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GCCP
MISSIONS |
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Youth Summer Mission Trip
Neighbors In Mission News
Volunteers In Mission News
VIM Team Housing
World Mission Focus
New information to come; stay tuned.
2007/2008 Volunteer in Mission Teams and Projects
VIM - VOLUNTEERS IN MISSION TEAMS RETURN TO THE GCCP!
Located in the East Central part of the Marquette District, between
the shores of Lakes Michigan and Superior lies God’s Country
Cooperative Parish. Made up of seven communities of faith, the Cooperative
serves in mission to the elderly, infirmed and impoverished families
and individuals of the area. After a year of planning by Deaconess
Katie Peterson and the project directors, GCCP was able to welcome
Volunteers in Mission Teams from five different churches from the
Detroit Annual Conference. After a year’s absence due to staff
changes, the Parish hosted forty-eight VIM volunteers. These volunteers,
along with GCCP’s own Neighbors in Mission (NIM) Teams, were
able to complete seventeen different projects for families and agencies
becoming ‘doers of the word and not hearers only.’
The people of the seven churches that make up God’s Country
Cooperative Parish look forward to continued shared ministry with
the VIM volunteers and the Ministry Jubilee partners of the Detroit
Annual Conference.
For those who are ‘connected’ go to the GCCP web page,
www.gbgm-umc.org/gccp to view pictures of our ministries and see what
is ongoing in God’s Country Cooperative Parish where ‘mission
is our mission.’ If you would be interested in learning more
about GCCP or having a representative come and share with your congregation,
please contact the Church and Community Worker at 906-492-3680.
Paradise
Chelsea Venture Crew 412 VIM Team returns
to Paradise in 2007. This group of great youth and adults worked hard
together as a team to help complete two projects and get a great headway
on their largest project. Part of the group painted Mr. Taft’s
home and rebuilt a wooden walkway for Ms. Marci. The whole team participated
as they tore off part of an old roof and worked hard to rebuild the
new one– in spite of the rain that showered us off and on throughout
the week. The team also enjoyed dinner at the DeVries’ and Mrs.
Jarvie’s homes on Whitefish Bay. Thank you for all of your wonderful
mission work with all of us. Thank you to our local project directors
for helping us to better succeed in these projects: Tom Norman, Alex
Dean, Carl DeVries, and Catherine Labron. Your willingness to lead
and efforts are very much appreciated!
Engadine
Thank you to Charlie Fosdick, the project director, for all of your
time and support on the Engadine VIM project. Mr. Archambeau inspected
his home following the improvements made by the VIM team. He excitedly
reported that when it rained after the work was complete, he only
heard the rain in the bathroom through the vent…not throughout
the entire ceiling. Not a member of the UM Church, he was amazed to
be the recipient of unconditional love in the form of hands-on mission
from the GCCP NIM and VIM Teams.
The Mackinaw City SARM VIM Team Comes to Newberry and
Engadine
Youth and their chaperones from Mackinaw City came to Newberry to
work on sprucing up the Good Samaritan House, a shelter for families
who have experienced house fires. They also worked to improve the
condition of the Youth At Play Center in Newberry. When not working
on these manual labor projects, the youth assisted at Engadine’s
Vacation Bible School.
Thanks to Jo Anne Martin and Joe Kolder for serving as the project
directors to coordinate and work with the volunteers at the Youth
At Play Center and the Good Samaritan House.
NIM - NEIGHBORS IN MISSION
A much needed labor force has come to be known as NIM...Neighbors
in Mission. Local church and community volunteers from the GCCP area
provide the ministry of labor to aid their eastern UP neighbors in
projects that may not be able to be completed otherwise. Projects
that are chosen to be completed by this group are assessed by a committee
and accepted on a need basis.
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Liz and Raylon wash windows. |
During the summer months, we always welcome the
VIM teams from other communities as we continue the new NIM program.
MISSION IS OUR MISSION
For participation in any way to the NIM and/or VIM Program contact:
Katie Peterson
P.O. Box 67
Paradise, MI 49768
Tel. (906)492-3680
ktpete@gmail.com
GBGM#982942 – CCW
MJ1110 – GCCP Advance #
Questions? Please contact Katie Peterson at 492-3680. John Nadau
will be our intern this summer, working with all of the teams. The
people who are listed in parentheses are the project coordinators
for each project.
Youth Summer Mission Trip
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MISSION TRIP 2008
The youth will be going on a mission trip to the Houghton/Calumet
area from June 9-13, 2008. They are collecting cans/bottles ongoing
as their spring fundraiser this summer to raise money for their trip.
If anyone is interested in going on this mission trip - please contact
Katie Peterson. Youth have to have completed 7th-12th grade to participate.
MISSION TRIP 2007
Twelve youth and adults from GCCP traveled to Fremont, Ohio to assist
in the renovation needed at the Aslan House, a supported living facility
for developmentally delayed and mentally retarded adult males. This
home, owned and run by Rev. Todd Gates and his wife, Ginny, provides
a safe home that provides a community for tenants and peace of mind
for their families. They are serving the Trinity United Methodist
Church in Lindsey, Ohio. The youth cleaned and completed minor repairs
during the week and gained a sense of love through their labors of
mission.
YOUTH MISSION TRIP 2007 REFLECTIONS
How have you felt God touch your life this week? How have you made
a difference this week?
- I have been touched by God and his love in full force for years.
I kept it hidden in myself. Shyness locked it away until I became
alone only with him. I have surrendered my life already four times,
and the only way I feel that this trip contributed to this is that
I have released my shyness and talked openly about it. I now plan
to bring him to others. Riley Fair
- God, I have learned that I can still be of service to you working
with the wonderful group of people this week. The owners of the
Aslan House are real servants or Yours and I am glad I could make
a difference in the home that they are using to serve others. Thank
you for this opportunity – Bless Katie as she serves you in
our GCCP and also bless her parents as they serve in ministry in
Fremont, OH. Love and God Bless, Katie Labron
- God’s work touches everybody’s heart in some way.
Andrew Wheeler
- I learned this week how to work with teenagers other than my own,
which I haven’t done before. I learned to be able to give
without requiring something in between. Randy Wheeler
- I learned that God helped get the floor joists, floor panels on
and keep Dan Miller from breaking his back when he fell. Allen Wheeler
- I have learned to trust God to work out problems. I know that
if I take time to read the Bible and pray, each day goes better.
God is good, and each of us has been given talents we can use to
make our world a better place a little piece at a time. Eleanor
Peterson
- As I write this the song going through my head is “Were
you There When They Crucified my Lord?” In that crucifixion
2000 years ago, God showed us His ultimate love by giving us His
son, so that we may be free. As followers of Christ we are supposed
to show our love to others, as Christ did. To me, that’s why
I go to serve - to perhaps to show one millionth of the love God
first showed me. Without Christ as my Savior to love me, I wouldn’t
be alive today. So, for the rest of my life that He has given to
me, I hope to spend it loving others. That’s what I hope my
actions show - Christ’s love. Chelsea Blankenship
- I’ve learned that planning is important, but we must also
be willing to change plans to better serve God. If God is in charge
of our lives, and we do His will, we no longer need to “sweat
the small stuff.” I’ve also learned that serving as
a team is both hard work and fun. Every person is important –
whether on the work site or just enjoying each others’ company.
Lori Fair
- I haven’t learned a great deal more about myself but now
I realize just how different each of these experiences with God
and His work can be. Throughout all my experience with mission work,
as I’m sure Katie can relate, God will never cease to amaze
you with the many ways His grace can help you accomplish different,
yet always life changing things each time. Megan Fair
- I think that I learned that it doesn’t matter what strategy
you use to work, but it matters that you know you are doing this
work for God! I think that in doing this and staying here this week
that I feel I have come closer to God. I am thankful to have people
with me here that love me enough to help me to conquer my fears
of homesickness. I am also glad to have met the people that I did.
My favorite part of this mission trip was painting and knowing that
it’s for my God. To have fun with the work I was doing is
important to me. I love the people on this trip even though some
of them got on my nerves. I love you too, Katie. Gabi Peters
- On this mission trip, hopefully, the first of many that I will
attend in my life time, I have learned how to be comfortable with
whom I am. I have also learned to meet new people and open my heart
and myself fully to them as well as others I already knew. I have
learned that God works through many, many hearts in many, many ways.
I am thankful for this trip and everything I have received as well
as given through my participation. Cassandra Radka
- I have grown closer to this whole team and to God this week. I
have put my trust in God to see how Awesome He can work through
me with patience and a variety of bumps in the road, but the Devil
has not won this battle – God has! No matter how small a task
or skills we may have or come with – we can shine through
God’s eyes and share our love with others through our gifts.
We can not hold onto past experiences but be open to what great
things and experiences God has for us. God is good! All the Time!
Katie Peterson
- The work of God we did this week through these gifts that we displayed:
enthusiasm joyful patience trusting willingness kindness
humility careful caring leadership hard working forgiving
funny eager flexibility supportive
pounding taping hauling painting pealing shopping
scraping sewing vacuuming cleaning carrying spraying
cooking moving cutting clipping digging driving
flooring spackling sanding Erin McNamara (Ms. Mac)
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