Racial and Ethnic Ministries

CELEBRATING CULTURAL DIVERSITY

Sunday worship at Eden Korean United Methodist Church in Baltimore, Maryland 

Photo: Jay Mallin, UM News 

We help support diverse communities in the U.S. through “national ministry plans” for Asian American, Korean and Pacific Islander communities. The plans grow The United Methodist Church in a way that does not compromise the cultural context of the communities they serve.

Our 2024 Impact

$557,130

to support Racial/Ethnic Plans
Racial/Ethnic Plans celebrate and support racial and ethnic diversity in the United States through programs and leadership development.

$202,300

to support projects at Racial/Ethnic Churches
Twenty-two grants assist local congregations with projects and programs focused on leadership development, church growth, ministry with the poor and health ministries.

$105,000

awarded to partners in the Community Developers Program
Nine grants support schools, shelters, food programs and economic research development in under-served communities across the United States.

Racial and Ethnic Ministries

To celebrate and support the growing racial and ethnic diversity in the United States, we administer three special programs of The United Methodist Church: the Asian American Language Ministry Plan, the Korean Ministry Plan and the Pacific Islanders Ministry Plan.

Three additional programs focus on Native American, Hispanic/Latino and Black communities, which are administered by Discipleship Ministries and the General Commission on Religion and Race. 

To learn more about these ministry plans, contact mem@umcmission.org.

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Help grow Methodism in new places, strengthen churches and support programs that share the good news of God’s love.

UMCOR Campaigns

Six Years, No Solution: A 500-Gallon Tank Carries Hope to West Virginia’s Forgotten

McDowell County is one of the poorest in the U.S., and the communities of Anawalt, Leckie and Gary are some of the hardest hit by the current six-year water crisis. All have Methodist churches that are part of the Welch Charge.

To ease the burden of residents who have to purchase many gallons of drinking water weekly, the Welch Charge contacted the West Virginia Conference Disaster Response Coordinator, Jim McCune, for help. McCune’s United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) connection put him in touch with Global Ministries’ Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) program. 

A WASH grant allowed them to obtain a 500-gallon “water buffalo.” The conference disaster response team arranged to fill the portable water buffalo from the Welch water system, the county seat of McDowell, and transport it to Gary, where residents have been supplied with refillable containers. Residents of all three towns can come to get water, and volunteers will also continue deliveries for those who need it. Meanwhile, residents, including church members, continue to advocate state and local officials for a permanent solution to their aging, compromised water infrastructure. Full Story