Help Now:  Dallas Responds

Programs & Volunteering Info

A Safe and Sacred Space

Our pastors, staff, and volunteers serve with compassion and professionalism to create a safe, trauma-informed environment where every person is treated with dignity. At Dallas Responds, we believe that no one is beyond the reach of grace — and that love, lived out in action, is the most powerful force for healing in the world.

Volunteer With Us

Every act of service is an act of love. Whether you serve meals, organize clothes, assist with mail, or offer a warm smile — your presence makes a difference.

“Our wounds become the sources of healing for others.” — Henri Nouwen

Radical Hospitality in Action

Supporting our Unhoused Neighbors

Community Meals – We serve our unhoused neighbors with compassion and dignity.

• Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays: 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

• 1st & 3rd Sundays: 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.

• Due to current kitchen renovations, all meals are currently pre-packaged for safety and efficiency.

Clothing Closet
Open during Tuesday & Wednesday lunch service or by emergency request whenever our Outreach Center or Church Office is open.

ID & Mail Services
We help guests obtain identification and receive mail securely, offering dignity through documentation and stability.

Food Pantry & Case Management
We provide access to essential groceries and individualized case management to help our neighbors move toward stability and wholeness.

Faith Community Nursing

Through a trusted partnership with Methodist Hospital Community Faith Nursing, Oak Lawn UMC offers Faith Community Nursing as a ministry of presence, education, and whole-person wellness.

Our Parish Nurse walks alongside our congregation and broader community to support physical, emotional, and spiritual health. This ministry focuses on health education, disease prevention, chronic condition support, and connecting individuals to trusted medical and community resources.

Faith Community Nursing is grounded in the belief that caring for our bodies is part of caring for God’s beloved creation. Whether through one-on-one conversations, health advocacy, prayer, or wellness programming, this ministry helps our community make informed decisions and feel supported on their health journey.

At Oak Lawn UMC, wellness is not just clinical — it is communal, compassionate, and rooted in dignity.

Recovery & Community Support

Our Community Center hosts more than 500 people each week for recovery and support meetings, including groups specifically designed for LGBTQIA+ people and their allies:

• We Are Not Saints (AA)

• Unwired CMA (Crystal Meth Anonymous)

• Pride in Serenity Al-Anon

• Dallas Winners Circle

• Queer & Beloved – Living with Loss | Q+ Grief Support Group

• Coming Soon:  Trans & Non-Binary Affinity Group

Transgender-Affirming Clothing Closet
By confidential appointment, we offer a safe, affirming space for individuals seeking or exchanging gender-affirming clothing.
Email outreach@olumc.org for a private appointment.

We also provide meeting space for groups serving the LGBTQ+, recovery, and marginalized communities of Dallas — because healing happens together.

Migrant Support Network

Dallas Responds partners with advocates and volunteers to provide:

• Know Your Rights workshops

• Courtroom monitoring

• Community advocacy for immigrants and asylum seekers navigating complex systems of justice and belonging.

• Local grassroots organizing to ensure the accountability of local and national leaders through the United Methodist Connection and beyond