Whether it's through lending our neighbor a helping hand, assisting a local organization, or spreading the love and message of Jesus Christ around our communities, we strive to show our friends and neighbors what a relationship with Jesus Christ looks like and invite them on the journey with us.  After all, we care about the people we live and work with!  We hope to reach out to them in such a way that they become curious about what Jesus is all about and begin to seek a loving relationship with Him as a result.  Below are some of the community outreaches that the Viroqua and Westby United Methodist Churches take part in.  If you would like to become a part of what we are doing, feel free to reach out to us.

The Bethel Butikk Food Pantry & Thrift Shop in Westby offers many low-income families in the area a helping hand in numerous ways.  The Westby UMC is a proud supporter of this important outreach ministry in our communities.  To find out more information on the Bethel Butikk Food Pantry & Thrift Shop and to learn how to get involved, please check out their website: https://westbybethelbutikk.com/.

The Viroqua UMC helps to support the Living Faith Food Pantry. A shopping basket placed in the church entry way serves as a drop off point for food donations for the food pantry. Monetary gifts are also collected for this outreach program. Here is a link to more information about the Living Faith Food Pantry.

Both of our churches have projects to aid families at Christmas, to help make their Christmas happier and show that others care about them.

The Viroqua Youth shop for gifts and ingredients for Christmas meal for a family in need. Information about the family, the number of children in the family, their sizes and other gift ideas are obtained from Human Services. The gifts are wrapped and turned over to Human Services for delivery.

The Westby congregation has a Baskets of Love mission of the month to collect monetary donations which are used to purchase gift cards from local grocery stores. Names are obtained for families in need and the gift cards are mailed to them. The gift card amounts range from $50 to $75 so the family can purchase whatever they would like to have. The Westby church provides gift cards to 5-8 families each year.

It is thanks to God’s blessing upon these congregations that the churches are able to spread His Love and the joy of Christmas to many of our neighbors in the area.

During December, the Viroqua UMC collects hats, mittens and toys. These items are taken to the Toys for Tots local delivery location at Christmas time.

Both the Viroqua and Westby communities have Community Thanksgiving Dinners that are sponsored by the local churches and other organizations in the community. The Viroqua and Westby United Methodist Churches work with these other groups to help provide, prepare and serve the Community Thanksgiving Dinner in their community.

Door of Hope is a Pregnancy & Family Care Center based in Viroqua, Wisconsin. They focus on guiding and helping women, couples and parents from Vernon, Monroe, Richland and Crawford counties in crisis pregnancies by offering education and support to help them in their time of need.  The Westby United Methodist Church contributes to help Door of Hope in their important outreach ministry.  For more information on Door of Hope, check out their website at www.mydoorofhope.org/.

Each summer, the people of the Westby and Viroqua UMCs collect school supplies to contribute to the Vernon County Stuff the Bus campaign.  The Stuff the Bus drive helps provide school supplies and back packs to families in Vernon County, who need assistance with obtaining these items for their children.  More information about the Stuff the Bus campaign can be found at the Vernon County website. If you want more information or are interested in getting involved in this ministry, please reach out to either of our churches at viroqua@viroquawestbyumc.org or westby@viroquawestbyumc.org.

During June, the Viroqua UMC hosts an outdoor Block Party for the neighborhood around the church building as well as the congregation. Light refreshments and outdoor activities are provided. It's a great evening of fellowship together in the neighborhood.

The Viroqua UMC, as a church, are participating in planning and serving the Community Meal being offered in Viroqua on the last Monday of each month.

The Westby UMC congregation and Sunday School class find various ways during the year to let the residents of the Norseland Nursing Home know that someone cares for them. For Valentine's Day, the Sunday School class makes Valentine 45-50 cards for the residents. In May, the congregation plants marigolds in plastic cups so the residents can have a growing flower in their rooms. At Christmas, members of the congregation and Confirmation class go caroling through the halls and they also provide some Christmas presents for residents who may not be receiving any other gifts at Christmas.

In July, our churches have a joint outdoor worship service and have a blessing of our pets during the service. As part of the pet theme, we take a special collection of items, such as pet food, toys and cleaning supplies, and monetary donations for our local humane society, the Driftless Humane Society.