st. matthew's united methodist church

14900 Annapolis Rd, Bowie Maryland 20715 Call Us 301-262-1408

Logo of St. Matthews United Methodist Church. It features a stylized cross with a mosaic design above the text St. Matthews United Methodist Church in blue and green.
You are here: Home / SHEEP / Worldwide Outreach / Guatemala

Guatemala

Six people are standing on a hillside overlooking a scenic view of a lake and a small town surrounded by lush greenery. They are smiling and dressed casually for a hike, with some wearing hats. The sky is clear, enhancing the vibrant landscape.

Since 2015, St. Matthew’s church has been supporting Impacto Ministry.  This support falls into two areas: mission trips and the San Juan Library. For further information or to volunteer or donate, contact worldwideoutreach@stmatthews-bowie.org or missions@stmatthews-bowie.org.

Guatemala Mission Trips
Since 2015, SMUMC and Blackburg (VA) UMC have been going together on Volunteer in Mission (VIM) trips to the Lake Atitlan region of Guatemala where we teamed with Impacto Ministry. During these mission trips, we have done many things. Here are some highlights.
  • Built homes for families, worked on the wall to protect San Juan Happy Tummies from flooding and intruders, and helped build the San Juan Library. Impacto Ministry has ongoing construction projects that teams can do.
  • Led Women’s Retreats. Check out How Great Thou Art video.
  • Visited, played, shared Bible lessons, and did crafts for Happy Tummies Children and Abuelitos (Little Grandparents). Also, Prayer Partners with the Happy Tummies children and the Little Grandparents. We pray for each other. Check out Prayer Partners video.
  • Visited homes to encourage and pray with families and provide some food bags.
  • Helped with Healing Hands’ Pharmacy by providing over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, first aid supplies, walkers, and canes. Also inventoried and organized supplies on hand. See what difference a walker can make.
  • For more information, check out Guatemala Mission Trip Overview through Pictures 

Collage of four images: Women making cards at a retreat, children coloring with a Happy Tummies Playbar sign, a woman working at a construction site, and a group posing with local residents by a completed brick wall.

(Guatemala 2023 Video)

San Juan Library

In 2014, a simple and small storeroom library opened with books donated by SMUMC. In 2015, SMUMC partnered with Impacto Ministry to build a library in San Juan, Guatemala. Impacto Ministry provided the land and onsite coordination of the building and found someone to help set up library operations. SMUMC was the main supporter of the construction, providing books and internet support and assisting with the setup of library operations. Several other groups help provide some building support, books, computers, printers, furniture, and Internet support. In 2018, the library opened with 1700 + Spanish children’s books. SMUMC’s focus since 2018 is to continue to provide help with Internet support and expand the library to resources for pastors, local churches from many denominations, and seminary students. You can find more information about the San Juan library here.

Collage showing two libraries: San Juan Library (opened 2018) with images of a building and bookshelves, and Storeroom Library (opened 2014) with images of children reading and bookshelves.