It’s easy to find a group or activity to get involved at Mill Plain UMC.

In addition to the groups and programs detailed below, there are also a wealth of service opportunities through our community outreach. Check the calendar for upcoming events.

GroupsMinistries

Groups & Classes

MUSIC MINISTRIES

MUSIC MINISTRIES

Choir – The Choir meets every other week for rehearsal and then performs that following Sunday at the 10 am service. Anyone interested in raising their voices in praise is invited to join! Please contact our choir director Karen Juarez for details.

Band — We are indeed blessed to have such wonderful musical talent among our church family! The Band features a variety of musicians and singers and performs during the 10 am service. Please contact our band leader Frank Huston for details.

SPIRITUAL GROWTH CLASSES

Sunday school isn’t just for children! Mill Plain UMC is committed to your spiritual growth no matter your age. Classes are held seasonally and when special topics arise and may be comprised of book studies and Bible studies. Check the calendar for the latest schedule.

Adult Sunday School

Classes for adults explore sermon topics, books and other seasonal selections. It will be posted on the calendar when classes are again starting up.

Nourishing Our Faith

A Christian book study group that meets one to two times monthly. It will be posted on the calendar when classes are again starting up

Membership Class

Explore what Methodists believe and what it means to be a member of the church.

Book Club

The Mill Plain UMC book club is open to all and meets monthly to discuss that latest book selection, which ranges from historical fiction to novels or nonfiction. It will be posted on the calendar when classes are again starting up.

Grace Notes

Each week, members of Grace Notes come together for devotion, sharing and writing cards to church family members who are celebrating birthdays, anniversaries or who need extra prayers for illness or sympathies. Everyone is welcome to join this group that spreads light and love among our church family!

Prayer Shawl

The crocheting/knitting group meets monthly on the second Thursday to make shawls, lap robes and baby blankets and hats filled with prayers that are gifted to comfort members of our church family, the community and the Babies in Need program. All levels of experience are welcome.

If you or someone you know are going through a difficult time and would like a shawl, lap robe or newborn cap, please contact us.

"Mill Plain means so much to us. We came together there and had our wedding there. It’s hard to express how much it means to us."

- Gene and Lillian H.

Youth & Children's Groups

Sunday School

Sunday School

Sunday School is held for K – 12th grade students during the 10 a.m. service September thru June. Children are invited to Sunday School following the Young Disciples message and are picked up by parents following the service. Students are divided into two groups by grade level: K-5th and 6th-12th grade. During Sunday School, volunteers share Bible stories, crafts and community service projects.

Youth Group

Youth Group

Mill Plain UMC’s Youth Group for students in grades 6-12 is an active group that meets September - June during the Sunday Worship Service for formal Sunday School. Youth also meets weekly on Wednesday evenings for social and community service projects. The group enjoys summer special events and an annual retreat where members deepen their relationships with one another and God.

The Youth Group is an integral part of the church community, providing volunteers and support for events such as Food Bank Drives, the Halloween Trunk or Treat, potlucks, the Souper Bowl. The group organizes an annual spaghetti dinner and silent auction to support its ministries and activities.

Ministries & Community Service

Mill Plain UMC has a long history of serving our community as a reflection of God’s love. We support numerous organizations and charities and seek to serve those in our neighborhood, the local Vancouver community and beyond.

Hearthwood Elementary School

Hearthwood Elementary School

Hearthwood Elementary is Mill Plain UMC’s official partner school, and we support them with a variety of programs throughout the year. The Lunch Buddy program teams volunteers from Mill Plain with a student to enjoy talking, playing games and generally spending quality time together each week. The Tutoring program matches Mill Plain volunteers with teacher requests to provide additional hands in the classroom. The church community comes together to provide school supplies, gift cards for teachers to purchase materials, food for the Share Backpack Program, Thanksgiving Food Baskets and requested gifts for students via the Angel Tree at Christmas. Over the years, the church has also donated to playground equipment and other improvements at the school.

Winter Hospitality Overflow Shelters

Winter Hospitality Overflow Shelters

Mill Plain UMC joins more than 50 faith congregations in providing volunteers and needed supplies to the Winter Hospitality Overflow (WHO) shelters. Volunteers greet and visit with guests, help serve hot meals, prepare lunches, complete light chores and set up bedding during four-hour shifts from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m.

Everyday Assistance

Everyday Assistance

At Mill Plain, we aspire to host everyone and give a helping hand in big and small ways. Some of our current ministries include:

  • Little Free Pantry – in our parking lot, we offer a self-serve pantry with nonperishable food items, and we invite those who can help to stock it and those in need to take what they’d like. The Little Free Pantry is located next to the Mill Plain Book Exchange, where visitors can swap or take books for all ages.
  • Bags of Grace – available for purchase in our lobby, the bags are filled with snacks, a water bottle, socks and other necessities to share with someone experiencing homelessness.
  • Ev’s Honorary Discretionary Fund – donations are always welcome to this fund that allows the pastor to respond to requests from our church family and community members in need.
Feeding The Community

Feeding The Community

We participate in numerous programs to help bring warm meals to those in need, stock pantries and provide access to fresh fruits and vegetables.

  • Clark County Food Bank Distribution – we are a distribution site for fresh produce twice a month during the summer. Food Bank Fresh is geared for low-income families who find it difficult or impossible to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at traditional grocery stores. All items at the market are free.
  • FISH Partnership – We hold food drives and ask for donations year-round to support FISH of Vancouver‘s efforts to provide emergency food to those in need.
  • Sharing Meals – we believe in the nourishment of warm, healthy food and always leap on the opportunity to provide meals, whether it’s at the Share House men’s shelter or through Family Promise of Clark County.
Drive Thru Food Drive

Drive Thru Food Drive

With good spirits and a lot of green, on March 18, Mill Plain United Methodist Church welcomed a leprechaun and church members from age 4 to senior citizens to collect food for the Friends in Service to Humanity (FISH) food bank in Orchards.  Having learned that one in four Clark County residents are hungry, and that people seeking food assistance at the Orchards Food Bank now averages 70 people a day, up from 35 a day before the pandemic, the congregation set out to collect a TON of food and a TON of money ($2000) during the season of Lent.  On March 18, with the help of neighbors and friends, they received 645 pounds of food and $264.  The congregation had already collected 602 pounds of food and $1330.  In addition, their friends at Vancouver Heights United Methodist Church collected 269 pounds of food.  They hope before Easter on April 9, to collect at least another $500 and 500 pounds of food to meet their goal.  More importantly, they encourage the community to support all food banks and food assistance programs throughout Clark County.

Even More Ways to Support the Community

VBS and Summer Fun

During the summer, Mill Plain UMC and preschool will host a Vacation Bible School to help children understand God and have a closer relationship with Jesus. Everyone is invited to join.

We also have events throughout the summer.

Friends of the Carpenter

Mill Plain UMC provides financial support and volunteers to Friends of the Carpenter, an organization that greets everyone with coffee, a snack and an invitation to work with others on a woodworking project. The program serves those experiencing homelessness and other vulnerable members of the community.

Babies in Need

Mill Plain UMC joins 20 other churches in providing financial support and volunteer hours to support Babies in Need to ensure that every baby born in Clark and Cowlitz counties has essential clothing, bedding and car seats. In addition, our Prayer Shawl Ministry provides baby blankets and hats for Babies in Need.

And much more...

There are always new needs and new ideas to serve the community, and being a part of Mill Plain UMC will bring you opportunities to serve others in many different ways. From youth service projects to the Men’s Service Weekend, if you are interested in serving the needs of your community, Mill Plain UMC will help match your talents, time and interests.