Missions
We know that as disciples we are called to do justice and care for the vulnerable, locally and globally. So when we encounter injustice, we are moved to both compassion and action.
We invite you to join us by volunteering to serve in any of our programs below.
The Facts
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In 2022 natural disasters displaced 3 million Americans, including 1 million in Florida alone.
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In 2021, Alachua County had a 11.1% food insecurity rate, higher than Florida’s 10.6% state average.
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Economically disadvantaged students are 14.2% less likely to graduate from high school in Alachua County.
Disaster Response
Our Early Response Team (ERT) is a team of trained Servant Volunteers by the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR).
This team is deployed with specific needs after a disaster: cleaning out flood-damaged homes, removing debris, placing tarps on homes, and other tasks, while providing a caring Christian presence. Participants learn the basics of disaster response, including how to stabilize and secure homes safely, and how to work effectively with survivors and others on the response team.
Neighborhood Outreach
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We host three monthly mobile food pantries per month: one on the first Thursday of every monthat Celebration United Methodist Church, the second Thursday of every month in the Majestic Oaks Apartment complex, and the third Wednesday at our NW campus. All are at 10:30 AM. This ongoing mission provides fresh meat, produce, and bakery items to families in need.
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Family Promise is a nonprofit organization created to provide shelter and comprehensive support to homeless families with children. Four times a year for one week, we provide dinners to the families receiving shelter services from Family Promise.
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Want to help families in our community? Trinity is working with Partnership for Strong Families with a site called CarePortal to help notify community members who may be able to assist those in need (for example: a washing machine or bike for transportation). When you sign up, you are simply opting in to get email notifications of a true need that has been determined by an agency case manager. There is no obligation. Here is a short video explaining how CarePortal works.
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Every year, Trinity provides many families the groceries they need to share a Thanksgiving meal that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to. This effort begins in the Fall, so please check back soon for more information on how you can get involved.
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Throughout the year we support four schools in Alachua County (PACE Center for Girls, Stepping Stones Preschool, Talbot Elementary, and Rawlings Elementary) with expressions of gratitude for teachers and staff in the form of school supplies, gift cards, notes of encouragement, and more.
We’re always looking for folks to be our school liaison, to help coordinate back-to-school notecards, or drop goodies off to teachers and staff.
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During the school year, we match mentors with children whose families are part of our Circles program at our Faith Mission campus. These mentors meet twice a month on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday to spend time with their mentees. These meetings could include everything from board games and spending quality time together to tutoring to college prep, depending on the needs of the student.
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Every month we are collecting supplies and items needed by an organization in our community to help others.
You can find this month's information in the Tuesday Word and on the bins themselves.
We respectfully ask that you only donate the items that we are specifically collecting.
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Food4Kids is a non-profit in Gainesville, FL whose mission is to identify chronically hungry children throughout the community and provide them with food and vital resources on a regular basis.
We support this organization by delivering food to area Elementary schools and food sorting events and opportunities.
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Bags of Grace is our tangible ministry of love to make a small difference to homeless folks in our community. Specifically, it is a bag of toiletries and other basic necessities to keep in your car and hand out as you see fit. These bags are available in the Education Building lobby.
2025 Mission Trips
Asheville, NC
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From September 14 -19, we are taking a team to do long-term recovery work on homes affected by the hurricane. Job specifics won't come until closer to the trip date, but typical work can include drywall, flooring, roofing, and debris removal. We'll be sleeping in a local church and traveling to the site daily. No experience is required, we'll teach you everything you need on-site!
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The estimated cost is $300.
Guatemala
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We’re traveling to Guatemala from October 25th to November 2nd to volunteer with ODIM (Organization for the Development of the Indigenous Maya). ODIM is a Methodist-backed mission on Lake Atitlan in the northwest Guatemalan highlands.
We will have two teams. The first will be assisting in ODIM's medical and dental clinics. The clinics focus on medical and preventative care, including educational programming on malnutrition, safe drinking water, and more. All doctors, nurses, PAs and dentists are welcome! For those who are non-medical, we have stove construction. No experience is required as we assemble precast pieces in homes. The trip also includes a day in Antigua and other cultural activities. -
Estimated cost is $2,000.
Zoe Empowers
For vulnerable youth (where children are the head of household), life revolves around survival. They quit school to find work. When $1/day doesn’t feed their family, they beg, steal, or starve. Exploited, abused, and sick, they lose hope, battling a cycle that is unfixable by relief-based aid or foster care systems that lack resources. Through a three-year, locally-led program, vulnerable youth are organized into groups of 60-100 and receive micro-grants, life skills, and vocational training to become secure, healthy, and connected community members.
We have seen first-hand the wonderful work that Zoe Empowers is doing to help empower vulnerable youth to overcome extreme poverty for good. Here is information on the incredible kids that we are supporting.
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Urumuri "Light" Bweramana
Location: Rwanda
Time frame: July 2023 - June 2026
Families: 26
Total Children: 94
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Ikerekezo "Vision" Musha
Location: Rwanda
Time Frame: May 2024 - April 2027
Families: 25
Total Children: 91
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Baraka “Blessing” Nakitun
Location: Juba County, South Sudan
Time Frame: January 2025 - December 2027
Families: 25
Children: 88
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Grace
Location: Arusha, Tanzania
Time Frame: January 2025 - December 2027
Families: 23
Children: 85
