Missions
These missions and partnerships include:
1. Interfaith Mission Service – Through IMS, Grace partners with congregations of different faiths, denominations and cultures. Grace has hosted a cross-cultural interfaith lock-in as part of the Hometown Pilgrimage. Several Grace members participate in the OneHuntsville Diversity Dinners. Grace, as a member of IMS, supports a number of direct service, race relations, social justice, and interfaith dialogue ministries throughout the Huntsville area.
2. CASA – Through CASA, Grace partners with those of lower socio-economic class and more elderly population than our general membership. We support this organization through the building of wheelchair ramps, work in the community garden, TEMP$ weatherization day, supply deliveries, and direct funding.
3. Salvation Army – Through the Salvation Army, Grace works with those of a lower economic status by providing over 1,200 sandwiches per month that are distributed to the homeless population of Huntsville.
4. Huntsville Assistance Program – Through HAP, Grace works with those of a lower economic status by providing direct funding and food pantry donations.
5. The Vine – Through the Vine Counseling Center’s “sliding scale” fee structure, Grace UMC helps persons in pain deal with mental, emotional, and spiritual issues with trained counselors.
6. Family Assistance – Through our family assistance program we have provided direct assistance to families our church knows well of low economic status to pay for utility bills and similar expenses.
7. UMCOR – We participate with this United Methodist agency by providing health care kits delivered to the UMCOR warehouse in Decatur, AL.
8. Operation Christmas Child – We support this organization that works in an international setting with cultures different from our own and with those from lower economic backgrounds by providing shoeboxes full of Christmas presents for children.
9. New Futures – We have partnered with several other UMC churches, including Crosswinds UMC, Good Shepherd UMC, Holmes Street UMC, Monte Sano UMC to refurbish a house to become a new homeless shelter for homeless families.
10. Operation Santa Claus (Mental Health Association) – We partner with this organization, providing support to those from a lower economic status who have mental health struggles. This is our angel tree mission that people in the congregation select an angel from the tree and purchase clothes, toiletries, recreational items and other items that are requested by the angel for clients of the mental health association. If it were not for this mission this people would not receive any gifts for Christmas as well as have new clothes and other items. We deliver these items during December when we have a Christmas party for them. We usually have 50 to 60 angels on the tree and all are taken care of by the congregation.
11. Heifer International – We supported an international ministry assisting those in the developing world of a lower economic status by purchasing animals for them to give them the means to provide their own support.
12. Relay for Life – We partnered with this community agency to provide support for the American Cancer Society and were the 2nd highest fundraising team for the Madison Relay for Life.
13. Huntsville Community Development – We supply work crews to go out and work on elderly and needy homes that need some kind of repairs. The city supplies the material and we supply the labor. We try to do this at least once a quarter. The quarterly work crews range from 5 to 10 people.
14. Hope Place/ Crisis Services of North Alabama – We deliver clothing and food quarterly to this organization which provides support for many of lower economic status.
15. Meals on Wheels – This mission delivers meals every third Friday of each month. Our church delivers approximately 170 meals a month! We help feed the homebound elderly of a lower economic status a hot lunchtime meal. We usually have 8 to 10 volunteers each month.
16. Blount Hospitality House of Huntsville Hospital – This mission helps out of town families who have family members hospitalized in Huntsville. We collect small toiletry items and give them to the out of town families staying at the Huntsville Hospital’s hospitality house. We usually have 2 to 3 volunteers each month.
17. Henderson Settlement – Through this mission partnership we collect Campbell soup labels, which are used by the settlement to buy school supplies and vans. The labels are mailed to the settlement throughout the year and the labels can be turned in at the food pantry in the kitchen. We have 2 volunteers that head up this mission.
18. Manna House – This is an ongoing ministry that provides food and toiletries for the needy in our community. Items are collected in the kitchen area (food pantry) and delivered to Manna House for distribution. Angel Food Network, a part of Manna House, is a monthly distribution of food in which we supply volunteers.
19. Habitat for Humanity – We have had several volunteers work on at least 4 house builds this year and we are currently planning working on another. This organizations provides housing support for those of lower economic statuses, giving them access to homeownership.
20. Refurbished Wheel Chairs – This is a mission where we take old electric wheelchairs that are donated to us and refurbish them and furnish them to individuals that are in need of a wheelchair but do not have the finances to get one. We have 4 to 5 individuals working this mission.
21. Tornado Relief Work – Lawrence County, Limestone County, Madison County Alabama had a devastating tornado strike during the spring and we had several individuals that went there and helped with cleanup. Running chainsaws and hauling material. We expended over a thousand hours of work during this time.
22. Upper Sand Mountain Parish – Grace Mission Team has joined forces with a group from Asbury United Methodist Church to build a house for Upper Sand Mountain Parish. Planning on building a house each year in the USMP.