Whether you help behind the scenes or are actively participating, worship services have many elements of preparation and direct assistance: singing, reading scripture, playing an instrument, greeting, or helping serve communion. Below are just some of the ways that you can get involved in worship services:

Scripture readers

Communion Stewards: Prepare the communion elements of bread and juice

Communion Helpers: Assist in serving communion - don't worry, instructions are given before serving!

To volunteer or request more information about volunteering with worship, contact Carolyn McGee.

Nurture groups care for our church family through education, programs, and caring ministries.

Homebound communion: Volunteers take communion to homebound members so that they may participate in the sacrament. Instruction and equipment will be provided.

Letter Writers: Spread kindness and connect through conversation by writing cards to two homebound people each month.

Martha Ministry: Help cook and distribute meals for families that are experiencing a difficult time.

Nurture Team: Plan church activities with the intention to nurture the congregation.

Shepherd Ministry: Individuals volunteering as shepherds periodically touch base with a few members of our congregation.

To volunteer or request more information please contact Carolyn McGee.

We hope that as soon as you step foot on our grounds, you feel welcomed. People in our community are committed to taking the time to intentionally welcome and greet people, whether you are a member or a visitor. If you have the gift of hospitality, there are several ways you can help.

Portico Café: Help to prepare the coffee and snacks that we serve after 10:00 am worship services out on the portico of our beautiful building.

Greeters: Welcome people who are joining us for worship on Sunday mornings, distribute bulletins, and be on hand to answer questions.

To volunteer or request more information about how you can serve in hospitality ministries, please contact Carolyn McGee.

Loaves and Fishes is a food distribution program that has its origins in our congregation. Currently the program provides a week’s worth of groceries to over 200 households on each of its distribution days.

In February Loaves & Fishes helped:

-2,692 total households. That is an average of 225 households/887 people receiving groceries on each of the 12 distribution days in February.

-10,653 individuals: 36% aged 0-18; 53% aged 19-59; 11% aged 60+  

-Roughly 9% of households last month were first-time visitors, and approximately 30% of our clients visited us twice in the month. 

To volunteer or learn more, visit the Loaves & Fishes website.

For the past year we've been collecting different items for different organizations and members of our community.So far we've collected diapers, coats & jackets, peanut butter, children's shoes and clothing, and personal care items.

Through partnering with other churches and charity organizations, our gifts have had a tremendous impact on how ministry is accomplished in Charlottesville.

Please keep any eye on our weekly email and the church bulletin for upcoming opportunities to participate in this vital ministry.

Please contact Carolyn McGee with any questions or suggestions for future collections.

This weekly outreach ministry provides a nourishing meal that is prepared, cooked, and served with loving hands every Monday from 12:00 - 1:00 pm.

Hungry guests who are looking for a place to fill their stomachs are welcome! Volunteers of any age and any level of cooking experience are encouraged to come lend a hand.

The group meets in the kitchen to prepare, cook, serve and clean up after our last guest is served.

If you are interested in helping with this compassionate outreach ministry please contact Chris Roehl.

IMPACT is an interfaith social justice coalition joining communities of faith across Charlottesville and Albemarle County. IMPACT uses a listening process to identify issues of injustice, which are the origins of poverty, joblessness, low literacy, homelessness, poor health, mental illness, and hopelessness.

Once issues are identified, research is conducted to find solutions and present them to those persons in our community who have the power and resources to effect change.

Being a member of the IMPACT ministry involves prayer, discernment, and action. Attendance at yearly rallies and assemblies establishes networks among congregations and those in need.

If you are interested in participating or learning more visit IMPACT's website or contact George Batten.

PACEM is a ministry of over 21 local congregations that have come together to help the unhoused in our community.

Each night from October through April, an evening meal and a warm place to sleep is provided to men and women in our community who would otherwise be hungry and sleeping outdoors.

Currently, shelters operate out of local churches for one to two week blocks of time. Volunteers helped to welcome guests, cook and serve meals, visit with guests, and act as overnight hosts.

To learn more visit the PACEM website.

We provide backpacks and supplies to those in need at local schools: Jackson Via and Burnley Moran. Supplies are delivered in August prior to the start of the school year.

This important ministry helps children start their year on a positive note and it shows our Christian love and support for them in their educational journeys.

If you are interested in participating, learning more, or making a donation, please contact our church office.

Reaching out to those in need of prayer, we provide a small lap quilt tied with knots representing the prayers of our congregation. These quilts are made by many loving hands.

You don't have to know how to sew to participate; there are many ways you can help! Ironing, cutting squares, matching fabric, shopping for fabric, sewing, and layering are just a few ways you can lend a hand.

They meet on the last Sunday of the month in the Fellowship Hall at 12:30 pm.

If you are interested in participating or learning more, please contact Teri Guertler.

This is a United Methodist campus ministry where students are nurtured. Wesley provides a physical space, study rooms, and the space to grow in faith during college through retreats, small group studies, Thursday night forum, Sunday evening worship, and service opportunities. If you are interested in participating or learning more, please contact our church office or visit their website.

Rise Against Hunger (formerly Stop Hunger Now) is a nonprofit organization which packages individual vitamin and mineral enriched meals that are shipped to third-world countries to support school and orphanage food programs.

CFUMC hosts an annual packaging event each spring with a yearly goal to raise at least $5000 to package at least 20,000 meals.

Participation in the packaging event is open to people of all ages, from preschool to senior citizens. It is a great joy to see members from each service and other churches working side-by-side to help feed God's people.

Appalachia Service Project (ASP) is a national organization that focuses on the needs of those experiencing poverty in Appalachia.

Their summer program consists of youth-oriented mission trips that serve the people of Appalachia by making their homes warmer, safer, and drier. Activities consist of light to moderate construction work, evening programs, and morning devotions.

Charlottesville First United Methodist Church has been making yearly trips since 2002. Youth who are at least 13 years old and have completed 8th grade are invited and encouraged to participate.

Adult participation is needed as well to provide supervision and mentoring.

Friends of Ft. Liberte (Haiti) - CFUMC and members of the Central Virginia area partner with The Friends of Ft. Liberte, a 501(c) 3 founded to serve the people of the Ft. Liberte area in northeast Haiti.

This charity has helped develop a farm that is now producing and selling plantain and chickens for profit. There are about 450 children in the sponsorship program, which allows them to attend school and get at least one free meal a day.

They support a medical clinic which is open daily and provides care for residents in a large area of Northeast Haiti. Medical demand has grown exponentially since the government shut down the only hospital in the area.

There is active ministry to the elderly in the area and in the area of education. Yearly service trips involve a wide variety of activities and opportunities designed to help meet the needs of God's people in Haiti. Any talent or passion can be used in this mission.

If you would like to participate in this activity or would like to know more, please contact Andy Guertler.

In 1941, Russia occupied Lithuania, marking the end of freedom of worship. A reign of terror began, with many pastors and laity suffering persecution and being forced to flee to other countries. When the Soviets left in 1993 and Lithuania became a democracy, it was decided to launch an initiative to renew Methodism. Charlottesville FUMC became a partner church with Kaunas UMC in 2000, pledging to provide financial support for the church’s infrastructure.

Mission teams from Charlottesville make trips to Kaunas to share in ministry through children’s and adult Bible school, home visits to shut-ins, a seniors support group, and concerts.

If you are interested in participating or learning more, contact Bill Clarke.