Volunteers in Mission

United Methodist Volunteers in Mission is a grassroots movement of United Methodists who seek to put their “Christian Love in Action.”  Since the 1970s, UMVIM has offered a framework through which disciples can engage in short-term missions locally, nationally, and globally 

Every year, more than 125,000 people participate in Volunteers in Mission (VIM) – building homes and churches, teaching, working in agricultural enterprises, providing health care, doing disaster recovery work, and building relationships with people in need. VIM offers a place for everyone to serve.  Volunteers are lay and clergy, young and old, with differing abilities and vocations.  As the pandemic lifts, increasing numbers of VIM teams are going out from the Baltimore-Washington Conference on these self-financed mission opportunities.

To ensure a quality experience for all, VIM adheres to several well-proven principles: training team leaders, offering insurance coverage, registering team members, complying with Safe Sanctuaries policy, committing to intercultural competency, and providing spiritual formation at every stage of the journey.

To have leaders prepare to lead and to serve, Team Leader Training is strongly recommended.  The training is composed of a six to eight-hour session taught online or in person, that prepares participants to lead local, national and global mission trips. The training covers all aspects of planning as well as: UMC Theology of Mission, cultural awareness, fundraising, health and safety, team orientations, fundraising and more.

Advertise Your VIM Team Openings    NEJ UMVIM Training Schedule 

Putting our faith into action is at the very heart of our Christian call. The New Testament instructs those who would be followers of Jesus to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give shelter to the homeless, heal the sick, care for the widows, and nurture the children. Through Volunteers in Mission, every person in the church can serve God and others through these whole-life discipleship experiences.

MANY WAYS TO SERVE

Virtual Mission Trips – Are you interested in learning about a ministry but unable to travel?  Consider a virtual mission.  Virtual mission trips allow participants to travel across the country, or around the world, without leaving the comfort of their living room.  Visit the UMVIM site to learn how to plan your virtual mission trip – no training or insurance is required.

NOMADS – NOMADS are a small corps of retirees scattered throughout the country. They spend their lives roaming the country in RV’s.  As they roam, small groups of them converge at various locations – at United Methodist churches, children’s homes, camps or retreats, or at disaster sites to lend a hand.  To learn more about this ministry visit nomadsumc.org

Coming in 2025: SERVEFEST – ServeFest is a day of service where laity and clergy, men and women, boys and girls, across the Annual Conference join together in whole-life discipleship by putting their faith into action in their local church or surrounding community.  Come back soon to learn how to register a project or to register to serve. 

If you, or your church, wish to share your Volunteers in Mission story, contact .

For more information about Volunteers in Mission in the Baltimore-Washington Conference, send an email to .

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Register and insure your team in the Northeast Jurisdiction
Team openings and mission opportunities across the Jurisdiction
UMVIM team toolkit

The UMVIM Handbook for Volunteers is on sale for $17 at Amazon.
     Free during in-person training or upon request upon completion of online training. Request & certificate of completion should be provided to .