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Missions

Mission service is an important part of our United Methodist tradition and our history as a church. Whether it be helping start a soup kitchen for the needy, hosting refugee families, helping build an orphanage in Mozambique, or providing low cost temporary housing, we are committed to care for those in need. Although the focus of our work has changed over the years, our commitment to serving others has remained and grown. We hope you join us in living out our call to Christian service and to loving our neighbors.

Our Daily Bread Food Pantry

Begun in 2005 this mission provides food once a week to families in need. Most of our food is sourced from Connecticut Foodshare and through their rescue program, from Big Y, Costco, and Stop n Shop. Church members also provide food or cash to buy food. The Food Pantry is open from 3-6 pm every Thursday. It is staffed by all volunteers, and volunteers are needed for receiving on Wednesdays and Thursdays from about 11:00-1:00, and for distribution on Thursday afternoons from 3:00-6:00. We serve over 200 families each week representing over 700 individual family members. They can get food every week if they nerd it. In 2025 we distributed over 300,000 lbs. of

Volunteers are needed to unload deliveries on Wednesday and Thursday mornings.

Early Response Team (Disaster Recovery Support)

Early Response Team is part of the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). Volunteers are trained to be a part of a fully trained team or to lead a non-trained team to assist recovery activities. They provide a Christian presence and take steps to prevent further damage to a family’s personal property (stabilizing by tarping, debris removal, chainsaw work, cleaning out flooded homes, etc.). Teams may be asked to manage donated materials, gather information or perform other tasks as deemed necessary by the community; observe survivor’s needs and report these to the local operations and be a part of the caring ministry of “listeners” who will help survivors begin to heal. Several members of our church have been trained as volunteers and have responded to disasters in Haiti, Long Island, Rhode Island, the Catskills and others. Contact the church office at office@newmilfordumc.org for more information about being trained as a volunteer to get involved locally, or on one of the possible international causes.

Kairos Prison Ministry

Kairos Prison Ministry is a Christian, volunteer, lay-led, ecumenical ministry to those incarcerated and their loved ones. It involves several prisons in Connecticut. Our church is involved at Garner Correctional Facility in Newtown CT. Yearly retreats are held in early Spring offering support and bible study for incarcerated men with reunion meetings held the second Saturday of each month. A program for women who have loved ones who are incarcerated is also held yearly. Volunteers are needed to participate in these retreats and follow-up visits. You can also sponsor a Kairos volunteer.

Loaves and Fishes

Loaves and Fishes Hospitality House, a non-profit community soup kitchen in New Milford, Connecticut, serves those in need of a meal and a welcoming atmosphere. We rely on the generosity of donors to support our mission and bring nourishment and comfort to individuals and families facing food insecurity.

L&F is 100% volunteer run. Our dedicated volunteers work tirelessly to ensure nobody goes hungry. We are committed to fostering a sense of community and belonging, where every individual is treated with dignity and respect. Join us in making a difference in the lives of those around us.

Our church is responsible for the meal on the third Thursday and third Friday of each month. Three or four volunteers are needed to prepare food and serve about 20+ people at the Center.

Mozambique Mission

The New Milford United Methodist Church has a long history of mission with Orphans and vulnerable children in Mozambique going back to 1998. We raised the funds to relocate and build a new orphanage in Cambine which was dedicated in 2005. We built a bread oven in 2007 and started a scholarship program for higher education in 2008. Jerry and Kay Jones have led this mission and visited the orphanage 9 times since 2008.

We currently are providing university scholarships for 4 students and have graduated 13 students from university since 2008.

Donations for scholarships can be made through the church by indicating they are for the Mozambique Mission

U.M. ARMY

The United Methodist Action Reach-Out Mission by Youth (U.M. ARMY) is an opportunity for youth, college students and adults to experience Christian growth through mission, worship and fellowship. Its mission is “to provide Christ-centered quality youth work camps that serve people in need and promote spiritual growth and leadership development in youth.” Participants combine their strengths to meet home repair and maintenance needs of those unable to help themselves. The week-long mission trip is generally scheduled for July or August. Both youth and adult volunteers are needed. Adult volunteers are needed for pre site visits, for work planning and for youth supervision on the actual trip. Youth volunteers are needed for the work trip.

Days for Girls

Days for Girls is an international organization that provides sustainable personal hygiene products for girls around the world who do not have access to these necessary items.  To date, this organization has reached over 3 million girls worldwide.  By having these products available, the girls are given back DAYS for attending school consistently, which in turn will provide hope for their future. 

The Days for Girls team at our church has donated thousands of items that have made their way to many countries throughout the world reaching countries such as Tanzania, Liberia, Cameroon, Bangladesh and Chad. We are part of a regional distribution group that coordinates the shipment of kits and supplies to these countries. 

Our team meets once a month and includes not only church members but also volunteers from our community who are excited to be part of this amazing partnership with other teams from all around the world.  While it seems overwhelming to think about ALL the girls in the world who are in need of these supplies, we do know that we are making a difference for ONE GIRL, one kit at a time, and that she will greatly benefit from our time, our work and our commitment to this mission.   The kits not only provide necessary supplies, but they also bring a sense of personal dignity to the girls. 

The components that we sew are flannel pads, shields to hold the pads and drawstring bags.  Our team meets on the second Saturday of every month in Fellowship Hall from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm.  Anyone is welcome to be part of our team.  There are many steps in the process of making these components that do not require any sewing skills.  Whatever one person does on our workdays makes a difference.