Being involved in our community
Through the 10% Missions Allocation and with countless numbers of volunteers, Trinity is involved in a host of activities that serve our local community.
Below, you will find some of the chief activities that we're currently involved in and information on how to get involved.
This is by no means an exhaustive list. We're always finding out about new ways of getting involved. Whether it is people in our congregation active in established projects, creating new ministries in the church, or discovering new needs in our community from our members in ministry, the list of mission opportunities is always changing.
If you know of a mission that needs to be listed or would like to find out more about current activities, contact Rev. Matt Reed for more details.
Meals to Grow
Meals to Grow is a Feeding America Backpack Program designed to address childhood hunger on a local level. The program began in 2008 by providing weekend meals for 40 children attending Terry Heights Elementary School.
Volunteers assemble bags of food for children identified by the school as being high risk of hunger. On Fridays, the bags are discretely placed in the children's backpacks, providing them food when other resources may not be available. Contact Trina Weir or Elizabeth Sentell at mealstogrow@trinityhsv.org for upcoming packing dates and a list of needed items.
Mission Sunday
In January 2008, Trinity kicked off a new Sunday morning worship schedule with putting the congregation into mission throughout our community. This event proved so successful, we have made it a regular part of our fellowship and ministry activities together.
Projects range from home repair, disaster relief, work with Habitat for Humanity, serving meals, preparing hygiene kits, environmental action, and so much more. Activities are appropriate for every age and skill level. If you have a desire to serve, there is a project for you.
Contact Matt Reed at 883-3200 for more information or to lead or volunteer for a project.
Reading Buddies
Reading Buddies is part of a partnership with University Place Elementary School, in which volunteers read with a child for 1 hour each week. Reading Buddies helps volunteers to connect with a child, show him or her the love of Christ, and give the child the invaluable gift of improved reading skills. For more information please contact Elizabeth Bryant at 256-508-5295
Food for Thought
Food for Thought is Trinity’s year-round food drive to feed the hungry in our community. The first Sunday of each month we collect non-perishable food to be sent alternately to Saint Paul’s and Holmes Street Methodist Church’s food pantries. Recipients of our food donations are first screened by Food Line, an IMS agency, and then referred to the church food pantries. There, they receive an amount of food to feed the number of people in their families for four days.
If you have questions, want to volunteer to help sort the food we collect, or want to volunteer to work in the food pantry at St. Paul’s call: Susan Hively, Food for Thought coordinator, 430-0078 or Carolyn Moses, Food for Thought co-chairman, 880-4038
Minis for Many
Project of Joy Circle of United Methodist Women to collect, sort, and distribute personal-, trial, or sample-sized toiletries to ten different agencies that serve the homeless and needy on our community. Requested items include: toothpaste, soap, shampoo and conditioner, and lotion. Please, no mouthwash.
Collection dates for 2010 will be announced soon.
Contact Charlene Guynes at 881-0791 for more information.
CASA (Care Assurance System for the Aging and Homebound)
CASA is a community organization that assists homebound and aging persons with activities of daily living, enabling them to maintain their dignity through independent living in their own homes. Trinity annually fields upwards of 20 teams for CASA TEMP$ weatherization of homes. Our members work in the garden in the summer, build ramps to help make homes accessible for the wheelchair-bound, and performs many other ministries related to the aging and homebound.
Trinity Contact: Butch Patterson 883-2797
Christmas Charities Year Round
Christmas Charities Year Round is an agency which helps people who are facing difficult times by providing clothing, furniture, utilities, and household items, as well as toys and food at Christmas. Each Christmas Trinity takes part in a “stockings project” for area children.
Trinity Contact: Judy Wilson, 881-6391
Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity is an ecumenical, non-profit, Christian housing organization that builds homes in partnership with people in need. Trinity has been a partner with Habitat since 1993. During that time, we have built, and/or repaired over 20 houses, providing 100% of construction and labor cost. Each year’s build begins in spring. A detailed schedule and assigment list will appear on the website as the build nears.
Contact Andy Trice at (256) 289-3436 for more details.
Huntsville Assistance Program (HAP)
HAP is a ministry providing economic assistance and referral services to individuals and families in the Greater Huntsville area. The organization is composed of an interfaith consortium of congregations (currently over 50 in number, including Trinity UMC), pooling volunteers, information, and financial resources to accomplish its mission. HAP is especially committed to maintaining the dignity of all people. The HAP office is located at 406 1/2 Governors Drive, SW, Huntsville, AL 35801. The telephone number for requesting assistance is 256-539-2320.
Though Trinity supports HAP anually with $12,000, HAP is always in need of volunteers to answer phones, process applications, and assist in their ministry.
Contact Jennifer Carden, Trinity's HAP board representative, for details regarding training, volunteering, and administration.
IMS (Interfaith Mission Service)
IMS is an ecumenical organization promoting interfaith understanding and projects that reflect the concerns of the religious community. Trinity provides volunteers and financial assistance. Volunteers are needed to staff ministries such as emergency hotline FOODLine that arranges food for those in need.
Trinity Contact: Chuck Vedane (256) 651-6900
IMS First Stop
FirstSTOP works with other agencies to fill gaps that exist in services to homeless persons in our community, this daytime program offers needs assessment, case management and follow-up, benefits advocacy, on-site services promoting employability, distribution of blankets, meal packs and hygiene packs, access to showers/telephones/laundry, and transportation. Trinity small groups make non-perishable meal packs; volunteers needed to man the center.
To participate in or help with packing meal packs, contact Mike Lowe.
KAIROS
KAIROS is an ecumenical prison ministry that helps to form Christian communities within prison compounds, benefiting inmates, Kairos team members, and the community at large. Trinity members bake cookies for and participate in on-site weekend teams at Limestone Correctional Facility.
Contact Russel Moose for more details.
Meals on Wheels
Meals on Wheels provides a nourishing meal and simple contact mean so much to those who are homebound. Huntsville’s Meals on Wheels program serves hundreds in our community who would otherwise be left on their own. An hour of commitment is all it takes to make a huge difference in the life of someone.
Trinity has delivery teams that lead on the second and fourth Thursday of each month, and on the third Wednesday. If you can deliver on one of these days (or any other day of the month), contact Margaret Saxton at 881-3308 or Helen McMahan at 534-5394.