Local
The Bethlehem Center. A United Methodist Community Center located in downtown Chattanooga, “the Beth” provides faith-based programs that focus on character development, education and literacy, and leadership development for inner-city youth and families. (www.thebeth.org)
Breakaway Outreach. A ministry based out of Chattanooga, locally serving Hamilton and Bradley Counties, providing local outreach and holistic services for at-risk youth, under-served children, and their families. The program helps provide training and relevant resources for churches, youth workers, and volunteers who serve these families. (https://www.breakawayoutreach.com/)
OUMC Share & Care. Your donations to this ministry help hundreds of needy people who live in, or who are passing through, our immediate area with urgent needs for supplies (non-perishable food items, toiletries, etc), food vouchers, gas vouchers, utility bill assistance, etc. The program is carefully managed in coordination with other local agencies to ensure needs are legitimate and to provide assistance in developing longer term improvements. Our service areas are Ooltewah, Collegedale, Apison, McDonald, Georgetown, and Harrison.
Plus a host of other local ministries with ongoing opportunities to serve, such as:
- Samaritan Center
- Apison Food Pantry
- Community Kitchen
- Chattanooga Area Food Bank
- Room in the Inn – helping women and children experiencing homelessness
- Sleep in Heavenly Peace – building beds so that no child sleeps on the floor
- Family Promise – helping homeless families with children have a safe place to stay while getting back on their feet
- Camp Lookout Work Projects
National
Jubilee Project, Sneedville, TN. A United Methodist ministry of the Holston Conference that provides community development and services to people living in wide-spread poverty in Hancock County. Their mission is to help meet spiritual, economic, social, and physical needs. (https://www.holston.org/jubileeproject)
UMCOR Sager Brown Depot, Baldwin, LA. UMCOR is the humanitarian relief and development agency of the United Methodist Church. Sager Brown is the headquarters for UMCORs relief supply operations. Each year, more than 2,000 volunteers prepare about $5 million in supplies for shipment from the Baldwin, Louisiana facility. (umcmission.org/umcor-supply-depots)
Neal Hicks, Japanese Ministry in Tennessee. Neal Hicks ministered in Japan with his wife Mari, a native of Japan, for more than 30 years. When Mari was diagnosed with cancer, they relocated to Nashville in order for her to receive treatments at Vanderbilt. After Mari passed away in 2012, Neal prayed for discernment regarding his next steps. Should he return to Japan or remain in the US? “Focus now on reaching Japanese here in Tennessee,” God impressed upon Neal one day in prayer. The result is a new multi-cultural church named Crossroads of the Nations in Nashville, welcoming people from Japan, China & the US. The Japanese are one of the least-reached people on the planet. Please pray for this new church as it seeks to reach Japanese and Chinese people in the US for Christ. (https://crossroadsofthenations.org/)
International
South Asia. Peter and Esther felt God calling them to leave a comfortable life in the US and return to serve in South Asia over 25 years ago. They have established a large and successful ministry, now called Global Hope Partners. Global Hope Partners shows compassion to those in need through humanitarian efforts in South Asia and throughout the world. The mission is to develop communities, and empower men, women and children to break the cycle of poverty through education and vocational training. https://globalhopepartners.org/
Ecuador. Tim & Daina Datwyler established the Door of Hope (Puerta de Esperanza) ministry in Ecuador 20 years ago. They are heavily involved in agricultural development as well as their pastoral outreach ministries, which include: Bible studies, lay pastor training, children’s ministry, etc. (puertadeesperanza.org)
Frontiers. Alan & Beth are part of the Barnabas Team of Frontiers, a mission outreach to unreached populations. They encourage Frontiers workers through pastoral coaching, member care, debriefing of those on home assignment, restoring those emotionally wounded in ministry, and re-deployment of those in transition. (frontiersusa.org)
Uganda. Billy & Joanna Coppedge are currently serving on the mission field of Uganda. They provide training for local pastors as well as Bible studies and other outreach ministries for people in the community. They provide training in the Bible teaching method of storying. This technique is utilized in training short-term mission teams. They serve as a part of the World Gospel Mission Team. (wgm.org/missionary/coppedge)
Vietnam. Initially a refugee to the US from Vietnam, Binh Rybacki returned to her home country to establish a ministry called Children of Peace International. Through this organization, she works to improve the lives of impoverished Vietnamese children with schools, orphanages, medical services, arranging adoptive homes throughout the world, and opposition to the sale of Vietnamese children in sex trade. (childrenofpeace.org)
Baltic Theological Seminary-Estonia. The mission of the BMTS is to promote spiritual formation and provide higher theological education. The vision of the BMTS is to prepare Christian workers and leaders for churches and Christian organizations in former communist regions of Eastern Europe. (emkts.ee)
UMCOR. The United Methodist Committee on Relief is the humanitarian relief and development agency of the United Methodist Church. Compelled by Christ, UMCOR responds to natural or human made disasters – those interruptions of such magnitude that they overwhelm a community’s ability to recover on its own. UMCOR’s mission is to alleviate human suffering. They provide practical, proactive support to the most vulnerable survivors of emergencies due to natural or civil causes. (umcor.org)