Congregations are engaging the communities around them. How can these ideas inspire your church’s outreach?

Woodinville Community UMC in Woodinville, WA began a Community Outreach Ministry in September 2008. This program, TALK TIME, is an opportunity for new English learners to practice speaking English in a safe, nonthreatening, and relaxed environment. It is an easy, friendly way for foreign students, refugees, immigrants, and international businesspeople to practice English conversation and learn about American culture. Volunteers facilitate conversation to help and encourage participants to speak English.

The emphasis at TALK TIME is on relationship and friendship roles, where knowledge, cultural information, and opinions can be shared. Communication is sometimes achieved by pictures, photographs, gestures, drawings, mime, creativity, and lots of smiles and laughter. Friendships are formed and cultures shared as participants help each other to get their meanings across.

The goal of TALK TIME is to develop personal relationships with internationals, to lead them to Christ, help them grow, and help them to return home better equipped.

Zion UMC, York, PA, provides a summer, playground ministry in its borough’s Shelly Park that reaches out to children and their families in a growing single parent and ethnic minority neighborhood area. Nearly 100 children and youth participate daily in the ministry that features recreation, crafts, reading, a daily focus on a Bible story, and a weekly picnic and vesper worship service that includes families from Shelly Park and the church. The whole community gets involved too, as the participants ”give back“ to their neighborhood through their own mission outreach. The outreach has positive impact on the lives of everyone involved and builds bridges to Christ.

Austell First United Methodist Church, Austell, GA, has through its ”Bless Austell“ ministry developed ongoing programs for the community including free aerobics classes Wednesday nights, a free community dinner (Grace Cafe) every Thursday night, and a tuition-free weekday preschool (Feed My Lambs) August – May.

The church is involved in extensive outreach to its neighbor, Austell Primary School, where the church holds teacherappreciation lunches twice a year, volunteers at the school’s annual Spring Fling. In addition, Austell First members volunteer at a local assisted living home, and support the community food pantry and clothes closet.

Austell First UMC’s internal goal is that the church members would focus on blessing the community, being the body of Christ, the hands and feet of Christ in the world. Externally, they hope the campaign will signal to the community that they are ready to serve, to be an asset to this community. They foresee that others will want to join them in the blessing and eventually in the life of the church.