Missionary Information & Support

First United Methodist Church gives many opportunities for persons to be involved in both mission giving and hands-on mission involvement.
FUMER supports four missionaries -​​

Randy Hildebrant is a Church & Community Worker assigned to God’s Country Cooperative Parish (GCCP) in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  His headquarters are in Newberry, but he works with the seven United Methodist Churches in their vast parish.  Randy coordinates and helps them reach out and serve many needs that exist in their small communities.  One of their major ministries is coordinating groups of Work Campers that come to do home repairs, church building needs, or even working on (or at) their new headquarters, located in an old school still being remodeled.  Randy is married to Aletha and they have two young adult children: Grace and Adam.  (FUMER has gone to GCCP for our Work Camp for several years now, and will continue to do so this summer, 2023.) Your prayers are appreciated!  FUMER supports Randy at $2,500.00 each year.

Mark and Rebecca Smallwood have served at Red Bird Mission School in Beverly, KY for many years.  Mark is retired as the music director at the school, but is still actively involved in many ministries at RBM.  Rebecca is still teaching elementary children at RBM School.  They have two children, Nate, who has followed in his father’s footsteps and is now the choral and band leader at RBMS!  Their daughter Leah is a college student.  FUMER supports the Smallwoods at $2,500.00 each year. ​

Dr. Laura Alexander Elliott is our missionary at Soaring Unlimited Haiti.  Laura works to develop self-help and health education programs as well as evangelism.  A big emphasis is in the area of AIDS awareness.  She continues to find homes for rescued children, organizes gardening efforts, helps volunteer groups build housing for local families, teaches English and works with a multitude of other ministries.  In addition, several of our FUMER members help support a family in Haiti – a widow with 4 children.  FUMER supports Dr. Laura Elliott at $2,500.00 each yea

Neal and Shirley Hicks are our missionaries in Tennessee where they serve many Japanese people as well as several other families for whom English is not their native tongue.  Neal is a member of FUMER and considers it to be his home.   Neal is a pastor who works in evangelism, organizes prayer efforts, and works ecumenically with other Christian pastors there.  He has two sons, Neal-Hideo and Philip.  FUMER supports the Hicks family at $3,000.00 each year,