For generations, First United Methodist Church of Port St. Joe has been active in helping meet the needs of those in our community, because we remember how Jesus told us that “whatever we do for the least of these” we have done for and to him. When the paper mill closed in 1997, dealing a devastating blow to our community, we founded the Methodist Care Closet to help the unemployed. Over the past two decades that ministry has grown to help so many needs in our community. In 2018, Hurricane Michael left the community with many needs in the wake of its destruction, and once again our members heard the call to do the work of Christ in the community. In response we formed Methodist Caring Ministries to continue the work of the Methodist Care Closet and our other Caring Ministries like Blessings Bags, the Charity Fund, and Book Buddies, but also to prayerful seek to meet other unmet needs in our community. The needs include addressing food insecurity in a greater way, encouraging greater mental health, strengthening our educational system, searching for solutions to systemic poverty in our area, and breaking down the barriers of race, neighborhood, and socio-economic class in our community.
