We, at Immanuel, strive to live out our Mission Statement: “By God’s GRACE and the GUIDANCE of the Holy Spirit, we PURSUE Christ to become and make disciples for the transformation of the world.”
As Christians, we are missionaries by default! We may not all be called to go overseas and serve in a third-world country, but we should all try to be the hands and feet of Jesus no matter where we are.
Missions and Outreach Ministries at Immanuel
A few of the Missions and Outreach programs we’re involved in at Immanuel are:
- Operation Christmas Child – in 2017 we shattered a record by collecting 113 shoeboxes to be distributed to children all over the world by Samaritan’s Purse. In some instances, this simple shoebox filled with a variety of items for a child, is the only Christmas they will get. Each shoebox is prayed over before it leaves our church, and when it arrives to the child, the shoebox will also contain “The Greatest Gift” gospel booklet, which is written in the child’s language, and distributed with each shoebox!
- Old Fashioned Backpack Pounding – we help assist after school for children in need at Wellford Academy by helping to provide weekend nourishment and snacks for their backpacks. This is an ongoing need locally!
- Souper Bowl of Caring – A simple prayer: “Lord, even as we enjoy the Super Bowl football game, help us be mindful of those who are without a bowl of soup to eat” inspired this grassroots project that originated in Columbia, SC. Each Super Bowl Sunday, we collect canned goods and monetary donations for the Souper Bowl of Caring. 100% of the food items and monetary donations collected are given locally to either a Soup Kitchen or Food Pantry to support those in our local community.
- Easter Egg Hunt – Every spring, we offer a free Easter Egg Hunt for the community, that not only involves hunting Easter eggs, but we provide free lunch, drinks, games, and giveaway bags for each child. For the past few years, we have been preparing around 600 surprise-filled eggs for the children. And the bonus is that during the egg hunt, all the children are told the true meaning of Easter!
- UMCOR – United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is the humanitarian relief and development arm of the United Methodist Church. We support UMCOR by collecting and shipping relief supplies (Hygiene Kits, Bedding Kits, Cleaning Kits, etc.) directly to UMCOR so they are able to distribute to help those in need globally. Most recently, those kits have been used to aid and assist families impacted by the devastating hurricanes we have all been witness to.
- Salkehatchie – Salkehatchie is a servant ministry of the South Carolina Methodist Church’s Global Ministries. For the past couple of years, Immanuel has helped locally by donating and serving lunches to those youth and adults who volunteer a week of their time in the summer to physically improve homes of many needy families.
- Halloween Carnival & Trunk or Treat – we have offered a Halloween Carnival and Trunk-or-Treat for many years to our community. It is completely free of charge and children, parents, and caregivers, are encouraged to wear their costumes. We provide free food, drinks, and lots games in the rooms inside, and at the end, kids go outside to trick-or-treat trunk to trunk! Any donations collected are sent to UNICEF.
And there are so many more ways we help, locally and beyond. We welcome you to come by and visit Immanuel to see for yourself what great things God is doing here as we continue to become and make disciples for the transformation of the world.