Humanitarian Work

If we want to improve christian life and save our faith, one of the most important things are good works. We can see, how through our faith and good works, mercy of God and people are functioning together. Just after the re-establishment of the methodist church in Lithuania in 1995, methodist communities tried to renew diaconal and humanitarian work. Now every United Methodist Church in Lithuania has some humanitarian work as a part of its ministry. There are feeding programs, after school programs for children and youth, washing programs (for body and clothes), psychological programs for women, programs for the elderly, medical assistance programs, work with the prisons, visitation programs and work with orphanages. Many of these programs are supported by funding from partner churches and Betaniens (foundations) from Sweden and Norway. Offerings from local churches also help to provide this variety of humanitarian work.

Zaneta Rimskyte is the District Humanitarian Coordinator. She works directly with many of these programs and indirectly with almost all of them. She assists local churches in identifying needs and setting up programs and finding resources. If you have questions about humanitarian work you can contact Zaneta directly by email: caglinka@mail.ru or through the Superintendent: ds@lithuaniaumc.org

Co-operation with NGO „Food bank“

This year we expanded our partnership with NGO „Food bank“. Now we can better help people with the programs we have.

Since 2007 y. Lithuania united methodist church joined „EU food supply from intervencional resources for the poorest persons“ social program. Ten communities (Birzai, Kaunas. Pilviskiai, Kybartai, Kazlu Ruda, Vilnius, Taurage, Ukmerge, Eiguliai, Siauliai) help to distribute food packages, that we receive from the organization „Food bank“, for the poorest persons.
Birzai, Pilviskiai, Taurage and Kaunas communities participate in special „Food bank“ actions, during which they receive food while being in the supermarkets and asking people to support the poorests with food they bought. Birzai is using this food for the children‘s day center and „Soup“ program; other communities give food to the poorest persons: for these who income ar low, for large families, for elderlies.
Bread for the „Bread“ program we receive from the bakery. Taurage, Panevezys, Birzai, Kaunas, Pilviskiai, Kybartai communities joined this program.
Since March till May there was one more program at Kaunas church. From the supermarket „IKI“ we received last day products, that were given to the poorests. But we had to stop this program, because we don‘t have the equipment we need – we have to store products in the refrigerator. So for now we can receive only these products, that don‘t need to be stored in the refrigerators.
This summer „Food bank“ made kids happy with the biscuits and chocolate sweets they gave.

Co-operation with NGO „Food bank“ made local methodist churches and governmental institutions work closer and do good jobs together. Through good works we can spread gospel. Also more and more people hear about methodist church and this helps in seeking for recognition.

If you would like to contribute to any of the humanitarian programs in Lithuania you can give through the Advance #14934A and note the specific program, such as the Bread Program, or if you don’t designate the funds for a specific project we will direct the money where it is most needed. You can also look at the detail about this advance through the link with Humanitarian Programs in the Advance part of the General Board of Global Ministries website.