As Braddock Street United Methodist Church serves the world, we believe that a focused approach to serving allows us to build relationships and impact transformation in our community and world.
Working with fewer partner organizations gives us the ability to go deeper. Therefore, every mission opportunity revolves around either children or shelter.
COMMUNITY HELP RELIEF RESOURCES- FULL LIST -DOWNLOAD HERE
COMMUNITY RESOURCE GUIDE DOWNLOAD -with descriptions
Church Mission Opportunities
Our church has many ways to connect into our community and world to build relationships with our neighbors. The mission areas below have come directly out of our church.
Adult Mission Trips
Our church has a group of dedicated missionaries who deploy no more than six hours from our location to help areas that have been hit by disasters. In 2016, we began our work in disaster response by going to Waverly, VA to help with clean up from the tornadoes that touched down in February. We have sent several teams to West Virginia to rebuild after the violent flooding in June.
In addition, we are sending a team to Louisiana in December to help organize kits that have been sent to the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). This warehouse, called the Sager Brown Depot, sends kits to assist children in school, women to learn a sewing trade, women giving birth, and people suffering in the midst of natural disasters. Sager Brown Contact Becky Sherman
UMVIM/ERT: Contact Chuck Drake
Backpack Feeding Program
Twice a month, Braddock Street members of the Deborah-Ruth United Methodist Women’s Circle put together food items for children. These items are taken home to feed the children over the weekend. We work with other churches and organizations to make sure children have food every single weekend.
Items Needed for Backpack Ministry Drop-off at Braddock Street UMC
Veggies
Beef a Roni
Mac n’ Cheese
Contact – Kathy White or Sharon Kluge
Monday Night Dinner
Every Monday night of the year, we provide dinner for anyone in the community. Some who come out have minimum employment, some are homeless, some are lonely and others are church members. We come as a community to break bread around the table and share life. Dinner is served to all people. Currently, we are delivering to people who phone in the church office, or people in the Winchester area can come to the Braddock Street door and pick up a meal at 6 p.m. Please phone in an order. 540-667-3366.
Contact Megan Pugh
Service Worship
Three to four times a year, our church members come for worship in their work clothes. After worship, we head out into the community to do projects for our community partners that are time consuming or costly that they don’t have room in their budgets to complete. We have been to CCAP (Community Congregational Action Program), Evans Home, Our Health, Winchester Rescue Mission, and the Laurel Center, to name a few.
Contact Sarah Emerson
Our church is also involved in ministries outside the church, but in Winchester.
Here are some of the organizations that we support and how we work with them.
Congregation Community Action Project (CCAP)
CCAP offers limited financial assistance, clothing and food to families who are struggling to make ends meet in Winchester. Braddock Street Church helps to fund their relief fund, as well as sending volunteers to help with organization and supporting their larger drives for food and clothing throughout the year. Contact Velma Whitlock
UMFS (United Methodist Family Services) created the Charterhouse Schools as a place where Virginia’s kids with special needs can come to learn and grow in a safe and productive environment. The school is for children of all age levels. Braddock Street Church supports the school financially and with mentors. Contact Karen Walker
Habitat mobilizes volunteers and community partners to help hard-working, low income families break the cycle of poverty through affordable homeownership. Braddock Street Church has recently contributed to Habitat’s interfaith build and saw the family moved into their new home in November. Contact Raj Gandhi
One major area of food waste in America is in farmers’ fields, where crops that don’t meet top-grade quality are left to rot or be plowed under. The Society of St. Andrew provides opportunities for volunteers to glean these fields. Gleaning is the traditional biblical practice of gathering crops that would otherwise be left to rot andgives the food to those who have food scarcity. Braddock Street Church works with SoSA, providing gleaners throughout the late summer and early fall months. (Gleaning apples for SoSA) Contact Robyn Miller
Winchester Area Temporary Thermal Shelter (WATTS)
WATTS January 2 – 7, 2023
WATTS (Winchester Area Temporary Thermal Shelter) will be held at Braddock Street UMC from Monday, January 2 – Saturday, January 7, 2023
WATTS is a non-profit, charitable organization that provides a safe, temporary, overnight, cold-weather shelter for homeless guests in Winchester and Frederick County, Virginia. The shelter is housed in area churches, including Braddock Street. It takes many volunteers to cookgood meals and provide the support the WATTS guests and staff needs to be successful! We are proud to open our church doors for one of the weeks every winter. (Preparing breakfast for WATTS) Contact Robyn Miller
The purpose of the Rescue Mission is to provide a men’s shelter for the homeless, a soup kitchen, spiritual guidance, addiction recovery, and vocational counseling to those who struggle with these needs in our community. Braddock Street Church provides financial support as well as a meal once a month to the Rescue Mission community. The Mission has also be a recipient of our Service Worship ministry, where we painted both inside and outside and helped to weed their garden patch.
Contact Ben Miles
Virginia Mission Opportunities
Ways we are partnering with other United Methodist Churches to reach people throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia.
(Layette Kits for United Methodist Committee on Relief)
Global Mission Opportunities
Partnerships with organizations across the world.
(Helping Children Worldwide, Bo, Sierra Leone)