Mission trips aren’t just about what we hope to gain, they’re about showing up for what others truly need. They’re opportunities to set aside our own agendas and open our hearts to serve, listen, and care in ways that make a real difference.  

This summer, local churches across our conference answered the call to serve—both close to home and far beyond. Some congregations organized mission projects right in their own neighborhoods and partnered with local agencies to meet community needs. Others traveled to different states to work alongside ministries that are improving lives in their regions.  

Building Lasting Love  

Journey of Hope United Methodist Church in Elgin and Bartlett sent 14 people, ranging in age from 16 to 82, to the Spirit Lake Ministry Center on the Spirit Lake Native American Reservation in North Dakota. This has been an annual mission trip for the church for over 20 years.  

The team planned a VBS program for over 16 kids and painted, cleaned, and gardened for homes on the reservation, and for one home built a wheelchair ramp. They also began rough-framing walls for a new bathhouse.

“We were able to witness singers and dancers, plus two ladies shared their talent of making frybread,” said Andy Lindstrom, Journey of Hope mission team coordinator. “It was a fantastic trip where we were able to leave a lasting legacy of love to the people and to the ministry directors, Kim and Paulette Paulson.” 

Partnering with ASP 

Several of our churches joined the Appalachian Service Project this summer, rolling up their sleeves to repair and rebuild homes while forming heartfelt connections with the families they served. Based in Johnson City, Tenn., ASP welcomes volunteer groups to come and improve homes, by making them warmer, safer, and more accessible—repairing roofs, walls, floors, and foundations, and adding porches or ramps for those who need them.  

The United Methodist Church of Geneva celebrated its 42nd year partnering with ASP, traveling to rural Knott County, Ky., to help rebuild lives by repairing floors, ceilings, siding, and more. First UMC of Belvidere journeyed to Kentucky to restore a home damaged by a tornado, while Minooka UMC offered their hands and hearts to ensure families had safe, dry, and welcoming places to live. 

Local Mission Work 

Often, people in our own towns or regions can use help. Hinckley UMC took part in a weekend mission trip, partnering with their local food pantry, serving neighbors and supporting vital community needs. Baker Memorial UMC in St. Charles cared for God’s creation through environmental cleanup, packed meal kits to help fight hunger, and tackled projects around the church.  

Coming Together 

Another trend this summer was churches’ partnering together to take mission trips. By combining their volunteers, these congregations could pool resources, share skills, and support one another in service. Members of Grace UMC in Naperville partnered with UMC of Antioch to travel to Birmingham, Ala., to assist Side by Side Ministries there, which helps people locally, nationally, and internationally. Christ UMC in Rockford opened their local workcamp to other Rockford churches, which grew their group to over 100 people and 6 crews.  

“I believe in the power of unity—coming together as one body to serve,” said Pastor TK Lee of Christ UMC in Rockford. “While working with other churches requires extra planning and communication, the fruit it bears is always worth it.”  

Along the way, volunteers are reminded that God’s work is often as much about building relationships as it is about building walls, roofs, or ramps. Explore more stories from the hard work of mission trips (below). If your church is missing, please share your story and photos with Lisa Smith. We will update the story as we get more information.

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Lake South 

First: LaGrange 
First UMC of LaGrange sent a team of 86 to Clay County, W.V., for a week of service with the Appalachia Service Project. While there, high school students and adult leaders practiced “Being the Light” by building relationships and doing home repair work alongside families of central Appalachia. The temps were hot, but their hearts were full of joy while laughing and sweating together with neighbors and friends. 

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Prairie Central 

Elgin: Journey of Hope 
A group of fourteen from Journey of Hope in Elgin and Bartlett took their annual trip to Spirit Lake Native American Reservation in North Dakota. The projects they worked on included building a wheelchair ramp for a family, painting the home of a foster parent caring for 10 children, and organizing a water-damaged room to prevent mold. The biggest building project was building four rough walls for the new bathhouse on the ministry grounds. The team also planned and ran a VBS for over 16 kids. The team experienced “culture night” and also a lesson in making native fry bread. 

Geneva 
For the church’s 42nd annual trip to the Appalachia Service Project, 30 UMC of Geneva volunteers, 22 youth and 8 adults, spent a week rehabbing homes in rural Knott County, Ky. Projects included building walls and repairing floors, ceilings, and siding of local homes. 

Naperville: Grace (with Antioch) 
Members from Grace UMC in Naperville, along with members from UMC of Antioch, traveled to Birmingham, Ala., for their weeklong youth summer mission trip known as Side by Side. Together, the group of 24 served with local non-profits Christian Service Mission and Greater Birmingham Habitat for Humanity. They worked across multiple job sites over the week, replacing siding, painting, and making structural repairs. They also had the opportunity to work on new builds by framing and raising walls, building porches and more in a new neighborhood entirely for Habitat homeowners. While in Birmingham, the group carved out time to learn more about the city’s important history by visiting the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and the 16th Street Baptist Church.  

Schaumburg: Our Saviour’s 
This year Our Saviour’s Summit youth group partnered with Cass Community Social Services to serve the disadvantaged men and women of Detroit.  Students participated in a week of serving, learning, and growing in bold faith, while each night exploring a different challenge—hearing God’s voice, obeying when it’s uncomfortable, being honest with him, letting go of control, loving radically, and sharing our faith. They returned home spiritiually stretched, inspired, and ready to live with the same wonder and courage we experienced together. 

St. Charles: Baker Memorial
Several members and friends of Baker Memorial UMC in St. Charles experienced local missions with a staycation mission week. They visited Fermiab’s ecosystem restoration project to collect seeds and clean up litter. Participants of all ages packed 600 rice and soy meal kits for Midwest Mission to distribute wherever needed. Several church-related projects were completed, too, including beautification of interior spaces, library and office relocation, and organizing children's classrooms to make ready for the new program year. 

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Prairie North 

Belvidere: First 
Both youth and adult members from First UMC in Belvidere participated in a mission trip with Appalachia Service Project. They traveled to Kentucky and assisted with a home that had damage from the tornados that had gone through the area in the past.  

Lanark  
A team of eight members of Lanark UMC spent a week at Henderson Settlement in southern Kentucky. They worked on building a 12’ x 12’ shed for a man to store his lawnmower and tools.  Each day started with devotions with the beautiful view of the valley and three crosses at Henderson Settlement. 

Rockford Area (Centennial, Christ, and Grace)  
Christ UMC in Rockford hosted their annual local workcamp with the theme “Heroes of Faith” (Hebrews 11). Youth and adult volunteers from Christ UMC, Grace UMC, and Centennial UMC served in multiple locations across the Rockford area—painting, cleaning, organizing, repairing decks, engaging in community outreach, and more—all with hearts to serve God and others. They had over 100 people in 6 crews that worked on 12 projects across 9 worksites. Each evening, they gathered for worship, testimonies, and messages that highlighted how faith becomes visible when lived out through love and action. 

Roscoe 
This year Roscoe UMC partnered with Group Mission Trips for their youth mission trip to Westfield,Ind. Fourteen youth and four adults helped many residents in Hamilton County. Their projects included painting, building stairs, wheelchair ramps, and installing skirting walls where they met the floor. They served with 300 other campers from all over the U.S. Each day, they attended 2 programs where they worshiped and explored what it meant to be equipped by Jesus. 

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Prairie South 

Minooka  
Seventeen missionaries from Minooka traveled to Jackson, Ky., through the Appalachian Service Project.  They split into three work teams and helped three families make their homes warmer, safer, and dryer. 

Hinkley First UMC 
The youth of Hinckley First UMC spent a weekend serving locally at Wayside Cross Ministries, the Northern Illinois Food Bank, and with neighbors in Hinckley. Twelve youth and six adult leaders put their faith into action through hands-on service, building relationships, and deepening their discipleship along the way.