Hear the first-hand accounts of two Volunteers in Mission (VIM) teams from Michigan that just returned from trips to Georgia and Kentucky, helping communities rebuild after devastating natural disasters.
The United Methodist Church has a long history of responding to our neighbors in need through short-term volunteer service.
United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (UMVIM) is the official short-term volunteer sending agency of The United Methodist Church, and thousands of United Methodists engage in mission each year in ministries as varied as disaster response, building repair and construction, community development, vacation Bible school, and medical and dental services.
The Michigan Conference serves under the North Central Jurisdiction Volunteers in Mission and helps pair mission opportunities with individuals who have the right skills and training to ensure the ministry succeeds. Both local and international mission opportunities are available. Learn more about our conference’s VIM sites, training events, and mission opportunities.
This fall, two VIM teams from Michigan served other annual conferences in the southern United States, aiding in long-term disaster recovery. Both teams provided reports on their experiences.
VIM Team to the North Georgia Conference
Twelve members of White Lake UMC in Montague, ranging in age from 15 to 77, went to aid long-term recovery efforts in Augusta, Georgia, following Hurricane Helene, which devastated much of the south in 2024. They were there from October 8-13, 2025.
The group split into two teams. One team worked on a house that had been damaged but was not fully restored. The volunteers installed new flooring and trim, painted walls, and prepared a ceiling so the VIM team coming in next could paint.
Team lead Tom Hinken told the story of the 77-year-old homeowner, Claudia, who did not have hurricane insurance and could not afford to hire anyone to do the work. In the storm, the master bedroom and the one across from it were totally destroyed, and there was water damage in all the rooms along the back of the house. Claudia had been sleeping on the couch in her living room for the past year.
Tom explained further, “We went with the idea of providing a caring, Christian presence, and we kept reminding each other ‘people over projects,’ so we spent a lot of time talking with Claudia as we worked. She had health problems and recently lost her husband. Because of the damage, she was sleeping, eating, and living in pretty much just one room. She was very appreciative of our work and our presence. By the time we left, we doubled the space of the house that was available to her so she could start going through her belongings and get life back to normal. We also gifted her a new vacuum cleaner as she hadn’t had one since the storm.”
The second team worked on two separate homes / trailers, removing trees so the owners or inspectors could enter to determine whether they were safe to live in or could be torn down and replaced. They also worked with the owners to remove important items from the homes. In one of these homes, the job was made more difficult because large parts of the ceiling had collapsed, releasing asbestos insulation from an attic.
VIM Team to the Kentucky Conference
Fred Elmore, a lay member of Keswick UMC in Suttons Bay, led a team of ten people with Michigan roots to eastern Kentucky. Several United Methodist churches were represented, including Leland UMC, Northville: First UMC, Saline: First UMC, among others. The volunteers were based in Auxier, a small community in rural Floyd County. They had been invited by the Kentucky Conference and stayed from October 19-31, 2025, assisting with flood recovery.
The main project the team worked on was a home that had been flooded previously and was deemed a “tear down” by FEMA. In theory, FEMA will buy the homeowner out, but the process can take up to five years. The long-term recovery team was asked to do a quick, temporary fix. The woman who lived there was currently living in an RV at a local state park. The park had about 90 families living there, but the number is down to 30. The goal is to get everyone in more permanent housing by winter.
“The idea was to get it minimally inhabitable,” noted Fred. “We installed an OSB subfloor, and it will also serve as the final floor. We replaced the lower four feet of insulation and drywall. This was not finished, so it looks a bit rough. We put OSB over some broken windows and painted them for a better look. We repaired and replaced many electrical components. The lower cabinets had been destroyed, so we built cabinet frames and plywood counters. We almost finished it, but had to leave with a couple of plumbing leaks that needed a professional.”
Volunteers in Mission (VIM) Training
The Michigan Conference is hosting a VIM training event on Saturday, January 17, for people who wish to be trained to join a VIM team in the future. Saline: First UMC, 1200 N. Ann Arbor St., Saline, MI 48176, will host this day-long event.
Do you enjoy putting your faith to good work and helping others through acts of service? Survey people in your local church to see who might be interested in preparing to join a VIM team.
The deadline to register for this training event is January 10. To sign up, contact Jody Pratt at [email protected] or 616-292-4908. Find more details below.
Saturday, January 17, 2026
9 am to 4 pm ET, includes lunch and breaks
Registration begins at 8:30 am
Saline: First UMC, 1200 N. Ann Arbor St., Saline, MI 48176
Cost: $30 covers materials, lunch, and T-shirt
Scholarship: The Michigan Conference awards $150 for first-time participants.
To register or to inquire about applying for the scholarship, contact Jody Pratt at [email protected] or 616-292-4908.
Deadline to register: January 10, 2026
A separate training to become an UMCOR-certified member of an Early Response Team (ERT) is planned for March 14, 2026, at Rochester: St. Paul’s UMC. Learn more.
Last Updated on December 1, 2025