Appalachia Service Project (ASP) is a Christian ministry, open to all people, which inspires hope and service through volunteer home repair and replacement in Central Appalachia. Rockford UMC has been sending crews of teens and adults each year for 34 years. Volunteers must be at least 13 and have completed 8th grade.
If you would like to join us for our trip in 2024, here are some important dates:
June 13-16, 2024: Start of Summer Trash Duty – Another fundraiser, the team cleans up the trash generated at Rockford’s Start of Summer celebration.
Saturday, June 22, 2024: We leave for Berea, Kentucky (where we stay Saturday night). After church on Sunday, we leave for the ASP center for the week.
June 23-June 29, 2024: ASP Week (3rd Week) – We are going to a county in either Virginia or Kentucky.
Sunday, June 30, 2024: ASP Sunday – 8:45am and 11:00am worship services.
2023 ASP MISSION TRIP
Our ASP Mission Team traveled to Knott County, Kentucky, June 17-24, 2023, to make 3 homes safer, warmer, and drier. On Sunday, June 25, 2023, the team shared their experiences during both of the worship services. We were able to send 4 crews for a week of work and fun.
Crews 1 and 3 (1 – Jerrad Holly, Makenna, Ari, Chris; 3 – Brooke, Nathan, Kim, Blake, Marcus) worked on a home owned by Caldonia which had been destroyed by the 2022 floods. She works at a local pharmacy in Knott County and runs a convalescent home. When patients are ready to be discharged from the hospital, but not ready to go home alone, she takes care of them until they are ready. The home was taken down to the studs and the two crews hung 70 sheets of drywall! Caldonia stopped by every day on her lunch break to see the progress and show her appreciation. The crew the week before had removed flood damaged siding, reinforced interior studs, and installed insulation. RUMC crews taped, mudded, and sanded the whole three-bedroom home so it was ready to be painted by the ASP crew the following week.
Crew 2 (Brandon, Rick, Devin, Sandy, Jacob) worked on a flood-damaged trailer for a family of five. The trailer had an addition in need of new roofing because leaks caused damage to the inside of the home. They also finished wrapping the home with Tyvek and installing blue foam insulation (referred to as a “HUG” home). In addition, they installed J-channel and corner posts so the siding could be installed the next week. It rained all day Friday so some of the outdoor work did not get done.
Crew 4 (Larry, Blake, Carol, Colin, Carter) worked on a home for a mother and daughter whose home was devastated by the flood when the dam at the top of the mountain overflowed. The mother’s bedroom was rotted through to the floorboards. The crew replaced floor joists and the floor. The kitchen/living room floors were also going to be replaced by ASP crews later. RUMC’s crew also cleaned up and painted the back room and installed stone steps by the back door. Before the steps were installed, the family was never able to use the back door. Later crews were also going to build a retaining wall to deflect the water from ever hitting the house again.
2022 ASP Mission Trip
Our ASP Mission Team 2022 was able to help the less fortunate and made 3 homes warmer, safer and drier in Floyd County, Kentucky. They will never forget the construction and life lessons they learned and the delightful Appalachian families they met. We were able to send 4 crews, two floaters and one cook for a week.
2021 ASP Mission Trip
This year the Team, consisting of four crews and two floaters (13 youth and 15 adults), went to Charleston, West Virginia. This was the first time the group has been in an urban setting (usually working up in the hollers) where the homes we worked on were only 5-10 minutes away from the ASP Center. The homelessness and boarded up homes within the city was eye opening. Please click here to read more about RUMC’s 2021 ASP Mission Trip
Michigan Conference of the United Methodist Church recognizes RUMC’s participation in ASP
The Michigan Conference newsletter posted an article recognizing Rockford UMC’s participation with ASP. To see the article please CLICK HERE.