Bless This Child
Bless This Child started in 2000 after the Haiti earthquake as a sewing mission just for Haiti. Once the UM MERCI center in Goldsboro closed, the mission continued in various churches. SAUMC joined the mission in 2012, and all participants help sew and package outfits for boys and girls, all with a specially designed Bless This Child label sewn in. The original churches still participate from time to time and Plymouth Baptist, Fuquay Varina UMC and Aversboro Baptist have joined this sewing mission in providing outfits and supplies for the mission. Clothing has been sent with mission teams traveling to all parts of the world including: Bolivia, Honduras, Peru, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Guatemala, Kenya, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Uganda, Appalachia, eastern NC for Hurricane Matthew and wherever the members learn a need exists. Anyone is invited to participate as there is always something that a person can do to help the forgotten children of the world.
El Salvador
Members of Saint Andrews travel to Ahuachapán, El Salvador each summer to build homes, provide medicine and education supplies, clothing and share our love of Christ with our brothers and sisters in that area. To date we have helped build over 10 homes for families. We have also taken medicines for the clinic that is run by the community Church and school supplies for the one room school in the area.
Sewing has become a large part of the overall ministry. Members of the team work with others in El Salvador to teach sewing classes, teaching them a trade and extending new opportunities and enriching lives.
This mission trip has been described as a vacation for the soul – it is hard work, but once you have met the people and experienced the love of Christ that is so prevalent, you will want to return and be a part of this awesome mission.
Project Agape
Project AGAPE is a ministry to Armenia and to some of our most desperate Christian brothers and sisters. It is a collaborative effort of the North Carolina and the Western North Carolina Conferences of The United Methodist Church in a joint effort with the Armenian Apostolic Church. Member of Saint Andrews collect items and package Agape boxes to send as Christmas presents to children in Armenia as a tangible reminder that they are loved by God and others across the world.