Duncan Memorial has a long tradition of active service in missions in our own community and around the world. Teams from the congregation have served in missions in Ukraine, the Philippines, and Mexico. Locally, Duncan Memorial members volunteer with West Hanover Wood Ministry, Habitat for Humanity, Ashland Christian Emergency Services (A.C.E.S.), and Circles Ashland, to name just a few. We invite you to put your faith into action with us!
Ashland Community Emergency Services (A.C.E.S.)
A.C.E.S. is an all-volunteer non-profit organization that was founded in 1950 and is supported by community groups, scouts, churches, schools, and individuals. Their mission is to serve and address the unmet needs of the less fortunate in our community. They provide household items, food, clothing, and limited financial aid. In addition, A.C.E.S. provides some transient aid and has limited medical equipment available.
A.C.E.S. is located at 507B Caroline Street in Ashland. Congregation members are involved through their work during hours of operation, donating usable items and monetary donations. This non-profit receives no federal, state, or local funding, and exists solely as the result of donations received, either material or monetary. Please consider becoming involved in this ministry. You may call them Monday, Wednesday, or Friday from 8:30 am-11:30 am at (804) 798-2784.
For more information, visit the Ashland Christian Emergency Services website.
Circles Ashland
Developed and launched by Duncan Memorial United Methodist Church in 2016, Circles Ashland, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) Virginia nonprofit corporation with the mission to inspire, inform, and equip individuals, families, and community members to resolve poverty and thrive.
The focus area is Ashland, Virginia – a seven square mile town of 7,503 located on the I-95 corridor 15 miles north of Richmond where the issue of deep poverty resides among nearly 15% of Ashland’s population; about 1,100 children and families.
Circles Ashland is the first Virginia chapter of Circles USA, a national organization that is committed to resolving poverty in the United States and Canada. It provides resources and support for independent organizations wanting to establish its highly regarded and proven model in their communities.
Currently, Circles is active in 12 major cities and 59 counties across America, with expansion plans to reach 10% of major cities and 10% of all counties in the U.S.
Circles employs a unique, two-pronged approach. For two years or more, it provides life skills training, individual coaching, peer support, leadership development, links to employment, children’s programming, and more to selected low-wage earners who are highly motivated to climb out of poverty. Concurrently, Circles works with community members and organizations to recognize and address systemic barriers to self-sufficiency, such as livable-wage jobs, accessible, affordable, and reliable transportation, affordable housing, and the resolution of Cliff Effects.
For more information, contact Circles Ashland at info@circlesashland-va.org or by phone at (804) 496-1212.
Society of St. Andrew
Duncan Memorial has a longstanding relationship with the Society of St. Andrew, a Virginia-based program to provide food for the hungry in the United States and around the world. Gleaners from the Society’s Harvest of Hope program spend a week at the church each summer as they pick and preserve fresh produce in local fields for soup kitchens and other missions.
We also participate in local gleaning efforts when called on, usually with short notice. We have picked apples, tomatoes, turnips, and corn. There are also times when we work at the Hanover Cannery to process vegetables and fruits that have been gleaned.
For more information, visit the Society of St. Andrew website.
International Outreach
We are proud to serve on international missionary trips to help break the cycle of poverty and assist those in need. Previous trips include Ukraine, the Philippines, and Mexico.
Stop Hunger Now!
STOP HUNGER NOW offers opportunities for large groups and wide ranges of ages to work together packaging meals in bags for delivery to locations where hunger is a major concern. We’ve had participants ranging in age from 4 years to 90+!
Stop Hunger Now is driven by the vision of a world without hunger. Our mission is to end hunger in our lifetime by providing food and life-changing aid to the world’s most vulnerable and creating a global commitment to mobilize the necessary resources.
Since the organization’s founding in 1998, it has provided over 225 million meals in 73 countries. This year, STOP HUNGER NOW will package 45 million meals, and ship over $9 million in donated aid, mainly vitamins and medical supplies.
For more information, visit the STOP HUNGER NOW website.