Partnership Without Ownership
This has long been the philosophy of Village Church when it comes to ministry in our neighborhood and city. We acknowledge that we are not the experts, but the many ministries and non-profits serving our neighbors are. They are working every day to meet the tangible needs of our community while offering them the Gospel message. That is why Village Church chooses to put its resources of time, talent, and treasure to work supporting these ministries. Whether you’re looking to offer your expertise on a local Board of Directors, for a place to serve alongside your family, or to invest your dollars, we hope you’ll consider these organizations:
Located just 2 blocks north of Village at the rear of San Sebastián Catholic Church is Catholic Charities. This ministry provides a host of services in English and Spanish, including a food pantry (Our Lady’s Pantry), a clothing closet, mobile shower ministry and others! Village has hosted a shoe & canned food drive for Catholic Charities and Village Youth has served there regularly.
A couple of founding members of Village church seeded Village Wrench when they noticed their neighbors pushing around bikes in poor condition, instead of riding them. Realizing that fixing bikes was a great way to love and serve these neighbors, Village Wrench was born! Village Wrench eventually became its own organization and is part of Mill Village Ministries. Free bike repair still happens the first Saturday of every month right in our front yard. You dont have to be a bike mechanic to participate, come out to make friends!
We don’t just share the name Village with Mill Village Ministries. Like Village Church, they have a heart for our neighbors especially in the mill communities on the west side of Greenville. Mill Village Ministries is a collective of programs besides Village Wrench. Providing youth development, farming and access to produce, support for entrepreneurs, and advocacy are just some of the ways MVM is working elevate our whole community.
You’ve probably noticed the neighborhoods around Village Church are full of children. And we love that many of them are part of PMAC where they get access to academic support, positive adult role models, physical fitness and programming for their entire family free of charge. Many Villagers (including youth!) are regular PMAC volunteers.
Soteria Community Development is one of Village Church’s longest-standing ministry partners. Located just down the road in Poe Mill, Soteria provides hope and healing to those impacted by the criminal justice system. Soteria is more than just transitional housing but instead is a holistic re-entry program including job training, mentoring, Bible study, financial literacy and education to men and women returning to our community after incarceration. Having a meal with the Soteria interns is a popular activity for small groups or families looking for a way to serve together.
Lead Collective achieves its mission of equipping and elevating students in the way of Jesus through three separate, but unified ministries: REACH impacts incarcerated youth, ELEOS is a neighborhood ministry to youth and GOAT provides outdoor adventures to youth in under-resourced communities. While LEAD primarily serves the Nicholtown community, we have lots of Villagers who live over there. LEAD has lots of ways to get involved, the easiest way to support them is to have a cup of coffee at Mountain Goat - a coffee shop, just 2 minutes from Village!
Our partnership with The Salvation Army began during Covid when we saw a surge in the number of our neighbors needing help with rent, utilities or just a warm place to sleep. The mission of the Salvation Army is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination. Located less than 1 mile from Village, they are one of the experts in loving and serving our neighbors in the most need. Village provides financial support and annual Angel Tree efforts.
iFace serves the international community in the Upstate of SC. We operate at the intersection of campus, community, and church. From our newest neighbors, refugees and expats, to university and English language school students, our desire is to be a welcoming face and become trusted friends. We have volunteers who enjoy meeting others from around the world. We lead programs and activities for internationals and iFace volunteers to get to know each other.