Missions | Bluffton UMC

BUMC Is A Giving Congregation, Both Local and Global

CLICK on each picture for more details...

Blessing Bags

Each month a total of 60 Blessing Bags are packed and delivered to Bluffton Self Help and Deep Well on Hilton Head. The bags are packed as a gift from the church and each one contains 15 essential full-sized personal care products plus a note of encouragement and hope from our church. The agencies distribute the bags to our neighbors in need. The bags are given to people without transportation, those with medical issues, single mothers, first time clients, individuals preparing for job interviews, families with financial difficulties, etc.

School Uniforms for Hardeeville Elementary

At the beginning of each school year uniforms are collected and purchased for students at Hardeeville Elementary. Hundreds of grade color, specific polo shirts, long pants, shorts, skorts, socks, and underwear are delivered to assist students who cannot otherwise afford to purchase them.

Toys for Tots

Hundreds of toys are donated in November to assist the Marines with their annual Toys for Tots collection. These are distributed by the Marines to local children in Beaufort, Jasper, and Hampton Counties.

Pillows and Pillowcases for Hopeful Horizons

Members of our church sew handmade pillowcases, fill them with new pillows, and deliver them as a gift to the women and children entering the Hopeful Horizon Shelter. Every year since 2006, we have created and donated 144 pillowcases and pillows for a total of 2,448 as of October 2023.

Libraries for Kids

Libraries for Kids, International was started by Roy Austin, one of our church members. Their mission is “to supply books and school supplies to schools of underdeveloped countries to enable those schools to have a library for students.” They have focused on schools in rural Kenya that have no access to the internet and little or no electricity. “In 4 years, Libraries for Kids has supplied over 767,000 books to establish libraries in 6,223 schools which benefit 1,555,750 students, 20,000 teachers and students’ families!”

Miracle Jar

The Miracle Jar is located in the Narthex for donations. A different charity is selected each month and listed in the bulletin

Backpack Buddies

Each month during the school year, boxes of shelf-stable food are packed at our church. These are delivered to local schools and picked up by the children’s families to supplement the whole family’s nutritional needs.

Walk for Water

Bluffton United Methodist Church is a sponsor for the local Walk for Water and many of our church members participate in the yearly walk. This supplies funds for Water Mission, International which is “a Christian engineering nonprofit that builds safe water, sanitation, and hygiene solutions in developing countries and disaster areas.”

First Night Bags for Epworth Foster Care

Our church provides First Night Bags full of essential items to foster children for their first night of placement. The duffle bags are packed to help support foster families by providing needed items for the first night of a new placement. Each bag is a gift from our church to the child and remains with the child regardless of future placement.

Reverse Advent Calendar

Each December members receive a Reverse Advent Calendar which is a list of non-perishable food items requested by local food banks. They are asked to purchase one item of food for each of the first 24 days in December and bring the items to church on Christmas Eve. The donations are delivered to Bluffton Self Help, Deep Well on Hilton Head, and Mercy Mission in Hardeeville to replenish their shelves after the holidays.

Quilters

The Quilters meet monthly and use their sewing talents to create projects to benefit others. To show appreciation for their service, they present patriotic quilts to the veterans in our congregation. Comfort quilts are created and delivered to church members that need extra love and comfort. They sew and fill stockings for the residents of The Veterans Victory House in Walterboro and make pillowcases for our church’s Pillow and Pillowcase Project for the local women’s shelter.