UM-Army
UM-ARMY started in 1979 with 36 youth and adults from Houston serving in Athens, Texas. UM-ARMY has grown and this summer we expect that over 4,000 participants will work on over 1,500 work sites nationwide.
Our Mission
To provide Christ-centered missions that serve people in need and promote spiritual growth and leadership development in youth and young adults.
Our Vision
Young people growing in Christian faith and transforming the world by serving people in need.
Summer 2018 Mission to Frankston, Texas
This year Bellaire UMC will participate in UM-ARMY’s mission to Frankston Texas beginning June 24th and ending on June 30th. Frankston is about 3 hours north of Houston and just south of Tyler, Texas.
We expect about 100 youth and adults from Bellaire UMC (Houston), First UMC Athens, First UMC Canton, Grace Crossing UMC (Longview), and Hardy Memorial UMC (Texarkana) to attend this summer. Teams will arrive on Sunday afternoon, June 24th, and will depart Frankston at approximately noon on Saturday, June 24th.
Our typical day begins with a 7:00 AM wake-up call, followed by a devotional and breakfast. Work teams are dispatched between 8:00 AM and 8:45 AM and will be on site from until approximately 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday. As teams return they will shower (at the basecamp, high school or individuals houses), have dinner, an evening program, and worship. Lights out is around 11:30 PM each evening.
Clients are invited to join us Thursday night to celebrate the work accomplished.
About our Projects
Our projects typically include construction of wheelchair ramps, steps, handrails, wooden porches, enclosed porches, hanging doors, dry wall, shelving, or screen doors.
We repair leaky roofs (patching only), porches, floor boards, saggy floors, broken window glass, stuck windows and doors, window and door screens, and we replace rotten wood.
Maintenance that we provide includes yard work, painting (exterior & interior), house cleaning, and yard clean up.
We do not do electrical wiring, plumbing, roofing, room additions, third story painting, appliance repair or any work on lease homes.
Adult Volunteers Needed!
Everyone works at a UM-ARMY mission; adults are not just chaperones, but are equal participants and have a particular leadership responsibility, and UM-ARMY is committed to doing everything possible to train those adult leaders.
UM-ARMY needs adult volunteers to fulfill its mission. In fact, we require a minimum of two adults (21 and over) for every five youth. While experience with UM-ARMY in helpful for some roles, most require little more than your willingness, as a spiritually mature adult, to work side by side with the youth attending the mission week.
All participating adults are urged and expected to attend training. UM-ARMY offers several training opportunities prior to the mission week for training:
2018 Adult Training
April 28th: 8am-noon
Christ Church UMC, Sugarland
3300 Austin Pkwy, Sugar Land, TX 77479
May 19th: 9am-noon
location tba
June 3rd: 9am-noon
location tba
If you would like to volunteer for UM-ARMY or if you have any questions about UM-ARMY, please contact any of the following:
Gary Flaharty
Director
Jordan Payne
Programs & Worship Director
Bill Lamont
Sites Coordinator
Rebecca Payne
Assistant Director