Missions

Serving at Home and Throughout the World

Because of the great love we have experienced in Christ, our mission is to share His love to others by investing in our community, nation, and world. We desire to push beyond ordinary service and engage in extraordinary opportunities for life-changing engagement with people. No matter your age or ability, there is a place for you to invest in the ministry partnerships we’ve formed with our community and the world.

Local Missions

Our mission begins right here in our community as we invest locally through partnerships with ministries and organizations here in Bay County. Our main areas of focus locally are education and work with children in need, assisting persons with disabilities, poverty-alleviation, and foster/adoptive family support.

Through local partnerships and member-led outreach activities, we are able to share Christ’s love right here in Bay County. To sign up to serve with us, please fill out our Interest Form and someone will connect with you soon! Anyone 18 or older must complete a Volunteer Application and agree to a background check.

CityServe

CityServe seeks to spread the love of Christ and the church to area residents. Participants of all ages are invited to join together in this annual day of service, which is typically held each Spring.

Mobile Food Pantry

Our Mobile Food Pantry, coordinated in partnership with St. Dominic Catholic Church, provides help for anyone in need of food assistance. For more information or to sign up to serve at the next Pantry, email Daniel Leptrone, Daniel@mylhumc.net or visit our Sign-Up Form. Teens and older children (with a parent or guardian) are encouraged to help serve!

Hardly Able

Hardly Able is our wheelchair ramp ministry. Builds happen most Saturday mornings. If you've never built a wheelchair ramp, no worries! We'll teach you what to do. For more information, click here, contact Larry Wells at larry.a.wells@att.net or call/text the church at 850.265.5231.

New Horizons Partnership

Through our partnership with New Horizons Learning Center, members serve as mentors to make a difference in the lives of students. Additionally, Lynn Haven UMC Small Groups provide snack foods for the mentor room at the school. New Horizons is an exceptional special education program that meets the unique learning needs of every student and partners with families as well as the community to foster students' academic, social, and emotional growth.

Nest Builders Foster/Adoption Ministry

Nest Builders is Lynn Haven UMC's local program that targets foster and adoptive parents with the goal of surrounding these special families with hands-on love and encouragement.

Prayer Squares

The Lynn Haven UMC Prayer Square Ministry has been a blessing to people all around the world! The hand-knit squares are given to those needing comfort and prayer, providing a sign of God’s love and support. Each square is prayed over by the church prayer team and a card is attached with comforting words of the Apostle Paul: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Philippians 4:6)

Anchorage Children's Home

Anchorage Children’s Home is a Panama City-based non-profit organization, founded on Christian principles and beliefs, which serves, protects and strengthens children, families and community. The mission of Anchorage Children’s Home is to be an Anchor for today's children, strengthening tomorrow's families. Lynn Haven UMC is proud to support the mission of Anchorage Children's Home in a variety of ways.

Southport Elementary Partnership

We partner with Southport Elementary School to lend support at special events, provide Lunch Buddies and tutors, and distribute weekend food bags to children in need (approximately 65 students weekly). Additionally, church members coordinate an annual Back-to-School Bash for the students and families with food, school supplies, free haircuts and other activities.

Titus 2 Partnership

Titus 2 Partnership is an all volunteer, non-profit ministry for women seeking substance abuse recovery and life recovery from other life-limiting dysfunctions. The program offers a structured women-only Christian education, discipleship and mentoring program. Lynn Haven UMC is proud to support the ministry of Titus 2 in a variety of ways, including in the discipleship development of program participants.

North Bay Haven Partnership

In 2021, Lynn Haven UMC member Jenn Adams, a nurse at North Bay Haven Charter School, discovered a need for a weekend food backpack ministry to help students who were frequently food insecure. Since Lynn Haven UMC already had similar programs in place at other schools, she asked the church for help to launch the ministry. Lynn Haven UMC now provides food bags to about 20 North Bay Haven families each week during the school year.

U.S. and International Missions

Our mission continues as we go beyond our community and reach out to those in need throughout our country and world. God calls us to go into all the world and share His love. In response to that call, we have partnered with friends around the globe so that everyone will know His name and have a chance to live eternally with Him.

We have the great joy of partnering with wonderful mission friends in Uganda, Honduras, Mexico and Ecuador. Periodic international mission trips along with visits from our friends from these places keeps us connected and allows us to invest in what God is doing in our world.

For information on our 2022 mission trips, please click here!

Mexico

Lynn Haven UMC supports the mission of the Martinez Family in Durango, Mexico financially, prayerfully, and through short-term mission opportunities.

Jorge Martinez and Yulimar Gil lead New Life Ministries in Durango. The ministry was founded in 1998 by Jorge's parents. In 2009 Jorge was appointed as Senior Pastor and has been serving there in that capacity since then. Jorge and Yuli have one son, Santiago. LHUMC members travel to Durango to support the work of New Life Ministries to share the Gospel with Durango's children and youth.

Uganda

Lynn Haven UMC resident missionaries Jack Williams and Dale Jones, along with other missionaries, traveled to Uganda numerous times between 2016 and 2019 to build church/school buildings. In total, the teams constructed 8 churches to serve the communities in and around Jinja, Uganda.

Though trips to Uganda have been limited in recent years due to the coronavirus pandemic, Lynn Haven UMC has continued to partner with pastors in Uganda in order to reach people with the Gospel.

Lynn Haven UMC Pastor Doug Pennington met Pastor Isaac Kyambadde, superintendent of the Jinja, Uganda district, at a UMC annual conference. Pastor Isaac's goal is to preach the gospel to as many of his people as possible and to help them grow and deepen their faith and relationship with Jesus. Our goal is to come alongside him and support his efforts. Prior to the partnership being formalized, Jack Williams traveled to Uganda to assess the needs of the church and look at ways we might help. We determined that two of the greatest needs are for meeting places in villages surrounding the city of Jinja and training for the pastors that are rising up to answer God's call. Lynn Haven UMC missionaries have constructed numerous church buildings to serve the people of Uganda. These churches transform communities as they grow the local congregation and see numerous people come to Christ. The church buildings also provide school buildings for children that were previously not receiving an education.

Honduras

Lynn Haven UMC is proud to partner with and support New Vision Baptist Church in Honduras and two fantastic organizations that serve the people of Honduras:

Pumping for Life

Emerald Coast Missions

Teams from Lynn Haven travel to Honduras regularly to support various projects including construction, clean water sourcing, medical outreach, and teaching the Gospel to children at Vacation Bible School programs.

Embrace Florida Kids

Lynn Haven UMC is proud to support the work of Embrace Florida Kids through financial gifts and prayer. Embrace Florida Kids has helped transform the lives of thousands of hurting children in Alabama and Northwest Florida since 1890. Every child deserves a loving home, and a chance to thrive. Embrace Florida Kids provides safe homes, caring support and life skills to vulnerable children and youth who are unable to live with their families.

UMCOR
Disaster Relief

Lynn Haven UMC financially supports the work of UMCOR locally and around the world to help disaster victims.

In addition to many other services, UMCOR provides early response training that covers the basics of early disaster response, including roof tarping, cleaning out damaged homes, spiritual and emotional care, team protocols, and more.