Outreach Committee

The Outreach Committee meets on the second Monday of each month at 7:00pm.

Union United Methodist Church is involved in a diverse number of ministries to our local community, our country and our world.

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

Food Programs

Jesus said, “For I was hungry and you fed me. I was thirsty and you gave me drink.”
Here at Union, we sponsor a variety of food programs, including:

• Supplying groceries to hundreds of families each year through our Food Pantry.
• Providing a satisfying lunch to 40-50 people each week through our Sack Lunch Program
• Supplying and serving a nourishing monthly meal to the needy at the BEACON Relational Ministry; and
• Raising funds through the annual Crosswalk which benefits not only our food pantry, but others throughout our community and nation.

Clothing Programs

Jesus said, “I was naked and you gave me clothing.”
Union has two programs that directly provide clothing to those less fortunate:

• One is the annual drive for children’s coats which enables elementary school children in the Franklin Neighborhood to have warm coats to wear on their journeys to and from school.
• The other is the annual drive for adult coats which provides warm coats to needy men and women in our community.

Parish Nurse Ministry

Union’s Parish Nurse Program was developed to meet the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the whole person from life to death. Its focus is on wellness promotion and disease prevention. Our Parish Nurse is a registered nurse who acts as a personal health counselor, health educator and liaison to community resources. Health classes, screenings and visits to parishioners after hospitalization are some of the services provided by the Parish Nurse.

BEACON Support

Union helps support BEACON (Belleville Ecumenical Action Caring for Our Neighbors) through monetary donations as well as donations of furniture and household goods. We also provide a meeting room for BEACON’s relational ministry. Many of our members volunteer at BEACON by working in the office, picking up and delivering furniture and performing other tasks as needed.

Other Programs – Local

• We annually participate in the Angel Tree Ministry whereby our members supply Christmas gifts for needy children.
• Along with other churches located within downtown Belleville, Union supports the Franklin Neighborhood Association with funds, volunteers and an annual school supply drive to assist under-resourced children.

Other Programs – World-Wide

• We fill flood buckets with the necessary items needed to assist in clean-up following natural disasters and we assemble health care kits to benefit children around the world.
• We are currently in the process of helping to build our Liberia Sister Church in war-ravaged Liberia.
• We have become enthusiastically involved in the Nothing But Nets Program which provides mosquito nets to African families in order to prevent the spread of malaria.
• Union has formed a number of mission teams to assist in those areas devastated by tornadoes and hurricanes. Several trips have been made to support disaster recovery following hurricane Katrina.