Partners
Global Impact has identified mission partners that are lifted up through prayer, volunteer time, donations and support. Explore the links below to visit partner websites learn about each organization or contact the Church Office for more resources and information.
Local Partners
Mission Partners with Service Opportunities:
ALLIANCE CENTER FOR EDUCATION "AC4Ed"
Alliance Center for Education "AC4Ed," formerly known as Bethlehem Center, provides high-quality education and support for children in need through partnership with their families. Their vision is to positively affect the future of children at risk by improving economic mobility through education. MUMC Champion: Andy Belk
BRAVE STEP
Brave Step empowers individuals who have been impacted by sexual violence. Brave Step provides personalized services that help adults impacted by sexual violence reclaim the life they deserve. They foster brave public conversations about sexual violence and cultivate courageous changemakers. Visit BraveStep.org to learn more about their many programs. MUMC Champion: Kim Layton
BLESSED ASSURANCE ADULT DAY & HEALTH CARE SERVICES
Blessed Assurance provides peace of mind by taking care of people's loved ones with kindness, warmth and encouragement. Their goal is to preserve the dignity and enhance the quality of life for those they serve through a caring, stimulating, therapeutic and enjoyable environment. MUMC Champion: Nancy Lee
CHANGED CHOICES
As followers of Christ, Changed Choices' aim is to provide mental, emotional, physical and spiritual assistance to highly motivated women both during their incarceration and as they transition back into society, thus enabling them to make positive changes in their lives and to achieve self-sufficiency. Changed Choices exists so that women who have experienced incarceration may lead restored lives marked by healthy decisions, self-sufficiency and contribution to their communities. MUMC Champion: Open
CHARLOTTE RESCUE MISSION (CRM)
Charlotte Rescue Mission provides residential programs and transforms lives in the name of Christ by serving people struggling with addiction, poverty or hopelessness with the goal of returning them to society as productive, self-sufficient citizens.
MUMC Champions:
REBOUND (men's addiction recovery program) - Rich Buchanan
DOVE'S NEST (women's addiction recovery program) - Suzy Wilson
COMMON HEART
Common Heart, located in Indian Trail, NC is focused on eradicating food insecurity and eliminate generational poverty. Serving the community since 2006, their programs are designed to engage community volunteer action in 3 areas: food pantries, economic empowerment and literacy. Common Heart serves 51% of the food insecure households in Union County. Visit CommonHeart.org and learn how you can sort, stock and deliver food to those in need. MUMC collects peanut butter and jelly the first Sunday of each month for Common Heart. MUMC Champion: Nancy Toler
COSKIDS
COSKids empowers parents (single and working) to reach financial and spiritual security by providing quality children's programs, education and life skills in a Christian environment and provide quality Christian resources and children's programs for the community at large. MUMC Champion: Susie Verrill
DISCIPLE BIBLE OUTREACH (PRISON) MINISTRIES
Disciple Bible Outreach Ministries is a collaborative ministry for the promotion and development of DISCIPLE Bible Study ministries in local churches and other outreach settings. MUMC Champion: Trish Pegram.
GENESIS GARDEN
The Genesis Garden is located on the campus at Matthews UMC and provides fresh produce to Common Heart, COS Kids, Rainbow Express Ministries, and Legacy European Academy. The garden is made possible by faithful volunteers with a passion to serve. All are welcome to come out and help grow all kinds of good things while enjoying warm sunshine, fresh air and friendship! MUMC Champion: Ken Merchant
GREENWAY PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (GPES)
Would you like to make an impact on the life of a child in poverty? Would you like to be a part of an initiative working with an elementary school where there is a variety of opportunities to volunteer both weekly and on a more occasional basis? View new opportunities or a more comprehensive list. MUMC has formed a partnership with GPES located on Monroe Road, just four miles from MUMC. MUMC Champion: Tina Fincher
GREATER MATTHEWS HABITAT FOR HUMANITY (GMHH)
Since 1989, Greater Matthews Habitat for Humanity has built over 100 homes in the Matthews, Mint Hill & Stallings communities. By the grace of God, GMHH improves lives by building communities and facilitating successful home ownership with people in need of decent, affordable homes. MUMC Champion: Ralph Messera
Greater Matthews Habitat for Humanity Restore: Habitat relies on volunteer partners to power ReStore, where they assist with everything from donation processing to merchandise organization, to customer assistance.
HOME2HOME
Home2Home ministry is designed to help those that have lost everything in their home due to a natural disaster or who have fallen on hard times and just need a helping hand to get back on their feet. Having a safe, comfortable place to call home is essential for emotional, mental and physical well-being. Without this basic need being met, it is difficult to work towards any sort of growth in the spiritual, emotional, physical, relational and intellectual areas of a person's life. Home 2 Home was birthed right here at Matthews UMC as members of our community saw a need. Please call the Church Office at 704-847-6261 to connect with this ministry. MUMC Champion: Earl Coggins
HOSKINS PARK MINISTRIES (HPM)
The purpose of Hoskins Park Ministries is to help men who have been living on the street, or are near homelessness, to get back on their feet as independent God-fearing men by experiencing grace through Jesus Christ. Matthews Men host cookouts for the men of Hoskins Park each month. MUMC Champion: Bo Bobrowski
MATTHEWS FREE MEDICAL CLINIC
Matthews Free Medical Clinic provides quality healthcare to low income, uninsured patients of Matthews, NC and surrounding areas, including Mecklenburg and Union counties, at no cost. MUMC Champion: Greg Klein
MATTHEWS HELP CENTER (MHC)
Matthews HELP Center brings our community together to support families striving for financial sustainability. MHC's primary program provides short-term financial assistance to our neighbors working to regain financial stability. MHC is the primary crisis assistance organization in our community. MUMC Champion: Ida Riddick.
RAINBOW EXPRESS MINISTRIES
Rainbow Express Ministries offers opportunities for young adults with disabilities to belong to a community where they can build friendships and explore, develop and share their gifts and abilities. This includes daily gatherings three times a week, serving others, retreats, Bible study and fellowship. MUMC Champion: Laurie Little
Rainbow Express Camp is a week-long day and evening camp, normally the second week in July, sponsored each summer by Matthews UMC United Youth. It is a camp that serves children and youth with special needs and provides support for their families. This is a special week full of energy, fun and joy as we embrace all God's Children. Volunteers are always needed.
ROOF ABOVE (FORMERLY URBAN MINISTRIES & MEN'S SHELTER OF CHARLOTTE)
Roof Above assists unaccompanied adult men experiencing homelessness in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area by providing safe emergency shelter, meeting basic needs and addressing barriers related to homelessness and self-sufficiency. To volunteer at the shelter, you may apply online. MUMC Champion: Steve Martin
ROOM IN THE INN
Roof Above has partnered with colleges and congregations of many faiths to open their facilities to provide shelter and food for homeless people during the time frame of December - March. Each site offers a warm, safe place to sleep, serves three meals (dinner, breakfast and bag lunch) and then returns guests the following morning to uptown Charlotte. This program, Room in the Inn (RITI), offers a unique way for people of faith to become directly involved with individuals who are homeless. Matthews UMC is a host site on Thursday evenings during the winter months MUMC Champion: Mike Mattes
THE MALES PLACE
The Males Place mentors young African American males, ages 12-18, with a mission to provide comprehensive and educational programming and life skills training. They expand young minds toward community and civic involvement. MUMC champion: Don Morrison
TREE OF BLESSINGS
Each year, MUMC receives names from organizations such as Blessed Assurance, Turning Point, Changed Choices and others. By selecting a name from the MUMC Tree of Blessings in November, church members provide Christmas presents for those in our community who are less fortunate. MUMC Champions: Susan & Steve Higgins
TURNING POINT
Turning Point is committed to "turning our community away from domestic violence" and providing victims and their dependent children with safe shelter while they learn how to break free from their abuser. MUMC Champion: Kim Holt
UNITED YOUTH MISSIONS
The youth at Matthews UMC conduct various mission trips throughout the year. Global Impact dollars help support these trips. For information and volunteer/support opportunities, please see the Youth pages on our site.
Regional Partners
We lovingly support our National Ministry Partners, often providing teams of people who share The Gospel and conduct much needed work when they travel to these communities.
WESTERN NC RECOVERY/DISASTER MINISTRIES
The Western NC Conference of the United Methodist Church is involved in Recovery efforts for those impacted by Hurricane Helene, which hit our state in late September 2024. Global Impact organizes work trips to this area, where we muck out homes, do household repairs, and clean up. Watch the church website for up-to-date trip information. If you are skilled or unskilled, we can use your help. Work trips will be offered through the summer and fall of 2025, and throughout the year in 2026.
International Partners
We are committed to be the "Hands and Feet" of Jesus around the globe. Our International Mission Partners include:
EST/ HER INTERNATIONAL - (SHINE - San Pedro, Belize)
Restoring Hope, Changing Lives. Est/Her stands for Establishing Her for More and supports abused and at-risk women within local communities through empowerment and education, all by the love and grace of Jesus Christ. All women deserve to know their worth. We are committed to changing lives through renewed hope, giving opportunities for healing, and facilitating restoration. We operate in San Pedro, Belize through our well-established SHINE - Belize program. We have now expanded to provide local anti-trafficking restoration efforts in Apex, North Carolina. We are in partnership with local organizations and law enforcement who help pinpoint the needs and gaps in direct service care to help combat this issue. MUMC Champion: Marilyn Sczech
INTERNATIONAL LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE (ILI)
The International Leadership Institute is a global movement of men and women who are passionate to change history by training and mobilizing leaders of leaders to reach people with the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Each year, more than 600 leadership conferences equip men and women around the world to "go and make disciples of all nations." MUMC Champion: Amy DeVore
KIDRON VALLEY MINISTRIES "KIVAM" - (John Shiundu Mukuya - Uganda)
Kidron Valley Ministries is a Christian, rural based community situated at Naminya Village. Through this ministry, orphans have a safe place in which to grow up, local children have access to a quality education, local residents have access to nearby medical care, a community has access to clean water and a congregation has a building in which they can worship Jesus Christ. MUMC Champion: Michelle Edens
OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD
Operation Christmas Child, through Samaritan's Purse, has done the utmost to follow Christ's command by going to the aid of the world's poor, sick, and suffering for over 40 years. This is an effective means of reaching hurting people in countries around the world with food, medicine, and other assistance in the Name of Jesus Christ. This, in turn, gives us a hearing for the Gospel, the Good News of eternal life through Jesus Christ. MUMC Champion:
SOUTH AMERICA MISSION/WAJARO
South America Mission South America Mission sends missionaries and establishes partners who work to share the gospel, reproduce authentic disciples of Jesus, plant churches, train leaders and equip God's people to minister and offer transformational love. Your Global Impact giving supports our missionaries in Bogotá, Colombia. Jake & Lauren Jones with the Wájaro Foundation work with indigenous people. MUMC champion: Dawn Salley
WINGS OF HOPE (Linda Frenette - Jacmel, Haiti)
Since 1994, Wings of Hope has been providing a safe, happy, loving, caring, and hopeful family environment for children and young adults with physical and mental challenges. Today, Wings of Hope provides a home and second chance for 30 residents who would otherwise be shunned by Haitian society. At Wings of Hope, each child receives a combination of occupational therapy, physical therapy, recreational therapy, and classroom time. MUMC Champion: Laurie Little
ZOE EMPOWERS (Kenya)
Zoe Empowers' vision is to see a world were all orphans and vulnerable children become secure, healthy, connected, and able to care for themselves and their siblings. The organization is motivated by the Biblical call for Christians to help one another. Zoe Empowers reaches out in love to all vulnerable children and those wishing to partner with them, regardless of their beliefs, so they may experience the love of God with physical, social, psychological, and spiritual healing. In 2004 Zoe Empowers launched as a Christian response to the humanitarian crisis of orphans left in the wake of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa. The beginning of this ministry was inspired by a 15-year-old young woman who felt called by God to care for AIDS orphans Africa. MUMC church members now support 5 groups in Kenya, totaling 500 youth. Click to an extensive overview on Zoe Empowers. MUMC Champion: Frank Brown
**What is a Champion? As all of us at Matthews UMC reach out in missions, we've learned that it's truly vital to develop relationships and communication with the organizations and people we serve. No one facilitates that better than our Global Impact Champions. A Champion is the liaison between MUMC and our ministry partners. Often, the Champion will coordinate service opportunities for others in our congregation. They collaborate and advocate for the ministries they feel passionate toward and for which they most often serve, all the while being open to new ideas shared by volunteers along the way. Champions are an integral, necessary part of Global Impact's mission to build relationships in service both locally and abroad -- wherever the Holy Spirit leads us to serve others. We are blessed and thankful to have these faithful, Champion servants to connect us to the needs around us.
