First United Methodist Church is dedicated to support those in need within our neighborhood and within our community.
Neighborhood Missions
The annual Easter Egg Hunt and annual Vacation Bible School are open to all children of the neighborhood and of the community.
Good Neighbor Scholarship
The Good Neighbor Scholarship of FUMC is to bless the children, youth and families of our immediate neighborhood. Any youth who graduates from high school while living within one square mile of FUMC and plans to attend either a college or trade school can apply for a minimum scholarship of $500 per year for a maximum of 4 years.
Society of St. Stephen
This organization, staffed by volunteers, provides financial assistance for people in need. They are approached by individuals who need assistance with utility bills. Volunteers are needed to speak with those in need, evaluating the necessity of intervention, and disbursing funds where appropriate.
Boy Scout Troop 424
This Boy Scout Troop is sponsored by and supported by First Church. We recognize the Scouting program as a significant tool for reaching youth in the surrounding community. We encourage the boys in the neighborhood to join and bring others into our community. The Church helps to assure that none of these boys are excluded or left out due to financial issues.
Local Support Missions
First UMC Palestine believes in supporting ongoing ministries of other churches and private organizations. We provide regular and special support to the Stock Pot food kitchen, Meals on Wheels, Sanctuary House, St. Vincent DePaul, Anderson County Crisis Center, Caring People of Palestine and others.
Methodist Mission Weekends
Methodist Mission Weekends are the church’s newest outreach ministry. Under the leadership of Danny Smith, this group of people coordinates with many different referral agencies all over Anderson County to find construction needs in the community. For three weekend sessions a year, as many as 70 volunteers come together to demo, reconstruct, patch, and repair homes in the Palestine area for those who are physically or financially able to do the work themselves. This team is not just limited to people swinging hammers, as it includes people with all kinds of gifts including making breakfasts and lunches, delivering materials, taking pictures, video editing, and writing devotional curriculum. Each home owner, known as a client, receives a packet with information about our church and denomination as well as a Bible signed by each member of the team that worked on the home. In addition to the weekend push, there is a covert group that does similar projects throughout the year as a ministry of our church. We would love to have you get involved in this dynamic ministry!
UM ARMY
While high school youth from FUMC go to a UM ARMY camp each summer, FUMC also plays host to a UM ARMY camp group most summers. Students come from all parts of east, central, and southeast Texas to do construction projects right here in Palestine. These students will stay in the Fellowship Hall and Children’s Building sleeping on cots and preparing their own food, then spend their days building wheelchair ramps, patching floors and walls, mowing yards, and blessing many people in the Palestine community.
BIG HOUSE
FUMC junior high youth attend a BIG HOUSE missions camp every summer on a Thursday through Sunday in a community not very far from Palestine. The church also returns the favor, though, by hosting a camp of junior high students who come stay at our facilities and spend their days working at churches and non-profit community centers. Armed with paint brushes, ladders and lawn mowers, these kids are a big help to various organizations when they come.
