Doorstep Ministry
Prayer Shawl Ministry
NOMADS
Nomads On a Mission Active in Divine Service
Retirement with a Purpose
NOMADS was started in 1988 by a group of retired couples who traveled to Texas each winter. They felt God’s calling to help needy families in that part of the country by using their building skills. From that beginning, the Nomads now number about 1000 volunteering individuals who travel around the United States in their RVs assisting United Methodist agencies that have applied for help. These agencies include churches, church camps, children’s homes, and churches requesting help for their communities. Nomads also have a program for Disaster Rebuilding (DR) following natural disasters. On a regular project or on a DR project, Nomads work Monday through Thursday. On regular projects, Nomads work for three weeks; and on DR projects, they can work one or more weeks as they choose. Our mission statement, “Rebuilding lives, homes, and facilities with God’s love and our hands,” allows us to do His work, glorify Him, and be an example to encourage others to serve Him. Nomads are usually retired people who feel that they still need a purpose in their retirement and enjoy using their knowledge and skills to help others. We are required to have an RV, and we pay our own travel expenses to get to these agencies. We normally supply most of the tools required to perform the work planned. The agencies are required to provide all the supplies needed for the project, (paint, construction materials, etc.). If special tools or equipment is required (lifts, scaffolding, floor sanders, etc.), they are provided by the agency. The agency also provides us a place to park our RVs with water and minimum 30 amp electric; some even have sewer hookups too. In 2014, the Nomads worked 140 three-week projects in 35 states, 6 Disaster Rebuilds from North Dakota to the Florida Panhandle. On these projects, the Nomads worked a total of 112,000 hours saving the agencies $2.52 million in labor costs. Additional information is available at the Nomads web site. www.nomadsumc.org