Ministry opportunity to provide a free meal to our community neighbors along with having time to worship together with them in an abbreviated service. You can help by providing food items, helping serve the meal, helping lead worship, or just coming to eat and fellowship with your neighbors. Lunch With Us meets monthly on the last Saturday of the month.

Monthly ministry providing a food subsidy to our neighbors who qualify for the program. Each month around 300 people are served through this ministry. Volunteers help package groceries, load them into cars, and direct traffic. Bags of Hope occurs on a Tuesday night, usually from about 3:00pm until 7:00pm. Willing hands, feet and hearts are always needed to make this ministry flow smoothly.

Volunteers meet monthly on a Tuesday from Noon until 5:00 pm to prepare a planned meal together for those in our church who are sick, shut-ins, and those experiencing grief or other hardships. The meals are then delivered to the individual/family by volunteers. Volunteers are always welcome and needed.

Each year, during the last weekend of July, the Children and Youth of Ripley First United Methodist Church help homeowners who need essential repairs but lack the means to complete them. The first come, first served waiting list grows each year. Volunteers of all ages and skill levels
are welcome, whether they can give a full day or just a few hours. The cost to participate is $25 per person, which helps cover expenses, lunch, and a project T-shirt. Every pair of hands makes a difference.

A safe, welcoming place where people understand the difficult emotions of grief. Through this 13-week group, you'll discover what to expect in the days ahead and what’s “normal” in grief. Learn helpful ways of coping with grief, in all its unpredictability, and gain solid support each step of the way. Our groups meet at Wesley Knox Chapel and cost $20 per person to cover the cost of your workbook. Groups are kept to only 20-25 participants to encourage sharing. All meetings last no more than 2 hours generally. There is no childcare for this group. Any who are experiencing grief are invited to inquire about participating in this ministry.

United by their love for creating knitted projects, this group uses their talents to make prayer shawls. The prayer shawls are then given to individuals experiencing a major illness or loss to provide comfort and show God’s love. Welcoming any who know how to knit or want to learn.

United Methodist Men: The United Methodist Men (UMM) at Ripley First meet once a month on Monday night for a business meeting and a meal in the Activities Building. These men are very active in the life of the church and in the community. They host the Burgers for Badges event each year, collect toys at Christmas for the Carl Perkins Center, host the Athletes Back to School Breakfast, and host the District Wide UMM Annual BBQ feast, and many other events. They welcome all men to join and participate.

United Women in Faith (also called United Methodist Women): The United Women in Faith meet quarterly for a business meeting and potluck lunch after Sunday worship service. The women host two main events in the life of the church: Saturday Salad and The Harvest Dinner. The women strive to make an impact for women and children in our community and also to be involved in social justice issues. All women are invited to join and participate.

Women from around the community join together to study God’s word and to grow closer as we share together and pray together. This is a laid back Bible study that digs deep into scripture while also being authentic and fun. Women’s Bible Study meets every Monday night (August—June) at 5:30pm in the Shoveler’s Classroom. The group welcomes women of all ages and church membership is not a requirement to participate.

Have a love for reading? The Page Turners is a book club that is open to all in our community. Each month a different person chooses the book that everyone reads and discusses when they gather. No one is required to be a host to attend and participate in the book club. Light refreshments are usually shared too, as we all know that food helps fuel discussions. All are welcome to attend, and a great time and good discussion always occur. The book club meets monthly on the 4th Thursday at 6:00 pm.

The Senior Adult Ministry of our church exists to provide spiritual and social connection among those adults who consider themselves to be of “senior” age. The Ministry sponsors several activities and trips throughout the year to keep our senior members active and engaged. Anyone who considers themselves to be a senior adult is
encouraged to participate.

We have a dedicated group of women who gather every Thursday morning at 10:00 am in the Activities Building to exercise together. This group is led through movements that will be beneficial and doable by all activity and skill levels. They welcome everyone to join them.

Pickleball is played every Thursday afternoon beginning at 5:00 pm in the activities building. Players from around the community gather to play and challenge each other. Everyone is welcome to come and play.