First UMC Hershey VIM Team at Red Bird Mission

By Jenny Greene

Red Bird Mission in Beverly, Kentucky, was founded in 1921 in the southeastern corner of the mountains of Kentucky. Its story is one of deep faith in God, and continues today to serve those less fortunate in the abandoned coal mining areas of the Appalachians.

Red Bird Mission offers health care, education through their Christian school, and many other outreaches to seniors and disabled. The work camp program enlists volunteers to maintain mission facilities, and includes community home repair and improvement. 

First UMC of Hershey sent Volunteers In Mission Jeff Black, Colleen and Rick Heffner, Jill and Mike Bandy, Vicki and Joe Peters, and Jenny and Wallace Greene to serve. They rebuilt a rotten kitchen floor from ground up, dug a French drain, did some roof work for a couple who had fostered 38 high school girls in their lives. This couple certainly had an incredible testimony of their faith. The team also helped to make and install gutters for an elderly woman. 

www.firstumchershey.org

www.redbirdky.org

Michelle Schwartzman

VIM Coordinator

vim@susumc.org

Web: www.susmb.org/vim/

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Hershey First VIM Serve at Red Bird Mission

Hershey First UMC VIM team members. Front row, l-r: Bev Meiser, Wallace Greene, Patricia Mulle, Sue Edris, Sara Crowther, Barb and Bill Jaeger. Back row, l-r: Jenny Greene, Jill Briggs, Scott Snoke

By Jenny Greene

The Central Appalachian Missionary Conference (formerly Red Bird Missionary Conference) in Kentucky is in the poorest area of the U.S. The people of Red Bird Mission in Beverly, Kentucky, have huge hearts for this region and they also have some of the best scenery! First United Methodist Church in Hershey has had a long history of sending work crews to serve the mission. 

A Volunteer in Mission (VIM) team of ten left the first week of October, 2022, to help a lovely, elderly widow, Marilyn, whose house was literally falling in from foundation damage. When working on an older home, it is common to discover more problems as you work. This was the case for Marilyn’s home, which was found to have gutter and flooring issues too. Our team was able to rebuild the rotten foundation and keep water from coming into the home. We also winterized other areas of the home for the cold weather ahead.

Red Bird Mission is a helpline for those in need in this area. They provide medical and dental services, a community store, Meals on Wheels, Volunteer in Mission teams for home repair, a Christian school, mothers and children programs, and senior citizen center activities. Marilyn was among many who have been helped by VIM teams coming to volunteer in this remote region in the Appalachian Mountains. Marilyn was so thankful for the help she was given because of the outpouring of love and prayer. Check out their website at rbmission.org. For assistance in planning a Volunteer in Mission journey contact Michelle Schwartzman, VIM Coordinator at vim@susumc.org.