SUPPORT
We are planning to return to ASP July 14-20, 2024.
Appalachia Service Project needs our help! Please indicate below your interest in supporting this important mission to help families stay warmer, drier, and safer. Learn more about ASP and RRPC’s history in supporting its work below. Your support is appreciated.
Pray
In Ephesians 3, Paul refers to God as, "him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine." So let's boldly go to God and ask for justice - for an end to poverty. God can do it! Ask for God to grow our support, enabling us to help even more families. Ask for God to grow us, enabling us to love and serve more. Ask for God to help us tell our stories, so that our mission will overflow far beyond Appalachia and witness to God's steadfast love in a broken and hurting world.
Send Letters/Cards
In this age of instant electronic communication, it is still a spirit-lifting moment to receive a card or letter encouraging a youth on the work to which they have committed their efforts. If you wish to send a card or letter, please bring it to the church office before the team leaves. Letters will be delivered during the week. If you wish to request a list of participants or work crews, please contact the office.
Financial Support
We cannot participate in this service without financial help. Fortunately, a great majority of the funds raised go towards helping the families in the area. Materials for the job sites, van rentals and gas, and meals for the participants are the big needs during the week. In most years we have been able to raise more than the minimum, and that has allowed us to make additional donations directly to the homes we are working on. Many homes have a wish list such as new entry doors, water heater, or "surprises" uncovered during construction.
Invest directly in a youth. We tend think of money in terms of investment and return. What will we get for what we spend? In this case, you will be investing in a teen's faith formation and an impoverished family's improved quality of life. Investing in ASP is investing in evangelism. Buying a share supports the mission and enables the work of Christ in the world.
Make a donation in the offering plate. You may donate any amount of money, and remember that no gift is too small! Every little bit helps! Here is a guide to give you an idea of what you're investment provides:
$50 provides rainy day money for unexpected supply needs on site.
$75 buys a tank of gas for a van (need about 3 tanks per van).
$200 sends an adult volunteer (need to send a minimum of 8 adults).
$300 sends a youth volunteer (have 20 signed up to go).
$500 rents a van for the week (at least 4 vans).
You may contribute to ASP through our online giving system. Please choose the "Online ASP" fund and under "optional description," indicate whether you are paying your deposit for trip fee (FOR WHOM), making a donation (FOR WHOM), or making a general donation.
Adopt a Work Crew
Partner with some other folks to support the ASP mission by providing for a positive experience for a group. A group consists of 5 youth and 2 adults who will share a van and a work project for the week. When you adopt a crew, you volunteer to provide for some of that team's physical and spiritual needs for the week by helping with the following.
Healthy Snacks
Personalized cups (There will be a large cooler of water at each work site, so each member of the team needs his or her own re-usable cup from which to drink.)
PRAYER! Pray for each group member by name daily, asking for their growth in Christ and in relationship and praying for the unity of the group as a whole.
The possibilities for what you could do for your team members are endless (decorate the van before they arrive that morning, write them encouraging notes for the week, meet them on their return and help them unpack, provide a care basket of goodies like sunscreen and car games, etc.). Don't let the basics limit what the Spirit can do through you. This is a GREAT way for younger siblings to engage in the experience. Let your imaginations and energy run wild to support this mission! (A few pointers: chocolate melts, the youth will bring plenty of their own junk food, every van has a cooler that gets ice daily for the produce items and any other healthy snacks that might need to be kept cool.)
To Adopt a Team, contact the church office at 804-740-7083.
What We Experience During the Trip
For the trip, we are divided into work crews of youth and adults. This is how we travel to and from Richmond and are assigned home repair work during the week days. Our accommodations are usually in a school, sleeping on floors and eating in the cafeteria. Our work day is typically 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Evenings have some type of planned activity related to scripture and poverty followed by a couple of hours of free time.
Work site jobs are at homes of families that currently live there. Jobs can range anywhere from flooring and painting to building new floors, roofs, or ramps. Crews typically find out their assignments about a week before we head out. The families we help have a wide range of situations but are often families with young children or elderly who are no longer in the work force.
We look forward to another great summer with ASP! If you have further questions, please contact Stephen Gwyn.
Interesting Facts
This will be RRPC's 25th summer since 1996 participating in ASP.
We have had 251 youth and 80 adults participate.
We have had 9 former youth participants return as adult group leaders.
We have had 2 former youth participate in ASP staffing.
We have performed over 30,000 man-hours of home repair work.
PARTICIPATE
How to Sign Up
Click here to fill out our online form with information to help us with the registration process.
Download, print, and fill out the Covenant and Health forms (see below) and turn into the church office in person or by mail, including the $200 deposit. Please turn in by March 1, to guarantee a spot. After March 1, spots will be based on available space.
If you are a parent interested in going, please see the Adult Leaders area below also.
How to Make Payments Online
You may contribute to ASP through our online giving system. Please choose the "Online ASP" fund and under "optional description," indicate whether you are paying your deposit for trip fee (FOR WHOM), making a donation (FOR WHOM), or making a general donation.
Documents for Download
ASP Covenant
ASP Financial Support Letter (the Ask Letter)
ASP Personal Packing List
Important Dates (dates to be updated as scheduled)
Interest Meeting - February 25, 2024, 5:00 p.m.
New Participant Orientation - May 2024
Group Study Session - May 2024
What to Expect Before the Trip
Before we head out, there will be several things going on in preparation. Trip Leader, Stephen Gwyn, will be sending out weekly emails highlighting these events and updating information as we learn details. The two main areas of preparation will be fundraising and study.
Fundraising
This can begin as soon as you sign up. We have a letter that we encourage you to send out to family and friends to help support you on this trip. Also planned will be a Silent Auction in the spring. Any money raised this year goes to this year’s trip. Many years we have been able to take extra money with us to further help at the homes where we are working. ASP is very thrifty and efficient with their donations, which results in maximizing the impact of every dollar we raise.
Study
This is a great experience on a spiritual level as we get to exercise faith in action. In order to prepare ourselves, we will have a couple of times where we will meet to do Bible study and sensitivity training. We will also have a special meeting for participants going for their first time.
What to Expect During the Trip
For the trip, we will be divided into work crews of youth and adults. This is how we will travel to and from Richmond and work during the week days. All other times we will be free to hang out with friends for meals, play, and of course ice cream runs! Our accommodations will most likely be in a school, sleeping on floors and eating in the cafeteria. Our work day is typically 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Our evenings have some type of planned activity after supper followed by a couple of hours of free time.
Work site jobs are at homes of families that currently live there. Jobs can range anywhere from flooring and painting to building new floors, roofs, or ramps. Crews typically find out their assignments about a week before we head out.
Parent Jobs
Health Form Coordinator – Help keep track of forms and organize forms into work crews.
Van Adopter Coordinator – Help promote and assign folks who wish to adopt a work crew.
Departure Breakfast – Help provide grab and go breakfast for when we depart on July 7.
Return Clean-up – Help with cleaning up vans before they are returned to the rental agency.
We look forward to another great summer with ASP! If you have further questions, please contact Stephen Gwyn.
LEAD
Interested in going on the ASP trip as an Adult? Don’t think about it, just sign-up and join the fun. Many adults have participated over the years and have had a positive experience they could not have imagined. Construction knowledge is not a requirement; a love of youth and helping others is the only job requirement. Since we are required to have 2 adults for every 5 youth and you will be taking a week out of your summer, we do not charge a participation fee for adults.
As an ASP Group Leader (GL), we will have a couple of fellowship meetings prior to leaving for ASP in addition to the meetings for the whole ASP crew. GLs will be paired for team assignments and one will be assigned to van driver duty. While on ASP, we will meet with the ASP staff daily to discuss your work sites and the center. While on ASP, you will also be responsible for your work crew during the day and keeping the work flow moving. You will often find the veteran youth become great resources in helping with this. As a group of adults, we maintain watch over the youth during free time at the center.
How to sign up
Click here to fill out our online form with information to help us with the registration process.
Download, print, and fill out the Covenant and Health forms (see below) and turn into the church office in person or by mail. Please turn in by March 1, to guarantee a spot. After March 1, spots will be based on available space.
Documents for Download
ASP Covenant
ASP Financial Support Letter (the Ask letter)
ASP Personal Packing List
Group Leader Extra Jobs
Center Devotion Coordinator – Help youth with morning devotions, typically 2 for the week.
Media Coordinator – Help collect all the photos during the week.
Van Driver – Drive your work crew to and from Richmond and work sites. Earn cool points taking youth to ice cream.
*If you wish to learn more about RRPC and ASP, please contact Stephen Gwyn. If you want to learn more about ASP, visit asphome.org.