United Ministries serves and empowers those on the transformative journey to self-sufficiency.

We unite the people and resources necessary to transform the lives of those in Greenville who are striving to achieve financial stability and self-sufficiency. We provide compassionate care for those who are in crisis now but go further by offering opportunities for our participants to succeed…because it is our vision that everyone has the ability to thrive in Greenville.

Through three key focus areas:

  • Education and Employment – Our Adult Education program helps individuals prepare for the GED Exam with caring one-on-one tutors and a self-paced curriculum. Our Striving to Thrive program helps people find and keep quality employment by providing soft skills and technical job training; assistance with earning certifications; and help with resume writing, interview skills, the job search and removing barriers to employability.
  • Emergency Assistance – We offer financial assistance with rent, utilities, food and life-sustaining medications. Families receiving assistance meet with volunteers to discuss their needs and identify solutions.
  • Homeless Services – In addition to providing basic services such as showers and laundry, the Place of Hope day shelter provides case management through which the root causes of homelessness are addressed. Our Housing program offers emergency shelter for up to 12 weeks for families with children. For qualified participants, longer-term interim housing is available.

In our fiscal year ending in 2022, 4,000 clients benefited from our important work. We had 40 students earn their GED and 251 new students enrolled in our Adult Education program. In Striving to Thrive, 273 individuals received financial coaching while 110 obtained new jobs. 89 individuals completed our Matched Savings program.  Emergency Assistance stabilized 1,171 families with food and 494 received financial assistance with rent or utilities. Place of Hope day shelter saw 894 unique individuals, of which 262 received personalized case management and 11 were permanently housed.  Our Housing program provided shelter to 117 individuals and 16 families entered into interim housing. With our new partnership with Front Porch Housing, we will be able to assist more families with emergency shelter for up to 12 weeks.

No. United Ministries does not receive funds through the state of South Carolina. We depend on the support of generous community members, corporations and organizations as well as the United Way, foundation grants and fundraising events and activities to fund our valuable programs.

In addition to transforming the lives of those we serve, our work also results in a significant return for the community through reduced use of public benefits, reduced unemployment, and increased participation in the community’s life and economy. We are also proud to have recently received the highest possible four-star rating from Charity Navigator (CN). This exceptional rating is awarded to organizations that CN deems to be financially healthy, accountable, and transparent based on their extensive rating system.

Yes! We believe the best way to understand our work at United Ministries is to see it for yourself. We invite you to tour our agency to learn more about our programs, meet some very dedicated staff members and volunteers and learn about the needs of our program participants.  To arrange a tour, contact Robin at 864-335-2615.

In 1970, the South Carolina Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church founded Greenville Urban Ministry (GUM) to coordinate existing inner-city ministries and assist unemployed church members in Greenville’s mill villages. In 1982, our name was changed to United Ministries (UM) to better convey the organization’s ecumenism. Although the organization had previously operated in several locations, in 1984 it settled at Pendleton Street in Greenville’s West End where we continue to serve participants today.

All gifts are welcome and each is important! We receive donations through several avenues:

  • Online at www.united-ministries.org/donate
  • By phone at 864.335.2615
  • Make checks payable to United Ministries and mail to:
    • ATTN: Mission Advancement 606 Pendleton Street Greenville, SC 29601
  • Drop off non-perishable food items for our pantry to 606 Pendleton St., Greenville, SC 29601. Visit our website for a list of items that we place in all food bags provided to our clients.

Community support is vital to our work. If you want to help us ensure that all families have the opportunity to participate in Greenville’s prosperity, we invite you to invest in our work by giving or consider becoming a volunteer. For more information visit www.united-ministries.org or contact us at 864-232-6463 or info@united-ministries.org.

Yes!  You may download the most recent 990 by clicking this link.