Our church, although small, is very proud of the work we do for missions. As you can see below, we have something going on all the time.
In March and October, we put together boxes to send to college students and those in the military that are part of our church family. In recent years, we have sent out as many as 16 boxes filled with goodies and love to the students and those in the military. Our youth will also make cards to include with the packages.
Every year, we make monetary donations to several local charities including our local fire department, rescue squad, the Boy Scouts, the Salvation Army, and others. We also set aside missions funds to be used to respond to individuals, churches, or areas in the world that have been affected by tragedy or disasters. In 2025, we collecting needed items from 10 churches on the Mission Rivers District and delivered them to a Disaster Relief and Recovery organization in western North Carolina to benefit families who lost their homes during Hurricane Helene in Ocotber 2024.
As lke many others, Bethany’s congregation has been affected by cancer. Each year in the fall, we always support The Western Tidewater Relay for Life in memory and in honor of our members that have been affected by this terrible disease. We typically do fundraisers such as selling chain links to create a love chain that surrounds our church, putting on a talent show or a dinner, as well as having a bake sale to raise money for this worthy cause, The American Cancer Society.
Each year in June, we collect Kits for Conference to support UMCOR. In recent years, our church donated a total of 50-60 health and school kits. We also support Camp Rainbow each year. Our United Women in Faith make crafts to send to Camp Rainbow and the United Methodist Men give a generous donation.
In August, we always have a school supplies collection. Our congregation is very generous and we donate all of the supplies to two of the local elementary schools.
Every month, we collect specific non-perishable food items for our local community organization Christian Outreach Program. Once a year (in October) COP organizes “Souper Saturday” where area churches donate soups and desserts. Tickets are sold and all proceeds go to COP. Bethany members play a big part in this event by donating soup and desserts as well as working the day of the event serving soup.
Bethany is the district collection point for the Henderson Settlement Christmas Mission project. We reach out to other churches in our district and are overwhelmed by their support and generosity. We start collecting blankets, coats, and new Chrstmast gifts in July for ages 0-18. As we get the items, we box them and store them until the end of November. We then load them in a U-Haul truck and take them to Henderson Settlement in Frakes, Kentucky. Some years, we arrive on a Sunday night and on Monday morning we unload the truck and stay a few days to help with sorting the items and preparing for the parents to come and shop for Christmas gifts later in the week. Recently, we have only been able to deliver the gifts and return home the following day. We also accept monetary donations and shop for gifts. In recent years, we have included pajamas, socks, and underwear for all the children, along with the Christmas gifts.
During the Christmas season, a group of adults and children from Bethany visit and sing for residents in 2 local nursing homes. Also, at Christmas, the United Methodist Men help by taking toiletry bags to a nearby men’s home called New Horizons. In addition, our United Methodist Men sponsor a road clean up twice a year. The United Women in Faith always sponsor a young mother and family by providing Christmas gifts and food. Lastly, Bethany collects small games, pillows, stuffed animals, coloring books, etc. and delivers them to the Hospital of the Kings' Daughters (CHKD) for children that are patients during the Christmas season.
As a year-long mission project, we make blessing bags for the homeless. Members bring in things such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, socks, deodorant, soap, washcloths, etc. We put the items in a clear bag and then they are available for our members to take and handout to homeless people that they may encounter in their travels.
All of the happenings listed above are conveyed to our congregation by a weekly insert that gives them the dates and events. We also communicate through a phone system called One All Tell All that has been very effective getting messages to the congregation in a timely manner when needed.