news article
Greater Round Lake UMC VIM Trip to Salem, Maine
August 19, 2019 / By Rev. Ralph A. Marino, UNYAC Retired
Under the benevolent influence of Rev. Arthur Hagy in the former Troy Conference, a number of persons got connected with and enthused by the possibilities of serving as Volunteers in Mission. One direction he led people was to the UMEM in central rural Maine.
For more than 20 years now, the Round Lake UMC provided the banner under which teams have headed northeast to repair, renovate, and rehabilitate homes in an area suffering severe economic stress. This year folks from three different United Methodist congregations (thus “Greater Round Lake!”) traveled and worked together to support our neighbors in Maine. Two members of the team were on their 23rd annual trip to Salem, two members were on their very first VIM experience, and the other seven of us had intermediate levels of involvement with the ministry there.
One way we involved our congregations in the mission trip was by inviting donations to a fund for school supplies. After determining what was needed at UMEM, two members of our team went online to find the best prices. Then, over $2,000 of back-to-school supplies were ordered and shipped directly to Maine. Once we arrived, some of our team spent the better part of two days sorting and collating the various items so that at the end of August, backpacks could be filled with appropriate items for each child.
The Back-to-School outreach is just one component of UMEM caring. Others include a thrift shop, a Christmas “store” for parents and children, and a prom season gown and dress suit shopping opportunity. Unsurprisingly, the food pantry continues to be a major means of caring for the community. One special story this year involved a five-year-old boy who wanted to share his birthday with friends at a party including a cake. Of course, the food pantry does not have cakes, so the coordinator made and decorated the cake for him herself. Working with such caring people helps make the VIM experience a special one.
Our typical day began with Morning Watch before breakfast. The theme this year was flowers of the Bible. Then we worked through the morning, had lunch, and worked again in the afternoon until supper time. In the evening – well, we visited for a while and soon called it a day.
This year our tasks in the community included removing shingles and installing house wrap in preparation for new siding, reworking a popcorn ceiling to make housekeeping easier for a woman with a kidney transplant and repairing door jambs overwhelmed by the deep snow of Maine winters. At the ministry site itself we repaired a bad spot in the floor and installed bead board on a previously unfinished wall.
None of this was very dramatic and most of it won’t show, but for us these tasks were all ways of saying to our friends in Maine, “God loves you.”