Red Bird Mission

Red Bird Mission, a ministry in Appalachia, is one of the mission outreaches of Asbury United Methodist Church. Asbury supports Red Bird both financially and by sending a team to participate in a work camp week. The Mission was founded in 1921 and continues to serve the people in that area. During the past 86 years the Mission has expanded and includes the following areas of ministry.

Education - the Mission runs a K-12 Christian school which also includes pre-kindergarten and 3-4 year olds.  There are also dormitories for high school boys and girls who live too far away to participate in sports and music.  The dormitories allow them to stay on campus during the week and return to their homes for the week-ends.

Health and Wellness - the Mission has a medical clinic which includes physicians, nurse practitioners, lab and x-ray, a public health department, dental clinic and pharmacy.

Community Outreach - This encompasses clothing and food assistance, adult education, and transportation assistance.  There is an elderly ministry which assists those residents with housing, meals on wheels, home care and a senior citizens center.  Family ministries include infant health outreach, women's groups, summer youth activities and Christmas assistance.

Economic Opportunities - The Mission has a clothing and household store which employs some of the residents of the area as well as a craft store.  Residents are taught how to produce and price their handcrafted items with the hope that these people will become financially independent.

Community Housing Improvement - This area of ministry involves a work camp program to assist residents with home repairs.  Repairs are also done on the Red Bird Campus.  Several hundred participate annyally in the work camp program.