Church of the Cross United Methodist Church in Salina hosted a block party Sept. 13 for the neighborhood that surrounds the church and the families of the children who attend the church’s preschool. Therese Davis, Youth Ministry coordinator, said, “This was just to have some fun and get to know the people who make up our church community.

Tisdale UMC hosted a “National Night Out” party recently for the small, rural community. “National Night Out” is a community-strengthening, crime and drug prevention event. The church sent invitations to every mailing address in the township and advertised the event in the local news-paper, inviting people in the surrounding area.

Recently, the Hillsboro UMC gave 77 “Prayer Bears” to the children of the Fern Valley UMC in Mutare, Zimbabwe. This effort is a part of a larger program, the “Mutare Connection,” in which churches of the Hutchinson District are partnering with churches of the Mutare District in Zimbabwe.

To engage in risk-taking mission, the members of Lyons United Methodist Church hosted a “Rethink Church Sunday” Sept. 13. The vision for the event was to get out of the pews and help people in the community with projects they had been unable to do themselves, such as yard clean up and washing windows.