Red Bird - Who We Are

Red Bird Mission has provided education and health care since 1921, and we will, with God’s grace, continue to do so for another century.  To know who we are today, it’s important to understand our long and blessed history.

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As early as 1913, the women of the Evangelical Church became aware of the needs of people in eastern Kentucky. In 1919, Evangelical Women’s Missionary Society requested that the Church establish education and healthcare in Beverly for the people in the Red Bird valley.  They also began providing church services. The Women’s Society decided to establish a Faith Fund “in the faith that money would flow into it and that God will show them where to invest it.” 

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Years later, in 1946, the Evangelical Church joined with the United Brethren Church to form the Evangelical United Brethren (EUB).  The blended members of the EUB church became strong supporters of Red Bird Mission, our school, and our hospital.  In 1968 the EUB Church and the Methodist Church came together and formed the United Methodist Church (UMC).  Many in this newly established denomination continued to support the work of Red Bird, including the continued strong support from the women’s society.

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It’s important to note that in 1968 Red Bird Mission also became a 501(c)3 private, nonprofit organization which required the establishment of an independent Board of Directors to preside over it.  Red Bird has held an ecumenical vision throughout the years.  Our staff, our volunteers, our donors, our supporters, the people we serve - all represent many different Christian denominations and entities.  God has guided each to Red Bird.

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The United Methodist local churches that were previously EUB were moved to the Red Bird Missionary Conference when it was formed in 1973.  Red Bird Mission has remained a private, nonprofit organization that never wavered from its original mission founded in 1921.  We continue to educate, provide health care, and meet other needs of the people in this corner of Appalachia.  We were and have remained a Christian human service organization. Red Bird Hospital became a 501(c)3 private, non-profit organization in 1978 and continued to hold that recognition when it became Red Bird Clinic, Inc.  Red Bird Mission Housing, Inc., became a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in 1997.  Red Bird consists of three non-profit organizations: Red Bird Mission, Inc., Red Bird Clinic, Inc., and Red Bird Mission Housing, Inc.