Missions

 In  1978 Southeast Louisiana Youth for Christ Inc. was formed with the  purpose of reaching youth with the good news of Jesus Christ. For  thirty-three years the ministry has been predominantly public school  oriented and known primarily as Campus Life. Today the name is TEAM 5:18  and Campus Life is Campus Outreach. The names have changed but the  goals remain the same. In recent years the advent of large churches and  their investment in youth ministry has targeted those schools very  effectively with outreach to the youth of the traditional "nuclear  family'. During that same time, Shane O'Hara and Jeff Boren (the staff)  had begun to focus on kids falling through the cracks. The ministry  expanded to include mentoring for at risk children from father absent  homes and programs and mentoring for institutionalized children. These  endeavors eventually led us to partnerships with a group of prison and  youth ministries that we believe are providing some of the most  effective ministry for reaching children and ministering to their  families in America. These ministries are all found highlighted on this  web site. As our involvement grew with these ministries and our forms of  ministry increased "CAMPUS LIFE" no longer seemed an accurate name for  all we do. Because what we do either RECONCILES MAN TO GOD, or  RECONCILES FATHERS TO THEIR CHILDREN and since one of our primary goals  is to mobilize and equip the Body of Christ to accomplish this the name  TEAM 5:18 based on 2 Corinthians 5:18 seemed an appropriate umbrella  name for our endeavors. 

Caring for the physical and spiritual needs of those whose parents were killed in war or by AIDS. During the civil war, many men and women were physically attacked and killed, particularly in East Congo. As a result, there were great numbers of orphans in Kindu. Many mothers most of whom were widows, were raped during the war. Died of HIV/AIDS, leaving behind their children. The church saw the need, to establish an orphanage program. To enable them to help provide a safe nest for orphans. The East Congo United Methodist Church is currently using portion of the East Congo UMC Women Center to provide minimum care for these children and youth. The facility needs to be improved, as well as the conditions to the services and care being provided. 

The United Methodist Home for Children (UMHC) was founded in 1917 by  the Central Pennsylvania Conference of the Methodist Church (now the  Susquehanna Conference of the United Methodist Church) as an orphanage.  Each day, the Mechanicsburg campus serves approximately 35 children  between the ages of 12-20 using a collaborative trauma-informed approach  to care. UMHC contracts with county, state and federal agencies to  provide safe, residential care to youth and support services to their  families and communities.

When, as a community, we make sure that everyone can reach their  potential and fully contribute to our communities, we all benefit.  Maximizing the potential of children, people who are our neighbors, our  workforce, and our civic body ensures that our communities remain  vibrant places to live, work, and play.