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Missions & Outreach
In Northeast Minneapolis or around the world, the members of Northeast United Methodist church follow the Methodist Church's mandate to serve others.
In Our Neighborhood
Free Community Meals
 It's a caring, growing ministry, one we love to provide, but wish we didn't have to. Started by Trinity UMC many years ago, the free community meal on the second Saturday of the month has grown to include a free meal on the third Saturday of the month, too. Held at our Cleveland Street location, these meals are free to all who come, and are our way of sharing our blessings with our neighbors while providing them with a much-needed hot meal.
It's a mission we share with Faith United Methodist in St. Anthony. We also serve a free Thanksgiving dinner the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
Community Garden
From April to October, our community garden provides fresh, delicious, organically-grown foods for our community meals, and local food shelves. It's our most visible mission! Our garden has seven purposes:
· Provide a doorway to God
· Community outreach
· Inspire hope in the community
· Stewardship of the land for enjoyment, food, and spiritual rejuvenation
· Supply ingredients for the church’s community meals
· Create an inviting church yard
· Demonstrate who we are as a faith community
Future plans call for expansion of the gardens in Pastor Sarah's backyard and in the churchyard, teaching others about canning and preserving, opening a gift shop with organic teas, soaps and other items made from items from our garden. If you see us planting, weeding or harvesting, feel free to join in!
Northeast Senior Services
Northeast Senior Services's mission is “helping seniors live independently with dignity.” Two to three volunteers staff the office and serve residents in Northeast, Columbia Heights and St. Anthony Village who are over 60 years old. NESS coordinates about 100 rides each month, helping seniors obtain digital TV converter boxes, information referral by phone and rounding up volunteers to rake leaves and perform other household chores. It also gives homeowners referrals to independent contractors for home maintenance tasks. It sends out a regular newsletter to more than 650 senior citizens, and 100 institutions and churches. NESS is also developing a “Friendly Visitor” program and an in-home respite care program. NESS is located at 2580 Kenzie Terrace, but their exercises classes are held at NEUMC. Call 612-781-5096 or e-mail mail@neseniors.org if you need assistance.
East Side Thrift Store
Our church has been a leader in supporting the East Side Thrift Store since its beginnings as the Silver Angel in the basement of the old Trinity church. Now located on the corner of 19th Street and Central Avenue N.E., the East Side Thrift Store is a non-profit thrift store that relies on contributions of merchandise, funds and volunteer hours. Volunteers sort donated merchandise, tidy up the store, display the merchandise and assist customers. STORE HOURS: Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; Wednesday 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Eastside Meals on Wheels
Our local Meals on Wheels program is now based out of Catholic Eldercare, but this mission had its beginnings at Trinity United Methodist. Eastside Meals on Wheels is a nonprofit, mostly community-supported volunteer organization which provides support to homebound, elderly, or disabled residents of Northeast Minneapolis and St. Anthony Village. Nutritious meals are delivered regularly to the home and this allows people to maintain their independence. This is done regardless of race, color, creed, religion, national origin or gender. Several members volunteer their time, vehicles (and gas!) for this service. If you need Meals on Wheels or know of someone who needs this program, call 612-277-2528.
 Neighborhood Chidren's House Preschool
Neighborhood Children's House Preschool, is housed in the lower level of our church. Its mission is to provide a quality preschool experience. Preschoolers ages 3 to 5 gather here to learn about their world three days a week. A private preschool, the Children's House has been located here since 2005.
Wee Bop Music
We also provide studio space for Wee Bop Music. Wee Bop™ offers high-quality, affordable classes that expose your child to the fundamentals of early music learning and a wide variety of musical styles friendly to both children and adults. Classes expand your family's musical repertoire and provide you with an opportunity to meet other families with young children. Chellie Brown started Wee Bop part-time after completing a Musikgarten training. Two years later she decided to dive into teaching full-time. Since then she has expanded upon the Musikgarten program and created her own unique curricicula with an emphasis on music that is fun and educational for the whole family. The 45-minute music lesson teaches kids songs about animals, the weather, seasons, history and holidays.
Emma Norton Services
 Our church has long supported Emma Norton Services which has served women in the Twin Cities since 1917. Throughout its history, Emma Norton Services has aimed to provide safe, secure, affordable housing for women in transition regardless of race, religious preference, color, national origin, age, handicap, or sexual preference. Emma Norton Services serves women regardless of their place of origin; however, most are residents of the seven-county metropolitan area of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota. Northeast UMC is an Emma Norton partner church.
Feed My Starving Children
 Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) has worked to develop a food mixture that would be easy and safe to transport, simple to make with only boiling water, and culturally acceptable worldwide. With the input of scientists from major food companies in the Twin Cities area—including Cargill and General Mills—FMSC developed a formula consisting of:
1. Rice, the most widely accepted grain around the world.
2. Extruded soy nuggets, providing maximum protein at lowest cost.
3. Vitamins, minerals and a vegetarian chicken flavoring to give growing children the critical nutritional elements they need.
4. Dehydrated vegetables for flavor and nutrition.
A single bag of food—which provides meals for six children—costs around $1 to produce, and 94 percent of all donations to FMSC goes directly toward the food program. In August 2009, members from our church packed more than 15,000 bags of food for FMSC.
Minnesota Literacy Council
Learning Center at its Taylor Street location. Services are targeted to those in need of basic literacy and job skills in order to succeed as families, workers, and community members. The center has a large library of educational materials, as well as computers and software to assist adult students and volunteer tutors.
- Morning Classes are 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, M-TH
- Evening Classes are 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm, M-TH
For more information, contact MLC at
612-789-9024.
The Dignity Center
The Dignity Center is an outreach ministry of Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church in downtown Minneapolis. Three mornings a week, the Dignity Center brings support, opportunity and resources for people in transition as they regain stability and move toward self-sufficiency. Trained volunteer advocates work with clients in a welcoming environment.
Across the Country and Around the World
Imagine No Malaria
 "Imagine No Malaria" is a special campaign of the United Methodist Church, and the kids at Northeast United Methodist are driving the local effort. They want to raise $7,000 by 2015. They are studying this deadly disease which affects so many people in Africa and raising awareness and funds for the campaign, which seeks to eradicate malaria by 2015. For $10, you can buy a mosquito net which can save lives. Donate here.
Redbird Mission, Beverly, Kentucky
The Redbird Mission serves three counties in Kentucky coal-mining country, providing education, health care, food shelves, transportation and numerous other services. Church members collect the UPC codes from Campbell's Soup cans and donate them to the mission, which uses them to purchase educational materials. In 2009, members of Grace and Community United Methodist Church went to Redbird to perform a variety of services for area residents, and members from Trinity helped out with much-needed funding. Northeast United Methodist continues its support of Redbird Mission through the collection of Campbell's Soup labels.
Our vision: To be an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, socially just community of faith in the United Methodist tradition in Northeast Minneapolis.
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“Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.”
--John Wesley, founder of the United Methodist Church
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