Local Ministries

South Lansing Ministries

South Lansing Ministries is driven by faith to nourish our neighbors and build community in South Lansing. Whether providing fresh produce from our garden, essential items from our pantry, or hope in times of need, SLM stands committed to Lansing. Our food pantry runs biweekly. We provide dignity through daily essentials, from toiletries to household supplies, that are not covered by traditional assistance programs. We offer shared garden spaces also. Each month CUMC collects different pantry donations. Our members also volunteer at SLM and serve on their Board of Directors.

Willow School

Willow School Supply Drive: Central UMC has a long history of supporting Lansing's Willow School through tutoring and serving supper to teachers during conferences. In August, we also collect school supplies to donate to the school. These include: copy paper, markers, pencils, crayons, construction paper, glue sticks, Kleenex, and more Kleenex! We’re happy to help make school a great experience for both students and teachers alike. 

Crop Walk

We collect a special offering for CROP Walk each October. CUMC also has a team which participates on Walk Day,  while other church members sponsor our walkers. 1/16 of the CROP Walk proceeds go to South Lansing Ministries to fund their food pantry. 

Overseas Ministries

Baby Box/Soaring Unlimited

Soaring Unlimited is a Methodist affiliated organization which operates in the greater Cap Haitien community (NE Haiti). They employ local nationals as leaders and advisors for their community development, health, and education programs. Their newest facility is a Women’s Health and Birthing Center. 

This Women’s Health and Birthing Center distributes the Baby Boxes. Mothers who attend weekly free prenatal classes receive a birthing kit used during delivery to protect mother and infant from infection. Once her baby arrives, the mother receives a Baby Box containing items she will need to care for her child for the first few months when the baby is most vulnerable. These supplies include a waterproof mattress, cloth diapers with rubber pants, a bath towel, blanket, wash cloth, soap, wash basin, onesies, etc.  The actual box serves as her  baby’s bed for up to 6 months. 
60+ Million people worldwide are leg disabled without help from a mobility device. Many people have lost the use of their legs due to polio, landmine injury, birth defects, etc. Per the WHO, they crawl in the dirt. To answer this need, Mobility Worldwide, a faith-based, volunteer-powered, humanitarian organization developed the PET hand-cranked, three-wheeled mobility carts for disabled people worldwide.Through our CUMC gifts to Mobility Worldwide, we seek to provide mobility first for those in greatest need and with the least resources in low income or underdeveloped countries. 

Blanket Sunday (Christian World Service)

For the past 20+ years, CUMC has been supporting CWM’s Blanket program, collecting donations in Februaries. We bless donors with a homemade card as our thanks for their support. Often people give to the blanket program in honor of a loved one or friend. We acknowledge these special gifts with a card as well. We estimate that CUMC has paid for 3500 blankets over the years. 

CWS shared 17,317 blankets in 2025. These blankets bring comfort, care, and hope to someone facing a difficult moment. Whenever possible, the blankets are manufactured in the country where they will be distributed, which contributes to the local economy. 

UMCOR

UMCOR stands for the United Methodist Committee on Relief. UMCOR uses our gifts to respond to humanitarian crises around the world. In 2025, UMCOR participated in relief efforts for 30 floods, 11 tropical storms, 6 tornadoes, 29 migration events, 7 events of mass violence/civil unrest, and 5 fires. We’re also honored to be part of providing migrant and refugee support, environmental sustainability, agriculture, and food security to people globally that we’ll never meet. Check out UMCOR at 

Our Missionaries 

Central currently supports two missionaries: Erika Fitzgerald who works in Mexico, and The Rev. Charles Mulemena based out of Belize.
Erika Fitzgerald, formerly a 5th grade teacher in Lansing, now serves at the Victory Center in Morelia, Mexico, with Mesa Global. The Victory Center is currently operating like a community center. It offers a safe place for at-risk children to be so that they are not on the streets. We offer tutoring, English, and a Kids Club.  These activities open the door to be able to share the gospel with these children and their families. We know that God has created each child who comes to us uniquely. But many of them do not see their own potential and sell themselves short. Erika says, “Sharing Christ with these children is exciting and helps them understand their lives have meaning.” She loves her kids!
From Kitwe, Zambia, The Rev. Charles Mulemena is a global missionary of The United Methodist Church. Charles is an elder of the Zambia Annual Conference. Charles is married to his lovely wife Barbra, and God has blessed them with five children. The Mulemena family is serving together on the mission field. Rev. Charles serves as a pastor and trainer in the MCCA Belize Honduras District, The Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas, based in Belize. Charles guides existing congregations and helps to establish new ones. He serves as chaplain to Methodist educational institutions, leading devotional activities and fostering spiritual growth among students and staff. His ministry includes training church leaders, encouraging social and ecumenical engagement, and supervising ministerial students preparing for local presbyteral service.  
Charles, who joined a volunteer evangelism team at age 12, said, “Sharing God’s love has been my passion all my life. This has helped me to grow in my Christian faith. I would not be where I am today without such encounters.”