KALAMAZOO MI…Traveling from distant lands, hailing from as far away as Florida, New York and Arizona, over 300 mission-focused retirees gathered at the Kalamazoo Fair Grounds in Kalamazoo MI, for the 2015 Annual Meeting of Nomads On A Mission Active in Divine Service.

NOMADS, an affiliated organization of The United Methodist Church, is a group of people in retirement who enjoy traveling by RV and sharing their Christian faith by assisting others in need through skills and service. There are about a thousand NOMADS across the continental United States who engage in new construction, remodeling and repairs for churches, children’s homes, camps, colleges, outreach missions and victims of disaster.

Michigan Area Bishop Deborah Lieder Kiesey joined the group for fellowship and to preach at morning worship on September 30. Following the service she said, “It is so inspiring to see how people choose to fully give of themselves after retirement.” She added, “NOMADS are bringing God’s love to those in real need with humility and grace.”

NOMADS travel at their own expense and donate over 110,000 hours in service and more than $100,000 in materials each year.  Last year alone, NOMADS donated more than 19,000 hours by working disaster relief projects in Texas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, North Dakota and Arkansas.  Their primary focus was rebuilding homes after devastating floods, fires, hurricanes and tornados.

Never passing up the opportunity to give back to their host community this week, the group presented beautiful handmade quilts to Kalamazoo First United Methodist Church to distribute to homeless in the city. They also received an offering that totaled almost $1,300 dollars for West Michigan’s Changing Lives Campaign that supports camping ministries.

To learn more about NOMADS, retirees with a purpose, visit NOMADSUMC.org

Last Updated on November 8, 2023