Community Outreach

At Dilworth Church, our members pride themselves on taking an active role in our community.  From Fall Festivals for the neighborhood to reaching out to the homeless in our area, Dilworth offers many opportunities to give back.  For more information on any of these ministries, please fill out the contact form located on the right side of this page.

  • Room in the Inn

     

    What Is Room In The Inn?

                An opportunity to serve and learn

    Since 1996, the Urban Ministry Center has partnered with colleges and congregations of many faiths to open their facilities to provide shelter and food for homeless people during the winter months. Each site offers a warm, safe place to sleep, serves three meals (dinner, breakfast and bag lunch) and then returns guests the following morning to uptown Charlotte.  The program is a unique way for people of faith to become directly involved with people who are homeless. The simple goal is to keep homeless people from freezing on cold winter nights. A greater goal is to provide a more personal relationship to homeless people, at least for a night, and a deeper understanding of the depth and complexity of the issue.

    How Room in the Inn Works

                Participants are fully vetted

    Participants queue up at the back door of the Urban Ministry Center around 4:00 p.m. for a carefully formatted intake and registration process. Each person is breathalyzed and must show state-issued identification or receive a waiver from our staff. Each person is entered into our database to help us determine who is using the program and how often. An off-duty police officer is onsite at all times. 

    Dilworth United Methodist Church’s involvement

                One of our church’s most comprehensive outreach ministries

    In 2011/2012, DUMC will host 12 men on 10 Saturdays from December through March.  Members, friends and family have many opportunities to use their gifts to participate in this program.  Many volunteers are needed and almost 30 families participated last year.    

    How Can I get Involved?

                No commitment is too small.  We need you!

    2012 Saturday Dates DUMC will host: 

    12/3, 1/7, 1/21, 1/28, 2/4, 2/11, 2/25, 3/3, 3/10, 3/24

    Location:  Jones Building 1st floor multi purpose room and kitchen

    JOBS:

    Set Up (3-5pm Sat):  Come over before the men arrive and inflate mattresses, make beds and set up the room

    Transportation (Sat 5-5:30pm and Sun Morn 8:00-8:30am):  Come over to DUMC, pick up van keys and drive to pick up the 12 guests from Urban Ministries and bring them to DUMC.  The van is not hard to drive.

    Provide Dinner (5-7pm):  Provide dinner for 14 people.  Folks have done everything from carry out to cook outs!  Call us and we can give you details on what to do and how.  This is a great job for a small group of any age:  scout troops, YGuides, Indian Princesses, Youth Groups, Dinner Clubs, etc.

    2 people Spend the Night (5pm – 7am):  All you do is show up and act as hosts.  Typically we try to get one man to sleep over and other person can be anyone.  Some of us bring our kids to play games with the men and sleep over.  It is a great way to get away from all the electronics at home and disconnect from our over-programmed lives.  My 9yr old and I have been doing this for the last 3 yrs.  He and I set up our mattresses in the office and we always have a great time.  It is not scary at all!

    Cook breakfast (6:30-8am):  Great project for you early birds.  The food is provided and all you have to do is come over and cook a hot meal for the men before they go back out to their lives on the street.

    Clean-Up/Breakdown (8-9am):  Clean up kitchen, bathroom, and deflate mattresses and gather laundry in pile.

    Laundry (any time during the week):  You come pick up the sheets and towels and wash them at home and bring back to DUMC by Friday that week. 

    Thank you very much for your support!

    A few options:

    Sign up on the board in the lobby of the Jones building when at the church.

    Submit the form on the top right side of this page now.

    Also, a sheet will be emailed out periodically.

     

     

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  • Invisible Children Charlotte

    A message from Dilworth Church member Katie Yost:

    Invisible Children is a non-profit organization that began in 2003 that uses film, creativity, and social action to end the use of child soldiers in Joseph Kony's rebel war and restore LRA-affected communities in Central Africa to peace and  prosperity.  More information on their current projects can be found at invisiblechildren.com.  

    I will be working as a "Roadie" for the Spring 2012 awareness campaign and tour.  Beginning in January, I will spend five months volunteering my time and efforts. My position involves planning, booking, and carrying out a three-month North American tour to high schools, colleges, and places of worship.  Along with a team of 3 Americans and 1 Ugandan (a victim of the LRA), I will have the opportunity to speak to audiences about the LRA-affected communities and the mission of Invisible Children.  Since Invisible Children is a non-profit, I will be working without pay and roadies are responsible for funding their own needs while on tour.  

    Although I will be giving my time, I cannot do it without your help! I have a direct support link with Invisible Children, where donations can be made to support my time as a roadie:

    Please click here to help right now

    Thank you!

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  • Crisis Assistance Ministry

    Crisis Assistance Ministry is the Mecklenburg County “emergency room” for low-income families who are about to be padlocked or about to have their utilities turned off.    Free clothes, small household goods, and furniture are also available through CAM to help the familiess stretch what money they have.

    CAM was begun in 1975 by several churches who felt that assistance could be better provided if efforts were combined into one location, which initially was at DUMC.  CAM has grown tremendously over the years, now filling a large building.  Monies for assistance come from individuals, churches, foundations and government funds.

    Volunteers are used in many areas: interviewing families who are requesting financial aid to determine cause and eligibility; helping with clerical work in the business office; sorting donated clothes; and of course donating clothes and furniture.  There is a large wooden box in the lobby near the parking lot door if you have items you wish to donate.  If you are interested in volunteering or for more information go to www.crisisassistance.org.

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  • Reid Park Elementary

    Dilworth Church supports Reid Park Academy (a K-8th school in West Charlotte) throughout the school year in a variety of ways. Below are some of the ways you can help:

    1. Become a tutor, lunch buddy or student mentor. This commitment requires approximately 30 – 45 minutes at least twice a month. Work with a student or group of students on reading, math and homework or simply join your assigned student in the lunch room and be their special friend. These opportunities occur during the school year during school hours (approx 7:45 AM – 3:30 PM)

    2. Become a Media Aid. Shelve books and assist in the media center. Hours similar to above.

    3. Provide new uniforms. They can ALWAYS use uniform items which include: Navy or Khaki pants, shorts, girls jumpers or skorts, Navy or White collared shirts, preferably “golf shirts”. Cargo pants are NOT acceptable.  Sizes from children’s 5 up to size 16 are most popular. Slim and Husky can also be used.  A uniform Bin will be set up in the social hall.

    4. Provide Teacher Support. Provide refreshments for a weekly faculty meeting. Participate in Teacher Appreciation week. Donate gift items and gift cards to be used as raffle items at meetings. Adopt a teacher for the year and send cards and emails showing your support.

    5. Provide Financial Support for Cultural Arts Activities. Reid Park has no budget for these type of activities. You and/or your group could raise money for various class trips during the year.  Last year Dilworth paid for a large percentage of the 4th Grade Class Trip to Old Salem. Church members and UMW groups have also sent classes to The Nutcracker and Children’s Theatre events.

    6. Add your name to the List of Volunteers for one- time events. DUMC gets frequent  requests during the school year for volunteers at Halloween parties, “Read Ins”, Test Proctors, EOG Fair and similar events that sometimes occur outside of school hours.

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  • Salvation Army Women's Shelter

    The Salvation Army has a 224 bed shelter called Center of Hope for homeless women and their children.  While there, women are given medical care if needed and are provided training and assistance in finding a job and becoming self-supportive.  During the past two years, the number of homeless women has exceeded the capacity at the Center of Hope.  In response to that a partnership was made with DUMC and a number of other churches to be an overnight host for 12 women for a week in the late Fall before Room in the Inn begins.  DUMC has done this for two years.  Many volunteers are needed throughout the week the women are DUMC overnight guests:  van drivers, overnight hosts, dinner providers, laundry, clean-up, etc.  In September 2010 there were over 50 volunteers during our week of hosting.

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  • Men's Shelter

    Every 4th Monday our church prepares and serves dinner at the Men's Shelter and feeds over 250 men who would possibly not eat otherwise.  On these Mondays, we need 4-6 people each month to come at 4:30pm and help prepare and serve dinner to these men who are less fortunate than us. Think about how much a warm meal would means to those who are out in the elements every day. You can make a difference by simply helping in the kitchen!!  The dinner will wrap up around 6:45pm and the best part is you don't even have to clean up.

    Sign up right now - submit a form in the the right hand column or give us a call at (704) 333-4173.

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  • Fall Festival


    In October Dilworth Church hosts its annual Fall Festival.   Open to the community and free for all, this event is a great Saturday of family fun.   Come join us for inflatables, games, food, and fellowship!    Many volunteers are needed to make this event a success.   Look for an opportunity to sign up to help beginning in September of each year.

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  • Habitat for Humanity

    Each Fall Dilworth Church joins with other Charlotte area churches for the Charlotte Church Partner's build.    Habitat works with deserving families to build affordable housing.      Opportunities to volunteer are open to everyone ages 16 and above regardless of experience and construction knowledge.   The build usually runs from September through October. 

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