LOCAL OUTREACH
SERVE IN WILLIAMSBURG
SERVE IN WILLIAMSBURG
LOCAL OUTREACH
LOCAL OUTREACH
The Local Outreach Committee of Williamsburg United Methodist Church sponsors a number of “hands-on” volunteer opportunities in which congregants can participate. Listed below are some of the year-round, as well as seasonal, programs for which volunteers are needed.
To learn more about Local Outreach or to volunteer, click here.
Through members of the Local Outreach team, the congregation helps homeless Williamsburg residents find their way to self-sufficiency. The Servant Leader Coordinator and All-in-Friends provide compassion, friendship and help with seeking food, employment, housing, sobriety and other necessities of independent living. The Friend-in-Need participates in the 3e Restoration process, which is spiritually based on the Christian principle of loving and caring for others.
Alternative Giving Fair
Annual church-sponsored fair where non-profit organizations encourage donations to charities as an alternative to traditional holiday consumerism. WUMC hosts the event and supplies funding and shared leadership for the local, regional and international organizations which provide items for sale in exchange for donations as well as opportunities for direct financial contributions. The Fair also provides each participating group a forum for educating attendees about their purpose.
Children’s Coat Drive
October is designated each year at WUMC as “Winter Coats for Children Month”. Williamsburg children in the Preparatory Academy program need warm coats to wear to school and to play in the winter. The Preparatory Academy is the relatively new name for one of the local Head Start programs. The little ones in this pre-school program are 3-5 years old and wear sizes 4, 4T, 5, 5T, 6 and 7. Attending pre-school is critical for many children. They interact with others and learn basic skills that they will need to begin kindergarten. Coat donations should be placed in the Kid’s Coats bin in the Collection Closet in the church reception area at your convenience.
Crock Pot Ministry
This ministry is sponsored by Greater Williamsburg Outreach Mission (GWOM) to serve people who live in residential motels without cooking facilities. Volunteers from area churches provide the needed groceries and deliver food and recipes to those who have received a Crock Pot so they can prepare their own nutritious meals. To learn more and volunteer online, click here.
Family Meals Program
WUMC partners with another local church, St. Martin’s Episcopal, on the 1st Wednesday of each month to deliver dinners prepared by Meals on Wheels to families, seniors, and disabled individuals living in motels (some of the sheltered homeless) in our area. The meal cost is divided between the two partner churches, and our congregation’s share is funded through our Local Outreach budget. This is part of a program administered by a local faith-based organization, From His Hands, in which a number of other churches and civic organizations participate.
School Supply Drive
Each summer, school supplies are collected to share with area school children of all ages. In early August, a list of needed supplies will be provided to congregants, who choose to purchase some or all of these items and deliver them to the designated bin in the Collection Closet located in the church reception area. The items will be sorted and packaged in backpacks by members of the Local Outreach team for delivery to families in need with school age children as well as to The Preparatory Academy (formerly Head Start). In addition, Local Outreach provides funding to purchase supplies such as back-up computer drives and ear-buds.
Summer Meals for Kids Program
Our church is one of many who partners with Meals on Wheels (MOW) and the Greater Williamsburg Outreach Mission (GWOM) to provide healthy lunches for over 200 children living in local motels and low-income apartments each summer. These are children who receive free or reduced lunches at their public schools during the regular school year. This program begins in mid-June and runs through late August, depending on the local public schools’ schedule. WUMC provides support one day each week during that period, usually on Thursdays.
There are several ways that volunteers can help with this ministry:
To assist with the Summer Meals ministry, please click here.
Thanksgiving Meal Ministry
WUMC partners with Meals on Wheels (MOW) to provide approximately 135 dinners to elderly and homeless people in the Greater Williamsburg area. On the Wednesday before the holiday, volunteers from our church assist MOW in packaging the main part of the meal in the morning and then meet in the Fellowship Hall in the afternoon to package additional items, including cranberry sauce, rolls, pie slices which are then placed in brown paper bags along with a card and simple Christmas ornament for delivery the next day. On Thanksgiving morning, WUMC volunteers pick up the hot meals at MOW, and bring them to WUMC where they are added to the bags and readied for delivery by other volunteers of From His Hands (FHH), a local faith-based organization. This ministry is funded by a special congregational offering.
Winter Shelter Ministry
In association with Community of Faith Mission (COFM), a faith-based organization which operates an emergency shelter program for those experiencing homelessness in the Greater Williamsburg community, WUMC serves as a host site for one week. This shelter ministry operates during the coldest months of the year, offering twelve (12) or more weeks of shelter. It is a weekly program with a maximum capacity of 25 people each night, and operates Sunday to Sunday, from 6:30 PM to 7:00 AM.
Our congregation hosts this ministry by providing rooms for sleeping, a dining area and bath facilities on the lower level of our building. We often partner with one or more local churches to supply the many volunteers needed. Volunteer time slots include multiple evening, overnight and morning shifts during which guests are welcomed, provided meals and an opportunity to shower, along with mattresses, bedding and a warm place to sleep. Training for volunteers is mandatory, and is provided by COFM either in-person, or by means of a video along with a volunteer manual. The dates being hosted by WUMC are advertised to the congregation several months in advance, to allow time for scheduling volunteers and making preparations. In the past, the host week has usually been in December or January. To volunteer for this ministry, please click here.
Financial Support
Local Outreach offers financial support to many local non-profit organizations through its operating budget, special offerings, or restricted funds made available through bequests and designated offerings.