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The leaders of the New Zion UMC mission team are Mike and Terry Marr. Terry & Mike are the mission coordinators; Terry has been on mission trips to Mexico each year from 1997 to 2002. Mike went on his first mission trip to Mexico in 2002. They joined 8 others from 4 other Ohio churches on a trip to Cacahuatepec, Oaxaca, Mexico. Cacahuatepec is a mountain village in the southern part of Mexico. While on this trip we conducted Bible school in 3 mountain villages, where many of the locals were from Indigenous groups, speaking their own languages. This trip, as well as the trips Terry had gone on were with other churches leading.
In 2003 Terry & Mike decided that it was time to head up a team from New Zion. They gathered a team of 12 people from New Zion and 2 people from a church in Lancaster, Ohio and planned a trip to Anchorage, Alaska to work with East Anchorage UMC. While there they put on a Vacation Bible School, worked on the church, the church yard and visited a number of shut-ins. The team stayed in homes of the members of East Anchorage UMC. They had all ages on the mission team from 14-75. The team’s mission was to bring the love of God to the children and adults of that church and any one they came in contact with. God blessed them greatly!
In 2004 the team went to Southeast Kentucky, to Hindman UMC. While there they worked in the area painting homes and making repairs to those homes. A team of 15 were able to paint two homes and a trailer in 4 days. They also conducted Vacation Bible School each night.
In 2005 the team went to Browning, Montana, to the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. They did work in and around the church and conducted VBS for around 40 children and then fed them an evening meal along with any family members that showed up. This meant that they fed and average of about 80-90 people each night.
In 2006 they went down on the Ohio River to Pomeroy, Ohio. This is a very depressed area that has many needs. Here they worked with a community center, God’s N.E.T. (Neighborhood Escape for Teens). They helped to make repairs to the community center and to put on a VBS. They also helped prepare food for the youth that came to VBS and for the teenagers that came each night to the community center. They also worked in the food pantry and thrift store that were part of the community center.
In 2007 the team took another trip back to Montana to the Indian reservation, this time to Heart Butte, Montana. This church is part of the same charge that they served in 2005. They worked with the same Pastor as they worked with in 2005. The area had been damaged by high winds in the early winter of 2007, so they did repairs and served over 700 people at a youth day in Browning Montana.
The mission teams each year consist of about 15 to 20 people. The occupations vary from school cashier, teachers, to a retired nurse. We have a few teenagers but most are adults ranging in age from 20’s to 70’s. Most of the group has been on mission trips before, but they do have a few new members each year. Whether returning missionaries or new missionaries they are all very excited to go and share God’s love with those they may come in contact with. What we have seen is that the team members grow in their faith and in their walk with our Lord. |
