One of the best things about missions at UCUMC is getting to see all the different ways our church family says yes to serving others. Sometimes that “yes” looks like reading with a little one at Freedom School. Sometimes it’s helping fill a Treasure Box for a classroom. Sometimes it’s helping families shop at Nourish Up.

None of these things has to be big to make a difference. When we each do what we can, God uses it to do something much bigger than any one of us could do alone.

As we wrap up a wonderful summer with Freedom School and look ahead to a busy fall, we hope you’ll take a few minutes to see what God is doing through REACH Missions - and find a place where you can be part of it!

What a summer it has been at Freedom School!

Over the past several months, we asked our church family to step up in all kinds of ways - to volunteer with our scholars, help prepare the space, provide supplies, lend a hand behind the scenes, and surround this ministry in prayer. And you did it!

Because of the generosity and commitment of so many volunteers, another group of children had a summer filled with learning, encouragement, friendship, fun, and the reminder that the UCUMC community believes in them.

Thank you to every person who gave their time, their energy, their resources, or their prayers to make Freedom School possible. Whether you spent hours with the scholars or helped with one small task behind the scenes, you were part of creating a meaningful summer for children in our community.

We are grateful for the way our church continues to show up for Freedom School - and we are already looking forward to what God will do next!

We have received so much support for our Treasure Box project for David Cox Road Elementary School, and we are incredibly grateful!

But we aren't quite finished yet.

We are working to fill approximately 50 Treasure Boxes for classrooms, and we have about 25 item sets still needed. The remaining items range in price from approximately $15 to $36.

That means we are really close.

In fact, we just need about 25 people, families, or small groups to each make one small purchase and we can finish filling these boxes!

Can you help us get to the finish line?

Use the link below to choose one of the remaining items and purchase it for our Treasure Boxes. Every purchase helps us put together a box that will be placed in a classroom at David Cox Road Elementary and used to encourage and support a children.

One person. One purchase. One Treasure Box.

Let's finish this together!

Thank you for helping us turn a simple box of goodies into a tangible reminder that children and teachers are seen, valued, and cared for.

Last year we began a simple ministry of blessing the teachers and staff at the Weekday School and Ignite Achievement Academy with a small treat each month as a reminder that we see, appreciate, and care about the important work they do.

From cookies to red hot apple cider to simmer pot bags, these monthly treats can be whatever works best for you or your group - and we're happy to help with the details!

September 6 & September 13

We'll be collecting food to help fill weekend backpacks for students at David Cox Road Elementary School. This ministry is one of the ways we have been able to walk alongside our school partner for so many years, meeting a very practical need for children and families. Stay tuned for a list of useful items!

You can also serve by helping collect donations as people arrive for church, or packing boxes after the collection.

September 27 & October 4

Our fall food collection will be held in partnership with the Girl Scouts and Nourish Up this year. More information about needed items will be shared as we get closer to the collection dates.

BIG NEWS COMING! Stay tuned for details about a WV Food Box Packing Party coming later this fall!

Whether you donate a box of food, purchase one Treasure Box item, volunteer your time, pack a backpack, pray for the people we serve, or make a gift to support REACH Missions, you are part of the mission.

Want to help financially support all the ways REACH Missions serves our community and beyond? Click the button below and then choose "REACH Missions" in the Fund drop down menu.

Thank you for being a church that continues to REACH around the corner and REACH around the world.

Every gift, every prayer, and every helping hand makes a difference!