We Exist to serve People in Need
We are called upon by Jesus to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. There is no greater expression of this love than to freely serve those neighbors who are in need. This strengthens our own connections with God, for as Jesus taught, when we have served ‘the least of these brothers of mine, you did it for me.’
At Atlanta First, we understand that God desires for us to be in ministry beyond the walls of the church. We acknowledge that God has a plan to mend the brokenness in creation and we anticipate that He will use us as part of that plan. What is your role in His plan?
Get Connected to serve: E-mail serve@atlantafirstumc.org for information on daily opportunities to serve those in need in the city through Atlanta First.
It is time once again to serve our neighbors and friends at the front door who are in need this winter by collecting cold-weather clothing and supplies through our Keep Atlanta Warm campaign. For clothing donations, please consider giving new or gently used coats, sweaters, hats, gloves, thick blankets and sleeping bags. For supplies, we need single-use hand warmers.
Please bring your donations to the church, either on Sundays mornings or Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. You can also mail donations to our donation package address:
Atlanta First UMC Packages
2020 Howell Mill Road NW
Suite D-339
Atlanta, GA 30318-1732
Friends at the Front Door is a ministry to serve our homeless and hungry friends who live in the vicinity of Atlanta First. We provide a bag lunch, clothing, toiletry supplies, and share a time of fellowship and prayer with those we serve.
When and where do we serve?
Our next opportunity is Tuesday, March 3rd at 11 a.m., on the front steps of the church.
How do I participate?
All you have to do is show up! Just by being present, handing out food and water and by sharing in a time of fellowship with our Friends, you are being the hands and feet of Christ. You can also support the ministry remotely by making monetary donations to purchase the supplies and food. Please visit our Giving Page to make a monetary donation, or our Amazon mission wishlist to directly purchase supplies.
We’re excited about our partnership with Grady’s Office of Health Outcomes, which teams up with community partners like Atlanta First UMC to offer health services and free testing for a wide variety of our community’s needs. Our next partnership with Grady for Friends at the Front Door will happen on January 13th. We’ll cook a fresh and warm lunch for all our neighbors, so make plans to come by the church and get some free health services.
We are in need of donations of sleeping bags, as well as assistance in unboxing and passing them out. Though we are presently in a warm weather snap, bitter cold days will return, and our under-housed neighbors are in need of a way to stay warm while sleeping outside.
We’re kicking off a new serve initiative this fall: a Toiletry Supply Drive! You are invited to donate travel-size toiletry products that can fit in a quart size zip bag, such as tooth paste, tooth brushes, soap, deodorant, floss, disposable razors, etc. Adult size socks and underwear are also requested. We will then share these bagged supplies with our homeless neighbors in need at our monthly Friends at the Front Door and Daily Church Door ministries. Donations may be brought to the church office at any time, or mailed to our package address, listed below.
Atlanta First UMC Packages
2020 Howell Mill Road NW, Suite D-339
Atlanta, GA 30318-1732
serve at MAC
WHEN: Monday thru Thursday (times vary by day)
WHERE: MAC is at 613 Spring Street NW
Our long-time ministry partner Midtown Assistance Center, located at 613 Spring Street NW (across from The Varsity), is a mission that serves the working poor in downtown and midtown Atlanta. They provide emergency rental and utility assistance, new worker support (clothing, hygiene products, MARTA cards) and no-cost groceries for families experiencing hard times.
MAC has weekly opportunities for you to help serve the working poor in the city of Atlanta. Every Monday thru Thursday, volunteers are needed to help pack grocery deliveries from MAC’s food pantry. There are also volunteer opportunities to perform administrative tasks and assisting MAC’s clients. Please visit MAC’s website to for signup details. You may also Click Here to view MAC’s sign-up list for August 2025.
Canned Food Drive for MAC
We are running an ongoing canned-food drive on behalf of Midtown Assistance Center. MAC is a long-time ministry partner of Atlanta First who serve the working poor of Atlanta. One aspect of their ministry is a Food Pantry, where their clients can obtain, at no cost, non-perishable food in times of need. You can help MAC to stock the Pantry by donating canned foods, such as soups, vegetables, meat and pastas, as well as other common non-perishable foods like peanut butter and jelly. An Amazon wish list with the most requested items may be viewed HERE.
MAC also has an Amazon wish list of their own that you may purchase suggested donations from, found HERE.
You may bring your donations to the church and we will deliver them on your behalf. If you are ordering online and would like to ship the donations direct to MAC, their address is 613 Spring St NW, Atlanta, GA 30308.
When disaster strikes around the globe, so many watching the drama unfold on our living room televisions feel entirely helpless. How could any one person make a difference in the wake of such widespread devastation? As responders around the globe scramble to help survivors, the United Methodist Committee on Relief, UMCOR, is prepared to act.
Since 1940, when UMCOR’s forerunner was established to meet the needs of those suffering overseas at the onset of World War II, we’ve continued to respond to those in desperate need—today in more than eighty countries around the world. The response of UMCOR isn’t something “they” do, it’s something we do.
When you give, you equip Christ’s body to serve in his name. That’s because your generous giving to UMCOR is what allows us to act as the arms and legs of Christ’s church, moving toward the most vulnerable in their darkest days.