Outreach Ministry

 

The purpose of the Outreach ministry is to give attention to local and larger community ministries of compassion, justice, and advocacy. These ministries include church and society, global ministries, higher education, campus ministry, health and welfare, Christian unity and interreligious concerns, religion and race, and the status and role of women.

 

January - March


February 4th - United Methodist Day at the General Assembly

What Can You Do as a Concerned United Methodist? You can attend the United Methodist Day at the General Assembly each January. You can receive by e-mail the United Methodist NetAlert during the General Assembly Sessions and share the contents with others. To receive NetAlert, send your e-mail address to Becky Breeding at mbbreeding3@yahoo.com. You can follow legislation through the General Assembly website, the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy website, the House of Delegates (1-804-698-1500) and the Senate (1-804-698-7410). Follow important issues. During the General Assembly Sessions, contact your legislators by phone, e-mail, fax, or mail and let them know your opinion on a particular issue or bill.

March 14th - One Great Hour of Sharing

One Great Hour of Sharing began as a special effort of the Episcopal Church in 1946. In 1949 the observance became ecumenical, and today several denominations--including The United Methodist Church--participate. The yearly observance is planned by denominational representatives and related to Church World Service and Witness, the relief agency of the National Council of Churches. Originally one special worship hour during the year was reserved for people of faith to contribute over and above their regular offerings. Today different denominations celebrate One Great Hour of Sharing at various times throughout the year, but the cooperative spirit remains.

 

April - June

April 17th - Ladies Tea


Emily Walker organizes an annual Ladies High Tea in the spring of each year. It is a wonderful day of exquisite goodies, blessed fellowship, beautiful music and inspirational speaking. This year, we will have a speaker from Red Bird Mission. Check back later for more details, and please consider becoming a Hostess for this event. Responsibilities only include setting and decorating your table (for 6) and serving the food at your table. It’s always so fun to see how each woman decorates her table!



April 18th - Native American Ministries Sunday

The Native American International Caucus proposed Native American Awareness Sunday in a petition to the 1988 General Conference. Delegates subsequently approved the new churchwide Special Sunday with offering. The 2000 General Conference changed the name of the observance to Native American Ministries Sunday.

April 25th - Africa Malaria Day

United Methodists are urged to give up lunch and save lives by using that money to buy an insecticide-treated bed net. Friday, April 25th, is designated Africa Malaria Day. United Methodist Communications and The Upper Room Living Prayer Center are also encouraging people to join in a continuous 24-hour period of prayer that day for the children of Africa, those suffering with malaria and for global health.

The people of The United Methodist Church are a founding partner in the Nothing But Nets campaign, which is taking aim at one of Africa's biggest killers of children by protecting families from disease-carrying mosquitoes. Other founding partners include the United Nations Foundation, the National Basketball Association's NBA Cares and Sports Illustrated. For each $10 donation, a bed net is purchased and distributed to Africa, where education also is provided about its use. A challenge grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will match contributions up to $3 million, dollar for dollar. To learn how to make a donation, visit www.nothingbutnets.net or www.umc.org/nets. Our United Methodist Women and the Cub Scouts will be doing a joint fundraising effort for this cause in March and April.

May 30th - Peace with Justice Sunday

The 1980 General Conference created a churchwide special program called Peace with Justice and assigned it to the General Board of Church and Society. By 1984, volunteer coordinators were recruited in more than half of the annual conferences, and peace with justice ministries had sprung up throughout the church. The 1984 General Conference voted to support the program with an annual Special Sunday offering on World Order Sunday, established more than half a century ago to build recognition and support for the work of the United Nations. While World Order Sunday was traditionally set in October, churches were encouraged to observe it any time during the season of Pentecost to avoid a conflict with World Communion Sunday, also in October. The 1988 General Conference established Peace with Justice Sunday as the first Sunday after Pentecost to give churches a single, more convenient date for the offering and a name that clearly identifies the ministries it supports.

 

July - September


Harvest of Hope Gleaning, Society of St. Andrew



 

October - December


October 3rd - World Communion Sunday

Originally a Presbyterian observance, the Federal Council of Churches of Christ in America established World-wide Communion Sunday in 1940 as a global, interdenominational event. Prompted by the impact of World War II, the Methodist Church received an offering on this Sunday for the Fellowship of Suffering and Service. It aided the work of the Methodist Committee on Overseas Relief (now UMCOR), the Commission on Chaplains and the Commission on Camp Activities. In 1971 The United Methodist Church changed the name of the observance to World Communion Sunday and redistributed the offering to support the Crusade Scholarship Program (begun in 1944), the Ethnic Minority Scholarship Program and the Division of Chaplains and Related Ministries. In 1980 Chaplains and Related Ministries was moved to World Service funding, but the World Communion Sunday offering continued to assist racial- and ethnic-minority persons pursuing various avenues of ministry.



Operation Christmas Child, Samaritan's Purse

First United Methodist was a Relay Center for Operation Christmas Child in 2008 and 2009!!! We hope to be able to do this again in 2010. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Emily Walker, Relay Center Coordinator, at emily_w_walker@hotmail.com or leave a message on the church phone at 540-626-3838.


November 28th - United Methodist Student Day

In 1866 a special fund was established for the advanced education of Sunday school children and the educational preparation of persons for the ministry and missionary service. The 1940 General Conference established Methodist Student Day with a churchwide offering. The 1968 Uniting Conference continued this connectional student-aid program to be funded by the United Methodist Student Day offering. Dates for taking the offering have changed through the years.



 

Year Round Opportunities


Parish/Faith Community Nursing Program


Covenant Relationship with Missionary, Elma Jocson