When John Wesley created his Values Guiding Principles that included serving the poor and the children he would be pleased to witness how we and the UMC Eastern Pennsylvania Conference have responded to his call. God has blessed us in eastern Pennsylvania with five exceptional and extraordinary institutions of caring and serving. These Methodist institutions serve and care for children, the sick, families, and seniors.
God’s Fab 5 in eastern Pennsylvania in the Philadelphia area are the Simpson House, the Methodist Home for Children, Wesley Enhanced Living, and the Methodist Hospital. Cornwall Manor is the 5th Fab 5 and is located in Lebanon County.
Methodists throughout the Conference are blessed to have available along with God’s public the great services that these institutions provide. As Methodists we should support these Fab 5 institutions. As State and Federal funds continue to be reduced, church contributions and support are needed more than ever by these Fab 5 institutions. These institutions also welcome church groups, visitors, and volunteers.
As Methodists we are also called to support many overseas ministries and missionaries. With the Fab 5 ministries in our backyard, we should consider first supporting them with a portion of our Missions funding. Each church and congregation must consider how best to use their Missions’ funds both at home and overseas.
Most important, your churches should make their congregants aware that we are blessed to have these care giver institutions in our area. Church trips and providing volunteers are also a way to support these Fab 5. The more Conference Methodists that become aware of the great work of these God blessed institutions, the greater support to them we can provide.
Simpson House – Simpson House is located in Philadelphia at Belmont and Monument Avenues and overlooks Fairmont Park. Simpson House was founded to attend to the needs of older persons in the community after the Civil War. In 1865, Mrs. Jane Henry with the help of the Bishop and Mrs. Matthew Simpson joined together to address the needs of older persons after the devastating effects of the Civil War. This unbroken chain of caring still exists today by providing a continuing commitment of care and value. Simpson House has served older adults in the Philadelphia area for over 100 years and is a caring community that provides senior retirement living. Independent living, personal care, the Flanagan Health and Rehabilitation Center, and the Memory Impairment Program are all part of Simpson House. Simpson House, with its ties to the United Methodist Church, is a community that values diversity and individuality, and welcome all adults 65 and older without regard to religious, ethnic, racial or economic background. Simpson House features a campus of neighborhoods, each with its own personality, style and services to suit individual needs. To become a volunteer at Simpson House, please contact Dan App, Activities Director at dapp@simpsonhouse.org Phone: 215-878-3600; Simpson House, 2101 Belmont Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19131-1628; 215- 878-3600; http://www.simpsonhouse.org/default.aspx
Cornwall Manor – The Methodist Church Home at Cornwall was founded in 1949 by Methodist clergy and laymen as a home for retired Methodist clergy and their families. Today Cornwall Manor is home to 550 people of all faiths. It is a nonprofit continuing care retirement community located in Lebanon County. Cornwall Manor is a nursing home but it also features residential living apartments and homes, and personal care with its skilled nursing center. Business leaders and church members purchased the 85-acre property from the estate of Mrs. Margaret Coleman Freeman Buckingham. Since then, Cornwall Manor has benefited from the generosity of individuals and groups that support the retirement community’s mission of providing housing and services for seniors and care for residents who need financial assistance. A popular annual event is the Cornwall Manor Society Fall Festival which also attracts many Church and UMW groups from the area. Volunteers are a vital part of fulfilling Cornwall Manor’s mission to provide the best quality care possible. There are over 100 different volunteer opportunities. Volunteers provide the extra love and attention that help make Cornwall Manor a beautiful place to live and work. Individuals over 14 years of age may volunteer at Cornwall Manor. Younger children may be involved as well, through group projects with adult supervision, such as Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, church and school groups. Cornwall Manor, 1 Boyd Street, P.O. Box 125 Cornwall, PA 17016; 717-273-2647 | Toll Free: 800-222-2476; http://www.cornwallmanor.org/
Methodist Home for Children – Founded in 1879 in Philadelphia, the Home was born when the Methodist Episcopal Orphanage first opened its doors. Founded by Mrs. Bishop Simpson, the initial enrollment of the orphanage was three children, but grew to such a size that expansion was eventually necessary. Realizing this need, Mrs. Simpson convinced Colonel Joseph Bennett to donate a portion of his property located at Monument and Belmont Avenues, along Fairmount Park to the orphanage. Today, the orphanage is closed but the building is still being used for various community outreach and activities. The historic Main Building is the site for the Before and After School programs, Summer Camp and an emergency Foster Care Respite Apartment. Black Women in Sport Foundation is on the ground floor and offers alternative sports activities for the children enrolled in programs. Today the Home also operates the Methodist Family Services of Philadelphia and Methodist Services for Children and Families. Methodist Services for Children and Families serves children, families, and individuals in the United Methodist beliefs; providing much needed programs to the communities they serve. Annually, Methodist Services provides services to over 1,100 children, youth, seniors, and families, both on its 21 acre campus and through community-based program in Bangor, PA and Kensington section of Philadelphia. As part of its Methodist services today over 200 children and adults living on campus are engaged in farming on the site’s Methodist Services Heritage Farm. The farm supports the food supply needs for the campus, promotes healthy eating habits and lifestyles, and provides educational opportunities in the area of urban farming for adults and children. To support and/or volunteer at the Methodist Home, please call 215-877-1925 ext.116; Methodist Home for Children, 4300 Monument Road, Philadelphia, PA 19131-1690 : 215-877-1925; http://www.methodistservices.org/index.htm
Wesley Enhanced Living (WEL) – The non-profit, faith based WEL communities traces its roots to 1888 in Northeast Philadelphia, with the German Home for the Aged, which was formed by the Evangelical Association of Churches. In 1930, the community became known as Evangelical Manor, a full service continuing care retirement community for the residents of Northeast Philadelphia. In 1975, the Evangelical Manor Foundation was created as an independent organization to accept, invest, and distribute financial gifts for our communities. It was not until the 1980’s that the organization began to branch out and assume management of additional retirement communities in Philadelphia and suburban Pennsylvania. In 1989 Evangelical Services for the Aging (ESA) was formed in affiliation with the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church as a new corporation to oversee our communities. In 2004, the governance structure was changed and a new name was adopted, Wesley Enhanced Living, along with a new vision to create a new paradigm of aging services for the next generation challenges us to think differently about what we do every day. Today Wesley Enhanced Living has grown to include eight communities, serving approximately 1,200 residents. The Wesley Enhanced Living communities are in the Pennypack Park, Burholme and Germantown areas of Philadelphia, in the Pocono Mountain area, and Doylestown, Upper Moreland, and Brodheadsville. In addition, Manor Glen and Meadow House, located in Philadelphia, provide subsidized housing for aging adults. Wesley Enhanced Living, 928 Jaymor Road, Suite B-150, Southampton, PA 18966
215-354-0565; http://www.wesleyenhancedliving.org/index.html
Methodist Hospital – Methodist Hospital traces its roots to Scott Stewart, a Methodist physician, who lived at 8th and Pine Streets and was dedicated to serving the people of South Philadelphia. He laid the financial foundation for Methodist Episcopal Hospital when, in drawing up his will in 1877, he designated $250,000 from his estate to be used to build a hospital in the city for the people of South Philadelphia. Located at Broad and Wolf Streets, in the heart of South Philadelphia, Methodist Hospital has a long history of providing the highest level of compassionate care to its neighbors. As one of the Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, Methodist Hospital offers the warmth and hospitality of a smaller, community hospital combined with the leading experts, treatments and technologies you’d expect from larger teaching institutions. In the heart of South Philadelphia, Methodist Hospital serves the community by offering health education programs, fitness and nutrition classes, and screenings to enhance the wellbeing of area residents. They also support many local activities and partner with various civic organizations to serve the healthcare needs of surrounding neighborhoods. Methodist Hospital offers a variety of volunteer opportunities. You can volunteer as few as one or two hours per week. Flexible schedules include daytime, evening and weekend hours. The minimum age is 14; there is no maximum age. To volunteer please call 215-952-9229; 215-952-9000; Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, Methodist, 2301 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148 http://www.jeffersonhospital.org/methodist
Wesleyan Values Guiding Principles
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To recognize people are worthy as God’s Creation. |
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To nurture the capacity to love. |
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To acknowledge the potential for individual growth. |
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To empower people to take responsibility. |
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To recognize human limits. |
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To serve the poor and the children. |