Here at Bethel, we strive to be an active part of not just the Spartanburg community, but also the global community. This web page provides information on many of the outreach and mission opportunities we offer at Bethel United Methodist Church.

Contact: Don Worley; dworley@matrixei.com

For more information: (864) 585 – 4801
www.bethelmethodist.org
Facebook: “Bethel United Methodist Church”

Invitations from the Missions Committee
Missions and Outreach would like to invite Bethel Members to the following:
March 5, 2020 Adult Mission Trip Information Meeting: Bethel Conference Room, 7 PM. The Missions Committee will hold an informational meeting about an Adult Mission Trip to Costa Rica working with Rice and Beans Ministries the week of July 11th to 18th.  The mission activities will include light construction and home repairs for needy individuals and community service efforts.

Ongoing: Storm damage repairs. If you need help with light repairs or cleanup from storm damage from the recent tornado, Missions and Outreach may be able to help with those needs. For more information,bcontact a member of Missions and Outreach, the church office or Don Worley at (864) 597-3270.

Comfort and Joy Blanket Ministry

The Comfort and Joy Ministry began in August of 2015. Originally it was formed to provide handmade blankets to members of the congregation experiencing loss of loved ones, accidents or illnesses, and new babies. Over the past 4 years we have provided 98 blankets for our Bethel family.

We realized that our Spartanburg community was also in need of comfort and joy, and so we began reaching out to various groups with handmade items of love. We made 31 blankets for foster children of P.S. I Love You, 35 teddy bears for the cancer patients of Children’s Security Blanket, 33 blankets for a Methodist church affected by Hurricane Harvey in Houston, 23 Angel blankets for families experiencing the loss of an infant at Spartanburg Regional. 80 teddy bears for Sidewalk Hope children, 34 pillowcases for Sidewalk Hope, and 45 bible bags for our disciple children from Sidewalk Hope. Our current mission is to make 65 lap blankets for the residents at Rosewood Assisted Living in Pauline. All the while continuing to blanket our Bethel family with love.

We need your help! Firstly, please let the office know or Kathy Butler (576-5284) if someone could use a blanket for comfort. Our congregation needs are most important. Secondly, we need people to help iron, cut, pin, sew, fold, and ribbon. We have a wonderful time working and could use you! Lastly, we are not currently funded by any committee at Bethel and rely on donations to buy fabric, ribbon, and note cards. If you feel so lead as to help this mission, please make donations to Bethel UMC with Comfort and Joy in the memo.

We are beginning our 5th year of this loving ministry and want to continue blessing our church and our community. Your help in any way is greatly appreciated.

Christmas in Action

Christmas in Action is a non-profit organization that rehabilitates the houses of people in need. This is a wonderful opportunity to help the community and strengthen our relationship with Christ and each other.  The “Rebuilding Days” are one day projects held whenever there is a need and a team that can respond. A team is assigned a project that could involve painting, ramp building, plumbing, flooring, etc.

SPIHN (Spartanburg Interfaith Hospitality Network)

SPIHN includes Spartanburg-area churches who provide temporary food and shelter for homeless families with children under the age of 18. Spartanburg area churches provide nighttime shelter for these families. We partner with St. James United Methodist Church four times a year for one week at a time. We serve dinner to the families on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday night. We host the families during the day on Saturday with two people in two hour shifts from 11 am to 5 pm. This is a great Sunday School Class or family activity.

The Blood Connection

The Blood Connection is an organization that travels across the area allowing people to donate blood tot hose who are in need of a blood transfusion. The  Blood Mobile visits Bethel once every eight weeks. Donations are taken in the Bloodmobile in our parking lot from 8:30 am till 11:30 am.

The Angel Tree through Salvation Army

The Angel Tree Program is an opportunity for us to provide joy at Christmas for children who would otherwise be left out. Each Christmas season, a tree is placed outside the sanctuary with Angel Tags identifying specific needs for deserving children in the Spartanburg area. Members of Bethel’s family may select a tag from the tree, purchase the listed gifts, and place them under the tree for delivery to these children.

Missionary Support

We corporately and individually send and partner with missionaries in Guatemala, South Africa, Brazil and China. This partnership consists of prayer and monetary support.

Construction or Disaster Recovery Mission Trips

As needed, Bethel will send a relief team to an area recently struck by tragedy. Teams often partner with our BUMS student mission team.

UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief)

UMCOR responds to natural disasters that can overwhelm a community’s ability to recover on its own. Through UMCOR, United Methodists extend loving care to people in crisis, providing training, financial assistance, expertise, and community collaboration to churches and partners making them more resilient to disasters. To help the people of the Bahamas and others affected by hurricane Dorian, make your “second mile” check out to Bethel UMC and mark it “UMCOR”.

Senior Adult

We maintain an outreach mission to our home-bound members and seniors who have had to move away. We let them know they are missed and not forgotten by:  visiting home-bound members, sending care cards, and hosting a veterans’ luncheon which is not just for seniors but is open for all.  To help, you can volunteer to visit, give stamps or care cards (drop off at the office), or sending a care card on the first Sunday of each month – just pick a name and send a note.

Spartanburg Soup Kitchen

The Spartanburg Soup Kitchen feeds everyone who walks through the door, as well as providing mentoring, health counseling and other services. Each fourth Sunday in January, March, May, July, September and November, we prepare and serve lunch as well as cleanup.

Adult Mission Trip 2019

Five adults participated in the 2019 Bethel UMC Adult Mission Trip to Vero Beach, Florida July 13-20, 2019.  The Adult Mission Trip was conducted parallel to the Bethel Youth Mission Trip with scheduling and logistics arranged by Epic Missions, Inc. based in Vero Beach.  One of the adult youth chaperones also worked with the adult mission team.  

During the week, the team worked to demolish part of a building in jeopardy of fall onto an elderly lady’s home, weeded in a community food bank garden, washed the wings of a missionary transport airplane and painted in a school for underprivileged children.

The team accomplished it’s primary goal of showing the love of Jesus Christ through its caring spirit and good works.