Missions of Avalon UMC

The Missions Committee provides a variety of opportunities for becoming involved in Avalon’s outreach:
Love Thy Neighbor is our food and clothing ministry, operating from a warehouse building on Walnut Street. Open Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings, this ministry serves over 10,000 people each year. Since its inception in 1993, over 40,000 families have been helped with bags of food and articles of clothing, holiday turkeys and hams, and school supplies.

Financial gifts to missions support missionaries through The Mission Society, Wesley International, One Mission Society, and our Love Thy Neighbor ministry.

We support efforts of Lifeline Ministries with building projects in Mexico, and their shoebox ministry to the Navajo reservation in New Mexico.

Four times each year, we have the privilege of partnering with Albany First UMC in their weekly Sunday Evening with Our Neighbors (S.E.W.N.) worship service. We serve about 200 of our cities poor or homeless, then join with them in worship and fellowship.

Other mission events include Souper Bowl of Caring (a special offering of food and money for Love Thy Neighbor) on the date of the annual Super Bowl football game, Missions Emphasis Sunday in May, collecting backpacks for Vashti students in July, and a spring collection of personal toiletry items for The Methodist Home for Children and Youth.