Friends of Latvia

Friends of Latvia meeting Saturday, July 20, at 9am CDT. Check your email for the link. Or email [email protected].

Link to regional news coverage of Hope Center celebration.

Vidzemē (25.06.2024.)

Friends of Latvia meeting on Zoom Saturday, April 20, at 9am CDT. Email [email protected] for the Zoom Link.
Hope to see you there!!

We would love to have you come celebrate the Hope Center 20th anniversary in June. A bus will take us from Riga to the Hope Center and then back that evening.

There is a LOT going on in Latvia this summer!!!

The 20th Anniversary Celebration for the Hope Center is June 21, 2024, from 5pm-9pm. We will meet in Riga, and travel via bus to the Hope Center. What a wonderful opportunity to celebrate this great ministry!! If you are planning on being in Riga, please contact Gita Binane ([email protected]) or Julie Croft ([email protected]).

WESLEY CAMP INFORMATION:

Work days: April 20th, May 11th and 25th.

Camps:
Wesley days - June 7th to 12th,
Young adult camp - June 27th to 30th,
Children camp - July 2nd to 6th,
Teens camp - July 9th to 13th,
Youth camp - July 24th to 28th.
Apple festival - September of 21st.

Also, Wesley Camp wants to remind you about a project called “MEMORIES”. They are gathering special memories, photos and videos of your experience at the Wesley camp. They want to gather and later share these memories with those ones who are interested in Wesley camp history, development and testimonies. You can contact Anita Ercuma if you have items to share, or are going to be able to go to any of the camps, at [email protected]. Please contact her if you would like to make donations to Camp for supplies or scholarships.

Wesley Camp has made an information pamphlet in Latvian and will translate into English.

Please keep our brothers and sisters in Latvia in prayer, and we lift up each of you during this Lent season.

Wesley Days is June 9-15 at Wesley Camp! Go help get Camp ready for the season.

Hope Center 20th Anniversary celebration is June 21, 2024. Will you be there??

Friends of Latvia Worship and Meeting Jan. 13th, 2024, 9am CDT. Email [email protected] for zoom link.

Giving Tuesday is Nov. 28th, 2023. Please consider a gift to one of the Latvia Advances.

HOW TO GIVE:
Online

Click the following link and follow instructions for giving to Advances designated for Latvia. Please remember to designate what your gift is for.
https://umcmission.org/

Advance # 14706A (Salary Support for Pastors)

Advance # 3020447 (Hope Center) NOTE: There is currently a $17,500 matching campaign underway for gifts given to the Hope Center by January 15, 2024.

Advance # 15160N (Camp Wesley)

To mail a check:

Make your check payable to ADVANCE GCFA. Write the name of the ministry and the Advance code number on the memo line of the check. Send your check to:

Advance GCFA
P.O. Box 9068
New York, NY 10087-9068.

BY PHONE:

Credit card gifts can be accepted by phone. Call Global Ministries toll free to make your gift: 800-862-4246.

To designate your gift, provide the following Advance information when making your call.

Pastor’s Salary Support Fund:
Hope Center Fund: #3020447
Wesley Summer Camp Fund: (Camp Wesley)

Home The General Board of Global Ministries is the worldwide mission, relief and development agency of The United Methodist Church, working with partners and churches in more than 115 countries to equip and transform people and places for God’s mission.

A huge thank you to Riga 1st UMC for hosting the Friends of Latvia conference last weekend. It was amazing, good fellowship, great food, beautiful setting. I know it was hard work, but very much appreciated. Paldies, paldies!!! Great job!!!

Friends of Latvia zoom meeting April 29, 2023 9am CDT. Join us!

Friends of Latvia conference in Riga, June 17-18, 2023!!

Please join us Saturday, January 7th at 9am CDT for a Christmas Worship Service with our Latvian friends.

Topic: Latvia Worship Service***
Time: Jan 7, 2023, 09:00 AM - 11:00 AM Central

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87406552862?pwd=dW8zL0pCeEV1cUczem1KRitsVEJadz09

Meeting ID: 874 0655 2862
Passcode: 527932

Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, confer...

Great to see everyone today!!

Great Friends of Latvia meeting today. Save the date Sep 24 for next one!!

Save the date and make plans to join us for our next Friends of Latvia gathering on Saturday, June 18, at 9:00 a.m. CT / 10:00 a.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. EET via Zoom (see your email for meeting link). We hope many of you will be able to join us as we reconnect this summer. We will have Bible study presented by Vivita Kalniņa and a report from Wesley Camp. The group from Grapevine that recently visited Latvia will share about their trip.

Some of the Texas members of Friends of Latvia gathered last night to pray for our Latvian friends. We encourage everyone to keep them in prayer, knowing they are not alone. Our Lord and Savior are with them, and we stand with them as well.

Friends of Latvia is meeting on zoom Saturday, Feb 12 at 9am CST. Email [email protected] for details.

Please consider a gift to the ministry of the United Methodist Church in Latvia. The list of Advance projects for this ministry is below. 100% of all Advance giving goes to the chosen mission project of ministry. Give at https://advance.umcmission.org/

Advance # 14706A (Salary Support for Pastors)
Advance # 3020447 (Hope Center)
Advance # 15160N (Camp Wesley)

Please join us Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021 9am CST for virtual Friends of Latvia:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8405705747?pwd=M3RvcWtjRDRzdi9QK0grK3BaUmpGQT09

Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, confer...

My heart is full!! What a wonderful time of worship we had with our Latvian friends this morning (our time).

On Monday, December 28, we will gather via Zoom at 7:00 p.m. (19:00) in Latvia (noon eastern time, 11:00 a.m. central time). We will have a message and music, and time to fellowship.

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8405705747?pwd=M3RvcWtjRDRzdi9QK0grK3BaUmpGQT09

Hard work going on at Riga 1st UMC Basement. This is so heartwarming!!

Over the last five years, Global Ministries has participated in GIVING TUESDAY which is the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Giving Tuesday is a global movement for giving that unleashes the power of people and organizations to transform communities and the world. Thank you for your past gifts to the Latvian United Methodist Church! Don't forget that we have a $25,000 matching grant campaign which has been created by the Hope Center Development Committee. You can donate through the Hope Center ADVANCE below before January 15, 2021 and it will be matched!!

This year, Giving Tuesday is on December 1st although you are invited to give at any time. Global Ministries will share stories of transformational mission work and the ways financial gifts impact lives through the Advance. Click here:
https://umcmission.org/givelove/

GIVE LOVE - Global Ministries Send the gift of love around the world. Working in education, health, and even disaster response, missionaries embody the presence of Christ in service from everywhere to everywhere.

We have an opportunity to help the Hope Center in Latvia through a Matching Campaign. See details and how to donate at:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nxyCRimM8lHeeq2YYrNHJYOKfxqiaXdj/view?usp=sharing

For more information about the Hope Center:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/10H0IczCHKeE44MJ5ZqFDhJ2HNt8gw9-9/view?usp=sharing

Match campaign letter.pdf

Had a great Friends of Latvia meeting this morning. Great to see everyone!!

Just got off of a great FOL Zoom where we decided to have a joint US/Latvia worship service in between Christmas and New Year's (Monday, December 28, 7:00 p.m. EET / 12:00 p.m. EST / 11:00 a.m. CST). I (Melissia) raised my hand to organize, but if you want to be a part, let me know ([email protected])! I will need people from US churches and Latvians to help with translation and choosing songs that sing well in Latvian and English together. I don't want to lean too heavily on the pastors (although you are welcome) as this should be a service where they can worship, not lead.

Riga 1st honored Gita Mednis for her years of service, and celebrated her retirement.