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The Red Bird Missionary Conference provides the people of southeastern Kentucky with health care, education, economic development, agricultural assistance, and community outreach as well as opportunities for spiritual growth.
Red Bird is one of only three United Methodist Church missionary conferences in the United States. A missionary conference is an area where local resources can not meet the needs and so the resources of the entire church are required. |
Among the services provided by Red Bird is a K-12 school for 250 children, adult literacy, prison ministry, a center for the arts, an incubator for non-profit groups addressing community needs, summer camp for underprivileged children, adult retreats, 24 local churches, day care, senior care, elderly and low income housing, agricultural assistance, a youth center, economic development (in the form of craft training and marketing), clothing and food assistance, a dental clinic, medical clinics, maternal and infant health care, and home health care.
Red Bird Missionary Conference serves as an umbrella for a number of organizations which provide these services:
One feature of Red Bird Missionary Conference is that they attract 8,000 volunteers from all over the country to work in Appalachia each summer. Some of the work of these volunteers is done on the Red Bird campuses, maintaining and improving the facilities on each campus. Other work is done out in the community, typically repairing or enhancing local housing.
Each year for the past 5 years, volunteers from our church have spent 1-2 weeks working at the Bennett Center or Camp O'Cumberlands in on-campus and community projects. See photos of the 2003 trips.
In addition, Ruth Wiertzma, one of the missionaries our church supports, plays a key role in the leadership of the Red Bird Missionary Conference.
For more information about each of the many aspects of this wonderful ministry, see www.redbirdconference.org. |
