This Sunday, January 15, we will have a special offering for Human Relations Day. What is Human Relations Day? Human Relations Day is a denomination-wide Special Sunday designed to celebrate and raise awareness to further the development of better human relations by involving congregations in community and youth outreach.

A special offering is taken the Sunday before Dr. Martin Luther King Day. Gifts received for the offering build King’s vision of “the beloved community” through programs such as Community Developers, United Methodist Voluntary Services, and Youth Offender Rehabilitation Programs.

Fifty-seven percent of the funds received support community development programs that strive to build, maintain, promote and strengthen racial-ethnic minority congregations through local UMC congregations. Thirty-three percent of the funds received support The United Methodist Voluntary Services (UMVS), which serves as a resource to congregations, volunteer-based groups, and programs that challenge unjust political, social, and economic systems which threaten the livelihoods of people.
Ten percent of the funds received support rehabilitation programs. These programs work to strengthen youth empowerment programs that provide positive avenues for youth participation in their communities through churches, mentoring programs, and boys/girls clubs.

For more than half a century, United Methodists have observed this church-wide special Sunday in recognition of the message Jesus demonstrated during his life: all of God’s children are important.

One of the wonderful aspects of The United Methodist Church is that we can do so much more together than we ever could do on our own. Our gifts are part of building “the beloved community.”