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Volunteers in Mission

VIM women work project

Questions?

Contact Jody Pratt
Volunteers in Mission Coordinator
[email protected]
616-292-4908

Jody Pratt

Your next trip begins here

Please contact Jody Pratt, VIM, Volunteers in Michigan Coordinator, [email protected].

To register a VIM team and request insurance 

Please contact Tammy Kuntz,  North Central Jurisdiction Volunteer in Mission Director, 614-325-8741, [email protected]

UMVIM-NCJ Webpage
UMVIM-NCJ Newsletters

Scholarships

First-time scholarship participants are eligible for NCJ trip insurance reimbursements.

Download the scholarship criteria.

Donations are welcome for first-time international missioners ($150) and clergy grants ($500).

Please send to:
MI Volunteers Scholarship/Grant Fund
Line #4413 MI VIM
Attn: Rich Pittenger
1161 Clark Rd., Suite 212
DeWitt, MI 48820

Information: Jody Pratt, MI VIM: [email protected]

Seeking a way to serve

Volunteers in Michigan serve under the North Central Jurisdiction Volunteers in Mission programs.  VIM pairs mission opportunities that match your skills and mission needs with the right training to make your ministry a success.  VIM offers both short term local mission opportunities and international projects.

Getting started

VIM works with both individuals and church groups, both experienced teams and those just getting started.  We launch teams that focus on everything from relationship building to construction, even medical and wellness.   VIM services all ages and all levels of experience. Your first call is to our Volunteer Coordinator who can guide you to the appropriate training and trips. This is critical to the safety and success of every team. VIM works with federal agencies and insurance providers to secure national and international healthcare and emergencies.

Peru 2024 Healthcare Mission

Satipo, Peru
August 31 to September 10, 2024

Recruiting volunteers in the health care field and for general assistance.
Cost: $1,500 plus airfare
Max participants TBD
Deadline: Apply by March 1, 2024 or when filled (Maximum of 12 participants)
For more information or to apply, contact Jody Pratt: prattgji09gmail.com

Sturgis First UMC Adult Mission Trip 2023

Eleven adults traveled to Steubenville, OH to work with the Joshua Urban Ministries. On the weeklong trip, they replaced a privacy fence and painted a dormer on one house, painted a large wall of another house, continued the demolition of a former grocery store, participated in a large food distribution, and partially cleaned and painted the interior of a house that was firebombed. The group stayed in a former convent house that the ministry owns. It has several rooms with bunk beds and bathrooms with showers upstairs and locker-like rooms in the basement. It has an operational kitchen, dining room and sitting rooms.  This location and work seem better suited to youth mission trips however, the team was able to be in ministry in this location and was able to share the love of Christ with all they encountered.

Mission work happens in Michigan

Acme, Michigan
June 2, 2023

Packing meals forMidwest Distribution Center during 2023 Annual conference (Acme, MI). 5,000 meals were assembled in about 90 minutes by volunteers of all ages before the official start of the 2023 conference.  

Middleville UMC took nineteen people on an intergenerational work experience. Team members ages 12- 89 worked on construction projects, Feed America food distribution, and GCCP center maintenance.
Middleville UMC took nineteen people on an intergenerational work experience. Team members ages 12- 89 worked on construction projects, Feed America food distribution, and GCCP center maintenance.

Training Events & Upcoming Opportunities

To qualify for VIM first-time scholarships, a team must have at minimum, one trained adult. It is highly recommended for VIM Mission Journeys.  Michigan VIM trainer: Jody Pratt, [email protected]


Michigan Conference Early Response Basic Training (ERT)

Training for  volunteers looking to lead or work with disaster teams in the Michigan Conference or other conferences as needed.  Certification is good for three years and individuals needing recertification can take this session. 
Trainer: Robert Freysinger

Saturday, November 18, 2023
Farwell UMC
281 E Ohio St.
Farwell, MI 48622
Registration 8:30 am / Training 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Cost: $35 includes snacks, lunch. A materials download will be sent when registered.
Registration: Contact Jody Pratt at [email protected] to reserve a seat. Please include the following information: name, church name, birth date, address, email, phone number.
Deadline to register: November 8, 2023

Volunteer in Mission Team Leader/Team Training

Volunteers looking to lead or work with a team for a domestic or international experience are encouraged to attend for certification. Michigan lnternational teams are eligible scholarships for first time mission journey participants who complete the training. 
Trainer: Jody Pratt, [email protected]
Detroit ERT Leader Training 2023 with After the Storm trainer Bob Freysinger.
Detroit ERT Leader Training 2023 with After the Storm trainer Bob Freysinger.

*Watch for new Fall 2024 dates to be announced soon!


Looking for a Michigan Mission? 
Sites currently open for volunteers:

  • Cass Community (inner-city Detroit)
    Contact Sue Pethoud, [email protected]
  • Motown Mission (inner-city Detroit)
    Motown is reorganizing- please contact director email for information: Amanda Mountain, [email protected]  
  • GCCP/Newberry (rural-poverty Newberry)
    Contact Randy Hildebrant, [email protected]
  • East Winds UMC District Mission work
    East Winds Coordinator of Applied Missions, Rev Carol Blair Blouse [email protected]
     


    More Training Opportunities

    *Watch for new Fall 2024 dates to be announced soon!

    North Central Jurisdiction Mission Academy August 2023. Bishop(s) Trimble ( IL) and Bard(MI) offered communion on the closing day at Epworth Center .
    North Central Jurisdiction Mission Academy August 2023. Bishop(s) Trimble IL) and Bard (MI) offered communion on the closing day at Epworth Center.

Last Updated on September 26, 2023

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The Michigan Conference