St. Mark's United Methodist Church of Carmel Indiana Inc. - Missions

Missions

Serving our neighbors, both locally and globally, is a vital expression of our faith at St. Mark’s. Through missional efforts and partnerships, we work to meet the needs of our community and beyond, sharing Christ’s love through acts of compassion, justice, and generosity. These initiatives reflect our commitment to making a meaningful impact in the lives of others as we live out the call to serve.

Monthly Mission Focus

Monthly Mission Focus

Each month, we highlight a Mission Focus Partner, lifting up organizations that are doing vital work in our community and beyond. These partnerships allow us to direct our support—through financial gifts, supplies, and hands-on service—to causes that align with our call to be the hands and feet of Christ. In addition, we maintain a continual in-kind donation effort, collecting needed items for various
ministries and organizations that provide food, clothing, and essential resources to those in need.

April Mission Focus: Family Promise

Monthly In-kind donations

April: Apartment Shelter Program Housewares Drive

Mission is a way of life at St. Mark’s. Each month, you are invited to get involved in giving to the church’s monthly In-Kind Donations. To see a list of what’s needed for this month, please visit our monthly in-kind donation page.

mission partners

Mission Guatemala

A United Methodist-related organization that works in the highlands of Guatemala.

family promise

Family Promise of Greater Indy is a partnership of congregations and community organizations responding to the crisis of children and their families who are homeless.

Midwest Mission

Midwest Mission, a ministry of the United Methodist Church, distributes kits around the world and around the corner for health, education, and disaster relief supplies.

Fletcher Place Community Center

Located in southeast Indianapolis, is dedicated to alleviating poverty & hunger for families, youth and homeless persons in their neighborhood.

East 10th Children & Youth Center

Provides quality care and education to children and families on Indianapolis’ Near Eastside, regardless of a parent’s ability to pay.

Habitat For Humanity

Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian organization dedicated to eliminating substandard housing and homelessness and to making adequate affordable shelter a matter of conscience and action.

Good Samaritan Network

The mission of Good Samaritan Network is to serve the physical, financial and emotional needs of under-served people in Hamilton County.

UMCOR (united Methodist Committee On Relief)

UMCOR comes alongside those who suffer from natural or human-caused disasters to alleviate suffering and to be a source of help and hope for those left most vulnerable. They provide relief, response, and long-term recovery grants when these events overwhelm a community’s ability to recover on their own.

Society Of St. Andrew

The Society of St. Andrew salvages potatoes and other produce that are rejected by commercial markets or potato chip factories that usually end up at local landfills.

Brightwood Community Center

The Brightwood Community Center is a nonprofit organization, compassionately dedicated to building stronger families and vibrant communities.

Local Food Pantries

St. Mark’s supports several food pantries that are helping feed hungry people in our community.

Red Bird Mission

Red Bird Mission and Clinic have been providing ministries in the Appalachian Mountains of southeastern Kentucky since 1921.

Hamilton County Kid's Coats

Hamilton County Kids Coats is a collaborative effort between many churches & community partners whose goal is to make sure all Hamilton Co. families stay warm in winter. St. Mark’s collects winter coats and winter-wear (hats, mittens, gloves, snow pants, boots) for HCKC.

Soup's On At Roberts Park

The Roberts Park United Methodist Church Soup’s On ministry began in 1999, to provide meals on Sundays, for neighbors in need. Soup’s On offers a wonderful opportunity for us to carry out Jesus’ command to “feed the hungry.” Each Sunday, volunteers at Roberts Park serve lunch to hundreds of homeless guests in downtown Indianapolis. St. Mark’s UMC has long been a supporter of this ministry, sending volunteers to provide a meal.
St. Mark’s UMC 2026 serving dates are 5/3, 7/12, 9/27, 11/15.
Contact Trisha Staneart at tstaneart@frontier.com for more info.

Changing Footprints

Changing Footprints is a local non-profit organization that accepts shoes of all kinds and distributes them to individuals and organizations wherever there is a need, whether in Indiana, the United States or overseas. They even accept unwearable shoes—these are recycled, keeping them out of landfills! Changing Footprints operates two warehouses in the Indianapolis area.

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ascent 121

Ascent 121 is a non-profit organization committed to helping survivors of commercial sexual exploitation. Their mission is to empower young people and their families through long-term recovery services to position them for their next chapter in life. Built on a foundation of faith, Ascent 121 provides a continuum of care for survivors of human trafficking.

Lucille Raines Residence

Lucille Raines Residence (LRR) is a facility owned and operated by the United Women in Faith of Indiana (UWF). LRR, located in downtown Indianapolis, was founded in 1977. LRR houses up to 49 individuals recovering from alcohol and drug addiction, giving people a place to rebuild their lives and relationships with God, all while learning how to function independently day-to-day and working on successful recovery.

Trinity Haven

Trinity Haven is Indiana’s first and only housing program providing safe, affirming housing for LGBTQ+ youth experiencing housing instability. Trinity Haven’s goal is to help young people graduate from these programs into safe and stable permanent housing with improved life skills, a bigger social network, and the ability to thrive.

Bags Of hope… Giving hope to children in foster care

Bags of Hope is an annual orphan care project that provides Duffel bags to children in Foster Care. Often, these children store their personal belongings in a trash bag. It is the goal of Bags of Hope to replace these trash bags with Duffle bags embroidered with each child’s name and filled with age-appropriate comfort items.

St. Mark’s will have No-Sew Fleece Blanket kits available year-round for anyone to take home, make and return to church for Bags of Hope. Kits can be picked up from the front office during regular business hours or by contacting Amy Adams at aadams@stmarkscarmel.org to arrange a pickup time. Consider picking up a few kits to work on during your small group time or host a special “blanket-making” event with friends! It’s fun, easy and will help give HOPE to kids in the Indiana Foster Care system.