What is the United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (UMVIM)?
UMVIM is the short-term mission-sending agency of the United Methodist Church. It exists to promote, encourage and enable Christians to exemplify “Christian Love in Action” through short-term mission service at home and abroad. Our volunteers are lay and clergy, young and old, with differing abilities, vocations, and stations in life. UMVIM provides resources to connect you with mission projects, both in your backyard and across the globe.
Types of Mission Service
The United Methodist mission opportunity lists feature many kinds of service. Consider the type of service that your team wants to do as you put your team together. Please note that while most opportunities fall within these descriptions, many projects combine different needs. Some projects may include needs not listed here:
- Medical/Dental/Public Health
- Construction
- Bible School/Evangelism
- Disaster Response: Early Response Teams (ERT) and Long-Term Recovery
- International Disaster Response
- Youth Teams
- NGO (Non-Governmental Organizations) Teams
There are even more ways you can plug into mission opportunities, such as training in specialized fields, and other appropriate activities in consultation with UMVIM and its partners. Examples include:
- Educational
- Agriculture
- Water Projects
Any time a group of volunteers goes out from a Methodist Church in service to others, they are considered to be United Methodist Volunteers in Mission. Mission teams need to have a leader who has gone through UMVIM Team Leader Training. The UMVIM Western Jurisdiction website umvimwj.com has project lists for the United States and International projects. Listed below are the links to the project lists.
Your UMVIM Conference Coordinator is here to assist and support you as you answer your call to serve as a short-term mission volunteer. If you are already scheduled to serve on a mission journey, let us know about it, so that we can share your story to the conference. Please feel free to contact Susan Hariss at slharriss.77@gmail.com for information or connection to other VIM Resources.