Our Outreach Ministries or “Missions” are the ways we help people through other organizations. It is extended not only locally, but nationally and Internationally as well.
Our Missions include:
Locally:
(see the description below for how we participate, or click on the link to find out more about the organization.)
- Afghan Refugee Program
- Camp AGAPE
- COTS Walk
- JUMP (Joint Urban Ministry Project)
- Prayer Shawls
- SCHIPs
- Shelburne Food Shelf
Nationally & Internationally:
- The Advance
- Covenant Relationship with Missionary Belinda Forbes
- Green Mountain HUB
- UMCOR
- Volunteers in Mission
Refugee Resettlement Program The church is collecting gift cards to local merchants, Shaw’s, Price Chopper, Target, Walmart, & Healthy Living. The cards can be brought to the church office.
Camp Agape is a summer camp program for Vermont children whose parents are incarcerated, providing a safe and loving environment for them to enjoy various camp activities, have new experiences, and develop new friendships. We provide financial support as well as volunteers to work with the kids each summer.
COTS Walk is an annual event that raises funds and awareness for the homeless in our community. The Committee on Temporary Shelter is a Burlington area nonprofit providing shelter to homeless individuals and families. We have walkers who participate and we sponsor them through financial donations.
Joint Urban Ministry Project (JUMP) is an interfaith ministry which provides pastoral care, referrals, emergency assistance and advocacy for persons with low incomes. We provide dish detergent and Cheerios, as well as financial support, on an ongoing basis. Annually JUMP puts on a 5K run, and we get together a team to run/walk and raise money. Also check out their website: www.jumpvt.org
Prayer Shawl Ministry provides warmth and love to those in physical and/or emotional need. Our volunteers knit shawls on an ongoing basis.
Shelburne Food Shelf is a local non-profit that provides food to individuals and families in need in our own community. We support the food shelf financially, as well as provide ongoing donations of non-perishable items, such as peanut butter, cereal and canned goods. We also provide volunteers to stock shelves and distribute food each month. An updated list of current needs can be found here: Food Shelf Needs
Nationally & Internationally
THE ADVANCE check out their website:https://umcmission.org/all-advance-projects/
Covenant Relationship with Missionary Belinda Forbes is through the General Board of Global Ministries and is a financial commitment to support a missionary in Nicaragua on an ongoing basis. Belinda is a trained dentist and works through GBGM and local agencies to provide dental as well as general health care and education to the most rural and underserved populations. Newsletters are posted online at belindagbgm.blogspot.com
UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) is a not-for-profit international humanitarian aid organization providing relief from hunger and disasters, and teaching peace. We participate in various UMCOR projects such as flood buckets and health kits, which are hand-ons ways for us to help others by collecting specific items needed to fill flood buckets (cleaning supplies used in times of disaster) and health kits (emergency personal care items) that can be sent anywhere in the world at a moment’s notice. Check them out on the web: http://www.umcor.org/
Volunteers in Mission (VIM) is a program sending United Methodists all over the world to do hands-on volunteer work. We have sent people to Mississippi and Texas to work on building houses for Hurricane Katrina victims, as well as Nicaragua to work with our missionary Belinda Forbes. We had some members go with a team to Africa to build the foundation for the Mozambique Institute for Health Sciences, which will trains health care workers to work in much needed areas of Africa. We have also had several teams go to Mechanicsburg, PA to work in the Mission Central warehouse. For information on upcoming trips you can also check out the Vermont District website by clicking on this link. http://www.neumc.org/districts/detail/9