MISSION MINISTRY There are many ways to serve at FUMC Georgetown. You can serve in any of our ministry areas: Children, Youth, Adult Discipleship, Music, and Worship arts. If you are looking for more outward facing opportunities, our Mission & Outreach team can help you find a place to serve. We have several Mission Ministries that are primarily run by our own church members, and other partner organizations that we support financially and with volunteers. For more information about these and other opportunities, email missions@fumcgt.org. INTERNAL MISSIONS UMCOR Disaster Relief and Recovery Disaster Relief and Recovery is dedicated to providing critical support and assistance in the wake of emergencies. When disaster strikes, United Methodists have a long legacy of helping their neighbors and communities, and this team continues that tradition by site clean-up, home repairs, resources, and compassion to those affected. For more information or to volunteer, email DisasterRelief@fumcgt.org or call (512) 863-2370. CLICK HERE to learn more about this mission. Georgetown Helpers Georgetown Helpers is an all-volunteer service group made up of men and women of our church, providing minor home maintenance and repair services with a key focus on safety issues in the home. Most of our work supports seniors and those with disabilities. For more information or to volunteer, contact Russell Burton at GeorgetownHelpers@gmail.com Project Transformation Project Transformation is a summer literacy camp for children in our community. It operates M-TH, during the months of June and July. We need people to provide breakfasts and lunches each day, as well as readers who can sit with children, while they read, between the hours of 10am and noon each day. For more information or to volunteer, contact children@fumcgt.org. Quail Valley Neighborhood Ministry The Quail Valley Neighborhood Ministry focused on providing meaningful recreation and social opportunities for kids and families within the greatest area of need, the Annie Purl Elementary attendance zone. We provide monthly social opportunities, meals, and other events each month. All events are located at the corner of Quail Valley and Katy Lane unless noted. For more information or to volunteer, contact bobkalka@gmail.com or sign up HERE . PALS Place PALS Place (Patience And Loving Support) is a ministry of FUMC Georgetown to our members as well as the Georgetown community. The ministry offers four hours of respite care on Mondays to persons who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia. The time away also gives needed rest to the spouse or other caregiver. For more information or to volunteer, contact Kathy Pena at care@fumcgt.org. Micah Workers The mission of the FUMC Georgetown Micah Workers is to provide scriptural and historical education about justice to inspire and encourage involvement in creating God’s beloved community. For more information, email Missions@fumcgt.org. FUMC Benevolence Fund Our FUMC Benevolence Fund provides temporary financial aid for basic needs such as food and utilities for people in crisis. Getsemani Community Garden Getsemani Garden, founded in 2012, is operated at our Getsemani property at 412 E. 19th St. The community garden grows food for those in need, offers neighbors a place to garden, and provides lessons on how to garden. Volunteers meet Tuesday and Friday mornings at the garden, 9:00 AM-12:00 PM. For more information please contact missions@fumcgt.org. FUMC Blessing Bags Each Thanksgiving, our Open Table College Ministry works to collect and distribute Thanksgiving Meals to local families in need. For more information or to volunteer, contact Kenny@fumcgt.org EXTERNAL PARTNERS Education Connection Education Connection has a mission to have every child reading by the end of 3rd grade. Volunteers meet with one child once a week to help them improve their reading skills. We provide over 25 volunteers each year, to our neighborhood school, Annie Purl Elementary. For more information or to volunteer, visit https://www.education-connection.org Faith in Action Faith in Action Georgetown is a non-profit organization helping seniors maintain their independence and quality of life. Volunteers are needed to provide transportation to medical appointments, grocery stores and various other errands. For more information or to volunteer, visit https://www.faithinactiongt.org/volunteer Sleep in Heavenly Peace Sleep in Heavenly Peace builds and delivers free beds to families with children who do not have a place of their own to sleep. Their mission is simple: "No Kid Sleeps on the Floor in Our Town!" For more information or to volunteer, contact Ben Lake at ben.lake@shpbeds.org The Wesleyan Senior Healthcare The Wesleyan Volunteers utilize their skills and talents to nourish the mind, body, and spirit of those who call The Wesleyan home. From providing personal companionship to grounds beautification, there are ample service opportunities for individuals, church congregations, civic groups, and local businesses. For more information or to volunteer, contact Life Enrichment Director Carly Gurgin at Carly.Gurgian@wesleyanhomes.org UMCOR- National The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is the global humanitarian relief agency of The United Methodist Church, responding to natural disasters and humanitarian crises around the world. Through UMCOR, FUMC supports this work by sending financial gifts, relief supplies, and trained volunteers, helping bring immediate aid and long-term recovery to communities in need, without regard to race, religion, or background. For more information, email missions@fumcgt.org Backpack Buddies Backpack Buddies is a volunteer organization that provides food each weekend to food-insecure students. There are approximately 110 volunteers from 10 Georgetown area churches that pack food bags for all the Georgetown ISD schools—currently over 900 bags per week. For more information or to volunteer, contact info@georgetownbackpackbuddies.org For more information or to volunteer, contact info@georgetownbackpackbuddies.org The Caring Place The Caring Place has provided for the basic human needs of all people in our community since 1985 in a welcoming, respectful and caring way. With the help of FUMCGT and other churches, The Caring Place is a community-based, community-supported, and community-serving organization. For more information or to volunteer, contact Rita Turner at rturner@caringplacetx.org . ZOE Empowers Our church supports several community groups in Rwanda, through ZOE Empowers. This ministry equips orphaned children and youth-led families with solutions to overcome extreme poverty—for good. Through this three-year educational experience, the youth learn trades, human rights, healthcare, and more. At the end of the three years, these youth are self-sufficient with the skills to take care of their families. For more information on how you can support these youth, email missions@fumcgt.org. CLICK HERE to learn more about our ZOE Empowers Ministry. Isaiah 117 House Isaiah 177 House provides physical and emotional support in a safe and loving home for children awaiting placement. The mission of Isaiah 117 House is threefold: reducing trauma for children awaiting placement, lightening the load for child welfare services, and easing the transition for foster families. They need volunteers to offer support and care for the children on a short term basis. For more information, please contact missions@fumcgt.org. Meals on Wheels Meals on Wheels is a senior nutrition program that provides hot, nutritious noontime meals to local seniors in need, Monday through Friday. Volunteers deliver meals to homebound seniors, and offering in-person meals in a congregate setting for seniors who can get out and about in the community. For more information or to volunteer, owbc-tx.org/volunteer or call (512) 763-1400. Texas Ramp Project Texas Ramp Project is a nonprofit that provides handicapped ramps for low-income adults and children with disabilities as identified by local healthcare providers. We have regular build dates and can use volunteers of all abilities. For more information please contact Larry Baird at baird102746@gmail.com. Carver Center for Families Carver Center for Families is a family resource center (FRC) that nurtures the health and well-being of children, youth, and families, and builds on the strengths of our community’s parents, caregivers, and residents, as well as the organizations that support them. For more information for to volunteer, visit https://carvercenterforfamilies.org. Helping Hands of Georgetown Helping Hands of Georgetown is a mobile food pantry dedicated to breaking down barriers to essential resources in our community. We provide crucial food support to those in need, ensuring that everyone in Georgetown has access to nutritious meals. For more information or to volunteer, contact Sasha Christensen at Executive@helpinghandsgtx.org Dress a Girl (or Boy) If you like to sew, we have a group of seamstresses who meet monthly to create dresses for girls across the world. As part of Hope 4 Women International, Dress A Girl groups dream of a world in which every girl has at least one new dress. We want girls to know that they are worthy of respect, and that they are loved by God. For more information contact missions@fmcmgt.org or visit https://www.dressagirlaroundtheworld.com/ Kairos Kairos is an non-denominational organization that provides a 4 day experience in prisons, designed to start building the Christian community inside the institution, and help inmates begin to build a better life. It takes a team of folks both inside and outside the prisons to make these events happen 2X/year. For more information, please contact Gary Buchler at gbhawkeye@icloud.com. Camp Sunshine Camp Sunshine is a week-long New Mexico Conference camp for physically and/or mentally challenged adults aged 16-60+. The mission team assists in providing a safe, loving, fun Christian environment where campers can be themselves leaving behind the stress of societal expectations. The camp takes place between late June and early August each year, in Sacramento, New Mexico. For more information or to volunteer, contact care@fumcgt.org.

Senior Pastor Rev. Alan McGrath Senior Pastor alan@fumcgt.org Alan grew up in the Central Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church. His home church, New World in Arlington, introduced him to Glen Lake Camp, summer mission trips, and youth choir tours. Receiving his first appointment in 1999, Alan has served churches of all styles and sizes from a church start in Mansfield, a multi-staff church in Acton, a country church in Brock, a community-focused Hutto church, and most recently FUMC Killeen serving many military families. His sermons are likely to include encouragements to love our neighbor, serve in the community, and grow in understanding the grace of God open to all people through Jesus Christ. Alan met Traci at the A&M Wesley Foundation and they held their wedding in the chapel at Glen Lake Camp. Traci leads an enrichment program in Georgetown called Treehouse Learning Community. Their oldest son, Pax, loves baseball and basketball while their youngest, Beckett, is usually outdoors creating or learning more about nature. The McGraths love to camp in our Texas State Parks and frequently avoid the summer heat vacationing in New Mexico or Colorado. Next Item Previous Item

Receptionist Lorna Jones Receptionist Next Item Previous Item

Children's Ministry Coordinator Stephanie Gillen Children's Ministry Coordinator mailto:stephanie@fumcgt.org Stephanie was born and raised in Orlando and became a Texan in 2007. She has a BA in Organizational Communication from the University of Central Florida and an AS in Culinary Management from Valencia CC. She has been married to her husband Shawn since 2001 and has two young adult children. After teaching preschool in Round Rock for 11 years, she joined the Learning Tree team teaching music, PreK, and subbing. In addition to the Learning Tree, she spent many hours volunteering with Georgetown High School’s Choir and Theatre departments. When she’s not at FUMC working with Children’s Ministry, she enjoys volunteering at The Palace Theater, painting, traveling, cooking, and feeding her many cats and raccoons. Next Item Previous Item

Director of the Learning Tree Sarah Pyle-Shackelford Director of the Learning Tree sarah@fumcgt.org Sarah Pyle Shackelford has been an educator for 24 years and a cherished part of The Learning Tree community since 2010. Over the years, she has taught every age group, served as an administrator and board member, and experienced the school as a parent, giving her a deep and well-rounded understanding of what makes The Learning Tree so special. Born and raised in Georgetown, Sarah brings both hometown pride and a lifelong passion for early childhood education to her leadership. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Houston–Clear Lake and a Master’s degree in Education from Texas State University. A member of First United Methodist Church since 1998, Sarah is deeply connected to the faith community that has supported and shaped The Learning Tree since its beginning. She has played a vital role in preserving our play-based philosophy, ensuring that children learn through exploration, imagination, and joy. Outside of school, Sarah is married to her husband, Ronan, and together they have three children — twin boys (8) and a daughter (12). She’s a Disney lover, an avid gardener, and a collector of children’s books who finds inspiration in the magic and curiosity of childhood. With her warmth, creativity, and years of experience, Sarah leads The Learning Tree with heart and dedication, continuing to make it a place where children love to learn and families love to belong. Next Item Previous Item

Director of Children's & Family Ministries Liz Bailey Director of Children's & Family Ministries liz@fumcgt.org Bio Coming Soon Next Item Previous Item