About Get In The Car Missions

It all started during a Sunday service in the fall of 2005 when Pastor George Spencer announced that there was a mission trip forming in January of 2006 to help people of the Gulf Coast after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and the congregation was invited. “We don’t know where we are going, we don’t know what we are going to do and we don’t know where we are staying. If you need any more details we don’t have any. If this sounds like a trip you are interested in, let me know.” Well, nine people from New Hope United Methodist Church felt a “tap” on the shoulder that particular Sunday and signed up for the trip.

The handful of volunteers that formed the January 2006 mission team, lead by Wayne Bank, went to Gautier (Go-shay), Mississippi. The volunteers witnessed the love of the Lord in ways that has forever changed their lives. Among those volunteers, Eric Miller, Andrew Thompson, and Tera Stosio, made a commitment from that one week trip to continue the relief effort along the Gulf Coast. The fire was lit. A second mission team was then planned for March 2006 and the three went to VIM (Volunteers In Mission) leadership training.

The second team returned to Gautier, MS two months later as planned, equipped with VIM leadership training and a new tool trailer filled with a variety of tools. The team, led by Bob and Lisa McCormick who were already established VIM leaders; all stated that the experience was just as awesome as the first trip in January. Get In The Car was established during this trip. Fuel was being added to the fire.

After their return, visions of filling the trailer full of tools and having it available to churches throughout the Michigan Conferences of the United Methodist Church to use for the continued reconstruction effort of the Gulf Coast was taking shape. By the end of April 2006, Get In The Car 1 was already in the works as a two week trip headed to Gautier, MS that October. The first week was a team from New Hope UMC, led by Eric Miller and Tera Stosio, and the second week was a team from Cole UMC, led by Andrew Thompson and Bob McCormick. The fire was unleashed.

In support of the trip and tool trailer, a bicycle fundraiser was planned and Spirit’s Fire was born. The First Annual Spirit’s Fire bike ride took place the weekend before Labor Day. The event raised funds for the Get In The Car I trip for October of 2006.

Since then, we have added a second tool trailer and The Dave McCormick VIM Memorial Scholarship to the program, and are working prayerfully to follow where Christ has called us to in the future.

At Get In The Car Missions, we continually look for ways to spread the word of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ using the methods He has chosen for us. We have done nothing other than to follow the directions of “The Man in Charge”. People from all levels of faith are invited and encouraged to be part of a team. We believe if God sends them to us, He was us to respond.

Our vision is to take away any excuse had about being part of a mission team, be it locally, nationally, or internationally, and replace it with the encouragement, tools assistance and prayers to continually reach out to those in need and be “the Hands and Feet of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”.

Christ has called.

What is your response?