Members of Asbury UMC pose for a photo after preparing mission kits. Photos courtesy of Cyndy Nelson.

In 2023, Asbury United Methodist Church in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, established a partnership with the Midwest Mission Distribution Center—MMDC, in Jefferson, Iowa. The center, started by United Methodists in Illinois, works closely with the United Methodist Committee on Relief—UMCOR. The partnership has recently expanded. Asbury UMC will collect kits from other congregations and get them to MMDC in Iowa.

"We need to not just talk the game but walk the game. MMDC spreads your love and shares the love of Jesus around the world," said Lloyd Petersen, a member of the Mission Team at Asbury UMC.

The Mission Team at Asbury UMC has been "walking the game." In the past year, the team packed two pallets of rice meals and prepared 292 kits for the MMDC depot in Jefferson, Iowa, which opened in March 2023.

"People want to be the hands and feet of Christ, but not everyone can travel on a mission trip. Having the opportunity to serve people across the world but not travel brings joy," said Cindy Nelson, Asbury Mission Team chair.

In September 2023 and 2024, the congregation assembled rice meal kits. MMDC brought the supplies to Sioux Falls and set up workstations at Asbury UMC. On the selected Sunday, participants could pack meals between worship and into the afternoon.

Packing rice meals at Asbury UMC.

"What we've really appreciated about the rice meal event was the intergenerational experience," explains Nelson. "We had people ages six into their eighties packing meals. That was great!"

In the summer, the Mission Team organizes a collection of items for kits. In July, the focus is on personal dignity kits, and in August, items for student kits are gathered.

"We give people a shopping list. They can buy the items or give a donation and we do the shopping," shares Nelson. "We packed 102 personal dignity kits. We have lots of sewers. They made 190 school bags. The youth and children helped us pack all the items into the bags to finish the 190 student kits."

Nelson explains that when MMDC arrives with supplies for the rice meal packing, the kits are loaded into the trailer to take back to Jefferson, Iowa.

"We had all the kits ready to go. After the rice meal event ended, we packed the trailer with all the rice meals, the personal dignity kits, the student kits, and one bicycle. That trailer was full," said Cindy. "It was our big fall mission event."

Now, the Asbury Mission Team is inviting congregations in the Sioux Falls area to join them as MMDC partners. Congregations can create kits and bring them to Asbury UMC, where they will be stored until they can be transported to the MMDC in Iowa.

"We store them, and either we make arrangements to drive them to Jefferson, or we can contact Midwest Mission to see if they are going to be in the area and could pick them up," Nelson explains. "This week, we got our first big drop-off from Harrisburg UMC. When there is a fifth Sunday in the month, Harrisburg UMC does a service or mission outreach that Sunday instead of worship. They dropped off 24 boxes of personal dignity kits."

Asbury UMC's children and youth help to pack student kits.

Lloyd and Renee Petersen, who have worked with MMDC for years, will drive the kits from Harrisburg UMC to MMDC in Iowa.

"I have been working with MMDC for years. Renee and I worked at the depot in Illinois 25 times or more. I served on the board for five years, gathered kits from the Minnesota Conference, and delivered them to Illinois four times a year," said Lloyd. "I remember a grandpa who brought his grandson to work at the depot in Illinois. They worked hard, and we put together a lot of kits. When we were done, I asked, 'Who will pray for these kits?' The grandpa volunteered. He was a quiet but gruff guy. It was absolutely beautiful to see him pray and to know his grandson saw him do that."

The Dakotas Conference has long supported many mission events and activities. In the past, several events were held throughout the conference each fall to collect UMCOR kits and focus on local, regional, and global missions. After COVID, the Dakotas Conference and UMCOR no longer collected mission kits.

The 2024 Thanksgiving Offering: United States Hurricane Response is an appeal from Bishop Lanette Plambeck to respond to the scope of the need in the Alabama-West Florida, Florida, North Georgia, South Georgia, Western North Carolina, and Holston annual conferences. You can give monetary donations directly to UMCOR or the Dakotas Conference.

If local congregations would like to respond to the 2024 Thanksgiving Offering by collecting kits, consider working directly with Midwest Mission in Jefferson, Iowa. Learn more about the ministry.