Dear Heritage Clergy and Laity,
I hear that good things are happening within our Heritage churches! If you are one of these churches that is sharing God’s love in exciting ways that reach beyond the church walls, let me know. The district would love to celebrate with you and share ideas with other churches looking for a fresh mission. Send me a summary (as brief or as detailed as you would like) and some photos if you have them, and we’ll get the word out about all the ways God is at work in the Heritage District UMCs.
Thank you.
Tuck Taylor
Heritage District Mission Secretary
tucktaylor@nccumc.org
Our first ministry highlight is shared by Jodie Dowhan, Littleton United Methodist Church Outreach Coordinator:
Littleton United Methodist Church is located in Halifax County and sits on the border of Warren County. Both counties have high levels of children living in poverty, and the public county school systems rank in the bottom 10 in North Carolina. Our church has taken a particular interest in supporting local schools. We are a small congregation of 20-30 active members looking for partnership opportunities when available. We regularly partner with the John 3:16 Center to address the needs of children and families. Here are some of the things we’ve done:
The church holds a book drive annually to collect funds to donate books and reading materials to local schools. We typically fund two schools to support ‘Read Across America’ activities in March. We also hold book giveaways at local schools at the end of the school year to ensure that students go home with books to read over the summer. In 2024, we will hold end-of-school yearbook giveaways at Littleton Academy and the Haliwa-Saponi Tribal School. We will distribute over 300 books to local students!
Our United Women in Faith regularly selects two schools to recognize during Teacher Appreciation Week in May. We deliver treats for the teachers to enjoy and show our support for their work throughout the year.
The church holds a school supply drive every summer. We donate school supplies to several local schools and the John 3:16 Center to support their Stock the Classroom School Supply Program.
In October 2023, we participated in “Soctober” and collected socks and underwear for the children who would be participating in the John 3:16 Center’s Christmas Outreach Program. While socks and underwear aren’t the gifts children most appreciate, the parents are so grateful. Our church members quickly learned that socks and underwear are expensive!
Every December, our Fellowship Hall becomes a “Christmas Store” for the John 3:16 Center’s Christmas Outreach Program. Local families come to the hall to select their children’s clothes, toys, books, and games. UWF members help families select gifts and help wrap presents.
We participate as one of 3 lead churches for an interdenominational Community Vacation Bible School.
In addition to our outreach to families, we recognize that our fellowship hall could be a great asset to the community. We’re exploring ways to increase community utilization of this resource. We’ve partnered with our local 911 Task Force, which uses the fellowship hall to teach CPR and First Aid Classes. They have provided three classes in the last six months and are interested in holding more.
We are currently exploring the possibility of partnering with the John 3:16 Center to sponsor a Community Listening Session. We recognize that our community has unmet needs, and various individuals and organizations are trying to address those needs. The goal of the Community Listening Session is to gather individuals with needs along with service organizations to identify available services, define gaps in service, explore partnership opportunities, etc. This is in the infancy stage right now!
Blessings,
Jodie Dowhan
Littleton United Methodist Church Outreach Coordinator
