Bethany provides many opportunities for members to volunteer and be involved to support others. 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. The Bethany Missions Committee is busy throughout the year organizing our traditional missions and identifying new ones as needed.
In February, around Valentines Day, we put together boxes to send to college students 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. 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 collected 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 October 2024.
As like 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 members 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 food pantry, run by Christian Outreach Program (COP). Once a year, the second Saturday in October, COP organizes “Souper Saturday” where many area churches, restaurants, and civic organizations 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 and cleaning up.
Bethany is the Mission Rivers District collection point for the Henderson Settlement Christmas Mission. We start collecting Chrstmas items in July for ages 0-18. In recent years, we have included pajamas, socks, and underwear for all the children, along with Christmas gifts and new and gently used winter coats. We also accept monetary donations and shop for items on the list. We reach out to other churches in our district and are overwhelmed by their support and generosity.
As we receive 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 the first week in December. In previous years, we have delivered the items and a group of volunteers from Bethany have stayed at Henderson to assist with organizing and conducting their Christmas event for parents to select items for their children. In recent years, we have made the delivery and returned home the following day.
During the Christmas season, a group of adults and youth from Bethany visit and sing for residents in two local nursing homes. Also, at Christmas, the United Methodist Men help by taking toiletry bags to New Horizons, a nearby men’s home. In addition, our United Methodist Men sponsor a road clean up twice a year. The United Women in Faith always sponsor a young mother with children 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 keep in their car to handout to homeless people that they may encounter in their travels.
All of the activities listed above are conveyed to our congregation by a printed weekly bulletin insert that includes event dates, times, and details. These announcements are reviewed at the end of our Sunday service each week. We also communicate through a phone system called One All Tell All that has been very effective in getting phone messages to the congregation in a timely manner when needed. Events, missions, and volunteer opportunities are also posted on the Bethany Facebook page.