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 - Randy Hildebrant is a Church & Community Worker assigned to God’s Country Cooperative Parish in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  His headquarters are in Newberry, but he works with the seven United Methodist Churches in their vast parish.  He coordinates and help them reach out and serve many needs that exist in their small communities.  One of the major ministries is coordinating groups of Work Campers that come to do home repairs or even working on 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.

​Mark & Rebecca Smallwood -  Mark and Rebecca Smallwood have served at Red Bird Mission School in Beverly, KY for many years.  Mark recently retired as the music director, but is still actively involved in the 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.

Dr. Laura Alexander Elliott is our missionary to Haiti - She 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 a multitude of other ministries. In addition several of our members help support a family in Haiti – a widow with 4 children. Click here to read Dr. Elliott's latest newsletter.

Neal and Shirley Hicks is our missionaries to the Japanese in Tennessee - He is a member of our church 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 here. He has two sons, Neal-Hideo and Philip.