Huntington United Methodist Church in Huntington, Texas, is the picture of small-town worship. On a good Sunday, 35 people, mostly retirees, gather in the white-steepled church. Even though the outreach budget is modest, church members have found simple but effective ways to use their time, talent and treasure to bless and serve their community.
“My philosophy is that Christians need to give, and they want to give,” says Rev. Martin Doran. “And this church always has.”
The church operates a long list of ministries, but is best known for Loose Threads, a sewing ministry. The women involved in Loose Threads make pillows for kids being adopted, tote bags and clothing for children in foster care, and bibs for intellectually disabled people living in a local long-term care facility. The group also makes cloth dolls that they donate to Shriners International and state child protective services. But mostly, Loose Threads provides personalized blankets (more than 200 each year) for children being adopted, and pillows as mementos for the adoptive parents.
Started about 10 years ago by Huntington UMC member Sandy Sheffield, the ministry meets weekly. Between fabric, sewing machines and storage space for finished products, the group has taken over about half of the church building. All the supplies, from sewing machines to scissors, are donated or purchased at a discount with money earned from fundraisers.
Meeting the community’s needs is just a matter of reaching out to local organizations and asking how you can help, Dolan says, something any church of any size can do. Beyond that, outreach is all about a generous spirit and can-do attitude among the people of the church.
“I often bring up to our members what they have done before, and what a good feeling they got out of doing it,” Dolan says. “The idea is just to keep it going.”
Because, of course, the reward comes from the giving itself.