Eighteen volunteers from Chelsea: First UMC recently visited Midwest Mission for the first time and are ready to return next year.
RICK FITZGERALD
Chelsea: First UMC
Working for three days in a central Illinois warehouse may not initially sound like the ideal mission trip.
But you might change your mind once you see all the projects handled inside the 35,000-square-foot complex at Midwest Mission in Pawnee, Illinois.
A group of 18 — including seven United Methodist pastors — from Chelsea: First UMC spent three days working at Midwest Mission, performing a variety of tasks that will allow this faith-based nonprofit organization to respond to disasters across the nation and around the globe.
Most members of the Chelsea group had never visited — or even heard of — Midwest Mission. Brent and Marlene McCumons led the team.
“Churches I have served have sent teams to Midwest Mission, but Marlene and I were never able to go with any of them,” says Brent McCumons. “I asked our deacon, Rodney Gasaway, if our church might send a team. The next thing I know, we are the leaders of the mission trip.
“We had no problem getting the additional 16 volunteers to join us. God richly blessed all of us as we shared in the ministry of Midwest Mission to give needed help around the world. As Midwest Mission would say, ‘to give people in need a hand up, not a handout.’”
Others on this mission trip included Marna and Jim Balazer, Barb and Gary Dawes, Bonnie Desai, Cathy and Rick Fitzgerald, Jackie Holdsworth, Jane and Mark Johnston, Ann Kraft, Dia and Marcus Vale, Margie and Gordon Schleicher, and Dayle Wright.
During the May 19-23, 2024, visit, the Chelsea team helped to prepare bicycles for shipment overseas, packaged nearly 500 Personal Dignity Kits, assembled 70 reusable Feminine Hygiene Kits, prepared materials for off-site kit assembly efforts, helped with groundskeeping duties, and shared in end-of-the-day cleanup to keep the warehouse organized and efficient.
One unusual project at Midwest Mission is the construction of school desks made from recycled school gym bleachers. Once dismantled, the wood bleachers are hauled to the warehouse, where the gum is scraped off, and the boards are sanded and cut to size. Volunteers — like several from Chelsea — assemble the desks under the watchful eyes of trained local volunteers.
Once marked for easy reassembly, they are taken apart, all the wood gets multiple coats of protective polyurethane, and they are packed for shipping.
The comfortable sleeping quarters on the Midwest Mission campus house some of the 1,685 on-site volunteers who, combined with nearly 6,000 off-site volunteers, racked up an impressive 45,842 volunteer hours last year.
The workday at Midwest Mission includes morning and afternoon breaks, during which staff share personal stories about their work or what brought them to Midwest Mission.
Volunteer teams are responsible for their own food, and the Chelsea team was well served by Dayle Wright and Bonnie Desai. This dynamic duo planned the meals and prepared the food for the entire team. There was a time for devotions each evening, and Jim Balazer entertained the team with banjo tunes and group songs.
Midwest Mission’s mission is “Bringing the hearts and hands of God’s people together to transform resources into humanitarian relief.”
Executive Director Chantel Corrie says that means the organization specializes in “stuff” that falls into four broad areas: disaster relief, health, education, and micro businesses. When others need the supplies that Midwest Mission has accumulated and prepared, the small but mighty team partners with other nonprofits to deliver them wherever they are most needed.
During 2023, Midwest Mission shipped humanitarian aid in the U.S. and internationally, valued at $6.45 million. This included responding to tornado relief efforts, shipping refurbished bicycles and sewing machines to help launch small businesses, and recycling $1.7 million in medical supplies.
Midwest Mission is an independent nonprofit organization started by a United Methodist minister. Although closely aligned with The United Methodist Church, it is not part of the denomination and regularly works with volunteers from many faith backgrounds.
It is one of seven cooperating depots in the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) supply network. Midwest Mission is not funded or run by UMCOR but receives, assembles, and stores UMCOR kits and disburses them upon request during disasters in the United States.
The May trip to Midwest Mission is just one of several mission opportunities for the Chelsea church this year. Other projects coming up include working locally with Habitat for Humanity, helping launch a Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) Freedom School in Flint, and handling home repairs in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Is your church interested in sending a team to Midwest Mission? Review the details on this web page to sign up for 2025.
Last Updated on July 3, 2024