Red Bird Mission - Beverly, KY
Red Bird Mission was founded in 1921 in the southeastern corner of Kentucky to
provide education and Christian evangelism ministries to residents of the area.
The Mission was started by the Evangelical Church on a small piece of property,
at the confluence of Cow Fork and the Red Bird River.
The story of Red Bird is one of deep faith in God. Red Bird Mission was born
in answer to prayer. It is a story of gracious outpouring of prayer and means by
the church. In 1968 the Evangelical United Brethren Churches united with the
Methodist Church to become the United Methodist Church. Local churches in the
area were reorganized under the name of the Red Bird Missionary Conference. In
1973 the Conference, under Superintendent John Bischoff, became the umbrella
organization for the total mission program, including former Methodist work at
Henderson Settlement across the mountains at Frakes, KY.
Red Bird Mission School, grades K-12, is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the United Methodist Church.
In 1975 Red
Bird Hospital, later to be renamed Red Bird Mountain Medical Center, was
incorporated separately and became the third agency of the Red Bird Missionary
Conference. In 2000, Red Bird Mountain Medical Center was renamed to Red Bird
Clinc, Inc. to more correctly reflect its activities and still operates today as
an out-patient ministry.
The community outreach ministries have grown to be a significant part of the
overall ministries in recent years. The clothing and craft ministries increased
in scope after moving into the current facilities on Queendale Center. The
ministries to the elderly and families of our community have flourished in the
1990’s. The DeWall Senior Citizens Center started operations in 1991 and the Red
Bird Elderly Housing apartments were opened in 1996. The Work Camp program has
grown to over 2500 participants annually. Our education, health, and community
outreach ministries continue to address the needs of the community today.