Burke United Methodist Church has a strong history of outreach and witness into the community with both local and worldwide involvement. We’ve highlighted some of our activities and programs here. For a complete list of our programs and information on how to participate, please browse the opportunities to serve page, or contact the church for more details.

Outreach and Witness in the Local Community:

• Weekday preschool
• Scout programs for boys and girls
• Scout Council Meetings
• Alcohol Anonymous
• Youth Activities
• Vacation Bible School

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Local Missions:

• Making brownbag meals for the Homeless with LAF.
• ECHO: an ecumenical area support ministry serving immediate needs not covered by social services in the Burke/Springfield area. ECHO provides food, clothing, household goods, and job counseling. Burke UMC supports ECHO financially and through donations of the above items. We assist at Thanksgiving and Christmas with food baskets and gifts.
• Interfaith Housing: provides goods, finances, and services to those needing housing assistance or who are currently homeless. We assist at Thanksgiving and Christmas with food baskets and gifts.
• Rising Hope United Methodist Mission Church: A mission church on the Route 1 Corridor, we provide volunteers, teachers, financial support, clothes, food, Christmas and thanksgiving baskets, and host a youth-led “Camp Rising Hope” for children at risk each summer.
• Caroling/visitation in local retirement centers, especially our neighbors at Heatherwood Retirement and Burke Nursing Facility.
• Letters at Christmas to veteran’s centers.
• Care packages and cards/cookies to service members stationed abroad, or residents in Veteran's Homes
• Collections of gloves, mittens, socks, and scarves for places of need, specifically Rising Hope, the Henderson Settlement, and in emergency situations
• Collection of baby items for local hospitals
• Bethany House: a shelter for abused women and children, we provide needed supplies
• BUM Builder’s Rebuilding Together (formerly Christmas in April) and Habitat for Humanity.
• Mission Possible for rising 6th and 7th graders: a week long mission camp assisting at Rising Hope UM Mission church, Food for Others, the Hermitage Retirement Center, and other homeless shelters.
• Wesley Housing: provides housing for low-income persons or those facing extraordinary medical bills.

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Nationwide and Worldwide Missions:

• UMCOR: world-wide disaster assistance
• Hurricane relief mission teams, flood buckets, and financial support
• BUM Builders
• Volunteers in Mission (VIM)
  From 1997-2004, annual mission team completed construction on a church sponsored school in Cambita, Dominican Republic
  

• 2004 & 2006 Youth trips to Barahona, Dominican Republic
• Special emphasis on Guatemala: craft sale and sending a team to work on projects
• Other VIM projects as determined by the committee in response to identified needs
• Carolina Cross Connection (high school youth)
• Jeremiah Project (junior high youth)
• Walk for the Homeless
• $5000 raised for society of St. Andrews, providing over 250,000 servings of potatoes to the hungry in our country
• Gleaning for the World: Teddy Bear collection in September for children in need. We glean usable, castoff items to send to developing countries, and we also provide financial support.
• Children’s Scholarship Fund in Cambita: provide tuition for pre-school children to attend the school built by our volunteers.
• Emergency kits: Kits sent to Virginia Annual UMC conference, and as needed, to help fulfill needs for flood buckets and school kits
• Society of St. Andrew's Potato Project: gleaning to feed the hungry
• Support of Special Sunday Offerings of the United Methodist Church: Human Relations, United Methodist Student Day, One Great Hour of Sharing, Peace with Justice Sunday, Native American Ministries Sunday, World Communion Sunday. Our gifts make a world of difference to the ministries they support. Through these offerings, local churches have diverse opportunities to nurture others, and these ministries reflect our understanding as United Methodists of what and whom we are called to serve and be in partnership with to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

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