Mission and Volunteer Opportunities

There are many many opportunities to volunteer and fulfill God's mission in this church. This list in not exhaustive; it is only a sample of opportunities available. If you are interested in a mission or volunteer opportunity that you do not see here, contact the or call 503-364-6709 to connect with a current ministry or begin a new one.

Weekday Church Volunteer Opportunities

• Office Volunteers work 1/2 a day answering phones, greeting people who come into the church and working on projects that come up in the office. If you are interested in being a part of this ministry, please contact the and leave a message for Jane.
• Spire volunteers make our newsletter happen every other week. They print, fold, label and mail the newsletter. If you are interested in volunteering to help with one part of this process, please contact the .

Weekend Volunteers

• Worship Hosts are trained volunteers who greet and help people who come to worship services on Sundays. These people should be welcoming and helpful to everyone who comes into the church.
• Underground Hospitality Team - This team helps to feed the body as well as the soul. The hospitality team is in charge of making cookies and other goodies as well as keeping our top-notch coffee flowing from week to week for the Underground experience. Hospitality team members must love to see people full and happy!
• The Blackshirt Team is the Underground's powerful team of welcoming souls who learn names, pray with and help all those who come to the Underground, find their way around. This team is a vital part of the Underground experience each week.

Visitation

This church has a very strong visitation ministry. We send volunteers to the hospital every day of the week and do home visits by request. Our visitation ministry is through the Inreach Team, which also organizes rides for seniors in the church who can't get to church or doctor's appointments and generally tries to meet the needs that surface within the congregation. If you are interested in being a part of this ministry, or have a need they might be able to fill, please contact the and leave a message for Grace (Inreach) or Gary(visitation).

Stephen Ministry

Salem is a Stephen Ministry congregation.
Stephen Ministers:

• Are compassionate, full of faith and trustworthy.
• Follow the process of orientation, training, and personal contact.
• Maintain their skills with ongoing continuing education.
• Assist people through such crises as- death of a spouse or family member; loss of a job; divorce; and illness.
• Comfort people in the final stages of life.
• Share experiences with other Stephen Ministers, although the names of care receivers are always confidential.
• Contact only one care receiver at a time.

For information on the next orientation meeting and training dates:
contact Fran via or call the church at 503-364-6709.
If you're compassionate, full of faith, skilled and trustworthy - join the team.

Local Missions

• Thanksgiving Lunch is held at First United Methodist Church on Thanksgiving Day. This meal is for those in the community of Salem who have no place to go for Thanksgiving. Helpers prepare and serve the meal on Thanksgiving Day. (Nov 24, 2005) Lunch is from 12-2 with preparation taking place in the morning.
• Jason Lee Soup Kitchen is here in Salem and hosted by Jason Lee United Methodist Church. On the third Sunday of every month, we do a food drive for their food bank and we staff the soup kitchen once a month as well. For more information, contact the and leave a message for Art Tidey.
• Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN) is an organization that provides housing for homeless families in the Salem area. The program itself is hosted by many different churches in Salem for one week at a time. The First United Methodist Church is one of the hosting churches. We host IHN four times each year. Volunteers are needed to provide dinner and spend the night each night. If you are interested in helping with this project or would like more information, visit www.nihn.org or contact the and leave a message for Camella.
• 12 Days of Christmas each year the community of First UMC take on a needy family and give them Christmas in a very special way. Each night for the 12 days before Christmas this family receives gifts, meals and other necessities in an anonymous fashion. Help is needed in purchasing, wrapping and delivering gifts throughout the month of December. This is an awesome way to get into the spirit of Christmas.

Adult Mission to Africa!

This church is organizing an adult mission trip to Africa in the summer of 2006. It is in the beginning stages of planning, but will be coming together soon. If you are interested in being a part of this mission, contact the or call at 503-364-6709.

Youth and Young Adult Summer Mission Trip

Every Summer the Sr. High youth go on a mission project. Past locations have included Puerto Rico and Honduras.

Young Adult Mission Trip- This year we are tentatively planning a mission trip to Jamaica to serve in an orphanage and to help build houses. Dates are March 19-25, 2006 (Spring Break).

Volunteer in Mission

VIM is a conference group who send Adults to missions all over the world. For more information or to get involved, go to www.umvim.org.

Salem Family Literacy Program

The Salem Family Literacy is a federal program conceived to provide education for the family unit. Parents have the chance to improve their educational status, gain parenting skills, learn English and give their children a better chance for school success. Children have the opportunity to learn pre-literacy skills such as vocabulary building, verbal expression and social skills. The First United Methodist Church, along with many other groups, is a community partner for this program. If you are interested in learning more about this program or helping with it, contact the Salem Family Literacy Program at 503-399-3130, 503-361-2174 or at 1515 Saginaw st. S, Salem, OR 97302.