ATLANTA—In solidarity and support of vulnerable migrant communities facing heightened threats and uncertainty, the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has awarded over $2 million in grants to two partner organizations working on the frontlines of refugee and immigrant support in the United States and around the world.

Approved at its April 10-12 board of directors meeting, UMCOR awarded a $1,095,513 grant to Immigration Law and Justice Network (ILJN) and a $1,000,000 grant to Church World Service (CWS). These grants come in response to sweeping immigration policy changes by the current U.S. administration that have upended decades of humanitarian protections and funding streams for immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers.

ILJN, founded by UMCOR in 1999 and now its own non-profit, supports a network of 19 immigration legal service sites across the U.S. that operate on a low- to no-cost basis. The grant serves as emergency bridge funding after the cancellation of federal support that had sustained legal aid at six key sites.

As new policies expand the scope of deportations, many immigrants are facing deportation without legal representation or knowledge of their rights. This grant will ensure that over 500 immigrant children in the states of Florida, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Texas, Virginia, and Washington, D.C will have legal representation in court.

In addition, ILJN will continue establishing a new “Removal Defense Unit” to help immigrant communities navigate a rapidly shifting and often hostile legal landscape. Strategies include hiring a consulting attorney to build legal capacity across ILJN’s national network, creating accessible educational materials for both legal teams and community members, and setting aside funds specifically for bail assistance. A $425,000 grant awarded earlier in the year by UMCOR helped ILJN begin this work.

ILJN also plans to support its practitioners – many of whom face burnout and secondary trauma – by organizing two wellness retreats focused on mental health and sustainability in advocacy work.

“This is a historic moment of challenge,” said Alba Jaramillo, co-executive director of ILJN. “But UMCOR has stepped up with ILJN to respond to the moment. Together, we are doing the best we can in this political environment to make sure that our immigrant community is safe.”

CWS, a longtime partner of UMCOR, will use its $1 million grant to expand humanitarian aid and refugee resettlement efforts.

In the U.S., CWS aims to stabilize and expand essential operations including legal services, housing support, food distribution, health care access and language training for newly arrived refugees and their families. The organization will also scale up its international aid efforts in places like Honduras and Indonesia where conflict and displacement have left communities in dire need.

CWS will be able to maintain its child protection programs which offer advocacy and care for unaccompanied minors. In addition, CWS plans to intensify its outreach and advocacy efforts, working with faith-based groups to counter harmful narratives and call for compassionate immigration policies.

“The United Methodist Church was one of the founding members that created CWS in 1946. So, this grant from UMCOR is a reaffirmation of our long-standing partnership and shared mission,” said Rick Santos, president and CEO of CWS. “One of the strengths of organizations like Church World Service and UMCOR is that we connect to local congregations and local communities. This is a moment to activate that network of people.”

UMCOR’s support of ILJN and CWS reflects its historic and enduring commitment to stand in solidarity with migrants and displaced people. As government support diminishes, faith-based organizations are stepping in to help fill the ever-widening gap.

“These grants are more than just emergency aid,” said Roland Fernandes, general secretary of Global Ministries and UMCOR. “They represent our collective commitment to uphold dignity, work for justice and respond to God’s call to love our neighbors – especially the most vulnerable among us.”

Sara Logeman is the senior manager of content and marketing for Global Ministries and UMCOR and Higher Education and Ministry.

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Evanston, Ill. — Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary conferred an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree upon Roland Fernandes, general secretary of Global Ministries and Higher Education and Ministry during its 169th Commencement ceremony on May 9 in the Alice Millar Chapel on Northwestern University’s campus, honoring his years of leadership in global mission, education and humanitarian service in The United Methodist Church (UMC). 
 
“For several decades and on multiple continents, the leadership of Roland Fernandes has had profound and transformative impact, in the church and in the lives of communities and individuals,” said the Rev. Dr. Javier A. Viera, president of Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. “As a layperson who understands his work as ministry, we honor him for his wise and bold stewardship of our key institutions, for his partnership in amplifying the church’s voice, role, and purpose in the most vulnerable communities around the world, and for the witness of his life lived in total service to God and to neighbor.” 
 
Fernandes was awarded his honorary degree by Garrett professor Dr. Hendrik R. Pieterse, who recognized his advocacy for the flourishing of God’s people and for his enduring example of service to the UMC. Dr. Hla Hla Aye (Caroline Mawia) also received a Doctor of Humane Letters at the ceremony. 
 
The president of GBHEM’s board of directors, Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball, celebrated this honor for Fernandes. “Roland has dedicated more than 30 years to the mission and ministry of Christ through The United Methodist Church – giving leadership to GBGM, UMCOR, and now GBHEM. He is a catalyst for the vision, support, education and training of United Methodist missionaries, educators, pastors, lay persons and relief workers around the world. Roland’s faithfulness and dedication bring transformation to denominational systems, communities, individuals, and the denomination. This honorary degree is a recognition and celebration of one of our great leaders who develops, encourages and empowers those whom God has called to be the Light, Hope and Life of Christ in this challenging, ever-changing world.”  
 
Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson, president of Global Ministries’ board, added her praise. “I am delighted that Roland Fernandes has received this honor. Roland has committed himself fully to serving Jesus Christ and enriching the lives of others. He is a gifted and gracious leader of our church.”  
 
Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, who led Global Ministries’ board from 2012 to 2024 said, “This degree honors Roland’s longstanding stewardship of the denomination’s mission agency, Global Ministries, and the innovative thinking he now brings to his leadership at GBHEM. It recognizes his deep commitment to the church and humanity. I pray and give thanks for his authentic leadership daily.”  
 
In his address to the graduates, Fernandes urged them to remember their roots while embracing transformation in ministry. “It is one thing to be changed by experience, by faith, by education—but it is another to lose sight of where we come from,” he told graduates. “Today… I hope you will remember the roots that have grounded you and the journey that has brought you here.” 
 
Originally from Kolkata, India, Fernandes began his career as a missionary with Global Ministries, serving in India and the Philippines. A chartered accountant by training, he later transitioned into financial leadership roles within the agency. During his 30-year tenure at Global Ministries, he has guided the organization through periods of major transition, serving as interim general secretary and chief operating officer. He was named general secretary in January 2020, just a few months before the start of the pandemic, officially starting his role in September 2020. He assumed the unprecedented dual leadership role of Global Ministries and Higher Education and Ministry in 2024 and is now guiding operational and programmatic alignment for both agencies.  
 
Committed to service, Fernandes has founded several humanitarian agencies and served on numerous nonprofit boards. He and his wife, Liesl, live in Atlanta. 
 
In closing, Fernandes noted that with hearts filled with trust, openness and the flexibility to pivot, the graduates would experience learning, growth and even great joy through their lives. “May you remember your roots, may you be filled with a spirit of openness and trust, and may you go forth with a heart full of gratitude for what you have learned here at Garrett,” he said. “May you be ready to serve and lead wherever you are called to in the name of Christ.”  

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Native American Ministries grants, made possible through offerings on this special Sunday, can support ministries as unique and creative as the tribal affiliations of the congregations that put them to work.

When the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference (OIMC) first visited the Standing Rock Reservation to distribute UMCOR school kits, a wrong turn led their mission team to the Little Eagle community, where they observed several challenges faced by residents, including high unemployment and poverty. Through this wrong turn, which turned out to be God’s right turn, the OIMC established an ongoing relationship with the community.

An OIMC mission team brought holiday joy to the students at Little Eagle Grant School last Christmas through its annual Christmas mission trip, now in its fourth year. The project provides Christmas gifts to K-8th grade students at the school, located in a remote area of South Dakota. A second grant for OIMC supported another mission to the Standing Rock Reservation to distribute school kits earlier in the year.

Great-Spirit UMC in Portland, Oregon, and the Native American Cooperative Ministry (NACM) in Pembroke, North Carolina, both applied for grants to provide food for their communities. Great-Spirit provides a Sunday dinner every week and NACM delivers food to mostly Lumbee community members. Their plan incorporated a host of volunteers to plant and harvest two vegetable gardens and make the food deliveries with a personal touch.

A Navajo congregation in Cortez, Colorado, requested help to support their pastor and his work. Native Grace UMC is seeking to build sustainability while serving intergenerational Navajo families just outside the Navajo Reservation, which is next door in Montezuma Creek, Utah. The Navajo pastor shares the love of Christ through the lens of Navajo language, culture and spiritual practice.

Contributions on Native American Ministries Sunday help develop and strengthen Native American ministries within each United Methodist annual conference and provide scholarships for Native Americans pursuing ordained or licensed pastoral ministry.

United Methodists are called to recognize and honor the gifts and contributions made by Native Americans to our society and church. The United Methodist Church acknowledges a gap in understanding Native American life and culture, while affirming the sacredness of Indigenous peoples, their languages, their unique identities and their contributions to the church and the world.

Half of what is collected on this special Sunday will stay within the annual conference of the churches that collect the offering to help sustain regional and local Native American Ministries.

Celebrate the ministries, communities and congregations of Native Americans across the U.S. with an online gift to Native American Ministries or drop a gift in the offering plate of your local church when the offering is taken.

Christie R. House is a consultant writer and editor with Global Ministries and UMCOR.

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ATLANTA – In the opening worship service of Global Ministries and Higher Education and Ministry’s joint board of directors meeting in Atlanta, April 10-12, the 50+ year-old United Methodist hymn “Many gifts, one spirit” set the tone for the conversations to come.

Many gifts, one Spirit, one love known in many ways.
In our difference is blessing, from diversity we praise.
One Giver, one Lord, one Word, known in many ways, hallowing our days.
For the Giver and the Gifts, praise, praise, praise!

The words affirmed that The United Methodist Church values difference as blessing and celebrates diversity as a reflection of God’s image within the global church. A powerful and intentional reminder in light of new U.S. policies that are denying people of their basic rights and dignity and causing reverberations of suffering around the world.

In his report to the boards of directors, General Secretary Roland Fernandes said, “The church cannot completely fill in for U.S. governmental support lost, but we can, indeed we must, do all that we can.” He affirmed the urgent need and Biblical mandate for the church to respond with compassion and be a source of solidarity with increasingly vulnerable communities worldwide: “We have a moral imperative to stand firm on the side of the gospel message, which calls us to welcome the stranger, feed the hungry and tend to the sick.”

The more than 50 Global Ministries, UMCOR, and Higher Education and Ministry board members discussed ways to expand support in education, migration, health, humanitarian aid and peace. Fernandes identified these as specific areas of focus for the agencies based on their mandates and the impact of current U.S. policies. The meeting facilitated rich presentations on these topics by leaders of partner organizations, institutions and church leaders. The resulting conversations energized the boards to deepen their engagement and ask how the church might be uniquely positioned to meet this moment.

Dr. G. Sujin Pak, dean of Boston University’s School of Theology, presented on the impact of new policies on education; Rick Santos of Church World Service (CWS) and Alba Jaramillo and Melissa Bowe of Immigration Law and Justice Network (ILJN) shared the impact of policy changes within foreign aid and immigration; the Rev. Dr. Kevin Murriel, senior pastor of Cascade UMC in Atlanta, urged the boards to not grow weary in working for justice and inclusion for all of God’s children in an era where “exclusion is gaining traction.”  

Both boards approved strategic grants and funding initiatives that will help agency partners “stand in the gap,” ensuring that their vital work with marginalized people and groups can continue. Some actions include a $1 million UMCOR grant to both CWS and ILJN, as well as $1.4 million to partners in Ukraine in support of migrant and refugee work. Higher Education and Ministry awarded the 13 United Methodist theological schools in the U.S. one-time subsidies of $400,000 each in Methodist Education Fund (MEF) supplemental support.

“Global Ministries is expanding and extending the compassion and hope of God right at a time when funding is being cut for disaster relief, health programs, food assistance, legal rights for immigrants and refugees, and Global Ministries is just leaning further into what it has always done,” said Dr. Elizabeth Corrie, chair of the Mission Programs Committee for the Global Ministries board of directors. “We need to step more into the gap and continue to offer the vital services that are needed by people around the world, whether it is for global health programs, the way we are able to attend to people after disasters, and the way we are able to educate and equip people in their own local communities to engage in the mission of God.”

Sara Logeman is the senior manager of content and marketing for Global Ministries and UMCOR and Higher Education and Ministry.

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ATLANTA – “What do you need?” the Rev. Cory Thrall of Legacy United Methodist Church asked Global Neighbors, a Church World Service affiliate nonprofit organization and community partner whose mission is to foster welcome for immigrants in Bismarck, North Dakota.

As the pastor of Legacy UMC in Bismarck, a city of around 80,000 people, Thrall leads a congregation that is 125 years old. Its membership consists of different ages and ethnic backgrounds, although like the town, most of its members are white.

Building relationships with new and diverse neighbors is at the core of Legacy’s history and ministry. The church seeks out ways to embody a spirit of welcome and belonging. In 2024, a Mustard Seed Migration Grant from the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) provided Legacy with financial support to reach its Ukrainian neighbors in a unique way.

As Thrall listened to Global Neighbors’ response, he learned that their biggest need was to help people learn to drive, provide furnishings, and offer transportation.

But Thrall took it a step further. He wondered if Legacy members could connect more deeply with Ukrainian neighbors through shared recipes and meals. Having done this before with neighbors from Liberia and Ghana, a member of Legacy provides cooking lessons for a dish using local ingredients, and then the following month, immigrants or refugees teach Legacy members how to make something from their homeland. Ukrainian newcomers enthusiastically received the invitation, saying they wanted to cook with the church. So began a time of cooking, sampling and even competition for the best recipe.

“There was so much excitement as to who would win a prize. People were so proud and celebrated each other,” church member Kenton Carlson said. Prizes of cooking utensils, aprons, and other kitchen supplies were awarded to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners. Carlson wasn’t sure how their new friends would react to competing with each other, but they embraced it. Even though the collective group was speaking different languages, the smiles, noise, and laughter assured them they were together in spirit.

Many congregations may wonder how to take the first step to embrace strangers and those from other cultures. Table fellowship and group activities can tear down walls and facilitate interaction. “Opportunities like this are a great conduit to serve and do God’s work,” said Carlson.

While those who leave their homelands may experience isolation in a new setting, Legacy’s outreach goes beyond table fellowship. Thrall shares that when “a family arrives in Bismarck, both partners have to work to survive. That usually means that one partner is stuck at home while the other takes the car.” Public transportation can be difficult in a city like Bismarck. Their bus system runs less frequently and shuts down after 5 p.m.

In addition to the shared meals, Legacy also provides driving lessons and other forms of assistance its newest neighbors might need. They meet Christ in return. Sometimes, the things they do may feel like small things, but it puts “our work on this earth into perspective,” says Carlson. While returning home with a Ukrainian refugee from an insurance appointment, Carlson’s new friend kept saying, “You understand me! You understand. You understand.” Reflecting on the conversation now, Carlson said, “Wow, I just did a little thing, and it brought him so much.”

The Rev. Neelley Hicks is a freelance writer for Global Ministries and UMCOR.

UMCOR’s Mustard Seed Migration Grant program is designed to encourage local United Methodist churches to engage in ministry with migrating peoples in their midst. UMCOR awards grants of $2,000 USD to up to 100 churches in the U.S. to engage in new, one-time community-based service projects and ministries focused on migrants and refugees. Learn more and apply today.

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ATLANTA – Central to many faith traditions is the call to welcome the stranger and care for those in need. From a theological and faith perspective, the Trump administration’s immigration policies raise troubling ethical concerns that challenge core religious values of compassion, love and welcome.

Sweeping measures, framed as deporting illegal migrant criminals, are effectively criminalizing and terrorizing ALL migrant communities in the U.S., regardless of legal status.

Border security policies that set aside humanitarian considerations fail to recognize the plight of individuals fleeing violence and persecution. Such actions undermine our moral obligation to offer refuge and support to those seeking safety and a better life.

Economically, immigrants contribute to our communities and serve vital roles in various industries, driving growth and innovation. Many have been in this country for years. They are most often seen as gifts to our communities, not threats. By forcibly removing them and restricting entry for others, we diminish the richness and diversity they bring, which is counter to the belief that all people are created in the image of God and deserve dignity and opportunity.

Global Ministries condemns these actions, which disregard the fundamental dignity and rights of migrants, many of whom are families in need of our concern and care.

Additionally, the divisive rhetoric often accompanying these policies is antithetical to the teachings of love and unity found in many faiths, leading to increased intolerance and hatred of migrants in the U.S. We must advocate for a more compassionate and inclusive approach to immigration that reflects the gospel, values all lives as sacred and promotes justice and peace.

Instead of fostering division, we should focus on building bridges and advocating for comprehensive immigration reform that embodies compassion, justice, and the inherent worth of every person.

In Deuteronomy 10:18-19, we are reminded of God’s love for the foreigner, who is given food and clothing, and we are called to do the same: “And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.”

God calls us to welcome the stranger. We must commit to build a future where compassion and justice prevail regardless of passport status.

We reaffirm our call on individuals, pastors and local churches to take immediate action:

• Pray: Uphold the protection and well-being of migrants in your prayers, and seeking bold leadership from communities and policymakers.
• Volunteer: Connect with local organizations such as Church World Service or the Immigration Law and Justice Network to assist nearby affiliates.
• Support Projects: Apply for Mustard Seed Migration Grants of $2,000 to aid migrants in your community. Learn more and apply here.
• Learn: Join this Feb. 10 webinar organized by Church and Society and others to learn about the UM response to immigration justice.  Learn more and register here.
• Advocate: Contact elected officials to express your support for migrant rights and sign up for Church World Service Action Alerts  for advocacy opportunities.
• Donate: Contribute to the Global Migration Advance (#3022144) to support programs that aids migrants and refugees. Give here.

Roland Fernandes is the general secretary of Global Ministries, UMCOR, and Higher Education and Ministry of The United Methodist Church.

Learn more about migration ministry and programming through Global Ministries and UMCOR.

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ATLANTA – Shortly after Hurricane Helene inundated communities in Western North Carolina with 12 inches to nearly three feet of rain in just a few days late in September, Spruce Pine United Methodist Church in Spruce Pine, North Carolina, became a hub for disaster relief. It wasn’t their plan, but God needed a way to send help to this community, and this congregation provided that way. Though the church had neither electricity nor water, it was spared severe water damage, and on the third day after the storm, members of the congregation joined their pastor, Rev. Holly Cobb McKim, at the church, assessing their own situation and turning to help others.

Lilla Marigza, a freelance reporter with United Methodist News Service, notes that for weeks following Hurricane Helene, every square foot of Spruce Pine UMC was in service to the community. It offered a food pantry, water, a clothing closet and baby supplies. The Western North Carolina Disaster Response office asked if the church would be willing to host Early Response Teams (ERTs) already making plans to travel to the region to serve. Within days, the United Methodist Committee on Relief sent the conference a grant to help with relief efforts.

The church set up dormitories in children’s ministry rooms and constructed a temporary shower facility outside for what turned out to be literally hundreds of UMCOR-trained ERTs coming from conferences across the country. They visited for a week at a time to serve the people in this area of Western North Carolina who have seen tremendous devastation, loss of property and natural habitat and worst of all, loss of family members.

McKim noted: “I’ve been United Methodist all my life. How many times have we taken up special offerings for UMCOR? And we’ve sent money, and this is the first time it’s been right here in my own backyard! That’s actually a very humbling experience. Learning how to receive everything that everyone has given us has been extremely humbling and gives me hope in humanity.”

Specific areas of the Holston Conference in East Tennessee and Virginia were also affected by Helene, mostly through flooding. A dam gave way outside Greenville, Tennessee, causing massive flooding, power outages and road closures.

On Friday Sep. 27, Trinity UMC in Greenville had no power or water, but the church was in good shape. Pastor Sara Varnell said she didn’t know what to do, but members of her congregation called and were certain they should do something. She connected with another UMC and asked a lot of questions.

“Our church started saying ‘yes’ on Saturday morning,” Varnell said. “We didn’t know how to do this, but God did. This is God and a whole community and all the churches and people working together.”

People from the wider UMC connection started showing up with water, food, diapers – and people from the community soon learned where they could find these things they desperately needed. Before long the church was a major hub. UMCOR sent clean-up supplies, volunteers from church within and outside the conference showed up with supplies and stayed to help organize and distribute them.

Spruce Pine and Trinity churches were two paths God found to reach people after Helene struck. This scenario was repeated in other communities and churches, in other states affected by Helene’s broad reach. Today, as the relief operations wind down, United Methodist disaster coordinators in the affected conferences are planning recovery strategies for weary communities.

As 2025 unfolds, three hard-hit United Methodist conferences are working with UMCOR to assess recovery needs and set-up long-term disaster management programs. Western North Carolina Conference, South Carolina Conference and Holston Conference are each receiving grants averaging $100,000-$200,000 to begin this assessment, which includes fact and resource gathering to discover where needs are already being met by government and nonprofit agencies and which communities have not received what they need. Finding these gaps in services and resources is an UMCOR objectives.

Jim Cox, who recently began work as UMCOR’s new executive director, met a number of ERTs in the Asheville, North Carolina, area as they arrived to help Western North Carolina Conference mud-out and clean-up in surrounding communities.

“UMCOR has been in partnership with the conference here since day one,” he noted. “Western North Carolina Conference has done great work early on. We’re now looking at long-term recovery. We plan to partner together with the conference for several years.”

Long-term recovery grants from UMCOR help to cover expenses for disaster case management, construction management, volunteer management, material resource management, financial management and administration, depending on what the assessment determines. Recovery grants tend to be substantial and are usually implemented in time periods of six months to two years or longer after initial assessments are completed.

South Carolina sustained major damage from winds and tornadoes created by Helene. Jessica Brody, South Carolina Advocate editor, noted that nearly the entire western half of South Carolina—comprising 29 counties in total—was approved for individual and public assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

United Methodists in the conference have donated supplies, sent ERTs out and quickly arranged ERT trainings for UMCOR ERT certification.

Florida was also hit hard, particularly in the panhandle region, and received a series of relief grants, but it has already set up major recovery hubs in response to previous hurricanes and received an additional grant early in 2024.

“When disaster strikes, like the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, many ask, ‘Where is UMCOR?’ The simple answer is: We are UMCOR,” wrote Aimee Yeager, director of Communications for Western North Carolina Conference. “United Methodist disaster response is embodied through the work of our local churches, teams, and volunteers.”

The role of the UMCOR is to help fund disaster response efforts, train volunteers and provide the expertise and resources that empower annual conferences across the nation to respond to disasters. UMCOR’s real strength, however, is found in the hands and feet of local church members who bring help directly to their communities.

“So, where is UMCOR? Right here,” Yeager continued. “We are UMCOR – each of us is a part of this essential ministry of love and relief. We have been here. We are still here. We will remain. Thanks be to God.”

Christie R. House is a consultant writer and editor with Global Ministries and UMCOR. With thanks to the communicators of Western North Carolina, South Carolina and Holston conferences for their story coverage used here: Aimee Yeager, Annette Spence, Jessica Brodie and UM News reporters, Lilla Marigza and Mike DuBose.

Learn more about Disaster Response in the U.S.

United Methodist Committee on Relief U.S. Disaster Response and Recovery serves as the primary channel for United Methodist assistance for disasters that strike within the United States.

Make a gift to help UMCOR provide for the basic needs of people and communities devastated by both natural and humanmade disasters.

GIVE: https://umcmission.org/advance-project/901670/

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ATLANTA – United Methodist churches in the U.S. will have the opportunity to help immigrants, migrants and refugees living in their local communities again in 2025. The United Methodist Committee on Relief’s (UMCOR) Mustard Seed Migration Grant program, now in its fifth year, provides congregations with up to $2,000 for a one-time, community-based service project.

“As Jesus shares in his parable, small mustard seeds have the potential to grow into something pervasive that spreads throughout a field,” said Roland Fernandes, general secretary of Global Ministries and UMCOR. “Since the start of the program, we have seen United Methodist churches learn more about immigrants, migrants and refugees in their communities and address their needs through these grants. The ‘seed’ of welcoming strangers has been planted in new and unique ways in congregations around the country.”

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until Sept. 1, 2025. Up to 100 churches will be awarded a grant on a first-come first-serve basis. New applicants, as well as churches that have completed a Mustard Seed project in the past, are welcome to apply. Monies will be dispersed within four weeks of application approval and the project must be completed within six months.

“Now, more than ever, UMC congregations need to learn about migrants by working with them in their own communities. Now, more than ever, migrants need to feel welcomed and loved by their neighbors,” said the Rev. Jack Amick, director of Global Migration for UMCOR. “Mustard Seed Migration Grants can help congregations that wish to walk on a journey together with migrants.” 

Examples of projects completed by United Methodist churches in 2024 include:

First United Methodist Church in Troy, MI, helped resettle a recently arrived refugee family by providing furnishings and household items. Volunteers helped install items in the home which greatly helped the family’s transition during a difficult time.

Brookstown United Methodist Church in Pfafftown, NC, provided support to a Haitian family that needed stable housing, English as a Second Language pre-school and further integration into the community. 

Charleroi United Methodist Church in Charleroi, PA, created a clothing ministry to offer coats, gloves, bedding, towels and other essential clothing to immigrant families in need.

Legacy United Methodist Church in Bismarck, ND, provided refugees with cookware and cooking classes alongside longtime local residents which helped a “dish exchange” among Bismarck locals and refugees.

For the full list of 2024 recipients, click here.

To learn more about the program requirements and to apply online, click here.

Contact mustardseed@umcor.org with questions or for more information.

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About the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR)

Founded in 1940, the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is the global humanitarian relief and development agency of The United Methodist Church. A part of United Methodist Global Ministries, UMCOR works in more than 80 countries worldwide, including the United States and its territories. The agency’s mission, grounded in the teachings of Jesus, is to alleviate human suffering with open hearts and minds to all people. Working in the areas of disaster response and recovery and migration, UMCOR responds to natural or civil disasters that are interruptions of such magnitude that they overwhelm a community’s ability to recover on its own.

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We make connections with our people – and we see them, and we minister to their needs.

Preston Boyd, mission co-chair, Southfield-Hope UMC

SOUTHFIELD, MICHIGAN – “The clothing closet and food pantry ministry has been around for about 20 years, and so it is engrained in the culture of Hope (UMC),” Preston Boyd explained. He co-chairs the current version of the Closet of Hope Food Pantry with his wife, Ale Jean Boyd, and Michael Boggs. The Boyds joined the church just two years ago and Michael has been a member for four years, so this trio volunteered to guide the ministry even though they were relatively new to the church.

While the official signage and website says the closet is open one Saturday a month, its volunteer staff is ready and willing to work with clients whenever they need help. The closet is open for walk-ins two days a month and by special requests. Hope UMC’s pantry model focuses on individual appointments. People who need help call the church, they receive an appointment on Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday; they come in and have a conversation with pantry volunteers. There are some restrictions as to how often you can receive a food box, but most of their clients are return customers, so they get to know these community members well, even if they are not church members.

“When Jean and I stepped in, the church was still in pandemic mode and the ministry had been shut down for two years,” Preston continued. “So, when we took over, we rebuilt it with a core group of volunteers. We didn’t have very many clients at first, a whopping 14 households served in the first month. We started doing outreach into the city of Southfield – we made municipal staff aware that we were back in operation. Word of mouth spread, and we’ve grown to about 100 households per month. Part of the core volunteer team was still there, and then, as we continued to grow, new people volunteered and Mike stepped up to be co-chair with us.”

“Since our reopening, we have distributed something like 86,000 lbs. of food, which reached about 4,500 people, or 500 different households. That speaks to the effort the Boyds and the team have put into this,” Michael Boggs noted. “The volunteers are revved up and wanting to be here, because they know they are contributing to the lives of the clients we serve.”

About 50% of the people who come in for food also need clothing, so they receive help with that too. The ministry received a Community Engagement grant from Global Ministries earlier in the year, which enhanced what they could offer to clients. It meant that some families who needed additional food in a month could receive that. It also allowed them to purchase and provide necessary hygiene items and winter clothing.

“That grant from Global Ministries allowed us to really delight and surprise some people with the extras,” Preston added. Community Engagement grants are made possible by the United Methodist Voluntary Services fund, derived from the UMC Human Relations Day offerings.

Jean Boyd mentioned that the pantry is small in comparison to others in the area, but it still meets certain standards. “We are considered to be a Gold Star Pantry for Gleaners – and that’s a big certification for a pantry of our size that is not a client-choice pantry. We are small enough that we can’t have families come in and pick their own food, but we do try to give them adequate canned food, meats, and when we can get it, fresh milk and produce.”

Going another step with their clients, they provide recipes for fresh produce because: “You never know what you are going to get from Gleaners, and sometimes they send produce that people have never eaten or don’t know how to cook.”

Both Preston and Jean are retired and were former pastors of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. Prior to those careers, Preston worked for Ford and Daimler, and Jean worked for an insurance company. As they get to know their clients, they pray for them…and sometimes they pray with them. One of their client families lost a child who was attacked by a pit bull. The child’s grandmother at a scheduled food distribution asked for prayer, and they took the family to the Hope Chapel. “That was one of the hardest prayers I’ve ever prayed,” said Preston.” And at the end of it, all I could do was embrace them, and assure them God was still there with them.”

Another time, a gentleman with family problems said, “my family is driving me crazy, can you come pray with me…” and they did. “I love when people get surprised by God,”. Preston noted. “He came back a few weeks later, and he says, ‘pastor, that worked!’ Well, that’s why we pray.”

Both the Hope Church congregation and the community it serves are predominantly African American, but people of other races and immigrants of other nationalities have come for help at the pantry, and all are received.

Preston described an elderly Russian lady who, at first, sat by herself at the pantry intake area. “I remember when she first came into the pantry, I made sure I knew her name. I called her and the minute I pronounced her name correctly, her face lit up. She’s not that little shy lady who sits at the back anymore. She now feels at home in this church.

“We try to make sure that we see the clients and that they see the love of Christ in what we do and that they walk away with a good experience. That shows in the surveys we do. The clients say that our pantry cares and that they appreciate the love and care we show them.”

Christie R. House is a consultant writer and editor with Global Ministries and UMCOR.

Human Relations Day is an opportunity to stand with other United Methodist churches to build the beloved community envisioned by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This denominationwide Special Sunday is designed to strengthen human relationships and community outreach. By participating in the Human Relations Day offering, United Methodists embrace the power of relationships, the strength of community and the good news that all of God’s children are of sacred value.

Gifts made on Human Relations Day, Jan. 19, 2024, support the Community Developers Program as well as community advocacy through the United Methodist Voluntary Services administered through Global Ministries.

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ATLANTA – “EarthKeepers training has given me a real sense of community. I know I am not alone in my passion for the importance of the care of creation,” the Rev. Laura Nordstrom said of her EarthKeepers training experience this fall.

Indeed, she is not alone. She was commissioned by Global Ministries on November 19 as one of 67 EarthKeepers trained and sent back to their communities with a better grasp on how to push their environmental projects forward. Some attended in-person training in either Baltimore, Maryland, or St. Paul, Minnesota, while others attended online. This group of EarthKeepers represents 30 annual conferences and all five U.S. jurisdictions. Participants include clergy, laity, annual conference staff and agency staff.

During the commissioning, General Secretary Roland Fernandes of Global Ministries assured the candidates that their creation care work is vital and blesses their communities, and that Global Ministries affirms their call from God to the ministry of creation care.

“Global Ministries and the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) join communities around the world on the front lines of extreme weather events that have been exacerbated by climate change,” Fernandes noted. “The increasing number and intensity of these events are directly connected with humanity’s impact on God’s creation. I’ve been with UMCOR for 30 years and I remember, there were some years with no hurricanes in the U.S. Today, we run out of the alphabet naming storms every year.”

EarthKeepers are asked to come to training with a project idea they’ve already hatched. The program supports people looking to turn an idea into action as well as those who want to deepen an existing ministry. Participants develop plans in conversation with their peers, in a place where they can troubleshoot ideas and develop strategies with experienced trainers and people who share their passion for the stewardship of the Earth.

“When I went to the training, I knew that my project would be about prairie restoration,” Nordstrom continued. She pastors Stewartville United Methodist Church, which sits on 12 acres of former farmland on the outskirts of Stewartville, Minnesota. The congregation has been considering God’s will for their land resources and how to develop a space for the local community.

“Through conversations at the training, I was able to hone the idea down to something doable. I think that was very, very helpful.”

Projects included not just use of land but reducing landfill waste as well. Janet Marshall-Tate, from Connecticut in the New York Conference, is developing “FlexCollects,” to target collection of plastic bags, plastic packaging, bubble wraps, shrink wraps, cereal box liners, dry cleaning bags, retail plastic packaging – all the stuff people throw out that ends up in landfills because most municipal recycling programs don’t accept it.

In many cases, municipalities dig landfills in areas that are close to low-income neighborhoods and those where Black, Indigenous and other people of color reside. Reducing the toxicity in the air and soil by eliminating some of the pollutants can improve the environments surrounding the landfill.

Daniel Hiatt will be working on industrial composting on the Mount Eagle Retreat Center campus in Clinton, Arkansas. He hopes to reduce waste and the resulting downstream effects that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Composting will become a new way to engage people on campus and in the community while producing life-giving soil amendments for the greater production of foods grown.

The Rev. Kevin Brown at Mt. Washington UMC in Kentucky pastors a church which, like Nordstrom’s, has a big land footprint. His congregation has a vision of creating a community garden that will become a fresh expression ministry – perhaps an extension of the church’s ministry to a community that prefers to meet and worship outdoors.

“This idea that we had for a community garden wasn’t mine,” said Brown. “But I’m fully supportive of it. It’s unique and a little bit edgy. It will take quite a bit of commitment.”

Pastor Brown and two younger parishioners from Mt. Washington, Tyler Vandeveer and Emily Allison, are the first EarthKeepers commissioned from Kentucky. “We wanted to address both food insecurity and spiritual insecurity, so from the beginning, we were incorporating the idea of feeding people spiritually as well as physically,” noted Brown.

Allison lives in a nearby apartment complex: “I don’t have much property of my own, just a small balcony that holds six large pots and that’s it. So, I thought, I’m not the only one in that situation. It would be nice to have an area that we could garden – and eat what we garden – that would supplement my groceries. I like to buy organic produce, but that can get a little pricey.”

Vandeveer noted, “We had the idea for the community garden, and through the training, we narrowed it down in stages, what we were going to do this year and next year – and we developed a five-year plan.” The plan now includes a solar and water catchment system. And the raised platform beds will be accessible for wheelchairs and others for whom working on the ground might be challenge.

Bishop Lanette Plambeck from the Dakotas-Minnesota Episcopal Area, who also serves with the Native American Comprehensive Plan, officiated the online commissioning service. Her homily was rooted in Mark 4: 35-41, in which Jesus, with his disciples in a boat, calms the storm.

“It’s not just the miracle itself,” she said, “but the relationship it reveals between Jesus and creation – between the Holy and Creation. The wind and the waves know his voice. They obey, not out of compulsion, but of recognition of the one who brought them into being. This moment in the Gospel is a declaration. All creation belongs to God.”

“This commissioning is not simply about stewardship,” the bishop noted. “It’s about discipleship. Caring for creation is not a peripheral task of the church. It is central to the Gospel. When we care for the Earth, we proclaim Jesus’ lordship over all creation.”

Christie R. House is a consultant writer and editor with Global Ministries and UMCOR.

Global Ministries’ Environmental Sustainability program leads sustainability initiatives within the agency, in collaboration with other United Methodist agencies and in support of churches and ministries throughout The United Methodist Church. Learn more about this program at https://umcmission.org/environmental-sustainability.

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