Communities in our neighborhoods, in other states, and abroad are finding relief as volunteers from Northern Illinois serve on mission trips. Both youth and adult volunteers are engaging in meaningful service, fostering community and personal growth.  

Serving with the Appalachia Service Project is a tradition in many churches, some in our conference have even participated for over 40 years. ASP mission trips involve volunteers traveling to the Appalachian region to assist with home repair and improvement projects for low-income families. This year, First UMC in Arlington Heights, First UMC in La Grange, First UMC in Morris, Grace UMC in Joliet, Geneva UMC and Kingswood UMC (Buffalo Grove and Deerfield) were a few of the churches that engaged in hands-on work with ASP across the region. Grace UMC in Dixon was also working in the region, partnering with Red Bird Mission in Kentucky. 

Being the hands and feet of Christ helping with indigenous organizations was also a missional focus. Workers from Oregon UMC and Gary UMC in Wheaton were in South Dakota at the Lake Traverse Reservation, home to the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate. Tree of Life Mission, also in South Dakota hosted Barrington UMC as well as Steve Meister of Grace UMC in Joliet. The team from Journey of Hope in Elgin and Bartlett worked on a library project and taught VBS at Spirit Lake Ministry Center in North Dakota. In addition to serving, the teams learn from and immerse themselves in the culture of the people they serve.

Several churches focused their service in the Midwest. First UMC of Downers Grove joined forces with North Street Mission in Wooster, Ohio, where they served breakfast, tended gardens, and helped with community projects. Meanwhile, Community UMC of Naperville and Our Saviour’s UMC in Schaumburg both traveled to Detroit, Michigan, working with Motown Mission and Cass Community Social Services, respectively, on community development and disaster recovery. The Plainfield UMC youth contributed by partnering with Covered Bridge Ministries in Jefferson, Ohio. 

The NIC’s mission reach also went global. Roscoe UMC’s mission trip took 14 youth and 6 adults to Dublin, Ireland to work with a local community center, St. Michans  that is keeping local kids out of the gangs and in school. 

Some churches focused their mission work right in their own communities. Wesley UMC in Sterling joined in a day of volunteering with Habitat for Humanity in Dixon. In Rockford, Christ UMC collaborated with Centennial UMC, for a workcamp that successfully completed 13 projects across 10 worksites with those in need in the Rockford area. 

These trips allow participants to address tangible needs, such as home repairs and community support, while also building relationships and understanding across different cultures and backgrounds. 

Read more Mission trip stories from across the conference below:

---

Lake North 

First UMC of Arlington Heights sent a youth team to Kentucky, where they worked together with the Application Service Project. They spent their time fixing roofing, flashing, and other projects. They enjoyed getting to know the family and the kids on the trip. A highlight was holding the new puppies from the family’s dog! 

Twelve Kingswood UMC youth and six adults from both campuses (Buffalo Grove and Deerfield) worked with Appalachia Service Project in Magoffin County, Kentucky. They split into three different teams, repairing, restoring, insulating, and prepping different homes for improvements. Despite the heat and less-than-ideal conditions, our youth were courageous, kind, respectful, hardworking, and genuinely had a great time without any complaints.  

---

Lake South 

First UMC of Downers Grove participated in its 2nd mission trip with North Street Mission in Wooster, Ohio. Each morning, the youth prepared and served breakfast in the community with volunteers from Trinity UCC, who have been feeding people for nearly 30 years. Later in the day, they helped with gardening, cleaning out a pond, and moving construction materials for an Amish and Mennonite community. Along with the service, they heard from members of the Wooster community including a woman who had previously experienced homelessness, a college student, and the women who started the breakfast program.  

First UMC in LaGrange sent a team of 101 to serve in Perry County, Kentucky with Appalachia Service Project. They have partnered with ASP since 1995, and had an amazing week of service this year, completing home repair projects on 15 different homes. ASP’s summer theme this year was “Building Kindness”, from Ephesians 4:32. The team was grateful for the opportunity to build relationships with the families they were blessed to serve alongside in Perry County, as well as community with our team from the greater LaGrange area. 

---

Prairie Central 

The Barrington UMC adult mission trip team spent a week at Tree of Life Ministry in South Dakota. During their stay, they immersed themselves in the local culture and contributed their time and skills through various volunteer activities. Their work fostered connections and understanding within the native community.  

Youth from Community UMC of Naperville traveled to Detroit, MI for a mission opportunity with Motown Mission to participate in economic disaster recovery work.  A theme song appropriate for a Motown experience emerged, “Reach Out, I’ll Be There” made famous The Four Tops. The lyrics brought a whole new meaning to this group of people as they shared the love of Jesus Christ with a community. Service projects included cleaning up landscaping, planting seeds, and tending to community gardens.  

Gary UMC in Wheaton’s high school youth mission trip volunteered on the Lake Traverse Reservation in South Dakota. They weeded, planted flowers and vegetables, painted, helped organize Camp Dakota Sunshine and played Bingo at a nursing home. The mission team also learned about the Dakota people’s culture and had some free time to appreciate the beauty of Lake Traverse and nearby parks.  

Geneva UMC took adult and youth volunteers to Charleston, WV to work with the Appalachia Service Project. After working with ASP for over 40 years they had a new adventure working in a more urban area. Work included weatherizing homes and mobile homes with insulation and underpinning, applying vinyl siding, and installing interior flooring and a bathroom replacement. A main project involved gutting a formerly vacant house and preparing it to be completely rehabbed into a new home to be gifted to a deserving applicant through a partnership with the city and ASP.  

Grace UMC in Joliet sent 14 adult and youth volunteers to Carrie, KY to work with Appalachia Service Project rehabbing homes.    Team 1 worked with an elderly gentleman putting on a new tin roof on his trailer and started repairs to an attached porch. Team 2 worked with a family, removing an old floor from a 12 by 24 living room, replaced some of the joists, installed support pillars, insulation and OSB boards. They were week one of seven weeks that ASP had planned to work on these homes.  

Members from Grace UMC in Naperville traveled to Lawrence, KS with youth and adults to serve with Habitat for Humanity, Church of the Resurrection (Leawood), and the city of Lawrence. Their group of 25 was made up of adults, college students, and youth. During the week, they served at a MAP event with the City of Lawrence for those who are experiencing homelessness, worked with Habitat for Humanity building and painting, partnered with Church of the Resurrection’s UW Faith annual rummage sale, and sorted school supplies at SCRAPS for teachers to fill their classrooms. In addition, they helped Church of the Resurrection with their Giving Garden (a garden providing produce for their mobile pantry) and at Joy Meadows (a foster care property where siblings are not separated and provides multiple levels of services free of charge).  

Journey of Hope in Elgin and Bartlet’s annual mission trip to Spirit Lake Ministry Center in North Dakota was inspiring. They were blessed to be the first mission team under the new leadership of the ministry center. They planned and presented a VBS program for some of the kids on the Spirit Lake reservation. In addition, they cleaned and organized the little library, built shelves in the library, and even poured a slab of concrete in the basement of the Christian Life Building. They are currently packing Christmas shoeboxes for the kids, which will be delivered in October. 

Our Saviour’s UMC in Schaumburg’s youth headed out for their 10th annual trip to Detroit. Students and leaders worked alongside Cass Community Social Services to support their efforts in community development. The work included weeding, shredding, cooking, making welcome mats from dumped tires, recycling, organizing the thrift-shop, and more weeding! However they were asked to serve, they served humbly.  

The Plainfield UMC youth went on a mission trip to Jefferson, OH. They worked with Covered Bridge Ministries. In working with the ministry, they had an excellent time serving community members in need with clean-up and construction. They also spent a morning cleaning Lake Erie. 

---

Prairie North 

Christ UMC collaborated with Centennial UMC, both in Rockford, for a workcamp that was an incredible experience of service and spiritual growth. They successfully completed 13 projects across 10 worksites with those in need in the Rockford area. Projects included working at local farms, supporting community centers, organizing food pantries, assisting in thrift stores, and performing painting and yard work. They also repaired homes for those in need, making a tangible difference in the community. The workcamp saw significant growth, expanding to include 80 additional participants, leaders, campers, and volunteers.  

Roscoe UMC’s Mission Trip took 14 youth and 6 adults to Dublin, Ireland. They worked with a local community center St. Michans, also known as the Greek Street Flats. This organization works to keep the local kids out of the gangs and in school. The mission trip team spruced up their building and some other small maintenance. They also had the opportunity to play soccer (football), and do arts and crafts with the children that live in the flats. 

---

Prairie South 

First UMC in Morris spent week in a work trip with ASP in Harlin Harlin County, Kentucky. The group included 16 church youth, along with 10 adults. They fixed homes and provided all kinds of construction needs for families who had depleted homes.   

Grace UMC in Dixon participated in a Volunteer in Mission (VIM) trip to the Red Bird Mission in Kentucky during the first week of June. Trained by a VIM trainer earlier in the spring, the team prepared for this mission trip with a focus on God's mission everywhere. Throughout the trip, they experienced God's special hospitality and grace through their mission work and the people they met, strengthening their faith and commitment to service.  

Oregon UMC’s Dangerous Hope Mission Team consisted of 28 teens and 8 adults. They traveled with Youthworks to the Lake Traverse Reservation in Sisseton, SD. The team served alongside indigenous organizations striving to meet the needs of the residents. They also had the opportunity to learn the rich history and unique challenges of the community. 

Wesley UMC in Sterling joined in a day volunteering with Habitat for Humanity in Dixon, IL. The 9 members spent the day working on a new home, performing tasks such as painting, carpentry, and landscaping. This effort not only fostered teamwork and strengthened family bonds but also highlighted their dedication to community service. 

---

We would love to hear your stories and see your photos.

Share with us by sending information and photos to LSmith@UMCNIC.org. We will update the story as we get more information.