Fundraising Events:
Soup Jar Sales – assemble at youth group on Dec 15th; Sell after worship services in
January
Soup-er Bowl—hors d’ oeuvre auction Feb 2, directly following 11am worship service
Italian Night—Friday, March 9th
UMW events—May & June
Participation in fundraising events is required.
Register for High School Mission Trip
About ASP
Appalachia Service Project (ASP) is a Christian ministry, open to all people, that inspires hope and service through volunteer home repair in central Appalachia. ASP’s vision is that substandard housing in central Appalachia will be eradicated and that everyone who comes into contact with this ministry will be transformed. ASP’s goal is to make homes warmer, safer and drier for families in need. It also provides a unique framework that fosters transformational experiences for volunteers and families served by building relationships with each other that break down cultural, social and economic barriers. Visit asphome.org for more information.
Work Teams
The youth will be divided into teams consisting of 5 youth and 2 adults. Each team will be assigned a different work project i.e. home, to work on. They will remain at that home all week, getting to know that family as they work. Each day, the team members will eat lunch that they pack and bring to the home worksite. They will also bring a lunch for the family members living at that home and eat with them daily. The projects are typically “physical” in nature, anywhere from roofing to putting up drywall to building a deck to laying a new floor . . . You are definitely tired at the end of the day.
ASP required Training Days
All participants are required to attend 2 training days. We will hold these trainings as follows:
1) Sundays March 29 and May 3 during youth group from 4:30-7:30pm
2) April 26 at youth group—team building road rally
A typical week at ASP
We will arrive in TN on Sunday afternoon by 3pm. We may have to leave church as early at 6am, depending on where in KY we are going. We will have dinner, set up base, meet leaders etc. A typical day starts at 7am for devotions and breakfast. Work teams work from about 8:30am-4:30, eating lunch at the work site. ASP offers a lot of cultural activities for us so we learn about where and who we are serving with. Youth are in their sleeping quarters by 10:30 with lights out at 11pm.
Dress Code and ASP Rules
When we go on our mission trips, it is critical that we abide by the rules of the organization that we are working with, even if they are different than ours. This includes rules regarding how we dress, chores we have to complete both at the work site and at our sleeping quarters, shower times, meetings, devotions, timeliness etc.
Tools are Required!
We really do use our tools on these ASP trips. Each youth will need a hammer, measuring tape, safety goggles, ear plugs, N95 dust masks, work gloves, nail aprons and a hat (highly recommended). ASP also asks us to bring additional tools for each work group which includes utility knives, paint tarp, extension cords, circular saw, sharpened hand saws, screw drivers, pliers, levels, squares, chalk lines, staple guns/staples, tin snips, drills and ladders (step and extension).
Packing List
Work site attire requires shirts with sleeves (no tank tops) and sturdy long pants at all times—no exceptions. Hard-soled shoes are recommended at the work site and tennis shoes for roofing. Absolutely no sandals, flip flops, CROCS, or open-toed shoes are permitted at any time at the work site. Leisure clothes must be modest. Shorts must be mid-thigh or knee length. Shirts must have sleeves—no tank tops. No shirts or hats with inappropriate messages. Single-size air mattresses only, unless 2 people are sharing a double. Sunscreen, extension cords, and fans are a must!
Chaperones
We need 2 adults for every 5 youth, creating a team of 7. Each team of 7 needs its own means of transportation (mini-van, SUV). Youth group counselors always have the top priority to go on this trip. Parents who have youth with health/allergy issues also have top priority. We should have plenty of opportunities for most all parents who want to go this year due to the 5:2 ratio. I.e., if we take 20 youth, we need 10 adults. We ask that parent chaperones pay $175 of the $350. Unfortunately, CUMC has to pay the entire $350 price for adult chaperones as none of these organizations offers discounts. If our fundraising goes exceptionally well, we will refund the chaperones.
Italian Night and Fundraising
We are reducing the participant cost to $275 from the overall base cost of $350 (excludes travel and other miscellaneous costs), so that means we have to fundraise! A key fundraiser for our trip is our Italian Night on Friday, March 6th. Please mark this date on your calendar now. We need all hands on deck, both youth and parents. We are also assembling and selling jars of dry soup ingredients. New this year we will hold an all church soup and salad, hors d’oeuvre auction on Super Bowl Sunday immediately following the 11am worship service.