Demonstrating Christ's love through practical acts of service throughout the community involves activities, such as, offering hot chocolate to those attending fall and winter events in the community and helping shoppers carry grocery bags to their cars during the holidays and other times.

UMCOR is the United Methodist Committee on Relief which is the not-for-profit global humanitarian aid organization the United Methodist Church. UMCOR is working in more than 80 countries worldwide, including the United States. Its mission is to help alleviate human suffering - whether caused by war, conflict or natural disaster, with open hearts and minds to all people. Donations in the form of flood bucket supplies and toiletries for those in need and monetary donations are collected each year.

Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit, nondenominational Christian housing organization. Habitat builds simple, decent, affordable houses in partnership with those in need of adequate shelter. People to work on construction crews, provide meals, and to offer financial gifts are needed.

U.M. ARMY : Every summer, high school youth and adult volunteers provide home repairs fro those unable to either physically or financially do the work themselves. Any youth who has completed the 9th grade, prior to the work camp, may participate. Groups travel from one to five hours from home and meet other youth groups at a United Methodist church where they spend a week working in the community. Participating youth groups pool their resources of leadership, experience, tools, transportation and materials. Everyone is a volunteer, and everyone has an active role at U.M. ARMY!

BIG HOUSE: BIG HOUSE is an acronym which stands for Believing in God and Helping Others Understand through Service Everywhere. BIG HOUSE is for mid-high youth (completed 6-8th grades), who work to repair and repaint needful churches and social agencies. Work projects include: painting churches, doing landscaping, handrail repair, preparing meals, stocking food at a pantry and much, much more.

During the Christmas season, the Angel Tree Mission offers an opportunity for participants to serve Christ by providing gifts for families who are less fortunate. Each December, the Angel Tree appears, in the church office hallway, decorated with paper angels containing information about children and their Christmas wishes. This is a wonderful opportunity for individuals and groups to help make those wishes come true!

H.I.M. is a non-denominational support ministry that helps low income individuals and families. Donations of canned goods and non-perishable food items are needed as well as monetary donations to help defray the cost of utility bills.

People involved in this mission field are caring individuals who help provide social and spiritual support for families of terminally ill patients.

The Yates Partk Project is a mission that helps to provide school supplies, socks and school uniforms for needy children. The annual distribution of supplies is done during the month of August each year.

Those involved in this mission help to provide financial gifts and in-kind items for the center such as, activity bags for the children being served and meals for the monthly board meetings.

Volunteers for this mission are needed to serve as after school tutors, as providers of gift bags for special occasions and as financial supporters.

Did you know that one in four children in East Texas are at risk of hunger? To address this problem FUMC is supporting the Backpack Food Ministry, which provides weekend food for kindergarten children at Wylie Primary School who are at risk of hunger. The backpacks and food are provided through the East Texas Food Bank, Tyler at a cost of $152.00 per child and paid for by FUMC individuals and/or groups. The East Texas Food Bank delivers the food to the Henderson Food Bank each Thursday morning where it is picked up and delivered to Wylie campus by FUMC volunteers.

If you are interested in sponsoring a child(ren) the check should be made out to First United Methodist Church and in the memo section enter “Backpack Project.” The check can be given to Betty Tyson, church office, or left in the offering plate. For additional information concerning sponsorships please call Betty Tyson. If you would like to serve as a volunteer to pick up and deliver the food, please call Brenda Lee.