Wandering With Purpose

First Church of Monson Nomads Bring Hope to the World

Six years ago, Linda Shorette, a member of the First Church of Monson, founded a youth-based outreach program at her church and named it the Nomads of Hope.

These Nomads are definitely not wanderers, as noted in dictionary.com, "rambling without a definite purpose or objective." The purpose of the Nomads of Hope is to provide several experiences a year where youth and adults grow in their faith and character in a safe supportive environment and have lots of fun at the same time.

They have traveled inside and outside the United States to try and improve the quality of life for various communities, while building relationships and encouraging the development of youth service leaders.

The Nomads have worked on projects in Ecuador, focusing on basic sanitation services and better access to education and employment. They have traveled to Tennessee, Montana, Utah, Ontario, and South Dakota to help build or repair decks and wheelchair ramps, as well as do interior and exterior painting, weatherization and other home repairs for those in need. Trips to New York and Virginia concentrated on service and assisting with community programs and activities such as collecting and distributing food, tutoring poor or struggling children, helping at a day camp, painting a room, gardening, sharing stories and playing games in an assisted living facility.

"We started the Nomads with the simple idea that life is enriched when compassion extends a loving hand - where statistics and headlines about needs are made real in the faces of neighbors," Shorette said.

"GO, CONNECT, GROW! That is the purpose of these trips," she explained. GO - travel, increase awareness of a big world; CONNECT - engage, build community, encourage relationships with new friends; and GROW - reflect on experiences, provide leadership opportunities, increase faith.

Although these trips are quite inspiring, the travel costs can be out of reach for many members. For example, the Ecuador trip cost $1850 per person for transportation, food, lodging, and incidentals - triple the cost of some of the more local trips - so the Nomads have an ongoing fundraising network. The 12-20 participants organize monthly dances for junior high school students and game nights for middle school students. They also hold car washes, breakfasts, bottle and can drives, and tag sales.

But reaching monetary goals is not the only motive for the fundraising activity; the Nomads build group solidarity among participants while offering services to the local community.

"This has been a really successful and inspirational program at First Church of Monson, said The Rev. Mr. Robert Marrone, senior pastor at Monson. "The church folk are pleased to see the way young people are transformed by their travels; they come back with a new understanding of the world beyond Monson."

One young woman told the church during a special church service that, "after seeing the way other people live, I want to be more like Jesus."

The impact of this program has been widespread - from local participants, including church members and non-members alike, to the domestic and international recipients of their services.

"The Nomads of Hope continues to provide an outlet for community members who wish to travel and make a difference in the lives of others, to follow their hearts and change the world," said Shorette. "It's not so much about the service projects as it is about changing hearts and minds," she continued.

"The porches, decks and stairs that are built help now, but the memories and relationships last a lifetime. The goodness grows in ways we may never know."

For more information, please visit www.nomadsofhope.com or contact Linda Shorette at shorettelw@gmail.com.Or you can contact the First Church of Monson, UCC office at (413) 267-3312, firstchurch@samnet.org.

Tell us how God is speaking in and through your church. Have you reached out to the community in unique ways? Initiated a new mission project? Found a new way to minister to those within the congregation? Share your story and help us to spread the good news! Contact Marlene Gasdia-Cochrane, Editor, at cochranem@macucc.org.

You may reprint this story by including the following line in your article:
"Source: Massachusetts Conference, United Church of Christ, www.macucc.org/spotlight"

• Talk with others about how God is Still Speaking at your church. Send us your story at spotlight@macucc.org. Suggest to others that they subscribe to Spotlight.
• Forward this email to your members.

Wandering With Purpose

First Church of Monson Nomads Bring Hope to the World

Six years ago, Linda Shorette, a member of the First Church of Monson, founded a youth-based outreach program at her church and named it the Nomads of Hope.

These Nomads are definitely not wanderers, as noted in dictionary.com, "rambling without a definite purpose or objective." The purpose of the Nomads of Hope is to provide several experiences a year where youth and adults grow in their faith and character in a safe supportive environment and have lots of fun at the same time.

They have traveled inside and outside the United States to try and improve the quality of life for various communities, while building relationships and encouraging the development of youth service leaders.

The Nomads have worked on projects in Ecuador, focusing on basic sanitation services and better access to education and employment. They have traveled to Tennessee, Montana, Utah, Ontario, and South Dakota to help build or repair decks and wheelchair ramps, as well as do interior and exterior painting, weatherization and other home repairs for those in need. Trips to New York and Virginia concentrated on service and assisting with community programs and activities such as collecting and distributing food, tutoring poor or struggling children, helping at a day camp, painting a room, gardening, sharing stories and playing games in an assisted living facility.

"We started the Nomads with the simple idea that life is enriched when compassion extends a loving hand - where statistics and headlines about needs are made real in the faces of neighbors," Shorette said.

"GO, CONNECT, GROW! That is the purpose of these trips," she explained. GO - travel, increase awareness of a big world; CONNECT - engage, build community, encourage relationships with new friends; and GROW - reflect on experiences, provide leadership opportunities, increase faith.

Although these trips are quite inspiring, the travel costs can be out of reach for many members. For example, the Ecuador trip cost $1850 per person for transportation, food, lodging, and incidentals - triple the cost of some of the more local trips - so the Nomads have an ongoing fundraising network. The 12-20 participants organize monthly dances for junior high school students and game nights for middle school students. They also hold car washes, breakfasts, bottle and can drives, and tag sales.

But reaching monetary goals is not the only motive for the fundraising activity; the Nomads build group solidarity among participants while offering services to the local community.

"This has been a really successful and inspirational program at First Church of Monson, said The Rev. Mr. Robert Marrone, senior pastor at Monson. "The church folk are pleased to see the way young people are transformed by their travels; they come back with a new understanding of the world beyond Monson."

One young woman told the church during a special church service that, "after seeing the way other people live, I want to be more like Jesus."

The impact of this program has been widespread - from local participants, including church members and non-members alike, to the domestic and international recipients of their services.

"The Nomads of Hope continues to provide an outlet for community members who wish to travel and make a difference in the lives of others, to follow their hearts and change the world," said Shorette. "It's not so much about the service projects as it is about changing hearts and minds," she continued.

"The porches, decks and stairs that are built help now, but the memories and relationships last a lifetime. The goodness grows in ways we may never know."

For more information, please visit www.nomadsofhope.com or contact Linda Shorette at shorettelw@gmail.com.Or you can contact the First Church of Monson, UCC office at (413) 267-3312, firstchurch@samnet.org.

Tell us how God is speaking in and through your church. Have you reached out to the community in unique ways? Initiated a new mission project? Found a new way to minister to those within the congregation? Share your story and help us to spread the good news! Contact Marlene Gasdia-Cochrane, Editor, at cochranem@macucc.org.

You may reprint this story by including the following line in your article:
"Source: Massachusetts Conference, United Church of Christ, www.macucc.org/spotlight"

• Talk with others about how God is Still Speaking at your church. Send us your story at spotlight@macucc.org. Suggest to others that they subscribe to Spotlight.
• Forward this email to your members.