Faith in Action

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Missions Statement

John Wesley, founder of the Methodist movement, once expressed that “the world is my parish”. It is the tradition and practice of United Methodists to consider all the world--at home, down-the-road, and far away--to be the place where Christian service is shared. First United Methodist Church of Garland can be found at work in all these places, tending to human need and growing disciples.

Local/Regional:

First Church is a sustaining partner in Metro Family Ministries at the Re-creational Outreach Center (ROC) — a nonprofit ministry center serving west Garland. The ROC is a unique, ecumenical ministry enterprise undertaken by First United Methodist Church and Freeman Heights Baptist Church. (Click here to discover more about the ROC.)
God's Old Geezers: The “Geezers” are retired men and women of the church family who give their time in “hammers & nails” projects that help local elderly persons or needy families with repair or reconstruction projects around their homes. These “Geezers” also give these same skills and energies to the work of regional/statewide disaster relief. (Click here to discover more about the Geezers)
First Church supports with funds, time, and energy local and metroplex helping agencies and happenings such as Good Samaritans of Garland, the Wilkinson Center in east Dallas, Wesley-Rankin Center, Amigos Days, Jonathan's Place, Grandma D’s Ministry to Children, the Komen Foundation's Race For The Cure, & the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life.
And, on any day of the week, one can find numbers of First Church people volunteering at local schools, hospitals, helping agencies, children/youth sports, & Scouting groups throughout our city.

National:

Summer is mission trip time for interested First Church persons and families. On average, from 7-12 days are devoted to serving God and neighbor in some helping capacity. These summer national excursions have placed First Church adult, intergenerational, and youth groups in places like Alaska, Oregon, North Carolina, South Dakota, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, & Arkansas.

International:

Dr. Mark Abbott is a United Methodist missionary serving as a teacher at the United Evangelical Seminary in Madrid, Spain. First Church is proud to support Dr. Abbott and his family in his training ministry of pastors.
First Church is a Russia Initiative congregation. We are a supportive/partner church with First United Methodist Church of Samara, Russia. Russian children are close to our heart — we possess close working relationships with two children's orphanages: State Orphanage #1 in Samara and the Infants/Toddlers Orphanage in Alexandrov, outside of Moscow. First Church annually sends teams to serve alongside our Russian sisters and brothers in Christ at these locations.
The people of First Church are currently undertaking or sponsoring significant Christian work in Russia, Cambodia, Spain, and the Philippines … in addition to our support for United Methodist missions & outreach worldwide.
First Church is also a Cambodia Initiative congregation within our denomination. We are a supportive congregation to a small, new United Methodist group in southern Cambodia.
“Kabina” is a poverty-ridden neighborhood in the Philippine city of Cagayan de Oro. For some time First Church has provided resources for community improvement and economic development projects chosen and undertaken by the neighborhood council.
Mission/educational activities, or missionary support, in places like Cuba, Mexico, Haiti, Zaire, Nepal, India, and Hong Kong have been part of First Church 's recent past. Opportunities in Vietnam, Guatamala, and Mexico are being explored for the future. And we continue to care for all the children of the world through participation in Shoes For Orphans’ Souls.

Persons interested in exploring volunteer opportunities or mission involvement can contact Rev. Clay Womack at 972.272.3471 or cwomack@fumcgarland.org. Gladly, there is room for you within First Church’s work of mission, service, and outreach!

hands on missions

Bridgeport Church Camp
The Men of First Church gave a few Saturdays this year to Bridgeport Camp for service-work on a number of needed projects: building a 12' x 36' deck, clearing hiking trails of limbs and debris, cutting down dead trees & turning them into firewood, repairing picnic tables & benches, trimming trees & shrubs away from buildings and mowing areas, and improving visual lines-of-site from cabins to the lake.

Later, the crew returned to the church camp to assemble 23 picnic benches needed for the summer children and youth programs. The tables were cut and drilled by the men's ministry group in Garland, trailored to the site and assembled in a few hours.

Kaufman Country Church
Click here to read about a helping hand to an African American rural congregation.

December 23 Supper @ Austin Street Shelter!
Friday evening - December 23 -6 p.m. First Church served a Christmas supper to 500 of God’s folk at the Austin Street Homeless Shelter.

Hope Clinic
The Hope Clinic Building was blessed on a beautiful Jan. 21 afternoon with a large crowd of well-wishers. View Pictures

Mission Trip Opportunity
March 30 through April 3
Sheet rocking a new parsonage at Sabine Pass UMC followed by another trip to San Antonio to work on Grace House. Dates on San Antonio trip still open at this time. To sign on for Sabine Pass trip please contact Harry Andreasen at 972-475-2155

Samara, Russia Report