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Mission and Outreach
Our church participates in the Appalachia Service Project, a home repair mission project serving Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky. ASP has been a ministry to this region for over 38 years, serving hundreds of families each year.
The 2008 Project
The 2008 ASP volunteers are getting ready for this summer’s mission project to Fayette County, West Virginia. In order to send our 35 volunteers to work for five days doing home repair with the Appalachia Service Project, we raise money to rent five 15 passenger vans, pay for the gas, insurance, tolls, and material expenses for the five teams. Because each team will be doing a different work project, building materials’ costs will vary; however, ASP averages that each team will use about $450 for construction materials each week. Our total expenses for the five teams will be approximately $12,000. That does not include the room and board which each volunteer pays.
How does our church’s ASP group raise $12,000? We have a variety of projects which the church members and friends support.
- Fund raising began in December when we sold the beautiful Christmas cards which the Morrison family made for us. We started this year with a successful Pasta dinner.
- During the month of March, we sell ASP stock ($5/share). Each shareholder will receive a letter from one of the volunteers describing his/her experiences on the trip.
- At Easter, ASP makes about 120 loaves of Easter bread which we sell. This has become a popular tradition for many church families, who order multiple loaves.
- Because we all love to eat, ASP has a big bake sale featuring many delicious baked goods.
- The first Saturday in June we have the annual ASP tag sale – this is becoming a community service to everyone – people who want to get rid of items and people who need something.
- An ongoing fundraising project is the collection of the receipts for can/bottle returns. Some church members drop off redemption slips to the church office. One church member accumulates soda cans within her neighborhood and ASP picks them up and redeems them. One ASP member redeems the soda cans/ bottles from the church office and kitchen throughout the year.
Our ASP group also does small construction projects as fund raisers. In the past years we have done a variety of projects for church members.
- We have built a recreation room in a basement,
- built a radio room in another basement,
- re-roofed sheds,
- re-constructed a shed to become a play house,
- enclosed a porch for a mud room,
- built steps,
- split wood
- and many other projects.
We try to accept projects which will provide an opportunity to do work similar to the work construction which we will do with ASP. The construction projects provide each volunteer with an opportunity to work with tools and learn to be part of a team.
On the ASP bulletin board during March are pictures of the some of the fund raising projects which ASP has done. We appreciate the church members’ and friends’ support of our many projects which make it possible for us to help others in Central Appalachia.
ASP Calendar
The 2006 Story
15th Year
2006 was our church’s 15th year of participation. We go for one week in the summer (usually late June). We travel in vans to a center and work as teams in individual’s homes to make their homes warmer, safer, and drier. This year we stayed in Sandlick Elementary School in Birchleaf, Virginia with 40 other volunteers who are all working on different homes. At the center, meals are provided and evening gatherings allow time to discuss and reflect on our experiences.
We all share in participation in devotions.
Preparation
In order to prepare for the ASP trip, we hold monthly meetings. Our first meeting was held September 18, 2005 inviting all interested people to participate in the application process for the next year. In January we begin having monthly meetings, usually on the first Sunday of the month. At these meetings we get to know more about each other, learn about the Appalachia area, explain what the ASP trip involves, and we do
some skill building in preparation for our trip.
Projects and Fundraising
During the year the ASP group does several fund raising projects. Some of the fund raising projects are construction projects, which also develop the volunteers’ construction skill building.
In the past ASP has:
- built a rec room,
- built a radio room,
- repaired a porch,
- re-shingled a garage
- and split wood.
In the fall of 2004 we built a deck.
Other fundraising includes:
- tag sale,
- bake sale,
- pasta dinner,
- coffee house,
- making and selling Easter bread,
- sale of Christmas cards,
- and coffee hour.
The Journey
In 2006 we took 28 volunteers to Birchleaf, Virginia for a week of home repair work. Our volunteers worked on plumbing, insulation, roofing, decking, drywall, foundations, drainage and flooring. We do a lot of visiting and make friends with our families. Our group of 28 volunteers was a small part of over 14,000 volunteers serving ASP last year.
The Experience
Participation with ASP is an unforgettable experience. Youth who have completed 9th grade and are 15 years old are welcome. We plan for two adults on each work team. Adults participate as leaders and drivers.
Invite to Participate
Come join us when we put out a call for volunteers. It is a worthwhile experience. If you want to read more about ASP, check their website www.asphome.org. If you have questions, see Sterling or Ann Andrews.
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