster responders.

  51. Research different human-caused disasters, including their effects and how to respond.

  52. Take some time to read the UMCOR blog

  53. Sponsor a missionary who is working to alleviate human suffering today.

  54. Learn about a country where UMCOR has a field office.

  55. Learn about and support an UMCOR-trained UMC health board.

  56. Host a karaoke party at your church to celebrate 75 years of UMCOR.

  57. Take a photo with someone born in 1940, share it on social media with the hashtag #twinsiesumcor.

  58. Create a 75-day countdown (starting on December 31, 2014) to One Great Hour of Sharing on March 15.

  59. Be an ambassador for an UMCOR project.

  60. Organize a “Pray for UMCOR Day” at your church.

  61. Learn about the history of UMCOR through the timeline on the Facebook page.

  62. Plant and dedicate a tree to commemorate the past 75 years of being UMCOR and as a sign of ongoing commitment into the future.

  63. Gather items for a time capsule to be buried at your church on the Sunday before March 15 and unearthed at UMCOR’s 100th anniversary.

  64. Wear a piece of string around your wrist for 75 days leading up to March 15th to keep UMCOR present in your mind.

  65. “Like” projects you connect with on UMCOR’s Facebook page.

  66. Learn how UMCOR has contributed to the fullness of life and health of people in your area.

  67. Make the UMCOR logo your profile pic for a week or longer.

  68. Have a church yard sale and donate the proceeds to UMCOR.

  69. Host a lemonade stand with lemons and sugar but no water to raise awareness for those without access to clean water.

  70. Visit a project near you to learn or volunteer if possible.

  71. Use the UMCOR storybook during your church’s children’s time.

  72. Donate part of your tax refund to UMCOR.

  73. Keep a daily “hope” journal and share some of your reflections on social media, using the #BeHope hashtag.

  74. Send suggestions to UMCOR on how we might improve what we do.

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