VIM Journeys – SUSUMC Global Ministries

Journeys

If your VIM team is looking for volunteers, contact the VIM Coordinator, Michelle Schwartzman at vim@susumc.org to add your mission journey opportunity here.

Northampton Co Pennsylvania Flood Clean Up

The Disaster Response Ministry has been asked to support cleanup in the Northampton county area where there are nearly 30 homes that have been affected by the flooding and will require some form of basement muck out and/or debris sorting.There are also a number of homes with more than five feet of water. The requests for assistance continue to come in. If your congregation would like to send a team(s) to assist with the cleanup, please contact Doug Hoy (Disaster Response Coordinator) at drc@susumc.org or 717-766-5376.

Study/Mission Opportunity in Mexico: Oct 20-29, 2023

Join us in South central Mexico for a 10 day Study Mission trip with “Give Ye Them To Eat” – a rural development mission of the Methodist Church of Mexico and the General Board of Global Ministries.

Teams from Central PA and Susquehanna Conference have been making a difference in the rural sector of Mexico for over 25 years. Working with GBGM missionaries, Nan McCurdy and her husband Miguel Mairena Aragon, we will experience the culture and the working lives of our Mexican brothers and sisters. We visit the city of Puebla, then spend most of our time near the
small town of Tlancualpican where the Tree of Life Training Center is located.

We have projects for all skill levels and physical abilities. During our work days, we work 4-5 hours a day. Recent projects have included repairs, improvements and maintenance at the Tree of Life as well as the construction of houses (with mud and straw) in neighboring villages. If you tire easily, that’s ok. Take a break. If you like hard physical labor, we probably have some rocks or dirt to move. If you’re somewhere in-between, we’ll find opportunities to learn new
skills or use the skills you already have.

The areas we travel in are safe, the food is great, and the water is bottled. Staff in Mexico are fully vaccinated against Covid. Accommodations are comfortable with a hotel in Puebla and dormitories at the training center, hot showers and Wi-Fi.

Dates: October 20-29, 2023
Cost: $1,050 plus roundtrip airfare from Harrisburg to Mexico City (currently around $800) (Get a group together and do some fundraising!)
Qualifications: Good health (high altitude, hot climate, lots of walking); open mind; ages 12-18 with a parent; 19- ??; no special skills needed

Contact Rev. Marian Hartman, mhartman@susumc.org, 814-441-0235 for more information and an application.

Check out www.gytte.org and this video by Jack Meyers, a recent participant

U.M. ARMY (United Methodist Action Reach-out Mission by Youth)

GREAT NEWS!! U.M. ARMY is coming back to Trucksville, PA in 2023. We will be there the week of July 9^th and we would love to have more churches from the Susquehanna Conference join us. Registration is open so please check out the U.M. ARMY Northeast website - Northeast | U.M. ARMY (umarmy.org) for more information. You can also contact Gina Grubbs at ginagrubbs@umarmy.org or Darlene Thomas at gabrielt0303@gmail.com to discuss the possibility of your group joining us.

Our theme for next year is GOD @ WORK: TRANSFORMING. Won’t you join us and help us continue to transform the Trucksville community and the lives we touch?

Remote (from home) Mission Opportunity

There is an ongoing need to recruit phone volunteers that are trained and ready when a disaster strikes. It is very difficult to bring someone up to speed while going through a disaster and it is beneficial for them to do the minimal training in advance and be prepared.

Phone volunteers are the first line of responders who lend an ear and record their needs. This vital work helps organize information that is provided to relief organizations and disaster teams, allowing them to reach the survivors and meet their needs much quicker.

Phone volunteering is a great COVID-safe way to do meaningful service and training will be provided. If you have a phone and a computer with internet access, you can participate in the important mission opportunity from the comfort of your home.

Contact Doug Hoy, Conference Disaster Response Coordinator, if you are interested in serving, call (717) 766-7441, extension 3402, or email - drc@susumc.org include "Crisis Cleanup" in the subject line.

Neighborhood Center of UMC - Harrisburg, PA Ongoing Volunteer Opportunities

The Neighborhood Center of the United Methodist Church has served a multi-ethnic uptown neighborhood, as well as the total Harrisburg community, since 1910 with educational, cultural, social service, basic needs, leadership, and recreational programs for children and their families.

https://www.neighborhoodcenterumc.org/

The center welcomes volunteer groups of all ages for various projects. Please contact QueTrina at qsims-shelton@neighborhoodcenterumc.org or 717-233-6541

Mission Central, Mechanicsburg PA ongoing Volunteer Opportunities

Mission Central (https://missioncentral.org/) is looking for mission volunteers to fill a variety of roles within the organization. Volunteer opportunities are flexible and accommodate almost all physical abilities. Volunteers can volunteer once a week, once a month, or at any interval they choose. There are opportunities in the warehouse and in the office, as well as internship opportunities. Please contact missioncentral@missioncentral.org or call 717-766-1533 for more information.

Projects could include:

Kit creation/verification
Donation door management
Donation pickups in the box truck
Item sorting
Resource packing/loading
Outdoor clean-up
Communications Intern (create content, conduct interviews, draft impact stories, assist with additional Mission Central communications initiatives)
Marketing Coordinator (recruit, educate and retain volunteers, cultivate collaborations between corporations and Mission Central, create HUB reporting plan, assist with additional Mission Central marketing efforts)
Program Intern (run varying programs related to outreach, outreach education and disaster recovery, create and facilitate new programs, cultivate collaborations between other nonprofits and Mission Central, track growth, opportunity and successes)

VIM Teams looking for additional members

Virtual UMVIM Inc. Mission Journeys

UMVIM.org - Project List

Pastor Bill Klebe
Conference Secretary, Global Ministries
wklebe@susumc.org

Doug Hoy
Disaster Response Coordinator
drc@susumc.org

Michelle Schwartzman
Volunteers In Mission Coordinator
vim@susumc.org