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Serve our Community
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Being central in our community and creating community is core to our identity. Serving our community allows us to serve God, grow in our faith, and transform lives in our local community.
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How is God calling you?
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Are you called to care for the homeless and disadvantaged? Come serve with the Food Pantry or Community Clothing Closet. Can you speak a language in addition to English? Join our Food Pantry volunteers.
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St. Thomas has many ways for you to be in mission to others. If you're interested in getting involved in any of these mission projects, please contact the individual listed or the main church office. Check out the available opportunities below:
Community Clothing Closet
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The Community Clothing Closet serves the participants in the St. Thomas Food Pantry and to anyone else who is in need of clothing.
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The Community Clothing Closet serves men, women and children that are in need. Donations come from other churches, members of the congregation and members of the community.
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Clothing is distributed the 3rd and 4th week of the month at the Food Pantry. To volunteer, please contact Renee Kinnear.
A "Senior Christmas"
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This program provides Christmas gifts for the permanent residents of Manassas Health and Rehab.
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Wishes are picked off of a tree, wrapped and sent to the Rehab Center. This year we are doing it online again in Signup Genius. You can browse the list here, note the number and then click on the Signup Genius link and sign up. We have 115 names this year so take as many as you like. Seniors prefer gift bags if the gift fits, because it is easier for them to open. Thanks for giving someone a Merry Christmas! Bring your Senior gift back to the sanctuary no later than December 12th. These gifts will be delivered on the 13th. Un-trim A tree gifts need to be in earlier, December 1st, so watch your dates!
Christmas Day Dinner
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St. Thomas has been offering a FREE Traditional Christmas Day Dinner open to the community for more than twenty years - even curbside thru the pandemic! This Christmas, we are planning our 23rd annual Christmas Day Dinner on Sunday, December 25 from 11 am - 2 pm. Come join us for worship at 10 AM - lots of Christmas Carols will be sung, and then stay for a delicious meal and fellowship.
Food Pantry
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The Food Pantry distributes food every Saturday morning from 9 - 11 am. Typically, the Pantry serves between 700 - 800 individuals a week. Clothing from the Community Clothing Closet is distributed on the 3rd and 4th Saturdays during the same hours as the Food Pantry.
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Are you in need of food and can't make it on Saturdays? Please click here and type your address to find other food pantries in our area and their hours of operation.
Loch Lomond Elementary School
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St. Thomas is in partnership with Loch Lomond Elementary School. We provide tutors or teacher's helpers during the school year and provide monetary donations for things that are needed in the classroom. We also provide Christmas toys and clothes for those in need during the holidays and school supplies at the start of each new year.
Quilts for Kids
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Quilts for Kids meets together to make quilts that are donated to the hospital's Newborn Intensive Care and some to SERVE, but most are given to ACTS for their Countywide Domestic Violence Intervention Program.
A dedicated group of eight to twelve ladies meet at the church at 10 am every Wednesday. When the women gather, the quilt tops that are sewn at home are secured to batting and backing by binding the three pieces together at the edges and then tying small knots of stout thread through the materials at regular intervals, making a quilt.
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Small tags are stitched onto each quilt proclaiming God's love from St. Thomas United Methodist Church. For more information, please leave a message with the church office at 703-368-5161. Better yet, come by the quilting bee next Wednesday.
Operation Bear Hug
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Everyone is asked to bring NEW teddy bears to church to hug during the services. They then will be distributed to patients in Novant hospital and Manassas Health and Rehab for Valentine's Day.
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Late January, early February is the perfect time of year for "Operation Bear Hug," a time when everyone is asked to bring NEW teddy bears to church. During the Worship Service, congregants are asked to hug "your" bear, let them sing the hymns with you, pass the peace of Christ, and even listen to the sermon while sitting on your lap. These hugged bears will be tagged with St. Thomas UMC information, along with a Valentine's greeting, and distributed to patients in Novant Hospital and Manassas Health and Rehab, just in time for Valentine's Day. Bears should not be too large or too small; they should be just the right size to fit into a hospital bed. As our tags refer to them as "bears," please make sure bears are all you bring.
St. Thomas UMC has participated in this mission for about 21 years and every year it is more and more rewarding for everyone involved, as well as for the teddy bears! If you have any questions or would like to help tag or distribute the bears, please send an email to ssteechur@yahoo.com. Let's see how many faces we can light up for Valentine's Day!
Therapy Dogs
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Training and testing for Therapy Dogs is conducted at our church to support this important ministry.
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Cary McMahon is very involved with the therapy dogs. Contact Cary at ibapnp@gmail.com or call her at 703-791-4133.
