SERVE IN WILLIAMSBURG
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.
Join members of the Local Outreach Team of WUMC to help homeless Williamsburg residents find their way to self-sufficiency. The All-in-Friends program provides 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.
AFGHAN Resettlement Team
Join us in supporting two Afghan refugee families who relocated to Williamsburg in 2021. Through personal relationships and financial support, WUMC has: provided transportation and childcare; helped with school enrollment and obtaining needed documents; found medical care, language skills and advice in navigating life in the USA.
Alternative Giving Fair
This annual opportunity during Advent allows non-profit organizations to accept donations as an alternative to traditional holiday consumerism. Advent offering recipients provide items for sale or acknowledgement cards in exchange for donations.
Children’s Coat Drive
Join us each October to collect new winter coats for preschool age children enrolled in the local Preparatory Academy program (formerly Head Start), which enables these children to interact with others and learn basic skills needed to begin kindergarten. Place donated coats in the WUMC Collection Closet near the church office.
Crock Pot Ministry
Join us in this ministry sponsored by Greater Williamsburg Outreach Mission (GWOM), which serves families who live in residential motels without cooking facilities. Serve with us and other area churches to purchase and deliver groceries 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
Join us on the 1st Wednesday of each month as we serve with St. Martin’s Episcopal 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 churches, and our share is funded through the Local Outreach budget. This program is administered by a local faith-based organization, From His Hands.
Greater Williamsburg Outreach Mission
WUMC partners with this inter-faith coalition working to address poverty and homelessness in Greater Williamsburg. We are a charter member of the coalition and provide funding and volunteer servants for a variety of projects. Join us!
School Supply Drive
In August, school supplies are collected to share with students from Highland Park, the Prep Academy, and local public schools. Join the Local Outreach team in sorting and packaging the supplies into backpacks. Through WUMC's Local Outreach budget, we also provide funding to purchase other supplies that are needed, such as back-up computer drives and ear-buds.
Summer Meals for Kids Program
Each summer our church partners with Meals on Wheels (MOW) to provide healthy lunches for about 300 children living in local motels and low-income apartments who receive free or reduced lunches at their public schools during the school year. Join us each Thursday from mid-June through late August in serving to make and package sandwiches along with a snack, fruit, juice box, and homemade cookies. You can also donate food to our food drive to collect many of the needed food items. To assist with the Summer Meals ministry, please click here.
Thanksgiving Meal Ministry
Our church partners with Meals on Wheels (MOW) to provide Thanksgiving dinner for those in need in our area. Join us the Wednesday before Thanksgiving to package the main meal at MOW, then meet at church to package extra items. On Thanksgiving morning, the meals are readied for delivery by volunteers of From His Hands (FHH), a local faith-based organization. Help us fund this ministry by giving to a special congregational offering.
Winter Shelter Ministry
Community of Faith Mission (COFM) is a local faith-based organization that operates an emergency shelter program during the coldest months of the year for those experiencing homelessness in our community. This weekly program has a capacity of 25 individuals and operates from 6:30pm to 7:00am, Sunday to Sunday. WUMC serves as a host church for one week each winter. Join us to: register clients; cook and serve dinner and/or breakfast; and/or spend the night as a chaperon.
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. Here are a list of recent recipients:
